Hudson Taylor was a famous missionary in China. He was also a medical doctor. One day he was moving to another town where a hospital was being set up. Traveling with him by boat were John Jones, another missionary, Jones' son, and a Chinese servant named Peter. Peter had been in England working for the Jones' as a servant and tutor. He was going to work for them in China as well.

They loaded all their luggage on a small boat called a junk, and headed to Ningbo. One morning, Hudson Taylor was sorting tracts (gospel papers) in his cabin. Peter was pattering about the junk. He had been warned many times about his dangerous habit of walking along the narrow ledge past the cabin as he moved from one end of the boat to the other.

Suddenly, Hudson Taylor heard a cry and a splash. He ran to the deck. Peter had fallen into the canal. The water level was low, and the canal was filled with sludge. Peter was trapped underwater. Taylor lowered the sail to keep them from floating past the place where Peter had fallen. He shouted for a fishing boat to come and drag the bottom and save Peter.

"Hurry!" Hudson shouted. "A man is drowning!"

"It's not convenient," replied the fisherman.

"Convenient! This is a man's life we're talking about!" shouted Hudson.

"We are busy fishing. We can't come," said the fishermen.

"I'll give you money to come and drag this spot with your nets and hooks," implored Taylor.

"How much will you give us?" asked the fishermen.

Hudson Taylor could not believe his ears!

"We can't discuss that right now. We don't have time. I'll give you five dollars."

"Twenty dollars, or we won't drag."

"I don't have twenty dollars!" Hudson shouted. "I'll give you all the money I have if you'll just come and save this man's life!"

"How much do you have?"

"I don't know exactly. Maybe fourteen dollars."

Finally, the fisherman slowly dragged the bottom of the canal, bringing up Peter's body. Hudson tried artificial respiration on him, but he had been under the water too long. Peter was dead. The fisherman complained that he was not being paid fast enough.

Later, Hudson wrote, "Were not these fishermen guilty of this poor Chinaman's death, in that they had the means of saving him at hand, if they would have but used them?"

The Bible says we all must be saved from the punishment for our sins in Hell. God is the only one who CAN save us. It cost God His only Son. The Lord Jesus had to suffer and die on the cross ALONE to provide salvation for us. God did not wait to see if we could somehow pay him. We have with which to pay God. We are completely sinful. Instead, God "spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all" (Romans 8:32). Salvation is a gift. Have you taken the gift?

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