The Story of John G. Paton; Or, Thirty Years Among South Sea CannibalsPaton, John Gibson
Religion
The Story of John G. Paton; Or, Thirty Years Among South Sea Cannibals
Paton, John Gibson
Missions -- Vanuatu; Paton, John Gibson, 1824-1907
AT this depth the earth and coral began to be soaked with damp. I felt
that we were nearing water. My soul had a faith that God would open a
spring for us; but side by side with this faith was a strange terror
that the water would be salt. So perplexing and mixed are even the
highest experiences of the soul; the rose-flower of a perfect faith, set
round and round with prickly thorns. One evening I said to the old
Chief, "I think that Jehovah God will give us water to-morrow from that
hole!"
The Chief said, "No, Missi; you will never see rain coming up from the
earth on this Island. We wonder what is to be the end of this mad work
of yours. We expect daily, if you reach water, to see you drop through
into the sea and the sharks will eat you! That will be the end of it;
death to you, and danger to us all."
I still answered, "Come to-morrow. I hope and believe that Jehovah God
will send you the rain water up through the earth."
At the moment I knew I was risking much, and probably incurring
sorrowful consequences, had no water been given; but I had faith that
the Lord was leading me on, and I knew that I sought His glory, not my
own.
Next morning, I went down again at daybreak and sank a narrow hole in
the center about two feet deep. The perspiration broke over me with
uncontrollable excitement, and I trembled through every limb, when the
water rushed up and began to fill the hole. Muddy though it was, I
eagerly tasted it, lapping it with my trembling hand, and then I almost
fell upon my knees in that muddy bottom as my heart burst up in praise
to the Lord. It was water! It was fresh water. It was living water from
Jehovah's well! True, it was a little brackish, but nothing to speak of;
and no spring in the desert, cooling the parched lips of a fevered
pilgrim, ever appeared more worthy of being called a Well of God than
did that water to me!
The Chiefs had assembled with their men near by. They waited on in eager
expectancy. It was a rehearsal, in a small way, of the Israelites coming
round, while Moses struck the rock and called for water. By and by, when
I had praised the Lord, and my excitement was a little calmed, the mud
being also greatly settled, I filled a jug, which I had taken down empty
in the sight of them all, and ascending to the top called for them to
come and see the rain which Jehovah God had given us through the well.
They closed around me in haste, and gazed on it in superstitious fear.
The old Chief shook it to see if it would spill, and then touched it to
see if it felt like water. At last he tasted it, and rolling it in his
mouth with joy for a moment, he swallowed it, and shouted, "Rain! Rain!
Yes, it is Rain! But how did you get it?"
I repeated, "Jehovah my God gave it out of His own Earth in answer to
our labors and prayers. Go and see it springing up for yourselves!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account