“When I was young,” narrates an old colored ex-slave, “my master’s son used to teach me each evening, what he had learned during the day. In this way, I learned to read. We read together verse by verse, the whole of the New Testament. The reading of God’s Word soon brought us both to feel we were sinners before Him. We began to pray for the salvation of our souls, and the Lord heard us, and, by grace, gave us to put our trust in the Lord Jesus. Sometime after, I started meetings for prayer and reading of the Word, among my fellow slaves. My old master heard of this, and was greatly angered by it, especially when he saw that his son had turned pious.
Under threat of a whipping, he forbade me to continue the meetings. Without paying any attention to this threat I continued to preach the Gospel every Lord’s day, and every Monday I was regularly beaten with a leather thong, so that my back could scarcely heal from Monday to Monday. It was with great difficulty that I accomplished my daily work. In this way, I spent a year and a half.
One Monday morning, my master, as usual, ordered some slaves to strip me and tie me to a tree. He was obeyed while he stood before me looking darkly at me, the whip hanging in his hand on his side. His conscience was stirred.
“Jack,” he said, “your back is covered with wounds and scars. I do not know where to strike, any more. How much longer will you be stubborn and persevere in this way?”
“As long, Sir,” I answered, “as my Saviour gives me life.”
“What makes you so obstinate?”
“Because I wish to hear the Lord say to me on, the resurrection morning ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant.’”
My master remained silent for a moment, then ordered the slaves to untie me and sent me to work in the fields. Later in the afternoon he came to me.
“Sit down, Jack,” he said, “and tell me the truth frankly. Your back has been lacerated for a long time past; you have hard labor to do, and are but a low down slave; tell me, in spite of all this, are you really happy?”
“Sir,” I said, “I do not believe there is in the whole world a happier man than I.”
He was silent for a long time, then continued: “You told me once, that your religion teaches you to pray for your enemies. Will you pray for your old master?”
“With all my heart,” I exclaimed. We knelt down together, and I prayed for him. From that day forth he frequently came to see me in the field and always requested my prayers. Sometime later, he was able to rejoice in the one who had died for him. We then lived together like brothers. On his death bed, he made me a free man, so that I might go and preach the gospel as long as I live. I saw him depart, knowing he was going to be with the Lord, where I have the assurance of seeing him again, when my Saviour calls me hence.”
“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matt. 5:4444But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:44).
ML 10/31/1909