CHARLES DWIGHT;
OR,
The Missionary’s Son.
RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY;
56, Paternoster-row; 164, Piccadilly,
LONDON.
CHARLES DWIGHT;
OR, THE MISSIONARY’S SON.
Charles Dwight was theson of a Christian missionary,and was born in Constantinople,February 16th, 1837. When he[2]was only four months old, helost his mother by the plague.She was a good mother, anddesired above all things for herchildren that they might becomethe disciples of Christ.
Charles, though a pleasantchild, needed a new heart, as allchildren do, however lovely theymay be. While yet young, hewas made to feel this. Whenhe was about seven years olda child of a mission family died.This led him to think of death.A sermon which he now heardmade him pray very much forhis sins to be forgiven. TheHoly Spirit was striving withhim. He soon yielded to Hispower, and put his trust in theSaviour. He now entered upon[3]a new life. Prayer was his delight.The Bible was a preciousbook. He aimed to do right andto make everybody happy.
Charles’s companions couldnot help loving him, for he wasalways kind in his ways. Someof these, like himself, were piousyouths. They never came togetherto spend any time in eachother’s society without prayingbefore they parted. As one of theseloved friends was about to leaveon one occasion, Charles said,“Let us not part till we haveprayed together;” so they wentinto a room by themselves, andhe read a chapter in the Bible,and they knelt down and prayed.
That very night—it was Saturday,February 5th, 1853—he[4]was seized with a headache.The most skilful aid was calledin, but it could not help him.His pains at times were verygreat, but he never lost his patience,nor his sweet hope in God.A part of the time his mindwandered, and then he kepttalking, now in English, nowin Greek, now in French, nowin Turkish,—but it was aboutChrist and his cause. Once,when a dear friend who was sitingby him asked him if he feltready for whatever might be theresult of his sickness, he said,“My head is in such pain thatI cannot collect my thoughts;but sometimes I am able to doso, and then my mind is in perfectpeace. But if I had not[5]been led to make my peace withGod before this disease cameupon me, I am sure I nevercould have done it now.”
At another time, in reply toa question from his father, hesaid with great feeling, “I cannotyet say that I want to dienow; but I desire the will ofthe Lord to be done. If He willsthat I die now, I am ready.”
But why, do you suppose, didhe not want to die then? Itwas not because it is so happyto live. His life was indeed ahappy one, but he knew it is farbetter to be with Christ. Thereason why he seems to havewished to live rather than to die,was, that he might do good. Hisheart was set on being a missionary.[6]He hoped soon to visithis father’s country for his education,and then to return, andpreach the gospel. It was thisthat seemed to him even moredesirable than to go at once andbe with Christ.
Prayer was very sweet tohim. Once, after his father hadprayed with him, he said