The Fruit of Missions.
I had hoped to spend the next night at the home of my friend S——, but next day I met him and others going to the Ashcroft races. He expressed his regret at not being home to receive me, but begged me to stay at his place that night.
I preached at Cache Creek, and arrived at my friend’s ranch about evening. His Chinese servant met us, and I said to him:
“John, I met your master to-day, and he told me to stay here all night. You are to feed my horses, and I am to stay here until morning.”
He seemed doubtful as to my honesty, and in a somewhat peremptory tone of voice said, “You savee Mr. S——? You savee Mr. S——?”
“Yes,” I said, “and he told me to stop here to-night.”
“You savee Mr. S——? You savee Mr. S——?” he repeated, each time growing louder and more emphatic.
“Yes,” I replied, in a strong and decided voice, “I know Mr. S——, your master, and I want you to get my supper, for I am going to remain here to-night.”
Finally convinced, he took the horses and put them in the stable, and returning to the house, very soon had a fine supper for us, of boiled chicken and other delicacies.
After supper I said to him, “John, do you know Jesus? Have you ever heard about Jesus?”
“Me savee little bit,” he said.
“Then let us pray to God, who has given us all this good food and all good things,” said I.
We knelt down; I prayed, and my Indian friend prayed in his own language; then, to our surprise, “John,” the Chinaman, at once began to pray in Chinese, and, as I should think from the earnestness of his utterances, made a marvellous prayer. Under the blessed influence of grace we had a shouting, happy time.
As soon as we got through, John looked at me very earnestly, and, in an excited tone of voice, said, “Me savee Mr. Piercy, Canton, China, allee same you. Canton, China, one man, allee same you. Mr. Piercy, tell me about Jesus. Mr. Piercy, Canton, China, allee same you.” And as he spoke he grew more excited with his effort to convey to me the fact that in Canton, his native city in China, he had been led to know Jesus through the instrumentality of Mr. Piercy, a missionary like myself.
Suddenly it dawned upon me that the Mr. Piercy referred to was the same George Piercy who, many years before, had left my native village in England and had gone as a missionary to China. His consecrated devotion had left a deep impression on my boyish mind, and I had ever since held him in the highest esteem as a missionary of the Cross.
How little we know of the far-reaching character of our influence. Here in the interior of British Columbia, thousands of miles from the scene of his labors, I met the gracious results of the work of this saintly servant of Christ.
“And they shall come from the east and from the west and from the north and from the south, and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God.”