“In the Lord’s Service.”
A short sketch of the life of Mary Slessor of Calabar. Born 1848. Died 1915.
How many of, us have proved the sweetness and comfort of those words, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want!” To know that the One who made the heavens and the earth has undertaken to care for my every need for Time and for Eternity, and does it in the same loving, thoughtful way that a good shepherd cares for his sheep, only a great deal more so, because His love and His power are Infinite. Could there be a richer, fuller blessing than this?
But every blessing carries with it a responsibility and this same Shepherd has said, “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd.” And is it not well for you and me, too often ask ourselves the question, “What am I doing about those other sheep—those many millions for, whom Christ died just as much as He died for me, but many of whom have never heard of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ?”
We are so apt to say; “O, this is the day of small things,” and then settle down and be content with the small things. But every now and again, the Lord takes up some weak vessel and uses it in some special way, as though He would prove to us, that He could use us too, were our hearts on fire with love and devotion to Himself. Such a one was Mary Slessor, and her life is a wonderful proof of what one weak woman can accomplish when she goes forward in a strength other than her own. She had the simple, childlike faith that can remove mountains. Her love for souls was only second to, her love for her Saviour, and this was such that it made the hard places easy; and the disagreeable things a joy and a delight.
A Scottish factory girl, who spent thirty-nine years as a missionary in that part of Africa known as “The White Man’s Grave,” and dying among the people for who in she had labored so long, was the beloved “white mother” of thousands of the black people. Such was her story in brief; but the years between were filled with adventures and experiences that have seldom, if ever, been the lot; of any other woman; and very few men have had the courage to brave the dangers and difficulties she encountered. We often hear it said that the day of miracles is past, but Mary Slessor’s life was a miracle from first to last. She heard the, Master say, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature;” and she went relying on the promise, “All power is given unto Me,” and “Lo I am with you always.” No one could have, been more deeply conscious of her own inability, but in this strength she proved to be one of God’s giants.
In her early life she learned to “endure hardness,” and in looking back she knew that this had been the best possible preparation for her life work. Her mother was a devoted Christian and brought her children up in the love and fear of God. But while the children were still young the father drifted into habits of intemperance and for this reason their’s was a sad home. The mother was not strong, but she had to go into one of the, factories in Dundee to provide for her family. When twelve years of age Mary went into one of the factories as a half-timer—working half a day and attending school the other half. At fourteen she was the main support of the family. She thirsted for knowledge, and would fasten a book to her loom to snatch a little, while at her work: would read going to and from her work, or would sit up far into the night reading and those who knew her marveled at the development of her mind.
She always loved her Bible and read and studied it diligently. To, her it was an inexhaustible treasure store. Once a girl asked her for something to read, and she gave her the book saying, “Take that, it has made me a changed lassie.”
When a mission was started in the tenement district of the city she offered herself as a teacher and was given a class of boys of the roughest sort. Her bright eyes; her sympathy, and her firmness shaped them into order and attention. One lad, a bully used to stand outside the hail with a whip in hand, driving the young fellows into “Mary Slessor’s meeting” but refusing to go in himself. One day the girl-weaver faced him.
“If we changed places what would happen?” she asked, and he replied, “I would get this whip across my back.” She turned her back, “I’ll bear it for you if you’ll go in,” she said.
“Would you really bear that for me?”
“Yes, and far more, go on I mean it.”
He threw down the whip and followed her in, and gave himself the same day to Christ.
Her influence over the lads was wonderful! They adored her and gave her shy allegiance; and the result was seen in changed habits and transformed lives. As one of them said in after years, “She possessed something we could not grasp something indefinable.” It was the glow of the Spirit of Christ which lit up her inner life and shone in her face, and which, unknown even to herself was then and afterward the source of her distinction and power.
From her earliest recollection Mary Slessor had been deeply interested in mission work in foreign lands, but especially in the mission at Calabar on the west coast of Africa, and she had a growing desire to serve the Lord in this field. When asked why she chose this field, her reply was, “Calabar was the post of danger and was therefore the post of honor.” Few would volunteer for service there, hence she wished to go, for it was there the Master needed her.
When she told her mother of her desire, this dear woman was overjoyed, although it meant parting with the one who had been her greatest help and comfort for fourteen years and she was now a widow. But it was the Lord’s work and she felt that her best was not too good to give to Him. In her heart she had dedicated her two sons to this very work but one had died in childhood, the other in early manhood.
Mrs. Slessor was only a poor woman, who was little known or heard of in this world, but in that day when all the redeemed ones shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ, we know that her reward will be very great. For He, who when here upon earth saw “the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury at the temple, and saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites,” said of her, “this poor widow hath cast in more than they all, for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God, but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had” (Luke 21:1-4). And this same Jesus will measure all our gifts in the same scale. “For the Lord loveth a cheerful giver.”
It must be clearly understood that, only those who are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, will appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10) to receive the result of their works as Christians as to the matter of rewards or loss of rewards. But all believers will be saved, even those who receive no reward (1 Cor. 3:11-15).
The believer is never brought into judgment as regards his salvation. That question is forever settled the moment he accepts Christ as his Saviour, the Lamb of God’s own providing, “who bore our sins in His own body on the tree,” and the word is, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; (or judgment) but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24).
But let us return to our story; Mary Slessor was accepted by the Mission Board on the recommendation of those who had known her work at the City Mission. Her only special preparation for the work was three months spent in the Normal school at Edinburgh, and in August 1876 she sailed for Calabar.
We will pass over the first twelve years of her life there. They were spent at the Mission base on the coast, where her ability was readily recognized by the other missionaries. She learned the language with wonderful rapidity, and it was not long before the natives said she spoke it better than they did themselves. She quickly came to understand the workings of the native mind and entered into their thoughts and feelings in a sympathetic way that won their confidence.
But her heart went out continually to the tribes further inland, many of whom had never seen a white face. They had never heard of the Saviour’s dying love and she longed to carry the glad tidings to them.
There was bitter enmity between these inland tribes and those at the coast. Then too they were continually fighting among themselves, and the British Consul had no more control over them than over the wild beasts of the forest. They were steeped in all the worst superstitions of heathenism, fierce and lawless, but these were the people to whom Mary Slessor longed to carry the gospel message. She had asked her mother if she would be willing for her to undertake this dangerous work and her reply had been, “You are my child given to me by God and I have given you back to Him. Where He needs you and where He sends you, there I would have you be.”
(To be continued).