Everlasting Pearl Part 7

Towards midnight he called for his wife. "Please wash me quickly and put my old garments aside, and help me into my new clothes, for I am soon going: the Lord is calling me."

"Do not say this," she remonstrated.

But he answered, "Do not hinder me, do not try to delay me. My time has come, my G.o.d is calling me."

So she did as he bid her, and prepared him for the journey. Some days previously he had asked her to make him a long white robe, as it was in pure white, within and without, that he wanted to meet his Lord. When their preparations were ready, his wife wanted to call the evangelist, but even then Mr. Lu was thoughtful enough to say, "No, do not wake him; he is getting old, let him sleep. I am all right and need nothing." He was called, however, and soon stood at the bedside of his friend, praying for him for the last time. Before that prayer was ended, Mr. Lu called out, "I am going, Jesus is here," and with that word upon his lips his spirit had left the mortal body and taken its flight to G.o.d who gave it. There was no pain, no sorrow, no last struggle. Gently and peacefully he pa.s.sed over Jordan into the presence of the King.

The funeral took place a week later. Our hearts were sore and the tears flowing fast as we remembered we should see his face no more. In some measure we could sympathize with those who were nearest and dearest to him, and who had lost so much. But through the whole service a joy note rang out clearly. We felt the very presence of the Lord, and even all the outsiders were awed and listened attentively to the message given, in which the evangelist sought to bring home to their hearts the necessity for receiving Christ and His redeeming grace, so that their end might be like the one they had so recently witnessed. Many of them never forgot the peace that kept Mr. Lu's heart at perfect rest, even when he stood on the brink of the river.

His joy in the Lord under such circ.u.mstances was a surprise and a mystery which would again and again force itself upon their minds.

They asked each other, and they asked us, where that joy came from.

On the morning of the burial, a heathen man came and told us that he had seen Mr. Lu in his dream the night before. He was walking on a beautiful sh.o.r.e which must be Heaven, and was so joyful and beautiful.

Mr. Lu had called to him, begging him to come across, and he decided to go to that glorious place. When starting to go he felt some change come over him, and at last reached the glory-land where he conversed with Mr. Lu. This was his dream; but was it not a clear call to that man to seek the things above? G.o.d grant that he may heed the call.

In other ways, too, the Lord spoke to some of the ignorant, idolatrous people around. He knew just the state of their minds, and what would appeal to those who as yet had no light. In His tender mercy He sought their lost souls, and spoke to them in a language they could understand. Some of them said to one another, "Well, it is strange, the G.o.d of the Christians does seem to care for them. They refuse to choose days like we do, and yet every Christian has died on a lucky day. We can choose our days for the funerals, but we cannot choose lucky days for those dying. But G.o.d does that for those who worship Him."

Poor benighted souls. They do not know that to the G.o.d of the Christians all days are alike, but in His love He teaches them according to their understanding. How great is His long-suffering! It was a great help to me to see how the Lord did not despise their ignorance, but fitted His voice and doings to their understanding.

While we should have got impatient, G.o.d took the trouble of teaching them in this small way. What a good thing it is that our Father is more patient than we His children are. We want light and full understanding straight off; but He does not despise the very smallest beginning, does not reject the poor soul in darkness, who shows, perhaps, only a feeble groping after the light. May He make us more like Himself!

It is true that the "tender mercies of the wicked are cruel." While Mr. Lu was lying on his death-bed, one of the idols was having its birthday celebrated, and again the people of the place were collecting money for the theatre. Mrs. Lu replied again that she would be glad to give her share for anything which would benefit her fellow-men, and was even willing to give a double share, but could not give them any money for idolatry. The men threatened that she should ask them in vain for help when her husband died. They would not carry the coffin, neither would they lend her the things needed for carrying it to its resting-place. She did not reply, but came and told us. We advised her to act as if no word had been said, for we believed the men would think better of it, and not carry out their threats. And if they did, the Church members from other villages would gladly do that service for her. So she said nothing till after her husband's death, when all of them came without any refusal. Only one man said that he would not carry a Christian's coffin, but the others soon made him ashamed of himself. None could keep up his displeasure with Mrs. Lu for very long, for she was too much respected by all.

As the funeral procession pa.s.sed through Kucheng the streets were lined on both sides with onlookers. But even there a hush seemed to have fallen on the people. Here and there a quiet remark was heard, "Oh, the Christians do pay proper respect to their dead. Even all the missionaries and preachers follow them to the grave, and wear mourning for them!" Some little boys were walking ahead of the coffin, beating the gongs and carrying four banners, with the inscription, "He shall certainly rise again," and, "He shall ascend to heaven and dwell there." One long banner showed the text, "For there is one G.o.d and one Mediator between G.o.d and men." And another, "For G.o.d so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." One boy carried a large white umbrella, then followed the coffin, carried by eight men, behind which the wife and nearest relatives went weeping and wailing, recalling all the virtues of the one who had gone from them. Further behind, other relatives and friends followed, ourselves among the number, all with white headgear.

The remains of Mr. Lu were put to rest on the quiet hillside, beside his first wife. Before he died, we had chosen the words for his gravestone--"He that believeth in Me, though he die, yet shall he live," and also the word of the Apostle Paul, "For ever with the Lord."

Yes, for ever with the Lord, separated from us for a little while, but not for ever. Here the short time of warfare apart, there the long eternity of victory and blessedness together. What a glorious hope is ours!

G.o.d's ways are wonderful, and His thoughts past finding out. To our finite minds, Mr. Lu seemed needed here. The Lord had put him in a place where he had many opportunities for service, and those opportunities were not left unheeded or misused. "Oh, that he might be spared to us!" that was the cry in the beginning, but already we began to see the purpose of G.o.d in taking His servant away, as so much was accomplished through his death. G.o.d, our G.o.d, does not make any mistakes. He buries His servants but carries on His work. May it be said at the end of the life of each one of us, as I think it might truly be written over Mr. Lu's service--"He has done what he could!"

CHAPTER XXIII

ANOTHER JEWEL WON FOR CHRIST

"Old Grandfather, you are early this morning at your worship." Thus Mrs. Lu addressed an old man who was earnestly worshipping at a shrine she was pa.s.sing. Her heart went out in compa.s.sion for the old man, who was nearing the end of life's journey without G.o.d and without hope. So she addressed him kindly, hoping she would be able to point him to Christ. The old man was hard of hearing. After having finished his worship, he slowly turned round and looked at her, and again she repeated her greeting. "You are early at your worship, old Grandfather. You are very earnest about it."

"Well may I be in earnest," he replied, "for herein my only hope lies.

I am an old man, without kith or kin, without anybody to care for my soul when I die."

"But you are wasting your money on worshipping these false G.o.ds, and you are spending your energy in vain. I know of a better way."

"A better way! What might that be? I never heard of any better way.

And as I have no sons or grandsons, I must look out for myself. I do not need my money. I have buried my wife and my children. Now I have been preparing for my own burial. For twelve years my grave has been made and is well lined with bricks. My coffin is in my house waiting for me. I have prepared many boxes full of paper clothes, and many thousand paper dollars to be burned for me when I am gone, for I do not want to go hungry and naked into the next world."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Another jewel for Christ. "You are early at your worship, old grandfather. You are very earnest about it."]

"But all these things will be of no use to you in the next world. The priests are deceiving you. You ought to come and worship G.o.d."

"You say I ought to worship G.o.d. I do worship heaven. We all ought to worship heaven and earth."

"I do not want you to worship heaven, but the Creator of heaven and earth. There is no G.o.d beside Him."

"But I have not seen Him. I do not know Him."

"No, you cannot see Him, for He is a Spirit; but He sees you, and He supplies your need every day by sending the rain and sunshine when needed. And better still, He will forgive your sins. He is the only one who can forgive sins."

"The only way to get your sins forgiven is to do good deeds, and acc.u.mulate as much merit as possible."

"That way, too, is false. You know I was a vegetarian for many years."

"Yes, I remember you when you lived in my native village, in my relatives' home, and when your first husband was ill. Ah, you were a strict vegetarian then!"

"That is true, but G.o.d taught me the better way, and now I am serving Him. There is no need for me to lay up merit for myself, for I trust in the atoning Blood of Christ and stand upon His merit. Indeed, I have merited only condemnation, but G.o.d in His infinite grace has forgiven all."

"The doctrine you preach is good, and it is quite true, but I am too old to obtain such happiness as you speak of."

"No, you are not too old--the Lord Jesus wants you to come to Him. And the older you are the more important it is for you to believe quickly, so that you may escape the sufferings in the next world."

"I should like to do that, but I do not understand. What am I to do?"

"If you will come to see me in my own home, I will tell you more about Jesus and His teaching."

With that invitation, Mrs. Lu left the old man, but she began to pray for him and for his salvation. She realized that it would not be easy for his darkened mind to understand the good news she had been telling him, and yet she felt that he would be saved. A few days later, old Grandfather Hsu appeared in her home. He had been thinking about the strange doctrine, and wanted to know more. Gladly Mrs. Lu explained the way of salvation to him, and pointed him to the Crucified and Risen Saviour.

The next Sunday he came to the services, and it did not take him long to find out that he had at last come upon that which would satisfy his heart, and for which he had been longing in vain for many years. The old man, who had been bowing down to wood and stone for eighty years, was brought into touch with the Living G.o.d, who soon became a bright reality to him. He who had done his utmost to prepare himself for the world to come, learned to rejoice in the eternal inheritance laid up for him in heaven. His faith was so simple that it gave no room for doubt or reasoning. Like a child who, weary with chasing the shadows, nestles down to rest in his mother's arms, so old Grandfather Hsu turned from his weary search and vain strivings after peace, and pillowed his head on the loving breast of his Saviour, and there his heart found rest.

A year later he was baptized, being then eighty-one years old. How our hearts rejoiced when we looked upon his shining face and listened to his bright testimony. Some months before his baptism we asked him, "Grandfather Hsu, what about your boxes of clothes and all your paper money?"

"Oh, these false things are burnt. I fetched them down from the loft and made a bonfire of them."

"Were you not sorry to see them burnt, seeing that you had prepared them so carefully, and had spent a lot of money on them?"

"Oh no, I do not need them now, for Jesus has prepared all for me.

When I die there is nothing left for others to do but to lower the coffin already prepared, and complete the grave. Some one will do that for me. My heart is at peace. I have nothing to be anxious about, but am just quietly waiting till the Lord Jesus calls me Home."

And so he kept on waiting till he was eighty-three years old, without a shadow of doubt darkening his simple, child-like faith in the Lord.

One Sunday he gathered as usual with the Lord's people at the little chapel at Kucheng, and only bade them good-bye after the afternoon meeting. No one thought that Grandfather Hsu had been amongst them for the last time in this world. The next morning he was found dead in his bed, with a happy smile on his face. Evidently there had been no pain.

Death had been a messenger from G.o.d, calling him Home, and not the "king of terrors." Could the Lord have dealt more kindly with the old man, who would have had none to lovingly care for him had he pa.s.sed through a long illness? Quickly and gently he had been lifted up into the Everlasting Arms. There was joy in Heaven, for another priceless and precious jewel had been brought into the King's Treasure Chamber.

"They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels."

CHAPTER XXIV

CONCLUSION