Divine Guidance
It now seemed very clear that the lost property had been stolen by my helper who had gone off with it to Hangchow.
Included was everything I had in China, except for a small amount of money left in Shanghai. The first question was how best to act for the good ofthe man who had been the cause of so much trouble.
It would not have been difficult to take steps that would have led to his punishment. Still, the chance of being repaid for the loss was very small. But my main concern was that the thief was a man for whose salvation I had worked and prayed.
I felt that to have him punished would not be a witness to the teaching of Jesus, which we had read together, “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.”
The way I did this made my Christian friends in England thankful, one of whom was later led to send me money to replace the amount I lost. This was the first of more money received from the same kind of helper. He was Mr. George Mueller of Bristol.
After I collected the little money left in Shanghai, I set out again to Ningpo to seek help from Dr. Parker to replace the medicine I had lost by fire. When this was done, I returned to Shanghai, hoping to soon be working with my friend, Mr. Bums, in Swatow. Yet, God had a different plan and the delay caused by the robbery was just enough to keep me from starting for the South as I had wanted to do.
The government politics was not certain and there was a danger of coming war. Early in October of this year (185b) there began a most hostile situation. Very soon China was to be deeply involved in a second long hostile situation with foreign powerful nations. All missionary work had to stop for a while, especially in the South.
News of these happenings and letters from Mr. Bums, arrived just in time to meet me in Shanghai as I was leaving foreign Swatow. Since I was prevented from going, I could see that the hand of God closed the door I had so much wanted to enter.
While in Ningpo, I got to know Mr. John Jones. He, along with Dr. Parker was with the Chinese Evangelisation Society in that city. Unable to return to Swatow, I decided to join these brothers in the Lord in their Ningpo work.
I set out at once. On the afternoon of the second day, about thirty-five kilometers from Shanghai, Mr. Jones and I came near the large and important city of Sungkiang. I spoke of going to preach the Gospel to the many people who lived along the edge ofthe river and crowded the road to the city gates.
Among the passengers on the boat was one intelligent man who had been involved in much travel and had been to other nations. He had even visited England where he went by the name of Peter.
As might be expected, he had heard something ofthe Gospel but did not have a personal experience of its saving power. On the evening before, I had spoken to him about his salvation. The man was willing to listen and even moved to cry, but still, he was not saved. I was pleased when he asked to go with me and hear me preach.
I went into the cabin of the boat to prepare tracts and books to give away with my Chinese friend, when I was startled by a fall and a cry from outside. Springing to the floor ofthe boat, I took a quick look at the situation.
Peter was gone! The other men were all there on the boat, looking at the place where he had disappeared but made no effort to save him. A strong wind was taking the boat quickly forward although there was a strong current in the opposite direction. The land close by gave us no way of telling how far we had left the man who had fallen into the water.
I quickly let down the sail and jumped into the water in the hope of finding him. I looked around in frightened terror and saw a small fishing boat nearby. “Come!” I said in a loud voice, as hope came into my heart. “Come over here; a man in the water is about to die right here!” “Veh bin” was the answer. This meant that it was not a good time.
“Do not talk like that!” I said; “a man is about to die in this
water, I tell you!”
“We are busy fishing,” they said, “and cannot come.”
“Never mind trying to catch fish,” I said, “I will give you more
money than many trying to catch fish today will bring home; only
come —come at once!”
“How much money will you give us?”
“We cannot wait to discuss that now! Come, or it will be too
late. I will give you five dollars.”
“We will not do it for that,” said the men. “Give us twenty
dollars and we will try to rescue him.”
“I do not have that much. Do come quickly and I will give you
all I have!”
“How much may that be?”
“I don’t know exactly, about fourteen dollars.”
At last, the boat was slowly brought over and they worked to get the man out ofthe water.-It took less than a minute to pull his body into the boat. The men were angry.
They did not receive their money quickly because we were trying to help the man breathe again. But all was lost. He had drowned. This incident was very sad to me and full of meaning. It taught a far more terrible warning.
Were not those men in the boat guilty of this poor man’s death? They had the means to rescue him but refused to do it. And yet, let us not judge against them, because a greater than Nathan might answer, “You are the man.”
Is it so evil a thing to refuse to save the body? How much worse will be the punishment of one who would leave the soul to die, saying “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord Jesus gave a command to you and me to go into the world and preach the Gospel to every person.
Shall we tell him that it is not a good time to do this? Shall we tell Him that we are busy at our work and cannot go? Shall we say we have bought an animal or have a husband or wife? Perhaps we are involved in other and more interesting things and cannot go.
Before long “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Let us remember.
Let us pray for and labor for the unsaved Chinese. Or we shall sin against our soul. Let us consider who it is that has said, “Rescue those being led away to death. Hold back those staggering towards slaughter.
If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” (Proverbs 24.11-12)
Through the darkness of the night in Macedon,3
The cry of many as of one;
The silence of no hope
Is given in terrible prayer!
The soul’s great bitter cry,
“Come over and help us, or we die.”
How with sorrow it keeps on,
For half the earth is Macedon;
These brothers to their brothers call,
And by the Love which loves them all,
And by the whole earth’s Life, they cry,
“Oh you that live, look, we die!”
By other noise, the world is won
Than that which calls from Macedon;
The loud sound of gain around it rolls,
Or a man to himself will sell
And cannot listen to the foreign cry
“Oh hear and help us, or we die!”
Yet with that cry from Macedon
The cause of Christ rolls on:
“I come; who would live in My day,
In another area prepare My way;
My voice is crying in their cry,
Help you the dying, or you will die.”
Jesus, for men of Man the Son,
Yes, Your cry from Macedon;
Oh, by the kingdom and the power
And the glory of Your coming hour,
Awake heart and will to hear their cry;
Help us to help them, or we die.