I just finished a small, tract-sized story about a Christian martyr in China called Blind Chang. His testimony and life for Christ are incredible. After being struck blind in the middle of his life, he made his way to a hospital well known for healing and recovering conditions such as his. The hospital was run by missionaries and, though his sight never returned, he was convicted and finally converted there. The rest of his Christian life he would serve the Lord as an evangelist. I have taken excerpts of his story and split them into three sections; one prior to conversion, one post conversion, and one of his martyrdom. I think it will prove very encouraging.
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"Behold, I am the Lord...is there anything too hard for Me?" "Ah, Lord God! behold...there is nothing too hard for Thee." Jeremiah 32:27, 17
Yes, Blind Chang had a black past. It may be that the secret of his great passion later for making Christ known to other sinners such as he had been, was that "he loved much because he had been forgiven much." As the Lord Jesus said of another forgiven sinner, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." Luke 7:47 Remember dear reader, we in fact are all great sinners.
But what of the black past? We are told that he bore a very bad name throughout his home region. He was a gambler and a man with such an immoral life that he had become a by-word in an area where such living was not uncommon. Some said [blindness] was a judgment upon him because of his evil life, while others said it was the direct result of that life. The people spoke of him as "one without a particle of good in him."
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A Mr. Inglis wrote of Blind Chang, "His was but to kindle the light and then pass on." C.H. Spurgeon once said, "Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to tremendous difficulties." This surely applied to the blind evangelist. Another has said, "The cost of shining is burning." Such was the life of this man whose testimony has come down generations.
For five years Blind Chang worked throughout his home region. By 1892 one hundred and seventy had received conversion and baptism there. At other centers Christian services were held regularly. One Christian remarked, "If Chang had not lost his eyesight there would be no church here."
Chang's ministry, for the most part, was away from his home region. Blind Chang, from the time of his conversion had the spirit and vision of the pioneer. There seemed to be within him that which kept him ever seeking to reach the most needy-those untouched and unreached by the Gospel. This man, blind and for the most part alone, had but his strong walking stick to depend on. Sometimes he was able to have a young person as a guide tramping over rough mountain roads. This would be dangerous for those who could see. But ever onward, always with that impelling desire did he live to make Christ known to sinners such as he had been. In a climate of great extremes, he did this year after year for twelve years.
[One guide,] a mere boy of fourteen well remembered what those journeys meant. He told how the blind man often met with bitter persecution and endured great hardships. Children were encouraged to pelt him with clods and bricks. Curses were hurled after him as the people drove him from their doors. Worst of all were the dogs that were set upon him. Yet none of these things moved him, neither counted he his life dear unto himself.
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Toward the close of the century the Boxers rose up. These Boxers were bitterly anti-foreign and their hatred extended to the Chinese Christians who the Boxers considered to be but followers of the foreigners. Men joining this society trained with one object, to destroy all foreigners and all Christians. Their numbers increased with unbelievable rapidity.
In a city called Chao Yang Shan, about fifty Christians were seized by the Boxers. They were threatened with death and as preparations were made for their execution a man spoke up saying, "You are certainly foolish to kill all these. For every Christian you may kill, ten will spring up while that man Chang lives. Kill him and you may crush the sect." As a result of this advise the Boxer leaders promised to save the lives of the Christians if they handed Blind Chang over to them for execution. When word reached Blind Chang and the blind evangelist listened silently through it all, a look of strange eagerness came over his face. Blind Chang said, "I will gladly die for them. Take me to them for it is better that it be so."
On reaching Chao Yang Shan, Chang was immediately arrested and bound. His quiet dignity and absence of any sign of fear impressed and awed his enemies. He was taken bound to the temple of Kwan Kung (god of war). Wild crowds had gathered and on reaching the temple he was dragged inside and commanded to worship the gods. To this he replied with quiet dignity, "I worship only the One Living and True God." "But you must repent," the people cried. "I have repented long ago," was the quiet answer. [Then] he knelt down and worshipped the God of Heaven and Earth.
Three days after his arrest and torture, Blind Chang was placed on an open cart and driven through the streets of town to the common burial ground outside the city. Christians followed beside the cart and witnessed the blind man all the way, engaged either in prayer or in singing aloud. On arrival at the place of execution Blind Chang was dragged from the cart and forced to kneel down. As he did so he cried with a loud voice, "Heavenly Father, receive my spirit." This he said three times but before the third sentence ended, the swords of his murderers from behind him cut him down.
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