135 lines
7.1 KiB
Plaintext
135 lines
7.1 KiB
Plaintext
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DOES THIS RAILROAD LEAD TO HEAVEN?
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As told by Pastor F.M. Dosh
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. This is a true story taken from the 1894 edition of "Touching
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Incidents And Remarkable Answers To Prayer." As you'll see, this
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wonderful story seems to speak to adults as well as to children. It's
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easy to see why Jesus urged the disciples to "Permit the little
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children to come to Me, for to such as these belongs the kingdom of
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heaven." (Luke 18:16)
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. In traveling we often meet with people of different nationalities
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and languages. We also come across various incidents, some sorrowful,
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and others joyful. I recently witnessed one of the most joyful
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incidents while traveling on the railroad.
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. The train was going west, and it was evening. At a station a
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little girl about eight years old came aboard, carrying a little purse
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under her arm. She came into my car and quickly took a seat. She
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then began to study each face, but all were strange to her. She
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appeared weary, and using her purse for a pillow, she laid down on the
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seat to try to get a little sleep.
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. Soon the conductor came along collecting tickets and fare.
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Observing him, she asked him if she could lie there. The gentlemanly
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conductor replied that she could, and then kindly asked for her
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ticket. She informed him that she didn't have one, and then I
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overheard the following conversation.
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. Said the conductor: "Where are you going?"
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. "I'm going to heaven," she answered.
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. "Who's paying your fare?" he asked.
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. She said, "Mister, does this railroad lead to heaven, and does
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Jesus travel on it?"
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. "I don't think so," he answered. "Why did you think that?"
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. "Why, sir, before my mommy died she used to sing to me about a
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heavenly railroad, and you looked so nice and kind that I thought this
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was the railroad. My mommy used to sing about Jesus on the heavenly
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railroad, and that He paid the fare for everybody, and that the train
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stopped at every station to take people on board. My mom doesn't sing
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to me anymore. Nobody sings to me now, and I thought I'd take the
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train and go see my mommy. Mister, do you sing to your little girl
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about the railroad that goes to heaven? You have a little girl, don't
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you?"
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. With tears in his eyes, he replied, "No, my dear, I have no
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little girl now. I had one once, but she died some time ago and went
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to heaven."
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. Did she go over this railroad, and are you going to see her now?"
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she asked.
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. By this time every person in the coach was upon their feet, and
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most of them were weeping. An attempt to describe what I witnessed is
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almost impossible. Some said, "God bless this little girl."
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. Overhearing someone say that she was an angel, the little girl
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earnestly replied, "Yes, my mommy used to say that I would be an angel
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some day."
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. Addressing herself once more to the conductor, she asked him, "Do
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you love Jesus? I do, and if you love Him, He will let you ride to
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heaven on His railroad. I'm going there, and I wish you would go with
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me. I know Jesus will let me into heaven when I get there, and He
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will let you in too, and everybody that will ride on His railroad -
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yes, all these people. Wouldn't you like to see heaven, and Jesus,
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and your little girl?"
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. These words, so pathetically and innocently uttered, brought a
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great gush of tears from all eyes, but most profusely from those of
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the conductor. Some who were already traveling on the heavenly
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railroad shouted aloud for joy.
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. She now asked the conductor, "Mister, may I lie here until we get
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to heaven?"
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. "Yes, dear, yes," he answered.
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. "Will you wake me up when we get there so that I can see my
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mommy, and your little girl, and Jesus?" she asked. "I so much want
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to see them all."
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. His answer came in broken phrases, but in words very tenderly
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spoken, "Yes, dear angel, yes. God bless you." "Amen!" was sobbed by
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more than a score of voices.
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. Turning her eyes once more upon the conductor, she questioned him
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again, "What should I tell your little girl when I see her? Should I
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tell her that I saw her daddy on Jesus' railroad? Should I?"
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. This brought a fresh flood of tears from all present, and the
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conductor knelt by her side and, embracing her, wept the reply he
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could not utter. At this point the brakeman called out the name of
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another station. The conductor got up and asked the brakeman to take
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care of his duty for him at that station, for he was busy.
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. That was a precious place. I thank God that I was a witness to
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this scene, and I was sorry that at that point I was obliged to leave
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the train.
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THE SEQUEL
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(A letter from the conductor to Pastor Dosh)
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Dear Pastor Dosh,
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. I wish to unburden my heart by writing to you and saying that
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that angel visit on the train was a blessing to me, although I didn't
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realize it in its fullness until some hours later. But blessed be the
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Redeemer, I know now that I am His and He is mine. I no longer wonder
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why Christians are happy. Oh, my joy, my joy!
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. The instrument of my salvation has gone to be with God. I wanted
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to adopt her in the place of my little daughter, who is now in heaven,
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and with this intention I took her back to her hometown, where she
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left the train.
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. When I talked with my wife about adopting her, she replied, "Yes,
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certainly, and immediately too, for there is a Divine providence in
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this. Oh, "she said, "I could never refuse to take under my charge
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the instrument of my husband's salvation."
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. When I returned to the town where I had left the little girl, I
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asked about her and learned that in just three days after her return
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she died suddenly, without any apparent disease, and her happy soul
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had gone to dwell with her mother, my little girl, and the angels in
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heaven.
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. I was sorry to hear of her death, but my sorrow is turned to joy
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when I think that my daughter in heaven received word from earth
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concerning her daddy, and that he is on the heavenly railway. Oh!
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sir, I think I see my little girl near the Redeemer. I think I hear
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her sing, "I'm safe at home, and daddy and mommy are coming." I find
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myself sending back the reply, "Yes, my darling, we are coming and
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will soon be there." Oh, my dear sir, I am so glad that I know you!
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May the blessing of the great God rest upon you. Please write to me,
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and be assured I would be most happy to meet you again.
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. We learn many things from this incident. "From the mouth of
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infants and nursing babes Thou has established strength ..." (Psalm
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8:2) Not only should we never be afraid to speak out for Jesus, no
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matter where we are, but we should never give up praying for the
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salvation of those we love. The conductor's wife was obviously a
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godly woman who must have been praying for her husband's salvation.
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It looks like God honored her prayers with a visit from this "little
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angel" who came in love, boldness, and with a word from the Lord about
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the conductor's daughter. The right word at the right time is a
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mighty tool in the hand of God.
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The Last Days Newsletter.
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Box 40, Lindale, Tx. 75771-0040
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Computers for Christ - Chicago
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