Introduction

Words: An­nie S. Hawks, in Pre­cious Hymns (Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: Be­tha­ny Sab­bath School, 1870).

Music: Ro­bert Low­ry (🔊 pdf nwc).

Gipsy Smith’s First Convert

The day af­ter I came to know Je­sus as my Sav­iour, as a lad in my fa­ther’s gip­sy wa­gon, the world was a new world to me. I could not help sing­ing. In those days I could real­ly sing! I ne­ver got wrecked ev­en on the high C’s!

I went out on my work as usu­al—I was in the lum­ber bu­si­ness—sell­ing clothes-pins at two­pence a do­zen. The first house I came to the la­dy bought some, and I asked her if she would like to hear me sing. My heart was full. I want­ed to tell her about Je­sus. I was afraid and un­able to speak, but I knew ma­ny hymns. She said yes, so I sang:

Who’ll be the next to follow Jesus,
Who’ll be the next the cross to bear?
Someone is ready, someone is waiting;
Who’ll be the next the crown to wear?

Then I saw her tears, and I was so af­raid that as soon as I fin­ished the hymn I took to my heels and ran as fast as I could!

Twenty-five years lat­er I was hold­ing a par­lor meet­ing in a cer­tain ci­ty. Among the la­dies pre­sent was one who came to shake hands with me af­ter the meet­ing.

Well, Mrs. Chi­vers, I said, I am glad to see you! You used to buy clothes-pins from me when I was a lit­tle gip­sy boy. Do you re­mem­ber one day when I sang for you and ran away?

Yes, she said, and let me tell you about it. My daugh­ter, a girl in her teens, was in the room, and as you sang she came and stood be­side me. When you had gone, she said:

Mother, if a poor lit­tle gip­sy boy is able to love and con­fess Je­sus I think I ought to love Him too.

So we kneeled down to­ge­ther, and my daugh­ter gave her heart to Je­sus. She is here with me to­day, and has now child­ren of her own, and all these years she has been a true fol­low­er of Je­sus.

Sing the gos­pel, if you have a voice. You can ne­ver tell in whose hearts your words may find a lodg­ing.

Record of Chris­tian Work (East North­field, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Re­cord of Chris­tian Work Com­pa­ny), Vol­ume 40, num­ber 1, Jan­ua­ry 1921, page 1.