'A Saintly Child'

One of my faaaavourite things to write a blog about, is a book. And to give you little excerpts of things I'm reading. It's pretty lame actually that I'll be reading and just be like... gotta blog that later! But anyway, I'm currently reading the autobiography of John G. Paton who was a missionary to the New Hebrides in the 1800s. I haven't actually gotten to the New Hebrides yet in my reading though, between 1847-1856 he was living in Glasgow and working for the Glasgow City Mission, running a mission in what he calls "a degraded district". Here is one story he recounts:

"John Sim, a dear little boy, was carried away by consumption. His child-heart seemed to be filled with joy about seeing Jesus. His simple prattle, mingled with deep questionings, arrested not only his young companions, but pierced the hearts of some careless sinners who heard him, and greatly refreshed the faith of God's dear people. It was the very pathos of song incarnated to hear the weak quaver of his dying voice sing out,-

"I lay my sins on Jesus,

The spotless Lamb of God."

Shortly before his decease he said to his parents, "I am going soon to be with Jesus; but I sometimes fear that I may not see you there."

   "Why so, my child?" said his weeping mother.

   "Because," he answered, "if you were set upon going to Heaven and seeing Jesus there, you would pray about it, and sing about it; you would talk about Jesus to others, and tell them of that happy meeting with Him in Glory. All this my dear Sabbath School teacher taught me, and she will meet me there. Now why did not you, my father and mother, tell me all these things about Jesus, if you are going to meet Him too?" Their tears fell fast over their dying child; and he little knew, in his unthinking eight year, what a message from God had pierced their souls through his innocent words.

One day an aunt from the country visited his mother, and their talk had run in channels for which the child no longer felt any interest. On my sitting down beside him, he said, "Sit you down and talk with me about Jesus; I am tired hearing so much talk about everything else but Jesus; I am going soon to be with Him. Oh, do tell me everything you know or have ever heard about Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God!"

At last the child literally longed to be away, not for rest, or freedom from pain- for of that he had very little- but, as he himself always put it, "to see Jesus." And, after all, that was the wisdom of the heart, however he learned it. Eternal life, here or hereafter, is just the vision of Jesus."

The first time I ever heard of John G. Paton, was at a faithmission camp when I was about nine, and each night they'd tell a bit more of his story in the evening meetings. More recently though, it was through a talk by (yes... I do love him) John Piper, that was on a cd we were given at Forum '08. Listen to it here, it's really really fantastic.

Also, whilst on the topic of John Piper and Forum, he's got a new book out which I guess is loosely based on the talks he gave then, and had given before at his church in America, on Ruth.