Woman and Her Saviour in Persia: By a Returned MissionaryLaurie, Thomas
History
Woman and Her Saviour in Persia: By a Returned Missionary
Laurie, Thomas
Church of the East -- Missions; Missions -- Iran; Women missionaries
"I now found myself associated with Cain, Judas, Jeroboam, and Jezebel.
I understood what Christ meant when he said, 'Bind the tares in bundles
to burn them,' for I was enclosed by them on all sides, and the flames
from them kindled on me. Then a voice said, 'Judas sold his Lord once,
but thou many times. Cain slew one brother; thou hast brought many to
this place of torment.' Then all, especially those whom I had led
there, cursed me. Fallen spirits gloried over me. The evil passions of
all the lost were let loose on me. My own wicked feelings were kindled
into a flame by the divine wrath. Now I understood that scripture,
'They have no rest day nor night.' My ears, that had taken pleasure in
evil conversation, were filled with revilings. My tongue, which had set
on fire the course of nature, now itself set on fire of hell, I gnawed
for pain. I looked up to beg a drop of water; but instead of it came
the word, 'Daughter, remember.' As I looked up, I got a glimpse of one
of my companions in Abraham's bosom. Once we were together pointed to
Jesus. Now the impassable gulf was between us. Hope now fled forever,
and that word, 'Remember,' brought every moment of my life before me in
characters of flaming fire. Gladly would I have exchanged this agony
for the pangs of death endured a thousand times over, or for all the
sufferings of earth till the final conflagration. I cursed my soul,
weeping without a tear. Why were my associates, once, like me, children
of wrath, now in heaven, while I was shut out? Ah, they listened to
Jesus, while I rejected him, and to enjoy a momentary pleasure plunged
into all this anguish. I had loved those who now tormented me, and cast
aside the loving Saviour. No ray of mercy can ever reach me more. No
friend will ever love me again. In my madness I sought to flee; but
wrath held me rooted to the spot. Cloud on cloud rose above me, each
inscribed, 'Eternity!' A voice cried aloud, 'Forever!' and another
replied, 'Forever and ever!' The waves of fire now rolled over me, and
the worm that dieth not seized hold of me. I begged for even the
smallest mitigation of misery, and the vials of wrath were poured out
upon me. In my anguish I cried, 'Roll on, ye eternal ages!' But why?
They will be no nearer through. 'O Lord, how long?' With an earthquake,
that seemed to shake the very throne, came back the reply, 'Forever!
Forever!' I sank down in unutterable agony. Then I awoke, and lo, it
was all a dream. The darkness of night was yet around me; a cold sweat
covered me; and that word, 'Forever!' still rang in my ears. Friends,
this was a dream, and only a drop in the ocean, compared with the
terrible reality. Let us pray that we may be saved from it through
Jesus Christ our Lord."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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