Sounding the Call

During the Spanish-American War some transports with supplies for General Shafter’s army found it impossible to secure anchorage off the coast of Cuba, and were compelled to steam slowly back and forth. This made it difficult to land the horses and mules, and it was finally decided upon to push them overboard and allow them to swim ashore. So they were pushed into the water, and soon the sea was black with animals. Some instinctively swam toward the shore; others completed circles in the water; still others, more frightened than the rest, started out to sea. It was a distressing situation, and the ship’s officers showed much concern. Finally the men who were aboard the transports espied a soldier on shore hastily making his way toward a rocky promontory. The stripes upon his uniform denoted the bugler. The jutting rocks reached, he placed the bugle to his lips and emitted one after another of the calls which the army horses and mules had learned to know so well. The sound traveled far out to sea, and was heard by every bewildered, struggling creature. Instinctively they turned and swam toward the call. The bugler stood there and sounded those calls until his lips were blue, and, when he finally did cease, every confused and trembling animal was safe. That is about the way it is with God’s call. He needs someone to sound it, and if Christians will but faithfully and earnestly sound the good tidings of the Master they will fall upon the ears of misguided and erring ones somewhere and sometime, and will be to them the means of salvation. It matters not that we may not understand how our feeble and hampered efforts are to win others to Christ. God will take care of that. It is for us to lift His call, to sound His good tidings—and to leave the rest with Him