There is a simple, pathetic story from mission lands, variously told, and well vouched for, of a missionary pausing long enough in a village to tell the story of Jesus to the crowd that gathered, and then pushing on.  This was the first visit of a missionary to this place and so the first news of Jesus.  The crowd listened eagerly with various results.  There was one listener, an old man, held in repute for his wisdom, who at once accepted the missionary’s story, and announced his acceptance of Jesus.  His neighbors expressed their surprise at his prompt acceptance of such a new thing.  The old man’s quiet answer in effect was this:  “Oh, I have long trusted this Jesus, but I never knew His name before.”  There was no change of purpose with this man, but, in the story of Jesus, the burst of light that brought unspeakable peace as he kept on in his upward tug.

Yet all this will not hold back from glad sacrifice, from free giving, from eager going to foreign mission lands a single man or woman who has been caught by Jesus’ Spirit. The Master said, “Go ye.”  That’s enough.  For the largest wealth that may be given, for the keenest sacrifice that may be endured, for the strongest life that may be devoted—­that is quite enough.  And if more were needed—­then to go, to give, to sacrifice for the sake of helping our struggling brothers yonder know Jesus, and His wondrous sacrifice and His great peace.  To make them conscious of the disgustingness of sin, to bring to them a vision of Jesus’ face to allure, and enchain, to give a man’s will an earnest boost, when he _-would_ choose, but cannot seem to for the suction of sin, inherited and ever growing upon his choosing powers.  God sent His best.  Jesus sacrificed His all in going.  We’ll gladly follow in such a train.  Jesus is God sending His best, sacrificing His dearest, giving His most, going Himself to get men started up the hill out of the bog.

The Broken Tryst.

Man’s break back in Eden was very hard on God.  That evening early, in the twilight, God came walking in the garden to have the usual talk with His friend.  He came to keep tryst.  It was the usual trysting place and trysting hour, and God had the trysting spirit.  We may think He came early for this bit of fellowship.  He was prompt.  Nothing would be allowed to disturb this appointment.  But God was disappointed.  It was His first disappointment.  The first one to be disappointed on this earth was God.  Adam had always met Him before.  We may easily think met Him eagerly, jubilantly, with glad, free, open face and clinging hands.

But the man was not there this time.  He failed God.  He broke tryst.  He stayed away.  Indeed he had gone away.  God didn’t fail.  He was there.  The man failed.  They had a long distance talk.  God called Adam.  He was not content to come to the trysting place.  He must find the missing tryster.  Some folk would make God a sort of hard and dry keeper of His word: