GANGA DASS i BY HARVEY REEVES CALKINS ^22^ ^Ofe '(/A MAY 1 1918 % OSICUL St* ' ^uim BV 2087 .C3 Calkins, Harvey Reeves, 186 -1941 . Ganga Dass BOOKS ON CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP By Harvey Reeves Calkins The Victory of Mary Christopher. A Story of To-morrow . .'Net, $0.15 (In lots of 100, net, $12.50, not prepaid) Marie Christopher's Sieg (German Translation) Net, .25 A Man and His Money. A Study of Stewardship Foundations . . Net, 1.00 The Stewardship of Property. A Tract. (Per hundred) . . . Net, 1.00 The Jarring of Jacob Shapleigh. A Tract, Sequel to "Mary Christo- pher." (Per hundred) . . . Net, 1.00 Stewardship Starting Points. For Study Classes Net, .35 (In lots of ten. $2.50, not prepaid) Ganga Dass. A Tale of Hindu- stan Net, .25 GANGA DASS A TALE OF HINDUSTAN BY HARVEY REEVES CALKINS 4 MAY 1 1918 THE ABINGDON PRESS NEW YORK CINCINNATI Copyright, 1917, by HARVEY REEVES CALKINS CONTENTS Page Editor's Preface 7 Glossary 10 I. The Hindu Grain Merchant 11 II. The Christian Farmer 25 III. The Village Council 45 PREMI'S SONG (See pages 53 and 54) Sulh Mubarak Koras: — Sulh mubdrak, sulh muqaddas, Kaisd hai dil ko yaqin ! Lahr lufdni par, Yisu Madadgdr Mujhe detd hai laskin. 1. Khushi misl i daryd bahli Jab se Ruh to di hai, Hath hamdre nit bhl rahii P'ydr ke dil men basti hai. 2. Mid i bdrish, mid i roshni, J a dsmdn se dtl hai, So Khudd ki Ruh dijdtt, Ham par ndzil hoti hai. 3. Kais' ajib najdt hamdri, Karle nit Us par nigdh; Bud o bash ki sulh piydri, Kaisd sdkin drdmgdfi! H. R. C. The Cawnpore Revival March — November, 1909. EDITOR'S PEEFACE The Christian Stewardship League has projected a "World-Series" of Stewardship Booklets. This series will be produced by qualified missionaries in the various mis- sion fields. It will be edited by the gen- eral superintendent of the League. The first of the scries, Ganga Dass, has been prepared by the editor. It is for India. The Rev. Brenton T. Badley, of Lueknow, will supervise its translation and circulation in the various language areas of that fascinating mission field. The purpose of Ganga Dass is to help the leaders of the Indian Church in their de- termination to place "self-support" where properly it belongs — in the field of funda- mental doctrine rather than of church efficiency. The great Indian Church, now swiftly increasing, shall be saved from the superficial and meager standards of stew- ardship which characterize Western Chris- tianity. Since the second century Christianity hi the West has been weighted down with the Stoic conception of property, inherited from Roman jurisprudence. The Christian doctrine of Stewardship cannot grow in such a soil, for the Stoic conception of Deity is impersonal. Divine Ownership, the core of Christian Stewardship, has: 7 8 EDITOR'S PREFACE been, for the most part, a fiction of mere words. "(Jiving" has been shot through with the ascetic and pagan notion of ''giv- ing up"; it seldom has reached the normal Christian conception of administering for Another. Right here the churches in mission lands have rare advantage. In escaping from the blight of paganism, they are under the trained leadership of Christian mission- aries who know the inwardness of pagan thinking. Therefore Christian converts in Asia, in the twentieth century, are not like- ly to lapse into the quasi-pagan befuddle- ment from which Christian converts in Europe, in the second and succeeding centuries, rarely if ever escaped. Our generation is realizing this truth. Both in social attitude and property conception Western Christianity is recognizing and repudiating pagan traditions which too long have been labeled "Christian." Never- theless, because of these traditions root- ing back in Christian history, the Churches of America and Europe are compelled, slowly and laboriously, to climb the hill of Zion backwards. But the Churches of Asia are face-front. The habit of Western teaching takes too much for granted. It assumes without war- rant that Christians are grounded in funda- mental things. The missionary among Asiatic peoples knows that he can take nothing for granted; therefore he builds from the bottom — indeed he must dig his own trenches before he dare lay down his EDITOR'S PREFACE 9 first foundation stone. For this reason "A Tale of Hindustan," though prepared for Indian Christians, may suggest lines of teaching that need new emphasis in the Churches of America. The little book is not meant for scholars, but only for folks, "just folks." Nevertheless scholarship would do well to traverse this field. The paths indeed are Old Paths, but they are rankly overgrown with weeds. In this connection the author desires to acknowledge the helpful co-operation of Miss Elizabeth C. Northup, editor of "The Woman's Friend," in which wide-reaching journal the first part of Ganga Dass recently appeared. One concluding word. American read- ers possibly may wonder that religion is so intimate a part of an Indian market place, and so normal a theme for conversa- tion in an Indian household. They need not wonder. Rather let them covet for American Christianity the atmosphere of a well taught Christian family in the Orient, where conversation habitually dwells in high places. Perhaps this may explain, at least in part, why missionaries on furlough are so tiresome ! Harvey Reeves Calkins. Chicago, "Thanksgiving," 1916. 10 GLOSSARY GLOSSARY Ganga Das Avatar (pr. Baramda (pr. Brahm (pr. Chadar (pr. Chitak (pr. Guru (pr. Hakim (pr. Jalebis (pr. Ji (pr. s — pronounce avatar) — baramda) — brum) — chudder) — chittdck) — giiroo) — hakim) — juUaybies) — gee) Karma (pr. kurma) Gunga Ddss with soft D -a divine incarnation. -original of Eng. "veranda." -pure being, the "essence" of all that is. -a sheet or shawl. -sixteenth of a seer. -a respected leader, usually a teacher. -an Indian judge. -sweetmeat. -suffix denoting affection or high respect. -the law of pre-natal compul- sion; literally, "the work- ing. Karma is quite dif- ferently understood as between Hindus and Bud- dhists. -shell used as a petty coin. -Hindu ritual. -forty seers. -illusion, unreality. -irrigating ditch or channel. -a scholar. -one half cent. -worshiped by farmers and merchants. -greeting; "peace." -about two pounds. -cooled water with scent fruit juice and sugar; original of Eng. "sherbet." -a title of honor. -sub-district tax officer. -overseer of police. -luncheon. -land-holder. Transliteration of Hindustani words and names is diffi- cult. The author has followed the standard use accepted in Northern India. English readers will be safe, in pro- nouncing, to make a open as in father, and to soften d and t — that is pronounce these letters with the tongue against the teeth. There are exceptions, some above noted, but this suggestion is a safe one. Kauri (pr. cowry ) Mantras (pr. muntras) Maund (pr. mund) Maya (pr. my-ya) Nala (pr. nalla) Pandit (pr. pundit) Pice (pr. as written) Ram (pr. ram) Salam (pr. salam) Seer (pr. sear) Sharbat (pr. shurbut) Siri (pr. sree) Tehsildar (pr. tyseelddr) Thanadar (pr. tanadar) Tiffin (pr. as written) Zamindar (pr. zdmeendar) I THE HIXDIT GRAIN MERCHANT In the Beginning God created the heaven and the earth. — Book of Genesis. THE HINDU GRAIN MERCHANT "Good evening, my friend, is your busi- ness prospering 2» "Yes, Ram be praised! Many rich peo- ple of the city buy grain from me. I scarce can fill my bins but they are empty again." "The farmers also are rejoicing; surely, the rains are seasonable this year. The very beggars by the roadside are smiling." "Yes, Sahib; no doubt you have heard our proverb — 'All in the season when the rains come down, Then in every house the fry-pan fizzes on !' " ['Barsat men Karhai ghar ghar.'~\ "I am glad that you are contented, and I certainly rejoice with you. I also can understand why the village people call you 'Ganga Dass the Wise,' for I am sure you are well versed in the Hindu religion. Would you mind, therefore, if I ask you a very simple question?" "Certainly, Sahib, you may ask it! But I am not wise. I am only Ganga Dass, the grain merchant; Ram is wise. 'Do but your Work, Praise only Ram.' " ['Kar le so Kam Bhaj le so Ram.'l "Very well, I will ask the question, although you may think it is a very fool- ish one: What is that in thine hand?" "This? Why, this is my brass money- 13 14 GANGA DASS box; it contains the proceeds from the grain which I have sold to-day." "Is it your money-box?" "Certainly." "Whose money does it contain?" "It contains my money, to be sure ! I am an honest man, I did not steal these rupees." "But you said just now that this money is the price of the grain which you have sold." "Yes, that is true." "Very good; then tell me, whose grain have you been selling? — and whose grain is this that still lies heaped up in your bins ~t" "Are you from the Police Department? and are you seeking to cast suspicion upon an honorable merchant ?" "Certainly not, Ganga Dass; I am your friend, and I am asking you a simple ques- tion of religion." "Keligion ! I do not understand how money and grain can have anything to do with religion. Of course I give alms to the poor, and all the district knows that I gave the money to repair our village temple. Is that what you mean?" "No, that is not what I mean at all. I am not speaking of alms, but of ownership. When you give money to the poor or to the priest, wdiose money do you give? Who 'owns' the grain which you buy and sell in the market place?" "What a very strange question! But I will answer you, for I believe you are my friend and are not seeking to injure my trade." "Certainly, Ganga Dass, I am your friend." "Very well, the answer to your question is so simple that it makes me ashamed to mention it. Any schoolboy could tell you that the grain first belonged to the farmer who cultivated the soil and gath- ered in the crop; but, when I purchased the grain for a certain price, then I my- self became the owner. Part of it I already have sold to my customers, but the bal- ance which remains is mine, my very own. Is not this perfectly plain?" "But, friend Ganga Dass, excuse me; did you not just now give praise to Ram because you are prospering in your busi- ness ?" "Certainly, for I am a good Hindu; I often speak that name with reverence and worship. 'Ram alone is Truth.' " "Then, if Ram is worshiped, surely he must be the owner of the grain which you are selling, and of the money which is in your hands." "O. Sahib, that cannot be true! Siri Ram was a mighty hero, a wonderful avatar; but he has no need of grain or money." "I am not speaking of his need, but of his dominion. Is Ram not worshiped? Is he not therefore divine? Has he not power over the earth, to send sunshine and rain, and does he not cause the grain to grow and ripen in the fields ? Surely, then, 1G GANGA DASS the grain belongs to him, for without him it could not now lie heaped up in your bins." "All this no doubt is true, Sahib, and yet you do not seem to understand the Hindu religion. Siri Ram does not own this grain at all. Our pandit would be amused if he heard you speak so strangely! "Pardon my mistake, friend Ganga Dass, and please explain to me the Hindu reli- gion; for I do not wish to appear foolish in your eyes. Tell me why Hindu people worship Ram. Do you not believe that he is divine?" "O yes, Ram avatar is divine, just as everybody and everything is divine; but that is not the reason why we worship him. There is a divine soul in every object in the world. Therefore Hindu people desire to worship anything or any person that is unusual, or wonderful, or terrible, like a strangely shaped stone or tree, or like a very -beautiful child, or a terrible and mis- shapen dwarf; for these are special and re- markable appearances of that one divine soul which fills the whole world. Siri Ram, as I already have told you, was a great hero, a mighty avatar; so also were Krishna and Ganesa and Hanuman, and there have been many others not so re- nowned as these. These heroes did great exploits, and were very wise and wonderful beings; therefore Hindu people worship them." "But, friend Ganga Dass, if that is the case, then I can see no reason why a Hindu HINDU GRAIN MERCHANT 17 might not worship Buddha, or Jesus, or Mohammed, or the fierce Akbar — or even the devil!" "That is very true, Sahib, and, as a mat- ter of fact, many Hindus do worship them. The Hindu religion is the most wonderful religion in the world ! It is suited to the wise and the ignorant, the good and the evil, the rajah and the beggar. Any one can become a Hindu! Christians and Mo- hammedans and Parsis easily could be- come Hindus, and this, indeed, is their duty, for India is the land of the Hindus; there should be but one religion in this land. If all the people will give honor to the Brahmans, if they will take care to observe the rules of their own caste, and will not seek to influence the people of other castes, they can believe anything they want and worship any god they please. That is what I call religious liberty !" "Surely, friend Ganga Dass, your words are very interesting, and I will think of what you say. But is there no Supreme and Eternal God whom all Hindus wor- ship, One Almighty Creator whose name is above every name?" "Yes, indeed, Sahib, and that is the very heart of our religion! We Hindus know full well that Brahm is the soul [atma~\ or essence \zat~\ of all things. This divine soul pervades and fills the whole world and everything that is in the world — earth and air and water, fields and trees, fish and fowl, man and beast. Therefore we recog- nize that Deity, that is, the changeless 18 GANGA DASS Brahm, is always with us, indeed is always within us, for Brahm is the very soul of our soul. And this same eternal soul of the universe is present in the chair upon which I am sitting, and in the weights witli which I measure out my grain. For Brahm is everywhere ! Ram no doubt is truth, but Brahm only is unchanging truth; all else is but illusion — stones and trees, mists and darkness, pain and sick- ness, indeed, the very universe itself; for this world has fallen under the power of Maya, illusion ; Brahm alone is Reality. As yarn is to cloth, as milk is to curds, as clay is to a jar, as gold is to a bracelet, so is the changeless and eternal Brahm to every person and to every object in the universe." "Thank you, friend Ganga Dass; the Hindu religion seems difficult to under- stand, but you have made it very plain to me. I have one more question: Is the changeless and eternal Brahm a person? That is, is Brahm intelligent? Can this wonderful and mysterious soul of the uni- verse do anything? and does it know any- thing? Does it become the 'soul' of a cow, or of a man, or of a chair, or of a tree, because it wills to become so? Or, is it like the mist of the morning, without any power to control itself?" "I never thought of that! You have asked a very strange question." "Yes, friend Ganga Dass, that question is the very milk of the cocoanut ! How do you answer it?" HINDU GRAIN MERCHANT 19 "Indeed, I do not know, Sahib, and your question troubles me. But I am sure our pandit would answer that the eternal Brahm cannot be a living Person with de- sire and will to do anything'. The change- less Brahm remains ever dim and indis- tinct, like thin smoke among the rafters, forever pervading and filling the universe, and yet forever unconscious and vanishing away. Out of the depths of it we came into this life, into its depths we shall sink forever. As Brahm is, so we shall be, for Brahm is very soul of our soul." "Thank you, my friend; what you say sounds very familiar to me, for many peo- ple in the world have had thoughts like this. I remember that, when I was a little boy, I used to lie in the grass and wonder where I came from. I would look up into the sky, and dream of Something, thinner than air, that stretched out beyond the stars. But it was all childish, vague, and indistinct, like the wavering shadow of the nim tree there beside the wall." "Yes, Sahib, that is what our pandit says. Our souls are like a shadowy mist, and religion, which feeds the soul, must it- self be shadowy and dim. Did not I say our religion is just fitted to the soul? It is indeed wonderful to be a Hindu!" "Well, Ganga Dass, I am glad we have had this conversation, for now I under- stand your answer to my first question, 'What is that in thine hand V " "I do not understand, Sahib; please ex- plain your meaning." 20 GAXGA DASS "I will do so, gladly; but first, I would have you answer one more question. You are a merchant and have much property; tell me this, What is property [mal~] ?" "That is easily answered, for property is all about us in the market place — wheat, barley, oxen, merchandise, money; all of this is property." "Very true, Ganga Dass; but are valu- able things such as you have named always property ?" "Certainly they are; why not?" "No, my friend, right here you are mis- taken, and the mistake is a common one. These valuable things may be property, but always on one condition — they must be under the dominion or control of some liv- ing and intelligent person. If there is no person, there can be no property." "I do not understand you, Sahib. Here is a gold ring, yonder is grain heaped in the bins; are these not property? I do not understand what you mean when you say 'If there is no person there can be no prop- erty.' " "That is because you have not thought about it, Ganga Dass. But it is very easy to understand. For instance, rich veins of gold still lie buried beneath the surface of the earth; it is pure gold, just as desirable and just as beautiful as gold that has been beaten into a king's goblet; and yet it is not 'property'; that is, it is not under the control or dominion of anyone, but lies hidden in the silent earth. When some person shall discover it and take rightful HINDU GRAIN MERCHANT 21 possession of it, the gold will then become 'property.' In the same way, wild barley may be growing- in deserted places, far from any human habitation. Is it not valuable grain? Most surely; it is just as good for grinding into flour as that heap of barley yonder near the door; but it is not 'property' at all. Why \ Because no per- son knows about it. It is growing wild in the jungle, and there is no person to lay hold of it, and say, 'It is mine/ Do you not see, Ganga Dass, that property must always mean a person ?" "Surely, Sahib, this is very wonderful, for it certainly is true; and yet I never thought of it before." "Yes, my friend, we are now talking of living persons, and life is always wonder- ful. Do you not now recognize the mean- ing of my first question, 'What is that in thine hand?' I was speaking of property." "I think I understand you, Sahib; but please make your meaning very plain to me, for my mind seems confused." "I do not wish to confuse you, Ganga Dass, but to help you. Do you not recog- nize this wonderful truth about property, that is, about 'owning things' ? Whenever you think of property, you always are thinking of a living person. The evening- breeze cannot 'own' anything; vapor, clouds, and star-light never could say, 'This wheat is mine.' Is this not plain to you ?" "Yes, Sahib." "Very well; the changeless Brahm is not 22 GAXGA DASS a Person with will and purpose; Brahm cannot do anything; therefore the change- less Brahm cannot 'own' anything. If there is no personal and living God, with power and dominion over the world, then divine ownership is foolishness, and human beings themselves are the only persons who rightfully can say, 'This wheat, this ox, this gold is mine? " "Ah, Sahib, by your own words, then, my answer to your first question was exactly right; for did not I say, 'This wheat is mine, my very own' and the money also? Was I not right?" "Ganga Dass, my friend, listen to me. If the Hindu religion is wholly true, if Brahm is the mysterious and unconscious soul of the universe, without will and with- out knowledge, then, undoubtedly, the property which you have rightfully ac- quired, belongs to you, for there is no di- vine Person. The government and your fellow men must judge whether your ownership is righteous or unrighteous. But, my friend, if the changeless Brahm is but a dream of weary men, if God the Father Almighty is indeed the living God, King of kings and Lord of lords, if He is the Supreme Person in a world of persons, then He hath personal dominion over the work of His hands. The property belongs to Him, for 'the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.' Let us, therefore, count the money and measure the wheat with utmost care, for we are computing property which belongs to Another. To HINDU GRAIN MERCHANT 23 acknowledge God's ownership is a man's first act of worship. Right here, Ganga Dass, beside your heaps of grain, you must answer this question — Is eternal God per- sonal or impersonal?" "Your words disturb me, Sahib; I would have you speak further concerning this." "I will talk with you, my friend, another day. Remember this : Property is the gate- way of Religion. God Himself hath made it so. Men will neglect their holy books, and they will forget to pray, but they never will forget to count their money nor to measure their grain. It is ever thus upon the earth, and ever shall be. Therefore before prayer, before almsgiving, before the reading of any sacred book, comes this simple yet searching question of the Lord, 'What is that in thine hand?' As I answer that question, I shall know the road upon which I am traveling — whether it be the glorious highway of the living God, or the dim pathway that loses itself in mists and shadows. Good evening, friend Ganga Dass, I shall talk with you again." "Good evening, Sahibji, but do not stay away too long, for my heart is troubled; please return to me, very soon." II THE CHRISTIAN FARMER The Earth is the Lord's. — The Psalms. THE CHRISTIAN FARMER "It is good to see you, Chatar Masih; come into the veranda and sit with me. Is everything' prospering with you and with your household?" "Yes, Sahib; it is a day of rejoicing at our house." "I truly can believe you, Chatar Masih, for your face is shining like sunrise across the Jamna ! How is Maryam, and how are the little children?" "I brought them with me, Sahib; they stopped for one moment at the well. Here they come just now." "I am glad to see you, Sister Maryam; Memsahiba will be pleased when she knows that you are here. And here are Premi and little Durga! I think I saw Sardar coming from the market this morning with fresh jalebis. But little Durga does not care for jalebis! Ho, ho!" "Ah, Sahibji, you are too kind. Durga already has eaten more jalebis than are good for him. It has been a feast day at our house, for God has been very good to us." "I am glad with you, my brother. It makes me rejoice when I see our Christian people prosperous and happy. Yes, Sister Maryam, Memsahiba is quite ready to see you and the children; you will find her in the bungalow And now, Chatar Masih, tell me of your prosperity." 27 28 GANG A DASS "The wheat is sold, Sahib, and I have arranged to buy a yoke of oxen for the January plowing. This I have long de- sired to do. Moreover, the zamindar [land- lord] has promised that, next year, I shall have the field beyond the nala. In two years Premi will be ready for marriage, and Brother Bahadur Singh, who owns three yokes of oxen, came to me yesterday and offered to make a marriage arrange- ment for his son. What you say is very true, Sahib; God has crowned the year with his goodness. I praise His holy Name." "This is good news indeed, Chatar Masih. Did you get a good price for your wheat?" "Most excellent, Sahib; four rupees per maund." "Ah, my brother, I am glad for your sake. It is much more than I expected you to get. I thought the price of wheat was going down. But, in any case, the grain merchant must make his profit, and what will our poor people do during this cold season! They will be compelled to buy wheat at six or seven seers the rupee. It will be hard for them, and many will go hungry. Was four rupees the regular market price?" "No, Sahib, most of the grain merchants were paying three rupees, and three rupees and one quarter; but Ganga Dass, whose grain shop is near the temple, was willing to pay me four rupees." "Indeed! That interests me very greatly. THE CHRISTIAN FARMER 29 Have you talked further with Gang a Dass?" "Yes, often ; he has been wanting to visit with me every market day since the rains. He has asked me many questions about Jesus Christ, and last week I gave him a copy of the Gospel. Yesterday, when he paid me for the wheat, he made a very curious remark. He said he thought 'the owner of the wheat' would be pleased if he purchased it from a Christian for four rupees instead of paying the regular mar- ket price. When I asked him if he meant that God was the owner, he smiled and said, 'God knows.' Would it not be won- derful if Ganga Dass should become a Christian?" "This encourages me greatly, Chatar Masih. Ganga Dass has been much upon my heart. During the rains I had a long talk with him, and I have visited him sev- eral times since then. He has been much impressed with the simple but wonderful truth that the Lord God is a Person, that He has personal dominion over this world, and is therefore owner of all the property that we possess." , "Yes, Sahib, just as it is written in tne Psalm, 'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.' Premi has learned the new hymn which Memsahiba has been teaching to the women, 'Rahh Khudawand Badshah hai ['The Lord our God is King']. She sang it last Sabbath morning at worship, all alone. Then I testified, and gave praise to God, because Pie is truly the 30 GANGA DASS Lord of the whole earth, and His glory will He not give to another." ''Were there many present at worship?" "Most of our Christian people were there and two or three Hindus also. One of them must have reported my testimony to Thakur Dhar, the zamindar, for he summoned me to his house and asked what I had been saying." "How did you answer him, Chatar Masih?" ''At first he was very angry because he thought I had announced to the Christians that he was not rightful proprietor of the land! Of course I explained to him what I meant in my testimony, that I was not referring to any person, but was speaking of God. When he understood what I really had meant, he laughed and became very good-natured ; then he promised to let me have the field beyond the nala." "And so you denied your Lord, Chatar Masih, that you might turn aside the anger of your zamindar!" "What, Sahib, I? I deny my Lord? Never !" "But you told Thakur Dhar and all his household that God is not a living God, that He is like the dumb and dead idols by the river." ' "No, Sahib, I could not say such wicked- ness ! Was it not my testimony and praise to God which first made the zamin- dar so angry? O Sahibji, I could not deny my Lord who has given me such blessing. You will break my heart!" THE CHRISTIAN FARMER 31 "My dear brother, listen to me. What did you mean when you said to Thakur Dhar that you were not referring to a per- son, but were speaking of God? Is not God a Person?" "God a Person? I do not understand you, Sahib? Are not Christians taught to believe that God is a Spirit?" "Yes, Chatar Masih, that is true. But what do you understand when you say those wonderful words? What is a Spirit? Is a spirit a ghost? Is a spirit like some shadow hanging in the air?" "A ghost? a shadow? Tell me, Sahib, is it so? I am an ignorant man and do not understand these things." "No, my brother, it is not so. A spirit is not a ghost, and is not a shadow. A spirit is a person. That is, a spirit is an intelligent moral being who is able to know, and able to choose, in a word, who is able to say 1\ You are a spirit, I am a spirit. That is, we are persons. The Bible says that man was made in the image of God, and God is a Spirit." "But I always thought a person must be some one who is alive!" "Yes, that is true. Is not our God a Urine/ God?" "But the Bible says that no man hath seen God at any time; yet we can see per- sons." "O no, Chatar Masih, that is a mistake. We cannot see persons. I cannot see you; you cannot see 'me. You can see only my body, that is, the house in which I am liv- 32 GANGA DASS ing. Thakur Dhar was not angry with your body j he was angry with you! Is it not so?" "Yes, Sahib, that is very true." "You see, my brother, our bodies are very necessary while we are living in this world, and we have not yet learned to get on without them. Therefore we often be- come confused in our understanding. It is difficult for us to think of a person with- out a body. And yet we know that we our- selves are not the same as our bodies. Some day we shall lay our bodies down as we lay down a heavy burden ; then we shall be free forever. When you speak of your spirit you are speaking of yourself. Is not this perfectly clear to you?" "Yes, Sahib, you have made it very plain." "Now, Chatar Masih, do you not under- stand what Christians mean when they say, 'God is a Spirit'? They mean, 'God is a Person.' Of course God has not a body, with hands and feet; that is the foolishness of idolaters. Nevertheless He is a Person — "Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Have you not sometimes felt God's blessing resting upon you? and was not His blessing upon you as real and personal as my hand which is now resting upon your shoulder?" "Yes, Sahib, it is true. Your words make my heart leap up like a young heron among the reeds." "Ah, brother, I know your heart is true. THE CHRISTIAN FARMER 33 and that you did not mean to deny your Lord." "But tell me, Sahib, what should I have spoken to Thakur Dhar? My heart is filled with shame that I have been so ignorant." "When the zamindar called you to his house, God gave you a wonderful oppor- tunity to testify for Him. You might have told Thakur Dhar that, while he had right- ful title to the land according to the law, and you were glad to have him for your zamindar because he is a just and kind man, nevertheless God the Creator is the real owner of the land, and of everything that lives upon the land, men and cattle,. trees and grass, fruit and grain. You might have told him that God, the owner, requires every man to acknowledge His ownership first of all, for His name is above every name. This, Chatar Masih, is the simple truth, and, some day, if Chris- tians in India will be brave in their testi- mony and consistent in their life, the truth shall make the people free. They will turn aw.ay from their many gods to serve the living God. But, when Thakur Dhar heard the words which you spoke, he laughed and became good-natured again. Why? Because you told him that God, whom Christians worship, is not One to be known; in fact He is not a Person at all, but is like the impersonal and unconscious Brahm of which the pandits speak. Of course you did not say all this, nor did you think it; but Thakur Dhar understood it so because he is a Hindu, and believes 34 GANGA DASS what the pandits teach. You lost a won- derful opportunity, my brother, to bear witness to the truth." "O Sahibji, what shall I do! Will you forgive me?" "I have nothing to forgive, my brother; your sin is against God. I am sure that He already has forgiven you, for His lovingkindness is very great. But, Cha- tar Masih, my heart is sad, for I fear this sin will occur many, many times. This is the one greatest weakness of Indian Chris- tians — indeed, of Christians in all the world; they do not constantly recognize that God is a living Person. Therefore they forget about Him and fall into many sins. The reason of this is very plain. Christians, like all other people in the world, constantly are thinking of property, income, and wages; and this is right, for men must provide for their families. But they do not acknowledge that God is the living owner of the things which they possess. Therefore God is not in all their thought. They are thinking of oxen, grain and money, yet these things do not remind them of the Owner." "Tell me more, Sahib. Teach me how I always may remember that God is a living Person; for I love Him truly, and desire to honor Him always." "I am sure you do, my brother, and I think I can help you. How many people are living in this district V "I do not know, Sahib; there are many, many thousands." THE CHRISTIAN FARMER 35 "Yes, Chatar Masih, there are several millions. You do not know them all, do you V •"Certainly not; I do not know every- body in the tehsil [sub-district], nor even in my own market town. How could I?" "It certainly would be very difficult, even if you were head-clerk to the tehsildar [tax officer] ! But try to think of all the people you know, and tell me — whom do you remember most often?" "That is difficult to answer ; I think very often of you, Sahib." "You are a flatterer, Chatar Masih! But no doubt it is true, my brother; for I cer- tainly remember you, and pray for you. What others?" '"I think of my wife and my children, especially when I am away from them." "Yes, and what others?" "I do not know, Sahib; I think of many people — the thanadar [officer of police], the grain merchants, my brother, Masih Charan — I cannot tell how many." "'Whom do you remember when you look at your field, and plant your seed, and reap your harvest '. Do you think of any par- ticular person?" ••Certainly, Sahib, the zamindar [land- lord]." "Do you think of him when the rains come down, and when the crop is good?" -Yes." "Do you think of him when there is no rain and the crop is a failure?" '"Yes, indeed, more than ever!" 36 GANGA DASS "Did you think of him this week when you arranged to buy your yoke of oxen?" "Certainly, I had to ask his permission, for I have not yet sufficient money to pay for them. He holds a mortgage against them." "Do you ever think of him when you plan for Premi's marriage, and when you remember little Durga ?" "I cannot think of them at all, but I must remember the zamindar also." "Well, Chatar Masih, it seems to me you think of Thakur Dhar more often than you think of any other person in the world ! Is it not so?" "Yes, Sahib, I am afraid that this is true." "But why do you think of him so often ?" "Because, Sahib, I owe him money! He holds the land and must receive a certain portion of the grain, no matter whether the crop is large or small. He owns the house in which I live, and I must pay him rent. I borrowed money from him fifteen years ago when I was married, and that burden still rests upon me. He has ad- vanced half the money for the oxen, and now I owe him that. I must think of him, Sahib, for his hand touches me and my family every day." "You do not see him every day, do you?" "No, but I remember him every day, and many times during the day. I think of him at night when I cannot sleep. If I ever should forget him, I have only to look at my plow and oxen, and at little Durga, THE CHRISTIAN FARMER 37 and I can see him plainly, standing in front of me with my hundi [promissory note] in his hands. O Sahib, it is terrible to be in debt ! I never can rest easy in my mind !" "Chatar Masih, you are speaking one half of a very wonderful truth. But there is another half which you are forgetting." "Tell me, Sahib, for my debt makes me very miserable." "Suppose Thakur Dhar should go away to live in a distant province where he has many rich relations. Before he starts on his journey he tells you that the time of his return is very uncertain — although he surely will return — and that you may have your farm, rent free, until he comes again. After he has gone away, would you still remember him, as you do now, every day?" "I surely would be grateful to him for his kindness." "Xo doubt, Ohatar Masih; but would you constantly remember him?" "I think. Sahib, that I should be afraid he would return again, very suddenly, and demand an accounting!" "Yes, no doubt that would be natural, especially at the first. But, after several years, when you saw that your zamindar delayed his coming, when you had grown accustomed to the wonderful fact that no one asked you to pay over any portion of the crop, nor demanded any house rent, and that no hundi ivala [money lender] ever stood at your door to remind you of any debt, what do you think — would not 38 GANGA DASS the face of your zamindar gradually fade until it became a dim picture in your memory, and his voice like a song that has passed away?" "Yes, Sahib, I have no doubt you speak truly; indeed I am sure of it. Chhota Lall has owed me twelve rupees for more than seven years; his memory is so very poor I have to remind him constantly. If I should go away for but a single year, he would forget about me altogether — and the twelve rupees also!" "Ah, my brother, I am afraid that most of us are like poor Chhota Lall. God knows how weak we are, and how foolish. He knows how easily we could forget that He is a Person, and how very easy it would be to think of Him as the Hindus think of Brahm. Could anything be more terrible than to forget God, or to think of Him as a shadowy, dim, and distant vapor, without personality, and having no power to do anything, or know anything, or love any- one! God would not permit His children to fall into such awful darkness. There- fore He proclaimed for them the law of property — for property, wages, and money are never forgotten. It is a law that comes out of the loving heart of God Himself, for God is Love." "Tell me that law, Sahib." "We have been speaking about it, and you already are familiar with it: 'Oicncr- ship mast be acknowledged/ " "But, how shall we acknowledge it I I do not understand." THE CHRISTIAN FARMER 39 "Do you acknowledge that Thakur Dhar is zamindar, that is, that he has control of the land?" •'Yes, Sahib, I must acknowledge it." ''But how do you acknowledge it?" "I pay him a certain proportion of the crop." "Who fixes that proportion, you or the zamindar ?" "0, the zamindar, always! I could not fix it, I am only the tenant." "But is the zamindar really the owner of the land?" "No, indeed, 'The earth is the Lord's.' Thakur Dhar merely holds a title from the Government." "Then how shall we acknowledge God's absolute Ownership? Is not God a Per- son ? The law of property came from God, and it is one law everywhere. Shall we not pay unto God a certain proportion of the income which He gives us power to acquire, a proportion which God himself shall fix? Do we not thus acknowledge God's absolute dominion over the land noon which we live, and over the wages which He gives us ability to earn?" "But I must pay more than half the grain to the zamindar; it does not remain in my hands." "Very true, Chatar Masih, and God, who is the real owner of the land, will require acknowledgment from the zamindar as well as from you — although, alas! Thakur Dhar does not understand this. Nevertheless, a certain part remains with you; otherwise 40 GANGA DASS you could not live. Out of this portion you .are to make acknowledgment to God." "But, Sahib, money and grain cannot be given to God. These things are for persons/' ''Be careful, Chatar Masih; is not God a Person ?" ''0 Sahibji, I forgot my lesson ! Of course God is a Person ; He is my Heavenly Father. But I am confused. How can God receive money or grain?" "Why, my brother, if you were ready to make your acknowledgment to Thakur Dhar, and his portion of the grain was lying in a heap by itself, could he not give you an order to pay the grain or the money to Bam Charan his son, and would not this be the same as paying it to the zamindar himself?" "Surely, Sahib, and that is what I did, this very week! I see what you mean. If I pay the money or the grain to those whom God shall name, in this way I am paying it directly unto God Himself. It is very wonderful !" "Yes, Chatar Masih, it is indeed wonder- ful. Therefore, what proportion of our in- come shall we render unto God I" "Do I know, Sahib?" "Yes, my brother, I think you do. I often have told you what this proportion is, and you yourself have read it in God's Holy Word. Do you not remember it?" , "Is this the law of the tenth, Sahib ?" "Yes, Chatar Masih, God's Law — the law of property. God might have named some THE CHRISTIAN FARMER 41 other ratio, but, as a matter of fact, God did name the tenth. This law is older than the Bible. It began when worship first began upon the earth. It proclaims the dominion of God over all our material pos- sessions." "But, Sahib, is this law for poor people as well as for the rich? It would be very difficult for poor people to set apart a tenth. Their portion is very, very small, and their need is great." "How strangely we think of God, as though He were demanding something from us! The tenth indeed is God's law of property acknowledgment; it therefore is the same whether one's income be great or small. But we must understand this law. Its deep inner truth is that we shall remember God's ownership, and thus look to Him for His blessing and His guidance. God's law of the tenth is the very cure of poverty. If the poor would but remember it, many of them would be delivered. They feel the pressure of their many debts and it makes them miserable; if they would recognize God's portion, and thus remember His ownership, God could bless them in basket and store even as he has promised. As it is they 'manage' for themselves without God, and live and die in poverty. They are like poor little birds out in the storm, they will not seek the shelter of the Rock. As for the rich, their failure to observe this law is the snaring of their own feet. They become sufficient in themselves and have need of nothing. 42 GANGA DASS The loving God is robbed — not of money — but of honor, loyalty, and the obedient fel- lowship of his children." "But, Sahib, is the law of the tenth absolutely binding upon us?" "Is honor binding upon us, my brother? You would not ask such a question if you did not constantly forget that God is a Person. You would not ask it if you thought that you were dealing with Thakur Dhar, even though you know that your Hindu landlord does not care for you at all, but only for himself. Is loyalty bind- ing, my brother, and fellowship, and character, and truth?" "Why, Sahib, this law would make God my partner and not my master !" "Do you see it, Chatar Masih, do you see it? Then mark this day with red! Look in the Gospel, my friend, and find Christ's promise of partnership; you will find it written in Saint John's Gospel, fifteenth chapter, fifteenth verse. Look for it, laughing, for you have discovered the secret of God upon the earth: 'I call you not servants — I have called you friends.' Will you not acknowledge His dominion and become indeed His friend?" " Sahib ji, I will, I will ! I will begin this very day by setting apart one tenth of the money which I have received from Ganga Dass!" "God be praised, my brother; you will never regret the decision which you have made." "But you must help me, Sahib, or I shall THE CHRISTIAN FARMER 43 make many mistakes. I do not want to grieve my Divine Friend any more. What shall I do with the tenth? Please help me, Sahib, as you already have done." "How eager you are ! But we should not ask, 'What shall I do with the tenths for 'the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.' It is rather for us to inquire — 'What hath God done with His tenth?' for this sacred portion in a peculiar and personal sense 'is the Lord's.' God has indicated His own purpose concerning it, and no Christian need make any mistake. This is a subject which concerns the Church, for it opens the whole question of Christian Steward- ship. Therefore please take my greeting to Padri Ishwar Parshad. Tell him that I hope, with God's blessing, to be at your house next Monday evening, and that I shall be very glad if he could find it possible to be present also." "Yes, Sahib." "We shall talk of stewardship, and after- ward, if the pastor is willing, we may call the Christian people together. Many Chris- tians will be glad to learn this wonderful law of property; Hindus and Mohamme- dans will be interested also. I am very sure that Ganga Dass would be interested, for the tenth is our simple yet wonderful acknowledgment of God's personal owner- ship and dominion. But I am afraid Ganga Dass would not desire to visit at the house of a Christian. In any case, call the pastor, and let us learn God's purpose concerning stewardship and the tenth. . . . Ah, here 44 GANGA DASS come Sister Maryam and the children. I am sure Durga has been eating jalebis ! . . . Salam, my brother. Salam, Sister Maryam and Premi. God bless you all! Do not forget my greeting to the pastor!" "Salam, Sahibji ! I will not forget !" Ill THE VILLAGE COUNCIL Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. — Ephesians 5. 25. THE VILLAGE COUNCIL "Padri Ishwar Parshad! Padri Ishwar Parshad! I have lost my breath running to overtake you !" "Ah, Chatar Masih, good morning. I am sorry I cannot stop and visit with you, but I must hasten. The tehsildar has sent for me." "Is there any trouble?" "Yes, the tehsildar's uncle is dying." "Do you mean the rich Hakim, Jisukh Kae?" "Yes, but he is rich no longer! Already his relations are dividing the property among themselves; the old Hakim, sick and helpless, lies upon his cot and hears them quarreling about the money. I pity him. Health is gone, wealth is gone, but the thoughts of his heart are not gone! [Hindu proverb : 'Hal gay a, ahval gay a, dil At hhiyal na gaya.'~\ I am hastening to his bedside, so you must excuse me." "Let me walk by your side, Padri Ishwar Pershad. Is the old Hakim able to talk with you?" "No, but he wishes me to sit with him. You know he always has been a friend to our Christian people, and I love him very much. The Brahman priest sits by the door repeating the mantras while I sit on 47 48 GAXGA DASS the edge of the cot and pray silently to God. I believe that Jisukh Rae is com- forted because I am near him." "He has given away much money, has he not?" "Yes, Chatar Masih, no Hakim in this district ever has been so kind and gener- ous as he. Yesterday, while his sons were quarreling over the property he looked at me and said, 'They cannot quarrel over the money which I have given to the poor,' — and then he smiled. His alms, like the alms of the Roman Cornelius in the New Testament, surely will 'come up for a me- morial before God.' " "O, I hope Jisukh Rae will confess Christ before he dies ; I am sure he is already a Christian in his heart. Do you know of any Christians who have given away as much money as he?" "No, Chatar Masih, not in India; most of our Christians are among the poor. 'Not many mighty, not many noble are called.' " "Alas, Padri Ishwar Pershad, why must it be so! I pray that our people may be delivered from poverty, and that they may be counted among the rich and powerful of the land." "Nay, my brother, make not such a prayer — or, rather, pray that our Christian people may learn to acknowledge the ownership of God. Riches, without under- standing, will become a snare to their feet." "Why, Padri, those are the very words which the superintendent spoke to me last THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 40 week! He has been teaching me many wonderful things and will visit me at my house this day at evening time. He sends greeting to you and asks that you may be present also." "Surely, Chatar Masih, the paths of God are beautiful! This is the very day I had purposed to go to the Mission House, and now the Sahib will himself come to the village. I have news that will make his heart rejoice; Ganga Dass desires bap- tism." "Blessed be the name of Jesus! I have been expecting this for more than a month. I often have talked to Ganga Dass, and had a conversation with him last week when he bought my wheat. Is it not won- derful that he will now become a Chris- tian?" "Yes, his heart has been hungry to know the living God. Thousands of Hindus are weary with following after shadows." "Has he told you of his conversion?" "Yes ; it began during the rains when Sahib talked with him about wheat and money, and explained how property always means the presence or power of a person." "O Padri, can you not bring Ganga Dass this evening to meet the Sahib? My hum- ble tome will indeed be honored! Can you not bring him?" "I am sure, my brother, that Ganga Dass will be glad to come. He reveres our beloved superintendent and already is friendly with our Christian people. But you yourself would better fetch him, for 50 GAXGA DASS I shall be detained at the bedside of Jisukh Rae. Peace be with you until the evening". Give greeting from me to Ganga Dass, and tell Sahib, with respect, that I shall come to your house at the earliest moment." II "Like the rain that comes from heaven, Like the sunshine from the sky. So the Holy Ghost is given. Coming on us from on high." "Ah, Premi, thank you! You are learn- ing to sing very sweetly. That is one of the new songs; where did you learn it?" "Memsahib taught me, Sahibji; I can sing all the verses, and the chorus too." "How splendid! And how beautiful it is for you to come all the way to the edge of the village to meet me! Have you been waiting long?" "Not very long, Sahibji. See what I have brought for you." "Garlands of flowers ! How sweet they smell ! And now I must bend my head very low so that you can hang them about my neck. . . . There! I feel as proud as a rajah at the wedding of his son ! Take my hand, Premi, and let us walk together. Did you help to make these pretty gar- Lands?" "Xo, ]\famaji made them, brother Durga and I held the basket." "Then brother- Durga and you truly did help, and I am very grateful to you. Sar- dar has something in that tiffin-box which THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 51 will make your mouth water; we soon shall reach your home, then we shall open the box, and Durga will dance for joy! . . . Here we are at the idol temple, and yonder is the grain shop of Ganga Dass. I must stop for a moment, Premi, and speak to him." u Xo, Sahibji, Guru Ganga Dass is not in his shop; he is at our house with my father waiting for you." "Ganga Dass at your house! I shall have double pleasure; let us hasten." "There is Mamaji, coming from the well, and there is Brother Durga behind her!" "Sure enough! Come, Sardar, open the tiffin-box quickly! ... I am glad to see you, Sister Maryam. Memsahiba sends greeting and hopes that you are well. Salam, Durga, my little man, what a fine new coat you have! Do you see what Sardar has brought you? Do you know what these are? Jalebis!" "O Sahibji, you never forget the chil- dren ! Premi and Durga always are talk- ing of your kindness. They think God must be just like you. They love you very much." "And I love them, Sister Maryam; I am sure I could not forget them if I tried ! Is Chatar Masih well?" "Yes, Sahibji, we give thanks to God for his goodness. Guru Ganga Dass is with my husband and both are hungry to see you. There is my husband now, standing to welcome you at the door. Ganga Dass is within, waiting on the haramda." . . . 52 GAXGA DASS "Salam, Brother Chatar Masih, it is good to see you again; your face is like a cloudless morning." "True, Sahib, for how could clouds or darkness remain when my missionary father, like the glorious sun, is shining upon me?" "Ah, Chatar Masih, it is not your mis- sionary, but the Sun of Righteousness that has shined upon you! Is Padri Ishwar Pershad well, and are the Christians in the village prospering?" "Yes, Sahib, we are all well; no sickness has come among our people. But the old Hakim, Jisukh Pae, is ill and, perhaps, dying. Padri Ishwar Pershad is now at his bedside in the tehsildar's house. He sends his love and greeting, and hopes to be here presently." "I am sorry that Jisukh Pae is ill. He is a good man. I had hoped he would con- fess Christ. Is it true that Ganga Dass is at your house?" "Yes, Sahib, he is here; he has been tell- ing me that he is ready to become a Chris- tian. He waits within to pay his respects to you. Please enter my humble home and make it beautiful. ... Be glad, Brother Ganga Dass, Sahib is come!" Ill "Salam, Ganga Dass, my friend." "Many, many Salams, Sahibji ; I praise God that I look upon your face." "Sit beside me, Ganga Dass, and tell me THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 53 the good news. Is it true that Jesus Christ has* come into your heart ?" "Yes, Sahibji, it is true. My soul has been like a frail vessel on an angry river. Darkness has been round about me. Last night, as I lay upon my bed, a sweet voice spoke within my heart, and said, 'Fear not, Ganga Dass, I have redeemed thee.' All this day joy, like a gentle flowing river, has been bearing my peaceful soul." "Thank God, Ganga Dass, my prayer is answered! Come, Premi, sing the sweet song that Memsahiba has been teaching you — the one you sang for me at the edge of the village. Sing the first verse." "I am frightened, Sahibji." "No, Premi, you need not be afraid; Jesus will help you. Stand by my knee and let me hold your hand. Now you can sing." "Joys are flowing like a river Since the Comforter has come ; He abides with us forever, Makes the trusting heart his home." "Thank you, Premi, your voice is sweet and clear. Xow sing the chorus." '"Blessed quietness ! Holy quietness ! What assurance in my soul ! On a stormy sea Jesus speaks to me, And the billows cease to roll." "Does not that song tell your own ex- perience, Brother Ganga Dass?" "O Sahibji, my heart is melting like wax before the fire! How can little Premi im- 54 GAXGA DASS derstand what is passing in my breast \ I cannot keep back my tears." "Nay, Ganga Dass, it is not the little child who understands your heart, it is the Spirit of the living God, speaking to you by her lips. This is a Christian song, and it tells the sweet experience of every human heart that comes home to God. Come, Premi, sing the second and third verses." "Like the rain that falls from heaven, Like the sunlight from the sky, So the Holy Ghost is given, Coming on us from on high. "What a wonderful salvation. Where we always see his face ! What a peaceful habitation, What a quiet resting place !" "0 Sahibji, the song is breaking my heart! I never understood until to-day that God is a living Person, that He knows my thoughts and all the evil that is within me, and yet He loves me !" "Yes, Ganga Dass, He loves you." "O Sahibji, tell all the Hindus what you explained to me when you came to my shop in the rains!" "Do you mean when I asked you the question, 'What is that in thy hand V " "Yes, Sahib; never until that day did I think of God as a living and personal Friend. I always thought of Brahm, the shadowlike soul of the universe, of which the pandits speak. I thought that Brahm was present in the trees and the grass and THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 55 the clouds, in the oxen and the goats, and also in men, but I never dreamed of know- ing God for myself and feeling His love in my heart. Brahm is but a shadow; God is the living Reality." "How did my question help you, Ganga Dass?" "O Sahib, you made it so clear to me that 'property' must always mean a 'per- son,' and that 'ownership,' whether of grain or cattle or money, never can remain with people on the earth. They soon must die and pass away, and then what will become of their 'ownership' ?" "Yes, Ganga Dass, and how did you find the answer?" "I saw that all men were holding fast to their possessions. The farmer watched over his bullocks as though they were his own children; the goldsmith weighed his rings and bracelets and locked them in his strong box as though he could hold them forever; even the beggars in the road clutched their kauri shells and coppers, and hid them away in their rags as though they were a king's treasure." "True, Ganga Dass." "And then, Sahib, I remembered your questions, 'Is the changeless Brahm a per- son ? is Brahm intelligent?' and my soul was filled with fear. One day Padri Ish- war Pershad visited me in my shop and repeated a verse from the Christian Scrip- tures. It was like this: 'The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib : . . . but my people doth not consider.' " 56 GANGA DASS "Yes, Ganga Dass, that is written in the book of Isaiah, the prophet, the first chap- ter and third verse." "Thank you, Sahib, I shall remember it. Presently Padri Ishwar Pershad went away, but I could not forget the Scripture which he had repeated. Everywhere on the walls of my shop the words seemed written in letters of fire, " 'The Ox Knoweth, The Ass Knoweth, Ganga Dass Knoweth Not.' When I measured out wheat for my cus- tomers, every seer seemed like a pot of gold, and a voice would whisper within me, * Who is the owner ? Who is the owner V " "God's Spirit was teaching you, Ganga Dass." "I am sure of it, Sahib. Every night I dreamed of a deep and awful abyss, and out of the abyss came a shadowy vapor, which I thought was Brahm, choking me and smothering me into numbness ; then I would cry aloud, and the shadowy vapor slowly vanished away and a beautiful Presence smiled upon me and took away my fear." "Praise be to God, my brother." "O Sahib, tell all the Hindus that God is very real and very near, that He indeed is a living God and filled with loving-kind- ness." "You shall tell them for yourself, Ganga Dass. I will write down what you have said to me to-night, and Hindus will be THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 57 glad to read it. It will be a comfort to thousand-." IV "Padri Ishwar Pershad told me, Sahib, that the Holy Bible teaches Christians how to worship the great and loving God." "Yes, Ganga Dass, the Word of God is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. It teaches us how to worship God in spirit and in truth." '"Then. Sahib, please make it plain to me. When you first visited me in my shop, during the rains, you told me that 'to ac- knowledge God's ownership is a man's first act of worship.' I never have forgotten your words. Tell me what you meant, Sahib, for I love God with all my heart, and long to worship him." "Ganga Dass, pure worship means the silent homage of the soul. It is always twofold. It means the lifting up of the heart and also the laying down of the will. It is like extending the two hands before God. Do you understand me?" "Yes, Sahib, I think I understand. At least I know that my heart is bubbling up just now with love and gratitude. Is that worship, Sahib?" "Truly, Ganga Dass, that is worship. Now, my brother, worship among Chris- tian people is not like the sacred bathing of Hindus in the river or bowing down before a shrine, neither is it like the stated prayers of the Mohammedans. Christian worship needs no outward forms at all. It 58 GANGA DASS means worship of the heart and will. It is spiritual. Therefore the Christian must worship every minute of the day, and every day of the year through all his life."' "But, Sahib, how can one worship all the time! Must not a Christian work and eat and walk about?" "Can you not love God all the time, Ganga Dass? And can you not be doing his holy will whether you are working or walking or taking your food?" "O Sahibji, I understand! I am wor- shiping God just now while I sit here talk- ing with you, because I love Him and de- sire to do His will!" "True, my brother, you and I are wor- shiping God together, because we love Him and love each other." "But, Sahib, the Christian people of this village come together on the first day of the week. I often have seen them gather- ing right here at Chatar Masih's house, and I have listened to the singing." "Very true, Ganga Dass. Christians gather together on the Lord's Day for spiritual fellowship and to receive instruc- tion from the Word of God. One hour spent in worshiping together on the first day of the week makes it easier for Chris- tians to worship God during all the week, when they will be busy at their w r ork. You have seen the cook making bread, have you not?" "Yes, Sahib, often, at Puran Mai's bake- shop." "What makes the loaves rise in the pan THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 59 until they become light and soft and pleas- ant to the taste V "Puran Mai mixes leaven with the meal.*' "Does he use much leaven V "0, no, Sahib, not the quarter of a chitahj a very little leaven is sufficient for twenty loaves." "True, Ganga Dass ; and so it is with the leaven of Christian worship on the first day of the week, it leavens the whole week and makes all the days beautiful with joy and patience, and with deeds of loving- kindness. Therefore it is necessary that Christian worship on the first day of the week should be perfect and complete." "What do you mean, Sahib?" "I mean the twofold nature of worship ought to be observed — that is, the lifting up of the heart and the laying down of the will." "How can this be done, Sahib? Teach me, for I desire to worship God 'in spirit and in truth.' " "It is a joy to teach you, my brother. Moreover, I am glad that we are sitting in Chatar Masih's house, for all our Christian people need to know the way of Christian worship. Did not Premi's singing bring blessing to your heart, Ganga Da-- \ n "Ah, Sahib ji, it was like opening a door into a garden of musk; my heart was lifted within me." "Yes, Ganga Dass, and so it is always when Christians worship God on the Sab- bath Day with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, or when they bow together 60 GAXGA DASS in prayer or listen to the Word of the Lord. During all the week the songs and hymns of the Sabbath will penetrate the heart, as leaven penetrates the loaf, and the Word of God will abide to give strength and courage. Thus one part of Christian wor- ship is fulfilled." "I easily can understand you, Sahib, and I long to join with Christians in such a service. May I sit with the Christians when next they meet for worship?" ''Yes, my brother, and I pray that God may shine upon you and bless you. But remember, Ganga Dass, that which I have told you is but one half of Christian wor- ship; it means the lifting up of the heart. Worship is not complete until both hands are extended before the Lord; there must be the laying down of the will also." "Tell me all, Sahib; teach me how to worship perfectly, that I may serve God also with a perfect heart." "Ganga Dass, how is your body kept alive?" "Surelv, Sahib, by the food which I eat." "Yes, my brother, and in what manner do you spend the hours of the day?" "I am engaged in the business of a grain merchant." "Do you make a profit in your business ?" "Surely, Sahib, if there was no profit I could not continue to buy grain from the THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 61 farmers and sell it again, nor could I pro- vide a living for my family." "Then, Ganga Dass, your business must seem to you a matter of very great impor- tance." "Yes, Sahib, that is true." "But why ?" "Because, Sahib, I must preserve my own life, and give food and shelter to my family; I must pay taxes to the govern- ment, and also give alms to the poor. Moreover, I must lay by something in store against the day of sickness or misfortune. My business is to me as wheels are to a cart; without it I should be helpless, un- able to carry forward the heavy responsi- bilities of my life." "Then, Ganga Dass, if you could not sell your wheat, no doubt it would cause great anxiety in your mind." "Certainly, Sahib, for then all my plans would have to be changed and I would need to make other arrangements for my family. My whole life would be different, and even my very thoughts." "But, Ganga Dass, can the hidden thoughts of your heart thus be influenced by a few seers of common wheat, lying yonder in your bins?" "If the cocoanut be broken, Sahib, will not the palm-milk be lost?" "You have answered truly, Ganga Dass. Our life in this world is tied up in one bundle with material things, such as wheat, rice and oil, clothing, shoes and shelter — in one word, our life is tied up with money. 62 GANGA DASS This is true also whether a man be rich or poor, farmer, goldsmith, merchant, or la- borer. Therefore he who touches my money, or my property, has indeed touched my life, just as a gentle pressure upon the bit turns a horse to the right hand or the left." "These are words of wisdom, Sahib." "And now, Ganga Dass, who has the control of your life? Who sends you pros- perous seasons, and- who permits the days of affliction? Who is the giver of life, and who has power over death?" "I understand you, Sahib. I used to think that the unchanging law of karma controlled my life. But now I know the truth: it is the all-wise and all-loving God, even my heavenly Father. Blessed be His Name!" "Yes, Ganga Dass, our God has all power and all dominion. His Name is above every name. Therefore every true Christian seeks to lay down his own will and choose the will of his Father who is in heaven. He prays, •Thy will be done.'" "O Sahib, let me offer that prayer just now : 'Thy will, God, he done.' " •"Amen! Such a prayer is the very heart of worship, Ganga Dass. Now let me ask you a question." "Yes, Sahib, I am listening." "If songs and prayers, and words of com- fort on the Sabbath Day help the Chris- tian to lift up his heart all through the days of the week, what act of worship on the Sabbath Day will remind him that he THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 63 is to lay down his own will and exalt God to be Ruler and King over his life?" "Tell me, Sahib, for I do not know." "What have we been saying just now, Ganga Dass? What is it that touches our life and influences it every day?" "Money and property." "Yes, Ganga Dass. And who is absolute owner of the money and property which we possess ?" "I can answer now, Sahib. God alone is owner." k "Yes, my brother, but do all the people understand this ?" fc "Xo, Sahib. Hindus do not understand this at all ! They know that Brahm cannot have personal dominion, because Brahm is not a person. Therefore they think that they themselves own the money and the property." "Alas, Ganga Dass, I am sorry to tell you that many Christians regard money and property the same as Hindus regard it; they actually think they have dominion over their own possessions." "How can this be, Sahib, when Chris- tians know that God is not a shadow in the mind, but is a personal and living God?" "Some Christians are not properly taught, others are forgetful, and many are covet- ous. The Word of God warns us that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." "Why should this be, Sahib? Is not money very necessary?" "Money and property are indeed neces- 64 GANGA DASS sary, Ganga Dass, but listen: When a man obtains possession of any property, such as a bullock or a goat or a store of grain, or when he receives wages for his labor, he should immediately acknowledge God's ownership of it all. Otherwise he will be sure to covet these things for himself; and covetousness is idolatry." "Idolatry, Sahib!" "Yes, Ganga Dass, that is what the Bible teaches." "But I do not understand; idolatry is the awful sin of the Hindus." "True, Ganga Dass. Idolatry comes whenever the pandits teach that God is not personal but impersonal. Always the com- mon people will make something to look at when they worship, something that seems to have personal attributes, no mat- ter how horrible it may be; the hungry and weary people never can understand an impersonal Brahm." "But why does the Bible say that covet- ousness is the same as idolatry?" "Because, my brother, when a man claims money or property as his own, or when he covets money or property for him- self, he either forgets or denies the owner- ship of God; that is, he either forgets or denies that God is a living Person, and thus cuts himself off from the fountain of Life. The soul within him becomes dead, just as though he were bowing down before an image of Krishna or Ganesa. Is not this clear to you, Ganga Dass ?" "You make it so clear, Sahib, that my THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 65 heart trembles because of fear; for I have bullocks and goats, and I am measuring grain and counting money every day. I have given up the worship of Krishna and Ganesa, Sahib, and yet you tell me that I am in danger of falling into idolatry again because of the property and money in my house. Sahibji, you are my friend; save me from this wickedness." "Fear not, Ganga Dass. God knew our danger. He saw that money and property would be a stumbling-block to his children, that it would cause them to fall into covet- ousness and idolatry. Therefore he has given us a plain and simple commandment, one easy to remember. It is the law of the tenth." "Teach me this law, Sahib; tell me what a Christian ought to know." "Listen, my brother. Reckon together all your property and possessions — your house, your cattle, your grain, your money —all." "Yes, Sahib." "Then remember that all of this belongs to God — the silver and the copper, the grain and the oil, the house and the cattle — all. Keep not back one kauri for your- self." "All, Sahib? How then shall I live?" "Fear not, Ganga Dass, would our Father forget his child?" VI "I think I can make this matter quite 6(3 GANGA DASS clear to you, my brother, if you will per- mit me to ask two or three simple ques- tions concerning your business. May I ask them ?" "Certainly, Sahib. You are my father and my mother; you may ask any ques- tion you desire."' "Thank you, Ganga Dass. Answer me then — Who is in charge of your shop while you sit here conversing with me?" "Tulsi Earn." a "And who is Tulsi Earn?" "He is my steward, Sahib." "But are you not afraid to go away and leave the shop in his hands?" "O, no, Sahib. Tulsi Earn was also my father's steward. He loves me as his own son. I could go away for an entire month, or even a year, and Tulsi Earn would care for my business as faithfully as though it vvere his own. I give it all into his keep- ing and he conducts the shop in my name." "And does he keep an account and pay out money?" "O, yes, Sahib. Even the money which I use for my own expense is paid to me by Tulsi Earn, according to my order. He takes the entire charge of the shop, even when I am present, although he never de- cides any question concerning the business without first informing me, and asking my judgment. Tulsi Earn is my friend." "Your words are full of wisdom, Ganga Dass ; therefore your own words shall teach you. The very moment when you recog- nize God's ownership, when you give back THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 67 to him all the money and all the property, that very moment God accepts you to be his faithful steward. He leaves the prop- erty and money in your hands, and ex- pects you to administer all of it in His name. Therefore, as God's steward, you are to acknowledge God's dominion over all your possessions; you are to provide a living for your family, you are to support the government and give alms to the poor, and you are to lay by something in store for days to come. But all of this is to be done in accordance with his holy will. You are to- seek the guidance of your heavenly Father just as Tulsi Ram seeks your own counsel and advice. Thus, my brother, you will be saved from the hateful sin of covetousness, and never again will fall into the pit of idolatry." "O Sahib, thank you for your words of comfort. My heart leaps up again with love and gladness; all fear has been cast out." "Then, Ganga Dass, you surely are ready to answer my former question." "Please repeat the question, Sahib, that I may understand." "Very well, Ganga Dass, I will do so, for this question is like the foundation of a house — it supports the entire building and all that is within it. What act of worship shall a Christian perforin on the Lord's Day as an acknowledgment that God is in very truth the Owner of all that he possesses ?" "O Sahib, it is of money that you are 68 GAXGA DASS speaking! I saw the Christians one day when all of them were gathered together under the nim tree in front of Chatar Masih's house. They laid pice and kauris, and also wheat upon a clean chadar. Are you speaking of money, Sahib?" "Yes, Ganga Dass, money and property." "And is this money for the poor?" "No, Ganga Dass, it is for the living and holy God." "But God does not need to receive money from the hands of men, Sahibji." "Nor do you need to receive money from Tulsi Ram. The entire shop belongs to you; all the grain in the bins is under your authority, and all the money in the brass money-box. Nevertheless, because Tulsi Ram is your steward, you receive money from his hand." "True, Sahib. I always have done so, and my father before me did the same." "Even so, Ganga Dass, as you receive money from your steward, so God receives money from His stewards; for the Lord hath expense for His kingdom." "Your words are filled with light, Sahib." "And now, my friend, how do you re- ceive money from Tulsi Ram? Do you go to him with outstretched hand, as though you were a religious mendicant, and do you beseech him to bestow upon you the gift of a little money?" "O Sahib, you are speaking in jest; cer- tainly I do not beg money from the steward of my own house! I am the proprietor, and full authority rests with me. I simply THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 69 make known my wishes and Tulsi Ram cheerfully accepts my word." "Then, Ganga Dass, is it true that your steward places in your hand whatever amount you bid him, whether it be one rupee, or ten rupees, or fifty?" "Certainly it is true, Sahib ; were it not true, then my steward would be greater in authority than the proprietor himself. Tulsi Ram would not think of such dis- respect." "Very good, my brother. In other words, when your steward acknowledges that you have power and authority over the very small amount which he places in your hand, he also must acknowledge that you have power and authority over all the rest. Is it so?" "Yes, Sahib, it is even as you say." VII "Ganga Dass, God has given you wisdom and understanding. Therefore you easily will recognize why Christians are taught to worship God, on the first day of the week, by placing a certain portion of money or grain upon a clean white chadar. We are God's stewards and have received commandment that this portion shall be brought into his storehouse, even as Tulsi Ram is instructed that a certain portion of your money shall be placed in your hand." "Then do Christians bring a certain definite amount into God's Storehouse?" "Alas, Ganga Dass, it is my sorrow and shame to tell you that many Christians 70 GAXGA DASS have not inquired from God concerning this; therefore it is their habit to lay upon the chadar whatsoever amount they please." "But can this be right, Sahib?" "You have good understanding, Ganga Dass; tell me what you think." "Please excuse me, Sahibji; I love the Christians of this village and would not like to speak." "Nay, Ganga Dass, do not hesitate. Cha- tar Masih has already learned the truth, and it will make him stronger to hear it again from your lips. Ought Christians to lay upon the chadar of the congregation whatsoever sum they please?" "I am as a newborn child, Sahib; it is not fitting that I should speak in judgment of older Christians. Nevertheless, as for me, shall I receive obedience in my own house from Tulsi Ram, my steward, and shall I withhold obedience from the Lord of the whole earth? I would not dare to lay upon the chadar of the congregation that which I myself desired, but only what was commanded me of the Lord." "You have answered well, my brother. God surely will make you a counselor and leader among the Christians. The Hindus have called you 'Ganga Dass the Wise,' but the Christians will call you 'Ganga Dass the Teacher.'" "Nay, Sahib, say not so, for I am but a little child. I have yet everything to learn. What is that portion which a Christian ought to bring?" THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 7i "The answer is easy, Ganga Dass, for the Bible makes it very plain. That holy- portion was named when men first wor- shiped God upon the earth; the same por- tion was confirmed when the command- ments of God were written for his ancient nation ; the same portion was recognized when Jesus Christ proclaimed the Good News for all people, and until this day that portion has not been changed. It is one tenth of our income, or one tenth of the increase of our possessions." "One tenth, Sahib! So small a portion to acknowledge the God of all the earth !" "Yes, Ganga Dass, one tenth is the por- tion that God has named. It is indeed a small amount ; yet if this portion is offered with loyalty and faith, it is like the tiny morsel of leaven which leavens the whole loaf. The consecration of one tenth of a Christian's income means the consecration of all the rest." "But, Sahibji, will not God be pleased to take from me a larger sum? He has lifted me out of a deep and awful pit, and I would make suitable acknowledgment. I was expecting you to name a larger por- tion, for even one half of my income is a small return to God. May I not in any case offer more than one tenth?" "Ganga Dass, your heart is tender before the Lord. Therefore I pray that you may learn the full truth of Christian steward- ship, even now, in the sweetness and fresh- ness of your new experience." "Teach me, Sahib." 72 GANGA DASS "All that we have is the Lord's, my brother, and all of our possessions must be administered for him. Therefore when we provide a living for our family, or pay taxes to the government, this is part of our stewardship, for these are duties which lie at the very foundation of the kingdom of God. Moreover, when we give money to feed the poor, or to heal the siek, or when we bestow a public benefit, as digging a well or building a traveler's rest-house, this also is part of our stewardship, even a free-will offering for the kingdom of God. Each Christian must determine such gifts for himself, according as there is need, and according as God hath prospered him. The rich will give abundantly, the poor must be content to bestow a meager sum." "Yes, Sahib, I am listening." "But, Ganga Dass, when the clean white chadar is spread before the congregation on the first day of the week, to receive the consecrated tenth, this is the highest stew- ardship of all, because it is a personal and direct acknowledgment of the sovereign ownership of God." "And is this law of the tenth for all the people, Sahib, whether they have much or little?" "Yes, Ganga Dass, for God cannot be a respecter of persons. If the Sabbath offer- ing were a gift, then each worshiper would bring what he himself deemed best. But the holy tenth is not a gift, it is an ac- knowledgment. When Christians mingle with each other, the strong must bear the THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 73 infirmities of the weak, and the rich must consider the poor and the unfortunate. But when they stand uncovered before the majesty of God, there can be no distinc- tion among them, whether they be rich or poor; they are all brethren together. Therefore, with one accord they humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, and bring the self-same offering into his storehouse, even the holy tenth which God hath named." "Your words are sweet in my ears, Sahib, and I shall remember them. May I bring the sacred tenth when I sit with the Chris- tians next Sabbath, or should I wait until after I have received baptism?" "No, Ganga Dass, do not wait. Bring your first offering of the tenth next Sab- bath Day. The bringing of the tenth means the acknowledgment of God's per- sonal dominion. It is a sure token of per- sonal faith, therefore it should be offered before baptism. The words of our mouth pass into the air and are forgotten, but the bringing of the tenth means that we really recognize the ownership of God — for prop- erty always means a person. That is why I asked you my first question, during the rains, 'What is that in thy hand?' Do you not remember?" "Yes, Sahib, I do indeed remember! I shall remember it always, for your ques- tion opened the doorway into a new life." "Thank God, my brother. So shall it be with many Hindus whose hearts are weary with the shadows and mists of Brahm. 74 GAXGA DASS For God, the maker and owner of all things, is not the unconscious soul of the universe; He is the personal and living God." "O Sahib, I love His holy name!" "Yes, Ganga Dass, I am sure you love him. Therefore, to delay your acknowledg- ment would open a doorway into fierce doubts and temptations. Do not wait for baptism. Bring your tenth next Sabbath Day and place it upon the chadar of the congregation. It shall be your first offer- ing of faith, your confession that God is not a shadow in the mind, but a real and living Lord. Afterward you shall receive baptism and be numbered among the Christians." "This will I do, Sahib, with joy and gladness." VIII "Thank you, Sister Maryam; this cup of sharbat is most refreshing. How good is God that He should provide for us the pleasant juice of the pomegranate! Do you think Padri Ishwar Pershad will come soon ?" "He is already come, Sahib; he is wait- ing until you have finished taking your refreshment." "I am quite finished, my sister. Please, Chatar Masih, give the good pastor my salam and tell him that I shall rejoice in his presence. . . . Ah, my brother, Ishwar Pershad, my fellow-laborer in the gospel, I pray the peace of God may rest upon you." THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 75 "Great peace be upon you, my honored superintendent, and my friend. It is fit- ting- that I should ask forgiveness for com- ing to your presence so late." "No, my brother; Chatar Masih already has explained to me that you were detained at the sick-bed of Jisukh Rae. Is the good Hakim better?" "These hands closed his eyes, Sahib; his soul passed from earth an hour ago." "So Jisukh Rae is dead! I am much grieved, for he was my friend. I must pay my respects and oiler condolence to his family. When Jisukh Rae was a young man he studied at our Mission College. He was the friend of Christians." "As I sat by his side to-day, Sahib, the Hakim called for his two sons and his nephew. When they were all gathered at his bed he spoke in a weak voice and said: 'I cannot take my property with me, it remains in your hands; therefore take heed unto my words. If you spend money recklessly, it will become a swift river bearing you to destruction; if you hoard it away as a miser, it will turn to ice and freeze your soul within you; if you use it to do good in the world, it will be like the gentle rain that falls upon the earth and makes it beautiful with grass and corn and flowers.' " "Jisukh Rae was a good man, Padri." "Yes, Sahib, I believe Jesus Christ came to him upon his deathbed." "Tell me of it, my brother." "After his two sons and his nephew had 7G GANGA DASS left him, Jisukh Rae lay quiet for a long time. Suddenly he opened his eyes and stretched forth his hands. 'O Jesus Christ/ he cried, 'I have loved you long, ever since my youth, but I have been afraid to con- fess you before the Hindus! Forgive me, O Jesus Christ, forgive me V Tears were running from his eyes as I kneeled by his bedside. The Brahman priest stood in the doorway astonished, but I prayed to God in faith. Then I sang, 'Jesus Christ be thou my Security,' ['Yisu Masih mero Pran Bachaiya'~\ and while I was singing Jisukh Rae looked at me and smiled. He kept looking at me until his eyes grew dim and his head sank down upon the cushion. But the smile remained upon his face. And thus he died." "Ah, Padri Ishwar Pershad, I thank God that, through your faithfulness and prayer, Jisukh Rae found Christ upon his deathbed. It is beautiful! But I praise God most of all because our brother here did not wait until the shadows of death were gathering about him. Ganga Dass and I have held sweet converse this night concerning the things of God." '"Yes, Sahib, I expected that Brother Ganga Dass would meet you at the house of Chatar Masih. How the Christians will re- joice when he joins them in worship! Will you be with us next Sabbath, Ganga Dass?" "Indeed I shall come, Padri Ishwar Per- shad. I must be present in order to lay my tenth upon the chadar, and confess my THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 77 faith. Sahibji has been teaching- me how Christians ought to worship God in spirit and in truth." "Hallelujah ! O Sahib, I thank God for his great love to our Indian Church, and I thank you for your patient teaching. Some of our Christians have been unwill- ing to observe the practice of Christian stewardship, but now it will be different. They will be ashamed when they see Ganga Dass lay his tenth upon the chadar, for he is a new Christian, and not yet baptized. Soon all the Christians of the village will understand how they have been robbing God, and they also will bring the whole tithe into the storehouse." "But, Sahibji— ..." "Yes, Chatar Masih." "What shall become of the sacred tenth after we have laid it upon the chadar of the congregation?" "Thank you, Chatar Masih, your ques- tion is like a golden key. It unlocks the most difficult problem of the Church in India, the problem of self-support and self- government." "Do you mean, Sahib, that the sacred tenth of Indian Christians will support our Indian pastors?" "Certainly, Chatar Masih, not only will God's tenth support your own pastors, but, in time, it will provide for all other ex- penses of the Indian Church. Moreover, one day, the Church in India will send missionaries to Thibet and Persia, to Mauritius and Madagascar, just as the TS GANGA DASS Church in Great Britain and America now sends missionaries to India." "O Sahib, will that time ever come?" "It must come, my friends, or else the Church in India can never inherit the full promises of God. India is one of the great countries of the world, and the Indian peo- ple are one of the greatest races. There- fore the Church in India ought to become, and will become, one of the noblest churches of all history." "How your words cause our hearts to burn within us, Sahib!" "Yes, my friends, but Indian Christians must pay the price of leadership as Chris- tians have paid that price in all the world. To-day the Church in India is poor. There- fore God is saying unto her, 'I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich.' O my friends, I love the Church in India as my own life ! Shall we not work together and build her walls with love and sacrifice and prayer? Shall not you and I work together, Padri Ishwar Pershad, as true yoke-fellows and ministers of Christ?" "It will be my joy, Sahib, to stand at your side." "And you, Chatar Masih, and you, Sister Maryam, will you let your lamp shine brightly in the village?" "O Sahibji, our light will not go out, for God himself has promised to supply the oil; moreover, we shall teach Premi and little Durga all that we have learned." "Yes indeed, the precious children, my THE VILLAGE COUNCIL 79 friends; the children are the Church of to- morrow. And you, Ganga Dass, my brother, will the Church of Christ find you also in your appointed place?" "Sahib, did not the Church of Christ find me starving in the desert and bring me to my Father's house?" "Yes, Ganga Dass." "And shall I turn from my Father's house, and wander again in the desert?" The Christian Stewardship League, Organized in Philadelphia, July, 1916 This Movement is authorized and projected in order that the standards of stewardship, now coming to be rec- ognized in all the Churches, shall be realized in a definite program of personal committal and of Church-wide achievement. CONSTITUTION Art. I. Name and Purpose The Christian Stewardship League is formed in order that Christian people may be helped to know the spiritual meaning of ownership, and in order that they themselves may help to establish, in the Church and in society, a Christian attitude toward property, income, wages, and wealth. It is recognized that Christian Stewardship must be of life and opportunity, no less than of possessions; therefore it is the further purpose of this League to em- phasize and promote the stewardship of personal Christian service, and of prayer. Art. II. Membership The Christian Stewardship League shall be constituted of Christian people, who, accepting the Principles of Chris- tian Stewardship as set forth herewith, shall, by personal committal, declare their purpose to observe them. Art. III. "Earnest" As an "Earnest" of their purpose to observe the Prin- ciples of Christian Stewardship, and in order that the activities of this League shall be established and extended among the Churches, each member shall be expected to send to the Central Office the sum of One Dollar, and shall be expected to enlist in the membership of this League One Other Person. Send $1.00 "Earnest" — Enroll Your Name — Receive the Literature. For Literature and Full Information Address the General Superintendent CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP LEAGUE Central Office 740 Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois Princeton Theological Seminary Libraries PRIN I. THE STEWARDSHIP OF POSSESSIONS 1. God is the Owner of all things. 2. God invites men to subdue the earth and pos- sess it. 3. Man is a steward to hold and administer his possessions as a sacred trust. 4. God's ownership ought to be acknowledged. 5. Biblical history records the setting apart of the tenth of the income as that acknowledgment, and indicates a divine sanction for the prac- tice and the amount. 6. The Stewardship of Possessions is best evi- denced by the systematic application of this portion of income to the advancement of the Kingdom, and by the faithful adminis- tration of the balance of income and wealth. II. THE STEWARDSHIP OF PERSONALITY 1. God is the Supreme Person in a world of per- sons, perfect in every attribute of personality. 2. God invites every person to become a partaker of the divine nature. 3. Man has nothing which he did not receive; he is therefore a steward of every worthy element of personality by him possessed. 4. This stewardship is acknowledged by worship and the giving of thanks. 5. It is administered by rendering personal human service. 6. The Stewardship of Personality is best acknowl- edged by setting apart a definite time for worship; it is best administered by under- taking definite tasks of human helpfulness. III. THE STEWARDSHIP OF PRAYER 1. All power is given to Jesus Christ. 2. Jesus Christ invites his friends to ask anything in His Name, and it shall be done. 3. Christian Prayer is therefore a stewardship of power intrusted by Jesus to His friends. 4. This stewardship is acknowledged when the friendship of Jesus is accepted. 5. It is administered by asking intelligently ac- cording to the will of God. 6. The Stewardship of Prayer is best acknowledged by a full consecration to Jesus Christ; it is best administered by observing a thoughtful program of prayer, as one who would know what his Lord doeth.