VI.—A DANGEROUS VILLAGE.
Padre Ware, a missionary, revisited a village in which four heads of families, whose names were Nihal, Tara Chund, Chanda Lal, and Lala, had received the gospel, and been baptized. After an absence of six months Padre Ware returned to the village, hoping to find the four Christians firm in the faith, and glorifying by their holy lives the Saviour whom they had promised to serve. Alas! great was the sorrow of Padre Ware to find that Satan had sown the seeds of discord and hatred amongst the little band who should have loved one another, even as Christ had loved them. Nihal had a quarrel with Tara Chund about a bit of land; Chanda Lal’s wife had said bitter things against Lala’s. None of the four would speak with his neighbour. Even the coming of Padre Ware was a fresh cause of bitterness. Each one of the four men asked the missionary to abide in his house; the Englishman could not go to the one without offending the other three. Where Padre Ware had hoped to find love and peace and joy, he found anger, hatred, and strife.
Under the shade of a banyan-tree sat Padre Ware, with his Bible in his hand; and thither, to meet him, came Nihal, Tara Chund, Chanda Lal, and Lala,—but they sat on the ground as far apart as they could from each other. Many of the villagers stood at a little distance to see the missionary, and listen to his words; but none of these villagers wished to become Christians, for they said amongst themselves: “Padre Ware, when he was here before, told us that God is love, and Christ’s religion a religion of love; but behold these men who have been baptized, they will not so much as eat together!”
Padre Ware looked sadly upon the four converts who were thus bringing dishonour on the name of Christians. For a few moments he lifted up his heart in prayer for them, and then he spoke aloud:—
“It is the desire of my heart that all may be peace and love between you. Nihal is the oldest amongst you: let us all go to his house, and take a meal together, in token that all again are friends.”
But Tara Chund shook his head and cried, “Never will I cross the threshold of Nihal!” And Chanda Lal and Lala looked fiercely at each other, and muttered, “We never will eat together.”
Then said Padre Ware to the four: “I have been for twelve years a missionary. I have gone in and out amongst the people; I have never refused to go to the house of him who invited me, nor to eat with any who was willing to eat with me. Only once was I in a great difficulty: I went to one village where several were ready indeed to receive me, but I knew that they all were murderers.”
“All murderers!” exclaimed the astonished Christians. “That was an evil place indeed.”
“What was I to do?” asked Padre Ware.
All the four answered as with one breath,—“Get out of that village as fast as your honour could.”
Then Padre Ware opened his Bible, and slowly read: Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
There was a great silence, and then the missionary went on:—“O my friends! ye know that God hath commanded, Thou shalt not kill; and His Word hath shown us that this command reaches even to the thoughts of the heart. Ye call yourselves servants of that Saviour who loved His enemies, prayed for His enemies, died for His enemies; but oh! remember that they who come to Him for pardon and life, must also follow Him in holiness and love,—for is it not written in the Scriptures of truth, If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His”? (Rom. viii. 9).
Again there was a deep silence. Then Nihal arose from the ground, and going up to Tara Chund, offered his hookah;[54] and Tara Chund accepted it with a smile. The four Christians embraced one another; and before the evening closed in, those who had been bitter enemies ate together as friends and brethren in Christ.[55]