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]