SAVED at the last moment! So you would have said had you seen the instance I am writing about. Another moment and the poor child would have met death under the feet of an infuriated elephant.
Yes indeed, the danger is imminent, only a step between the child and death! He must be a noble man who risked his own life to save a little child. And what kind of a child is this lying on the ground immediately before the powerful angry creature? Perhaps the child of some wealthy honored parents? No; it is the child of a pariah, a poor neglected creature of the lowest class of India, which a real Hindoo would scarce turn his hand to save. Then, you say, the deliverer must be a pariah himself!
But this, dear reader, is not so in this instance. He is not pariah but a Hindoo of high rank. Indeed what will you say when I assure you that he is none other than Baber the well-known and celebrated emperor of India. Dressed as a common citizen he would go about the streets of his royal city that he might have a better knowledge of the doings of his subjects. Going about thus he saw a great elephant, which had torn loose from its keepers, racing down the street, and how one of his subjects, though it was but a paria-child, was in danger of being killed. While everyone were bent on saving themselves, the emperor stooped and quickly took the child clearing the path for the angry brute, thus saving the child, and without knowing it at that moment, —saving his own life.
Right close by where this noble deed was done was a murderer who thought to take the emperor’s life. He was of the army, Gohur by name. He called the justice with which the emperor ruled tyranny and thought he would be doing a good work if he disposed of the tyrant. He had recognized his ruler inspite of his disguise, and was just in the act of doing his bloody work when the elephant caused all this commotion in the street. He saw, that the supposed tyrant had a heart which beat in love to his fellow creature as perhaps none other in the whole realm. It disarmed him completely. He cast himself before the emperor on the ground and cried: “My lord! I was your enemy. I thought to have killed you, but I did not know you; I thought you were a tyrant; but I now see your love for your people. Take my sword and slay me, who sought after your life!”
But the Monarch lifted him up saying: “My friend, you wanted to kill me, but you did not know me. Now, since you know me you will love me; I know I appoint you a member of my body guard, and I trust you to watch over my life from this on.”
My dear reader! Have you understood the thought that lies in this short narrative? How many people who know not God! They think Him to be unjust and cruel, in a word, a Tyrant. It is a thought native to the heart, for we cannot trust Him, the seed of distrust has been sown in the garden of Eden by the serpent, it is in the heart still. And yet what a God of grace He is! Man by wisdom knows not God, and if he thinks God to be hard, or as it is written “austere” it is only because he knows not God, he knows not that God is rich in mercy. If this ruler has risked his life to save a poor outcast child,” God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Christ died on the cross for His enemies. Dear reader, ponder over this great love of God; the love of Christ, it could not be greater.
Dear reader! don’t you want to do like this would be murderer did, come to God and own what a mistake you had made in your ignorance and blindness? When this man saw his mistake he passed judgment on himself “take my sword and slay me.” But he found favor with his kind ruler. You will find grace and mercy, —just what you need, for He desires not your death, but that you should be saved.
ML 07/14/1912