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The study of a character like that of Sadhu Sundar Singh cannot fail to be both interesting and instructive, for in a materialistic age he is a man untouched by materialism. Mr. K. J. Saunders, in the Adventures of the Christian Soul, says :—
Mysticism is the passionate search of the soul in love with God, and the claim that this search has been rewarded .. . The mystic consciousness is marked by simple, clear, and insistent ideas. . . . Possessing God, the mystic desires nothing more. . . . The passionate love aroused in the heart by Christ . . . explains his clear insight into spiritual things, and the tenacity of his pursuit of lofty ideals.
Thus is Sundar Singh a true Christian mystic, and so closely has he studied the life of Christ as it is written in the New Testament, and so eonstantly has he imitated His example, that naturally he lives in an atmosphere only now and then enjoyed by the ordinary Christian.
His wandering life of poverty in a country like India brings endless opportunities of recognizing his Father’s hand in all things, so that often where others would sce only the common mercies of daily life the Sadhu praises God for special help in special need. He is familiar with the deepest agony of soul and with the most intense joy. Nights of prayer alternate with long days of toil for his Lord. Close and prayerful study of the. New Testament is combined with equally close communion with Christ. A yearning desire to save lost souls that gives him no respite from his labours is balanced by a deep devotion and love for his Saviour that fills his heart with peace, and shines in his face. The things of the spiritual life are more real to him than those of the temporal. So near does he live to the great world of spirits that to him there is nothing strange in the ministry of angels. He looks upon it as God’s provision for a great need, and when in his own experience some unusual event has come to pass he simply believes that God cares enough for the individual soul to interpose on its behalf. The mysteries of life and death and the great beyond bring no distress or doubt to his mind, and he does not puzzle the minds of his hearers with them. But deep down in his contemplative mind they hold their place, and are a source of infinite satisfaction to him.
The marvellous records of some of the Sadhu’s experiences have preceded him in most places he has visited. Matter-of-fact people have been prejudiced by them, and emotional ones have looked for revelations, and even for miracles performed by him. Yet one and all, after seeing and hearing him, have been struck by his sane teaching and well-balanced mind.
His own version of the deliverances he has had falls so naturally from his lips that it sounds like the straightforward simple statement of a second “ Acts of the Apostles.” In relating these experiences, Sadhu Sundar Singh says that God has stretched forth His hand to save when nothing else could avail. This is the simplest explanation in view of the fact that for so long, and under such signal difficulties and dangers, the Sadhu has worked in the closed lands of Tibet and Nepal.
Incidents such as the following show the spirit in which the Sadhu takes his deliverances. On one occasion he was preaching in a village of Nepal called Khantzi, where considerable opposition was being shown. The | villagers seized him, and rolling him up in a blanket, hustled him out of the place, but a stranger passing by took his part and released him. The day following he was again preaching in the same place, and this so angered the villagers that they took him and bound him by his hands and feet to a tree and left him there. Slowly the day wore on, and being faint for want of food he looked longingly at the fruit on the tree just out of reach. In that strained position he at last fell asleep from exhaustion. In the morning he awoke to find to his amazement that his bonds were loosed. He was lying at the foot of the tree and by his side lay some fruit. He then praised God for the suffering he had endured for Christ’s sake, ate the fruit with thankfulness of heart, and went on his way filled with fresh courage to preach the word to those who know it not.
On another occasion when he was in a place called Teri some men told him that in a certain village the people were anxious to hear the Gospel, and they gave him instructions as to the way he should take. Following the directions he wandcred on for a long time through marshy jungly country, but without seeing any signs of a village. The undergrowth grew thicker, and presently he discovered he was lost in a jungle from which there seemed no escape. Arrived at a stream he thought that by crossing it he might find a way out, but on stepping into the water he found the current so strong that any attempt to cross it would endanger his life. Evening was closing in, and in a dejected frame of mind he sat down by the stream to consider what next to do. Listening to the weird sounds of the jungle, and watching the increasing darkness, his mind became full of apprehension. for soon the wild animals would steal from their haunts in search of food, and his life would be safe no longer.
He prayed earnestly to God, and then looking across. the river in the gathering gloom he caught sight of a man, and the words reached his ears, “‘ I am coming to your help.” Then he saw the man plunge into the stream and swim across, and taking the Sadhu on his back he swam to the other shore with him. Arrived on the bank he saw a fire at which he began to dry his wet clothes, but even as he did so the stranger disappeared, and the Sadhu was left to meditate on the wonderful ways of Providence in thus sending help to him in this unaccountable way.
Yet one more instance is worth relating. The Sadhu had been preaching at a place called Kamyan where much bitter enmity had been exhibited. The whole day had passed without his being able to get any food, so, hungry and weary, he found himself in a desert place without shelter for the fast-closing-in night. Very weak and miserable he lay down under a tree and soon fell asleep. About midnight it appeared to him that some one touched him and bade him arise and eat, and upon looking up he beheld two men with food and water standing over him. Imagining that some villagers had had pity on his condition he gratefully partook of the refreshments thus offered to him. When his hunger was satisfied he turned to converse with the men who had brought the food, but there was not a soul to be seen anywhere. How they had disappeared he could not tell, but again he blessed God for His kindly provision tor him in time of need.
Doubtless such instances could be multiplied, for in a life like that of Sadhu Sundar Singh there are frequent manifestations of the good hand of God. Without attempting any explanation the Sadhu accepts his deliverances with a thankful mind as coming from God. He simply says, ‘“‘I know the Lord has stretched forth His own hand.to save me”’; and whether such deliverances are wrought by human agency or otherwise, he is surely right in ascribing them to the care of a loving heavenly Father.