Tom Pays the Price

Rev. McPhail lived in Scotland near Fort George. Many British soldiers were stationed there. This fort was located close to the edge of a lake. It was necessary to take a ferry in order to reach the town on the other side of the lake, close to Fort George was a small market with several small stores.

One day, as Rev. McPhail was waiting for the ferry, a soldier walked past and stopped at a nearby meat shop. Rev. McPhail watched as the soldier paced back and forth comparing prices. At last the soldier picked up a large sausage and, handing it to the butcher, asked, “How much for this sausage?”

“This sausage is $2.50 per pound,” replied the butcher as he placed it on the scale, “so for two pounds it comes to $5.00.”

“What!” exclaimed the soldier, “I’ll never pay such a price for that sausage!” He followed his outburst with a terrible oath in which he called on God to damn his soul if he paid the five dollars as required by the butcher.

“Well, sir,” the butcher answered calmly, “that is the price. Do you want it or not?”

The soldier continued to argue for some time, but finally he agreed to pay the butcher’s price and bought the sausage.

Rev. McPhail stood in shocked silence as he listened to the soldier’s awful words. Did this soldier truly realize the price he had actually paid for that sausage? Watching the soldier make his way down the street, Rev. McPhail decided that he had to find an opportunity to speak to him.

Casually catching up with the soldier, Rev. McPhail fell in step with him and remarked, “What a beautiful day we are having today!”

“Yes, it certainly is,” answered the soldier.

“Are you stationed here at Fort George?”

“Yes, and what a boring place it is! All we ever do is drill, drill, drill.”

“I can hear from your accent that you are from England. What is your name?”

“My name’s Tom Dunstad,” the soldier replied warily.

“Say, that looks like a good sausage you have there,” continued Rev. McPhail.

“And it was cheap, too!” boasted Tom.

“What did you pay for it?”

“Why it was only five dollars, and just look at the size of it! It’s two whole pounds!”

Rev. McPhail was quiet for a moment Then looking seriously at the young soldier he said, “My friend, you have paid a much higher price for the sausage than that.”

Tom looked at him in surprise. “No way!” he exclaimed, “I paid five dollars for it, and not a penny more. I bought it from the butcher over there. If you don’t believe me, just ask him.”

“I know thaf s what you think,” Rev. McPhail continued, “but you also gave your very soul for that sausage. I heard your oath in which you called upon God to damn your soul if you would pay five dollars for that sausage! Yet in the end you did pay exactly five dollars for it. And now, what is to become of you?”

But just as he said this, Rev. McPhail looked up to see his ferry loading at the dock, so he quickly said “good-bye” to the soldier and hurried on board the ferry.

Tom stood open-mouthed as he watched Rev. McPhail hurry away. Then turning, he returned to the Fort. Tossing his cap on a bench, he sat down. The stranger’s words had struck him. He sat with his head down, with those words ringing in his ears. “You gave your very soul for that sausage. And now, what is to become of you?”

Tom tried to shrug off the stranger’s words, but they sounded like a death sentence in his ears. He had never before stopped to think about the seriousness of speaking words that he thought sounded tough. For the first time, Tom saw the reality of his lost condition for eternity. He felt as though he stood exposed before the justice of God. “What is to become of you?” sounded over and over in his mind. Terror rose in his heart as he began to pace back and forth. At last he rushed from the Fort and arrived, out of breath, at the ferry dock. Seeing a dock worker, he shouted, “Where is the man in black clothes who was just here? Where did he go?”

“Oh, you mean the minister? He went across on the ferry just half an hour ago.”

Despair swept over Tom like a rising tide. But looking up, he saw another ferry just coming in. As soon as he was able, he boarded the ferry and waited impatiently until they reached the opposite shore. After arriving, he asked several of the dock hands if they knew where the minister lived.

After receiving directions, he started out, finding that he had to walk several hours across a moor, a deserted stretch of wasteland. Towards evening, Tom arrived at a small village and soon found his way to Rev. McPhail’s house. His knock was answered immediately by Rev. McPhail himself. Tom was warmly received and soon told how the minister’s words had struck terror into his heart “Please tell me what to do!” he exclaimed with tears running down his face. “We may be going into battle soon, and I see eternity before my eyes! Oh, I shall be lost, lost, lost!”

Rev. McPhail rejoiced inwardly to hear the concern that was stirred in the heart of the young man before him. Late into the night he instructed Tom in the way of salvation. Tom stayed for two more days, and it pleased the Lord to bless this instruction to his soul.

Tom returned to Fort George a changed man. He returned to the butcher and asked forgiveness for the terrible way in which he had spoken to him. Tom also warned his fellow soldiers about their carelessness concerning their own souls. Over time he saw more and more how gracious God had been to him in arresting him by the words of a stranger. Tom began to attend services at the army chapel where he received precious instruction. At God’s time it pleased the Lord to show him that for him too there was deliverance. By sovereign grace, the fruits of Tom’s life revealed humble gratitude and the true, saving work of the Holy Spirit.

—JL

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