Delivered From an Armed Host
By W. A. S.
ONE more experience may well be quoted from the story of John G. Paton’s life in the New Hebrides. By faith, men of God in olden times were able to turn “to flight the armies of the aliens.” While enemies plotted against the helpless servants of God, prayer reached the throne of the universe, and angels were sent to turn back the hosts of evil. Still the same angels watch over the people of God. In the following paragraphs, Mr. Paton sketches an experience that came to him near the close of his first years on Tanna. The time had evidently come to flee, as Christ had commanded. The savage people, save in one friendly village, were bent on taking the lives of the teacher and his converts. The missionary says of his flight:— On reaching Nowar’s village unobserved, we found the people terror-stricken, crying, rushing about in despair at such a host of armed savages approaching. I urged them to ply their axes, cut down trees, and blockade the path. For a little they wrought vigorously at this; but when, so far as the eye could reach, they saw the shore covered with armed men rushing on toward their village, they were overwhelmed with fear; they threw away their axes and weapons of war, they cast themselves headlong on the ground, and5knocked themselves against the trees as if to court death before it came. They cried,— “Missi, it’s of no use. We shall all be killed and eaten to-day. See what a host are coming against us.” Mothers snatched up little children and ran to hide in the bush. Others waded as far as they could in the sea with them, holding their heads above the water. The whole village collapsed in a condition of indescribable terror. Nowar, lame with his wounded knee, got a canoe turned upside down and sat upon it, where he could see the whole approaching multitude. He said:— “Missi, sit down beside me, and pray to our Jehovah God; for if he does not send deliverance now, we are all dead men. They will kill us all on your account, and that quickly. Pray, and I will watch.” We prayed as one can only pray when in the jaws of death and on the brink of eternity. We felt that God was near, and omnipotent to do what seemed best in his sight. When the savages were about three hundred yards off, at the foot of a hill leading up to the village, Nowar touched my knee, saying, “Missi, Jehovah is hearing! They are all standing still.” Had they come on, they would have met no opposition; for the people were scattered in terror. On gazing shoreward, and round the harbor, as far as we could see was a dense host of warriors, but all were standing still, and apparently absolute silence prevailed. We saw a messenger, or herald, running along the approaching multitude, delivering some tidings as he passed, and then disappearing in the bush. To our amazement, the host began to turn, and slowly marched back in great silence, and entered the remote bush at the head of the harbor. Nowar and his people were in ecstasies, crying out, “Jehovah has heard Missi’s prayer! Jehovah has protected us, and turned them away back.” We were on that day his trusting and defenseless children; would you not, had you been one of our circle, have joined with us in praising the Lord God for deliverance from the jaws of death? I know not why they turned back; but I have no doubt it was the doing of God to save our lives. This was not so many years ago. A little later the missionaries returned to Tanna, and the gospel triumphed over savage hearts. So God has been preparing many a field for the last message, while the great advent movement has been rising and gathering strength. Now, with the commission to carry the warning quickly through every land, we are to press forward in full assurance that God and the angels are in the waiting fields to give power to the truth. No weapon that is formed against it shall prosper. W. A. S.