“They acknowledged that it could not. I next demanded of a Brahmin whether he did not perceive that the world was full of sin and that we should all be found guilty and how he might obtain forgiveness? He answered, ‘Through the mercy of God.’ ‘You say right,’ I resumed, ‘but you know that God is righteous and punishes the wicked, how then can a just God be gracious to such sinful creatures so as fully to pardon us and to make us blessed?’ Upon this I explained to them the doctrine of redemption through Jesus Christ and earnestly exhorted them to embrace it.
“In one of the pagodas at Puttur there resides a learned Pandaram who is generally friendly and does not seem entirely to reject instruction. We both seated ourselves on a bank of earth near a street. This brought together a concourse of inhabitants. The Pandaram said: ‘My chief question to you again and again has been this: How shall I arrive at a knowledge of God whom I cannot see?’ I replied, ‘It has often been stated to you that heaven and earth declare the glory of God. Reflect then attentively on the creation and you will soon be convinced that no other than an Almighty, All-wise and All-gracious Being produced it. This Creator we ought in justice to reverence and adore, but you render this honour to the creature and not to the Creator.’ ‘This,’ said he, ‘is all good but it does not satisfy me, this knowledge is not of the kind I seek.’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘do you desire to have a clearer and more perfect knowledge? God has in great goodness afforded it. He has taken compassion on ignorant man and given freely to him His word and true law, whenever He has revealed all the doctrines which are necessary to the attainment of everlasting happiness. He has made known to men, rebellious, corrupt, and lost, the Saviour of the world, as the restorer of forfeited blessedness and the way in which that salvation is to be attained. In short, all that can make us holy and happy is in this word of God made known to mankind. Read and meditate upon it with prayer to God, so will it become clear to you. Compare it also with your heathen instruction and the superiority of the Divine word will soon be discovered.’
“‘Still,’ said he, ‘this is not enough, for even if I read this I cannot rightly conceive the idea of what God is.’
“‘Well,’ I replied, ‘one thing is wanting to you, namely, experience. Lay your heathenism aside; follow the word of God in every point and pray to Him for light and power. Then I may assure you that you will say “Now I am like one who could not, from any description, understand the nature of honey but now I have tasted it and know what honey really is”.’”
Then as now too often the argument against Christianity is the inconsistency of those who profess to believe in it. This strikes a Mohammedan, for instance, very much, and while it is, of course, no logical excuse, he will make much of it to the detriment of the power of the Gospel. Schwartz met with this on every hand; Anglo-Indian Society was not at a very high moral water mark in the days of the Company, and it did not escape the criticism of those dark and watchful native eyes. There is an incident which illustrates the position at Trichinopoly in the year 1768.
“The Nabob’s second son,” writes Schwartz in his journal, “who is a genuine disciple of Mohammed, that is, inclined to cruelty, watches narrowly the lives of Europeans, and if he remarks anything wrong he generally gives it a malicious construction as if the Mohammedan doctrine rendered people better than the Christian. This young man observing some Europeans, entered into conversation with them. I was the interpreter. ‘It seems remarkable,’ said he, ‘to me that Christians are so inclined to card playing, dancing, and similar amusements which are contrary to the true law.’ One of them answered, ‘We think it no sin, but an innocent pastime.’ ‘Indeed,’ said he, ‘it is singular you do not consider it sin to spend your time in such amusements when even the heathen themselves declare it to be sinful. It is certainly wrong to pursue such things, though you are of opinion that there is nothing sinful in them. You,’ he continued, addressing one of the party, ‘are a cashier, if you do not know the value of money you inquire and inform yourself on the subject. Why then do you not examine into these things? The omitting such an examination is a sin also. Nay, if you do not know whether it is right or wrong and yet continue to play that is still a greater sin. I am sure Padre Schwartz would tell you at once that it is sinful, if you would but receive it.’ The cashier replied, ‘It is better to play a little, than to absorb all one’s thoughts on money.’ But the young Nabob answered him very discreetly on this point, ‘that we are not to justify one sin by another.’ So artful is he that he will accost and converse with a European during divine service and afterwards observe: ‘If the man had the least reverence for the worship of God he would not have allowed himself to be interrupted.’ On the 15th of this month,” continued Schwartz, “in the morning I had a conversation with him. He first asked how God was to be served and how we should pray to Him and censured us for not washing our hands and taking off our shoes before prayer. I answered that this was merely a bodily, outward act which was of no value in the sight of God—that His word requires pure hearts which abhor all and every sin and approach Him in humility and faith—we could then be assured that our prayer was acceptable to Him. One of those present asked, ‘From what must the heart be cleansed?’ I replied, ‘From self-love, from fleshly and worldly lusts which constitute, according to the first commandment, the real inward nature of idolatry.’ The Nabob’s son said, ‘This inward cleansing is very good but the outward is also necessary and God is pleased with it, even though the inward cleansing be not perfect.’ I replied, ‘Not so. You should rather say that God has pleasure in inward purity, though the hands be not washed immediately before prayer.’”
We have no means of knowing whether this young quibbler was in the end awakened to a sense of his own deficiencies. But we can judge by these conversations that in Schwartz he had a patient as well as a faithful listener who did not fail to show him the way of life and the only source of grace and truth.
On one of the occasions when he could hold conversations with the Nabob’s son over religious matters, Schwartz impressed upon him the law of brotherly love, even to enemies, which Christ enjoined on His disciples. The answer he received was a remarkable instance how in the poetical books of the Hindus the same principle of meekness towards enemies was laid down. “Of the behaviour of men in regard to meekness,” said he, “four kinds were mentioned of which he gave the following explanation: Schariat, Terikat, Marifat, Hakikat, are four ways which men go.” “A young man,” he said, “once asked a priest what he understood by these four ways? The priest desired him to go into the market and give a blow (or box on the ear) to each one he met. The young man did as the priest desired. He struck the first man who met him; now he was evil and returned like for like and struck him again. The second whom the young man met, was indeed wicked, and raised his hand to strike him in return, but changed his mind, and went away quietly. The third who was beaten was not wicked and did not threaten to return like for like, in that he thought the blow came from God. The fourth when he was beaten was full of love and kissed the hand that smote him. The first who when he was beaten struck again, is an emblem of Schariat, or the way of the world. The second felt wrath but overcame it and is an emblem of Terikat. The third endured the blow with patience and is an example of Marifat, or mature knowledge. The fourth who kissed the hand that smote him is an example of Hakikat, or inward union with God, in that he regarded all the injustice that was done to him as love on account of this union with God.”
Following the example of his Divine Master, Schwartz turned from the arguments and equivocations of the wise and prudent and looked with infinite compassion on the sincere seekers after good, those who were poor and simple, and were pitiful in their need and darkness. Can anything be more touching or expressive of the yearning of a loving heart than these words which Schwartz addressed to such?
“At length I said, as I often do to them, ‘Do not suppose that I reprove you out of scorn, no, you are my brethren, we are by creation the children of one common Father. It grieves us Christians that you have forsaken that almighty gracious Father and have turned to idols who cannot profit you. You know, because you have often heard, that a day of judgment is before us, when we must render up an account. Should you persist in remaining enemies to God and on that day hear with dismay the sentence of condemnation I fear you will accuse us Christians of not warning you with sufficient earnestness. Suffer yourselves then to be persuaded, since you see that He wants nothing of you but that you turn with us to God and be happy!’ They all declared that they were convinced of our sincere intentions and that they would speak further with us.”