Adoniram Judson, whose name holds an exalted place in the history of Christian missions, was born in Malden, Massachusetts in 1788. In 1813 he went to Burma, where both he and his wife suffered terrible hardships. For seventeen months Judson was bound in fetters in the jails of wa, during the war between England and Burma.
In 1848, broken in health, he revisited his homeland for the first time in thirty years. On this occasion he was announced to address a great assembly in Boston. Crowds were drawn from far and near to hear the famous missionary.
This engagement afforded one of the most affecting proofs of Judson's entire consecration to Christ, as his one object and theme.
With every eye upon him and every ear intent, he stood up and spoke for about fifteen minutes. With great pathos he told of the "precious Savior"; of His great love and what He had done for us, and of what we owed to Him. Then he sat down again, visibly affected.
The audience listened with great attention, but when the meeting was over, a friend of Mr. Judson said to him: "I am afraid the people were a little disappointed today."
"Were they?" replied Judson. "I am sorry; but as I know my voice is still weak, perhaps they could not all hear what I said."
"No, I do not think there was any difficulty in hearing you," was the reply; "what I mean is, knowing, as they do, that you have lived so long among the heathen, and traveled so many thousands of miles, I think they rather expected you would tell them some interesting story."
"Well, did I not tell them the most interesting of all stories?" he asked. "I told them to the best of my ability of One who loved them even unto death; of One who came all the way from heaven to earth, to seek and save that which was lost."
"Yes, I know that," said his friend; "but still I think they expected something rather different."
"Did they? Well, I am glad that they have it to say, that a man who had traveled thirty thousand miles, and who had just come from the heathens, had nothing better to tell them than the wondrous story of the dying love of the Lord Jesus.
"My business is to preach the gospel of Christ; and when I can speak at all, I dare not trifle with my commission.
"When I looked upon these people today, and remembering where I should next meet them, how could I stand un and furnish food for vain curiosity― tickle their fancy with amusing stories, however decently strung together on a thread of religion?
"That is not what Christ meant when He said: " 'Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.'
"When I meet my Master, I should not like Him to say to me: " 'I gave you one opportunity of telling those people about Me, and you let it slip that you might talk about yourself and your doings.' "