The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1932, Page 39

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

every page. So the people of Lifu, practically god-
less at the time of Pao’s advent, were in a way ready
to hear his message; for he had told them that he
had come from the Great Spirit. In fact, just be-
fore the coming of Pao to Lifu, Chief Bula had
sent several of his people to neighboring islands in
search of a mighty, living god.

Pao Finds Willing Listeners.

In a most solemn convocation Pao was received
by the mighty Bula, and he once more gave assur-
ance that he had come as a representative of the
Great Spirit. When asked for proofs of his claims,
Pao very frankly told the people that he had never
seen the Great Spirit, nor had he received direct
orders to come to them. “But,” he added, “here is
His letter, which white people have translated into
my native tongue.” And he showed them his New
Testament. “At this time I have come to you to
learn your language and to tell you what is written
in this letter of the Great Spirit. White men, who
will in due time come after me, will then tell you
more about the Great Spirit and His good will
towards you.”

Pao’s message and his manner of delivering it
made a deep and very favorable impression upon
Bula and his subjects. The great chief at once de-
clared Pao to be his friend and protégé. This guar-
anteed Pao safety for his person and gained him
open ears on the part of the natives. But for all
this, Bula felt that he should have more than just
Pao’s bare word. He felt that it was reasonable to
cask for some sign from Pao’s God. Bula was of the
opinion that the opportunity was at hand for this
proof to be given by the Great Spirit, whose mes-
ssenger Pao claimed to be. Not long before a num-
ber of Bula’s warriors had fallen in an engagement
with a tribe occupying the western part of the
island. The leader of this band of enemies was a
certain white renegade named Cannibal Charlie, a
man steeped in all kinds of vice and more cruel
even than the natives. Bula had decided to avenge
the death of his men, and he had further resolved
that Pao and his companions were to accompany
them and by their prayers assure them victory.
Bula expressed himself in this way: “The gods of
our enemies are no better than our gods; but if
your God really can do anything, we shall gain the
victory.” Bula’s plan was hailed with delight by
his men in a great public gathering. To their way
of thinking Bula’s plan was an ideal way of proving
Pao’s claims concerning his God.

Bula Defeats His Enemies.
Pao vainly contended that his God was a God of
peace, who took no pleasure in the shedding of
blood. But no one listened to him; so he went with
the warriors of Bula, who immediately took the
field against Cannibal Charlie and his army. Pao
prayed to God to give victory to Bula and thus show
that He was a God who heard the prayers of His
people. At a village called We the two forces met
in the evening. ‘That whole night they lay over
against one another. In Bula’s camp the Chris-
tians sang hymns and called on God to give the
victory to Bula, so that the Gospel might find en-
trance into Lifu. Bula’s warriors respectfully lis-
tened to the singing and praying. In their igno-
rance they regarded the hymns and prayers to be so
many incantations and magic formulas intended to
give them the victory. For this reason they went to
battle the next morning feeling certain that the
battle was already won. Cannibal Charlie’s men
lacked this assurance. The threats and braggings
of their leader had not been able to encourage them.
When therefore several of their men fell early in
the engagement, fear and trembling laid hold upon
them, and they took to ignominious flight. This
complete victory was all that was needed to con-
vince Bula and his people that Pao’s claims were
true, and they at once declared themselves ready to
hear his message.

An External Victory for the Gospel.

But Pao was soon to learn that a faith that is
built on miracles is but a poor and unreliable thing.
While the people outwardly professed acceptance of
Pao’s God, they still in secret continued in all
the superstitions and abominations of heathenism.
Though innocent Pao knew it not, it happened
upon several occasions that the people, after at-
tending one of his services in the evening, that very
same night took part in heathenish orgies and
gorged themselves by eating human flesh.

However, despite these occurrences so much was
gained that these things were done by the people
with a bad conscience. Their conscience had been
awakened by Pao’s testimony. They bore witness to
this when Bula lost his sight and became completely
blind. Soon the conviction spread among all that
their chieftain’s blindness had been brought upon
him by Pao as a punishment for the duplicity they
had been guilty of towards him. They dreaded that
still worse things might happen to them at the
hands of the missionary, and so five of them con-
spired to kill the faithful Pao. One day they sur-