“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
A COMPANY of between thirty and forty believers in the Lord. Jesus Christ associated themselves together for the purpose of emigrating from New England, in America, in order to form a settlement of their own in the western wilderness. Arrived and settled in their new home, they were industrious and frugal, and all things prospered under their hands. But soon wolves came near the fold in the shape of reek less, unprincipled adventurers — believers in the advantages of force and cunning, and who acted according to their creed. The colony of Christians spoke to them of their depredations in terms of gentlest remonstrance, and repaid them with unvarying kindness. They went farther — they openly announced, “You may do us what evil you may choose, we will return nothing but good.” Lawyers came into the neighborhood, and offered their services to settle disputes. They answered, “We have no need of you. As neighbors we receive you in the most friendly spirit; but as far as we are concerned, your occupation has ceased to exist.” “What will you do if miscreants burn your barns and steal your harvests?” asked the lawyers. “We will return good for evil,” replied the Christian settlers; “we believe this is the highest truth, and therefore the best expediency.” When the unprincipled in the community heard this, they considered it a marvelous good joke, and said and did many provoking things, in which they found much amusement. Barns were taken down in the night, and cows let into the cornfields. The Christians repaired the damage as well as they could, put the cows into their own barn during the day, and at twilight drove them gently home, saying, “Neighbor, your cows have been in my field; I have fed them well all day, but I would not keep them through the night, lest the children should suffer for the want of their milk.” If this were fun, those who planned the joke found no heart to laugh at it.
By degrees, a visible change came over these troublesome neighbors. They ceased to cut off the horses’ tails, and break the legs of the poultry. Rude boys would say to a younger brother, “Don’t throw that stone, Bill! When I killed the chicken last week, didn’t they send it to my mother, because they thought that chicken broth would be good for poor Mary? I should think you’d be ashamed to throw stones at their chickens.” Thus was “evil overcome with good,” till not one was found to do them willful injury.
Yeas passed on, and I saw them thriving in worldly substance beyond their neighbors, yet beloved by all. From them the constable and the lawyer obtained no fees. The sheriff stammered and apologized when he took their hard-earned goods in payment for the war tax. They mildly replied, “‘Tis a bad trade, friend; examine it in the light of conscience, and see if it be not so.” But while they refused to pay such fees and taxes, they were liberal to a proverb in their contributions for all useful and benevolent purposes.
At the end of ten years, the public lands which they had chosen for their farms were, according to custom, advertised for sale by Government auction. According to the regulations then existing, those who had settled and cultivated the soil were considered to have a right to bid it in at the Government price, which at that time was one dollar twenty-five cents per acre. But the fever of land speculation chanced then to run unusually high. Adventurers from all parts of the country were flocking to the auction, and capitalists in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston were sending agents to buy up western lands. No one supposed that custom or equity would be regarded. The first day’s sale showed that speculation ran to the verge of insanity land was eagerly bought in at seventeen, twenty-five, and forty dollars an acre. The Christian colony had small hopes of retaining their farms. As first settlers they had chosen the best lands, and persevering industry had brought them into the highest cultivation. The market value of their settlement was much greater than the acres already sold at exorbitant prices. In view of these facts, they had prepared their minds for another rove into the wilderness — perhaps to be again ejected by a similar process. But on the morning that their lot was offered for sale, they observed with grateful surprise that their neighbors were everywhere busy among the crowd of strangers, begging and expostulating: “Don’t bid on these lands! these men have been working hard on them for ten years. During all that time they never did harm to man or beast. They are always ready to do good for evil. They are a blessing to any neighborhood. It would be a sin and a shame to bid on their lands. Let them go at the Government price.” The sale came on the cultivators of the soil offered the customary one dollar twenty-five cents, intending to bid higher if necessary. But among all that crowd of selfish, reckless speculators, not one bid over them. Without one opposing voice, the fair acres returned to their possession, and thus the Lord, in whose hand are the hearts of all men, and who had thus wonderfully interposed in their behalf, graciously rewarded their faithful obedience to his command, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”