The effect which the Word of God sometimes has is illustrated in the
following incident related of Robert Moffat, missionary in Africa:
In the large kitchen, where the service was to be held, stood
a long table, at the head of which sat the Boer, with his wife
and six grown children. A large Bible lay on the table, and
underneath it half a dozen dogs. The Boer pointed to the Bible
as the signal for Mr. Moffat to begin. But, after vainly waiting
for others to come in, he asked how soon the working people were
to be called. “Work-people?” impatiently cried the farmer; “you
don’t mean the Hottentots--the blacks! You are not waiting for
them, surely, or expecting to preach to them; you might as well
preach to those dogs under that table!” A second time, and more
angrily, he spoke, repeating the offensive comparison.
Young as Mr. Moffat was, he was disconcerted only for a moment.
Lifting his heart to God for guidance, the thought came into
his mind to take a text suggested by the rude remarks of the
Boer. So he opened the Bible to the fifteenth of Matthew and
twenty-seventh verse: “Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the
crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” Pausing a moment,
he slowly repeated these words with his eyes steadily fixt on
the face of the Boer; and again pausing, a third time recited
the appropriate words. Angrily the Boer cried out, “Well,
well, bring them in.” A crowd of blacks then thronged the
kitchen, and Moffat preached to them all the blessed Word of
God.--PIERSON, “The Miracles of Missions.”
(3211)
* * * * *
The following incident shows how an apparently chance occurrence may
bring conviction through the word of Scripture:
While in the St. Louis jail, Burke had obtained a copy of a city
paper which published a sermon by Mr. Moody, then preaching
in St. Louis. This paper announced the topic of Mr. Moody’s
sermon in a sensational headline, “How the Jailer at Philippi
was Caught.” Burke thought the reference was to the town of
Philippi in Illinois, a place of which he knew; and he began
to read what he supposed to be jail news. He became interested
as he read on. Nine times in the sermon he came upon the text,
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” It
imprest him so deeply that in the cell that night for the first
time Burke prayed. Soon after he believed, and was assured of
salvation. The jailer thought Burke was playing the “pious
dodge,” and only suspected him the more. When the case came to
trial, however, he escaped conviction, and was released. For
some months the ex-convict could find no one so to trust him as
to give him steady work. He finally was given a position under
the sheriff of the county, made the collector of the office, and
until he died some time afterward, Burke never disappointed the
confidence reposed in him.--H. C. MABIE, “Methods in
Evangelism.”
(3212)
=Texts=--See FITNESS.
=Thankfulness=--See UNSELFISHNESS.