An African Story.
A YOUNG Christian Englishman, named Vaughan, looked for fortune in the wild parts of Africa. He had been successful and was returning to the coast with his gathered treasures, consisting chiefly in skins of animals, and in elephant tusks or ivory.
One day he was startled by cries of distress, and looking out across the river he noticed how a poor black slave was seeking to escape to him from a horde of wild men who sought to catch him.
Escaping for his life, he reached the river and swam through it as if water were his element, but just as he was clambering up the bank, a dart, hurled by the chieftain, struck him so badly that he fell disabled to the ground.
Soon the whole savage horde had also crossed the river, and would have quickly killed off the wounded slave but for the Englishman who, stepping forward, called, “Spare him! and I will buy him from you!”
“What will you give for him?” cried the chieftain.
The finest tusk of ivory was offered, but refused. One after another of his treasures was placed at the chieftain’s feet.
At last Vaughan said, “This is now all I have, take it, but let me have the slave!”
“No, never!” cried the chieftain passionately and with glaring eyes, “for only so much I will not sell my vengeance! It is blood I want, and without blood I will not be satisfied!”
At a sign from the chieftain, one of his followers hurled a dart at the wounded man. The Englishman, however, dashed forward, and with his outstretched arm stopped the weapon in its flight. Then, with the dart in his quivering flesh, and whilst great blood-drops fell to the ground, he cried loudly: “You wanted blood! — there you have blood! This slave I have now bought with my own blood!”
But now the chieftain began to tremble! He had heard of all the power of the great white Queen Victoria, and lo, now he had spilt the blood of one of her subjects! He feared the consequences, and so now was ready, without any further ado, to leave the poor slave in the hands of his liberator, and to withdraw with all his followers.
The poor black heathen, although weak from loss of blood and previous maltreatment, sought to pull himself together in order to help in reloading the cart with the skins and other objects. His liberator, however, would not allow this, and assured him he must first get well again, and he helped to bind up his wounds.
Deeply moved, yea, overcome, by all this kindness, and with the hot tears flowing freely down his cheeks, he cried out: “The blood-bought one loves—the blood-bought one must serve...!”
The greatest slave-holder is Satan, “the prince of this world” (John 12:31), “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4). He has also “the power of death.” (Heb. 2:14.) As far as sin reaches, so far reaches also death; therefore all must die because all have sinned. (Rom. 5:12.) Through the fall Satan possesses, so to speak, a mortgage on the body of every human being. But not only does he seek to bring about the “first death,” the death of the body, the separation from all our earthly environment and friends, but he would like to bring each into the “second death,” that of eternal separation from God and from all the blessed ones. From the heavenly glory the “Lord of glory” descended, and, as “the Friend of sinners,” He bought us with “His own blood” (Heb. 13:12), with “His own life.” Is this not the greatest and most costly price? (1 Peter 1:19.) But only because His death was a voluntary sacrifice, and that of a sinless one, could He be our Substitute and our Saviour. (John 10:18; Heb. 9:14-.)
The “Value of His blood” is measured by the value of His life and by the greatness of His Person. (Heb. 1:3.) Therefore the blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God can cleanse us all from all sin. (1 John 1:7.) Because it is the Creator who died for His creatures. (Heb. 1:1-3.) Oh, mystery of godliness,” the Almighty Creator incognito, revealed as God in the flesh, stooped to our level of existence (“yet without sin”) and laid down His life for His creatures! (Heb. 1:1-3.) Therefore the death of Christ has eternal and wonderful import and results, for the love of God reaches far beyond only the deliverance and salvation of the sinner from guilt and death. Whoever truly believes in Christ, to whom Christ “by faith” has become a reality and precious (1 Peter 2:7), is made acceptable to God in Him. And such a one becomes a “son of God” (John 1:12), and an heir of God, a co-heir with Christ. (Rom. 8:17.) Such are “born again to a living hope” and are kept for an” inheritance undefiled.” (1 Peter 1:3-4.)
If your heart embraces all this, or rather is embraced by it, how can you other than love your Liberator, your Saviour, above all things, and desire to serve Him forever?
Oh, how does the escaped African put many of his white brothers and sisters to shame! His love, his gratitude, is really touching. But oh, how incomprehensible, how unworthy is the behavior of many who call themselves “Christians,” but only bear the Name of Christ without wanting to belong to Him.
Ad. F. Eoll.