Amazing Rescues

In church history amazing stories are found. God rescues his servants – sometimes in the nick of time. In his Mystery of Providence John Flavel (c 1627-1691) gives several examples.

• There are the Protestants besieged in Beziers, France, delivered because a drunken drummer went to his quarters at midnight and rang the town alarm-bell, not knowing what he was doing, at just the moment when the Protestants were about to be attacked. 
• There is the spider that weaves its web over the mouth of an oven just after little Pierre Du Moulin (1568-1658) had hidden in there during the 1572 St Bartholomew Day massacre in Paris, creating the impression that no-one had been near that door in a while. 
• Flavel also mentions Pierre Merlin (1503-1633), chaplain to Admiral Coligny, who was sustained for many days at a time by a hen that daily lodged an egg in the place where he had hid himself from his cut-throat pursuers.

We can add these

• A rather offbeat story is that of Bernard Gilpin (1517-1583) who, in the time of Queen Mary, despite his strong Protestant sympathies, was minister of Houghton-le-Spring, in the North East of England. His enemies eventually complained to Bonner the Bishop of London and a royal warrant was secured for his apprehension. He prepared for martyrdon in London, requesting his house-steward to provide him with a long garment suitable for him to wear to the stake. However, on the way to London he fell from his horse and broke his leg. This delayed his journey south and before he got to London, the news came that Mary had died. He at once returned to Houghton-le-Spring, where he continued to labour for years to come.
• The Scottish missionary to the New Hebrides, now Vanuatu, John G Paton (1824-1907) wrote of more than one instance when he was in mortal danger but escaped with his life. Once he woke to find his house surrounded by armed men intent on killing him. He knelt and made his final prayer but went out to reason with them. “At last” he says “some of the Chiefs, who had attended the Worship, rose and said 'Our conduct has been bad; but now we will fight for you, and kill all those who hate you.'" Another time, a man ran at him with an axe but he was defended by a Kaserumini Chief who snatched the spade Paton was working with and defended him. Another time a native called Ian summoned him to his sickbed. As Paton leaned over him, he pulled a dagger and held it to Paton’s heart. Again, he thought his time had come but Ian suddenly wheeled the knife around and thrust it into the sugar cane leaf. “Go, go quickly!” he said. Paton ran for his life the four miles back to the Mission House, “faint, yet praising God for such a deliverance”.
• A more modern example would perhaps be Hassan Dehqani-Tafti (1920-2008) of Iran. In November 1979 two gunmen entered his bedroom. Four shots were fired that narrowly missed him. His wife Margaret preserved the pillowcase with its four bullet holes as a reminder of the deliverance. A fifth shot passed through her hand as she flung herself across her husband's body to protect him.