The following account was given to me by a faithful old slave.
“My master’s son gave me lessons every evening of all he had learned during the day. Thus I learned to read. Then we read, verse by verse, all through the New Testament. We learned we were sinners, and began to pray earnestly for the salvation of our souls. Through the grace of God, we were saved by the blood of Christ.
Sometime after we began to have meetings among the slaves, for prayer and reading of the Word, seeking to lead them to Christ. My old master was very angry when he knew his son was saved. Under penalty of the whip he forbade me to continue these meetings.
I paid no attention to the threats, but kept on preaching the gospel. My master beat me with a terrible whip, so that my back was sore from Monday to Monday. It was with difficulty I went about my work, during the week. Thus a year and a half passed by. One morning as usual, my master ordered my fellow slaves to tie me to a tree to be whipped. They obeyed him. He stood before me, a dark look on his face, the whip hanging by his side. His conscience was stirred up; he had come to a decided moment in his life.
‘James,’ he said, ‘your back is covered with wounds and scars. I do not know where to strike you, miserable creature. How long are you going to keep on in this determined way?’
‘Master,’ I replied, ‘I shall keep on as long as God gives me life to do it.’
My master was silent. Then he told the slaves to untie the ropes that bound me, and sent me back to my work in the field. Late in the evening he came to me.
‘Sit down, James,’ he said, ‘and tell me the truth. For a long time your back has been covered with wounds; you have to work very hard, and you are only a miserable slave. Tell me, notwithstanding all these trials, are you really happy?’
“Master,” I said, ‘I do not think there is a happier man in the world.’ He was silent for some time, then he said,
‘James, you told me once that your religion taught you to pray for your enemies. Will you pray for your old master?’
“With all my heart,” I said. We both knelt down, and I prayed for him. From that time he would often come to me in the fields, always asking me to pray for him. At last he found peace through the blood of the Lamb. Then we lived as brothers in the Lord.
On his death bed he gave me my freedom, asking me to preach the gospel as long as I lived.”
This dear slave rejoiced that he was counted worthy to suffer for the One who died for him. Many of you too, know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour. Will you not speak a word for Him, and show by your ways that you love Him who first loved us? (1 John 4:1919We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)).
“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven.” Luke 6:22:23.
Yes, dear reader, think of how much the Lord Jesus suffered for us: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:55But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5).
If you do not yet know Him as your Saviour, won’t you come to Him at once? Don’t delay!
ML 11/27/1938