Formation of the China Inland Mission

When Miss Skinner had sailed, the prayer was fully answered which had been first offered to the Lord in China in the year 1859, ior five additional labourers for the work in Ningpo and the province of Cheh-kiang; and we felt in 1865, that in going forward and seeking from the Lord twenty-four more labourers for the interior provinces, we were not entering on a new and untried path of service. The same God who raised up these five workers could raise up others to follow them, and to extend the work into every province of China. We believed that He could — that He would — raise up, “willing, skilful men” for every department of service. All we proposed to do was to lay hold on His faithfulness who called us to this service; and in obedience to His call, and in reliance on His power, to enlarge the sphere of our operations, for the glory of His name who alone doeth wondrous things.

The question, however, was sometimes raised as to whether the interior of China, though evidently needing the gospel, and nominally open to us by treatyright, would, in point of fact, prove accessible. We met this question by another: — When the Lord Jesus gives a definite command, is it our place to ask whether it can be obeyed or not? The terms of His command are explicit, — in the world” and “to every creature.” He would have the gospel preached; and He answers every objection and meets every difficulty in the very outset, by assuring us that all power is given unto Him in heaven and in earth; and that He who is true, and therefore can neither fail nor forget — who hath the key of David, to open or to shut as pleaseth Him — is with us alway,”even unto the end of the world. The dangers and difficulties in the way we knew would be neither few nor small; but with Jesus for our leader we feared not to follow on. We expected that dangers, and difficulties, and trials, while leading to a greater realisation of our own weakness, and poverty, and need, would also constrain us to lean more constantly, to draw more deeply.

Incidents from experience of GOD’ S faithfulness, 65

and to rest more implicitly, on the strength, the riches, the fulness of Christ. “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but in Me ye shall have peace,” we knew would be the experience of those engaged in the work. If times of the greatest trial and danger would be for God’s glory, for the benefit of His cause, and for the true interest of those labouring, at such times either His delivering power would be shewn forth most conspicuously, or else His sustaining grace would prove sufficient for the weakest servant in the conflict. And what shall we say now, after an experience of eighteen or nineteen years in this work? Have we been disappointed in the confident xpectation of God’s help with which we set out? Far from it! We can only say, in the words of Joshua of old, “Not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord our God spake concerning us; all are come to pass unto us, and not one thing hath failed thereof.”

Expecting this little work to fall into the hands of some who might be led to think of personally engaging in the work, the writer referred in the earlier editions to the following incidents in his own experience, in which God’s providential interposition on behalf of His servants was very manifest. For the same reason he still retains them.

In April, 1855, the writer (in company with the Rev. J. S. Burdon of the Church Missionary Society*), visited the island of Tsung-ming and the north bank of the Yang-tse-kiang, for the purpose of preaching the gospel and of distributing copies of the New Testament. The following extracts are taken from the writer’s journal at the time: —

“Thursday April 26th. — Having started at not to go; but we determined, by God’s help,

daybreak, about breakfast-time we arrived at that nothing should hinder us. We directed

Jen-how-kiang. After breakfast,we commended them, however, to remain in one of the boats;

ourselves to the care of our heavenly Father, and, if we did not return, to learn all that they

and sought His blessing before proceeding to could respecting our fete, and make all possible

this great city. The day was the very opposite haste to Shanghai, and give information to

of yesterday, being as dull and wet as that was our friends. We also left orders that the other

fine and clear. We both felt persuaded that boat should remain a little outside, if we did

Satan would not let us assail his kingdom as not return that night; so that if we did after we had done, without raising up opposition or wards get back, we might not be detained for

persecution; but we also felt fully assured that want of a boat. We then put all our books,

it was the will of Gon that we should preach except some dozen or less, into two bags, and

Christ here, and distribute the Word of Truth with one servant, who always accompanied us

to this people. We were sorry that we had on these occasions, set off for the city, some

so few books left for so important a place, twenty H, or seven miles, distant. Walking

but the result proved that this also was provi- was out of the question, both from the state of

dential. the roads, and from the distance; so we

“Our teachers endeavoured to persuade us availed ourselves of the wheel-barrow, here the

* Now the esteemed Bishop of Victoria, Hong-kong.

‘/« Perils by the Heathen.

only conveyance to be had. It is cheaper than
the sedan, only requiring one coolie; but is by
no means an agreeable conveyance on rough,
dirty roads.

“We had not got far before the servant
requested permission to go back, as he was
thoroughly frightened by the reports he heard
of the native soldiers. Of course we at once
consented, as we did not wish to involve any
one else in trouble; determining to carry our
books ourselves, and look for physical as well
as spiritual strength to Him who has promised
to supply all our need. A very respectable
man came and warned us against proceeding,
as we should find to our sorrow what the
Tung-chow militia were, if we did. We
thanked him for his advice, but did not act
upon it, as our hearts were fixed; and whether
to bonds, imprisonment, or death; or whether
to distribute our scriptures, tracts, &c., in
safety, and return unhurt, we knew not: but
we determined, by the grace of God, not to
leave Tung-chow without the gospel, nor its
teeming thousands to die in uncared - for
ignorance of the way of life. A few more steps
and my wheel-barrow man would proceed no
further; so I had to seek another, who was
fortunately easily found.

“As we went on, the ride in the rain and
through the mud was anything but agreeable.
We could not help feeling our position, though
we wavered not for a moment. At intervals
we encouraged one another with promises of
Scripture, and verses of hymns. That verse, —

The perils of the sea,

The perils of the land,
Should not dishearten thee,

Thy Lord is nigh at hand.
But should thy courage fail,

When tried and sore oppressed,
His promise shall avail.

And set thy soul at rest,

seemed particularly appropriate to our position,
and was very comforting to me. On our way,
we passed through a small town of about a
thousand inhabitants, called Sing-kiau Chen;
and here, in the mandarin dialect, I preached
Jesus to a good number of people. I never
was so happy in speaking of the love of God
and of the atonement of Jesus Christ; my

own soul was richly blessed, and filled with joy
and peace; and I was able to speak with
unusual ease and freedom. And how gladdened
was my heart when, afterwards, I heard one of
-my hearers repeating to the new comers, in
his own native dialect, the truths I had been
telling him. Oh! how thankful I felt to hear
a Chinese, of his own accord, telling his fellow-countrymen that God loved them; that they
were sinners, but that Jesus died instead of
them, and paid the penalty of their guilt.
That one moment repaid me for all the trials
I had passed through; and I felt that if the
Lord granted His Holy Spirit to change the
heart of that man, we had not come here in
vain: I felt as if I could say with Simeon,
‘Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart
in peace.’ We distributed a few Testaments
and tracts, for the people read well, and we
could not leave them without the gospel. It
was well we did so, for when we reached
Tung-chow, we found we had quite as many
left as we had strength to carry.

“Passing on, as we approached the western
suburb of the city, the prayer of the early
Christians (Acts iv. 24 — 29) when persecution
was commencing, came to my mind; and in
the petition, ‘And now. Lord, behold their
threatenings, and grant unto thy servants,
that with all boldness they may speak thy
word,’ I most heartily joined. Before entering
the suburb, we laid our plans, so that we
might act in concert; and told our wheel-barrow men where to await us, that they
might not be involved in any trouble on our
account. Then, looking up to our heavenly
Father, we committed ourselves to His keeping, took our bags, and set off for the city.

‘’ We walked along the principal street
leading to the west gate, for some time uninterfered with; and were a little amused at
the unusual title of Huh-kway-tsz (black
devils), which was applied to us. We wondered at it at the time, but afterwards found
it was our clothes, and not our skin, that
gave origin to it. As we passed several of
the soldiers, I remarked to Mr. Burdon that
these were the men we had heard so much of,
and yet they seemed inclined to let us pass

In Perils in the Cityy
CITY WALL AND GATS SURMOUNTED BY GATE-TOWER

quietly; but at length, long before we readied
the gate, a tall and powerful man, made tenfold more fierce by partial intoxication, let
us know that all the militia were not so
peaceably inclined, by seizing Mr. Burdon by
the shoulders. He endeavoured to shake him
off. I turned round to see what was the
matter, and in almost no time, we were
surrounded by a dozen or a score of these
brutal wretches, and were being hurried on
to the city at a fearful pace.

“My bag now began to feel very heavy,
and I could not change hands to relieve myself.
I was soon in a most profuse perspiration, and
was scarcely able to keep up with them. We
demanded to be taken before the chief magistrate, but were told they knew where to take
us to, and what to do with such persons as we
were, with the most insulting epithets. The
man who first seized Mr. Burdon soon after

came to me, and became my principal tormentor; for I was neither so tall nor so strong
as my friend, and was therefore less able to
resist him. This man all but knocked me
down repeatedly, seized me by the hair, took
hold of me by the collar so as almost to choke
me, grasped my arms and shoulders, making ’
them black and blue; and had this treatment
continued much longer, I must have fainted.

All but exhausted, how refreshing was the
remembrance of a verse, sent to me by a friend
last mail, —

We speak of the realms of the blest,
That country so bright and so fair;

And oft are its glories confest,
But what must it be to be there!

To be absent from the body! to be present
with the Lord! to be free from sin! is surely
a wonderful blessing, though not equal to what
we shall enjoy after the resurrection. And
‘Ye shall be brought before Rulers

this is the end of the worst that man’s malice
can bring upon us.

“While we were walking along, Mr. Burdon
tried to give away one or two books that were
under his arm, not knowing whether we might
have another opportunity of so doing; but
the fearful rage of the soldier, who made those
who had received them give them up to him,
and the way he insisted on manacles being
brought (which fortunately were not at hand),
convinced us that in our present position we
could do no good in attempting book-distribution. There was nothing to be done but
to quietly submit, and go along with our
captors.

“Once or twice there was a quarrel as
to how we should be dealt with; the more
mild of our conductors saying we ought to
be taken to the magistrate’s office, but the
others were for killing us at once without
appeal to any authority. Our minds were
kept in perfect peace; and when thrown
together on one of these occasions, we reminded each other that the apostles rejoiced
that they were counted worthy to suffer in
the cause of Christ. Having succeeded in
getting my hand into my pocket, I got out
my Chinese card (if the large red paper,
bearing one’s name, may be so called), and
after its production was treated with more
respect. I demanded that this should be given
to the chief official of the place, and that we
should be led to his office. I also told the
man who was tormenting me so, that he had
better be cautious how he treated foreigners,
and Englishmen; or he might learn some
day to his cost, that they were not to be
maltreated with impunity. On this he left
me and went to Mr. Burdon, to whom he
said, with fiendish malice and rage depicted
on his countenance, ‘You are no foreigners;’
and do what we would, we could not persuade
them that we were (though we were both in
English attire).

“Oh! the long weary streets that we were
dragged through; I thought they never would
end; and seldom have I felt more thankful
than when we stopped at a place where we
were told a mandarin resided.

“Quite exhausted, bathed in perspiration,
and with my tongue cleaving to the roof of
my mouth, I leaned against the wall; and
Mr. Burdon was in much the same state. I
requested them to bring us chairs, but they
told us to wait; and when I begged them to
bring us tea, I received the same answer.
Round the door was a very large crowd, and
Mr. Burdon, collecting his remaining strength,
preached Christ Jesus to them. Our cards
and the books had been taken in to the
mandarin, but he proved to be one of low
rank; and, after keeping us waiting some time,
he referred us to his superiors in office.

“We were told to go on, but now most
positively refused to move a single step, and
insisted on sedan chairs being brought. After
some demur this was done: we seated ourselves
in them, and were carried off. On our way
we felt so glad of the rest which the chairs
afforded us, and so thankful at having been
able to preach Jesus in spite of Satan’s malice,
that our joy was depicted on our countenances;
and, as we passed along, while we heard some
say that we did not look like bad men, others
seemed to pity us. When we arrived at the
magistrate’s office, I could not think where we
were being carried to: for we passed through
some great gates that looked like those of the
city wall, but when we got through we were
evidently not outside the city. A second pair
of gates suggested the idea that it was a prison
to which they were taking us: but when we
came in sight of a large tablet, on which was
inscribed, Ming-chi-fu-mu, — ‘the fether and
mother of the people,’ — it shewed we were all
right, for this is a title assumed by the magistrates.

“Our cards were again sent in, and after a
short delay, we were taken into the presence
of Chen Ta Lao-ye, — the Great Venerable
Father Chen; who, as it proved, had formerly
been Tao-tai of Shanghai, and consequently
knew the importance of treating foreigners
with courtesy.

“On coming before him, some of the people
fell on their knees and bowed down to the
ground, and my conductor motioned for me to
do the same; but, it is needless to say, without

‘^^ For a testimony unto them.’’
success. This mandarin, who seemed to be
the highest authority of Tung-chow, and wears
an opaque blue button on his cap, came out
to meet us, and treated us with every possible
token of respect. He took us into an inner
apartment, a more private room, but was
followed by a large number of writers, runners,
and other semi-officials. I related to him the
object of our visit, and begged permission to
give him a copy of each of our books and
tracts, for which he thanked me. As I presented him with copies of the New Testament,
part of the Old (from Genesis to Ruth), and
some tracts, I gave him a short account of
them; and also gave him a brief summary of
our doctrine, telling him that all were sinners,
but that Jesus Christ, the Son of the only
living and true God, had come down to this
earth and paid our debt on the cross; that
having risen from the dead and ascended into
heaven. He is now interceding for us; that
belief in JTesus was the only way- to secure
everlasting life, and that any works of righteousness that we could do were of no avail to
save our souls, &c. He listened very attentively, as, of course did all the others present.
He then ordered some refreshments to be
brought in, of which he partook with us.
These were very, welcome to us.

“After a long stay, we asked permission
to see something of his city, and to distribute
the books we had with us, before our return.
To this he consented. We then told him we
had been most disrespectfully treated as we
came in, but did not think anything of that, as
we were aware the soldiers knew no better; but
desiring not to have it repeated, we requested
him to give orders that we should not be
molested. This also he promised to do; §nd,
with every possible token of respect, he accompanied us to the door of his official residence,
and sent several runners to see that we were
respectfully treated. We distributed our books
well and quickly, and left the city quite in
state.

“It was amusing to see what use the
runners made of their tails. When the way
was stopped up, they used them as whips, and
laid them about the people’s shoulders, right
and left. We had a little trouble to find our
wheel-barrows, but did so eventually; and
paying our chair coolies, mounted the humble
vehicles, and returned, accompanied half-way
by an attendant from the magistrate’s office.
Between 6 and 7 p.m., we got back to our
boats in safety, sincerely thankful to our
Heavenly Father for His kind aid and
protection.”

yourneying with the Rev. W. C. Burns.

The next incident to which we will refer, occurred during a missionary journey taken in 1855-6, with the Rev. W. C. Burns, of the English Presbyterian Mission. We reached Wu-chen, or Black Town, in the province of Cheh-kiang, the inhabitants of which we had been told were the wildest and most lawless people in that part of the country. Such we found them to be: the town was indeed a refuge for salt-smugglers and other bad characters.

destroyed a great many houses. In the afternoon we preached again to a large and attentive
audience, on the same site; and in the evening
we all went to a tea-shop, where we had a good
opportunity of speaking for some time: but it
got noised abroad that we were there, and too
many people coming in, we had to leave. The
native assistants, Dzien and Kway-hwo, were,

‘■’■ January %tli 1856. — Commenced our work
in Wu-chen this morniiigby distributing about
300 handbill tracts, and some Testaments.
The people seemed much surprised, and we
could not learn that any foreigner had been
here before. We preached twice, once in the
temple of Kwan-ti, and afterwards in an empty
space left by a fire, which had completely

•Ita^DIHtiS^

however, able to remain. On our way back,
we spoke to a number of people on a bridge,
for a short time; and had abundant reason to
be thankful and encouraged by the result of
our first day’s labours.

^’■January loth. — First sent Dzien and
Kway-hwo to distribute some sheet tracts.
After their return we went along with them,
and, in a space cleared by fire, we separated,
and addressed two audiences. On our return
to our boats for lunch, we found, as usual,

people waiting and desiring books. Some
were distributed to those who were able to use
them; and then, desiring the people to wait
till we took our lunch, I went into my boat
and closed the door. I had only just poured
out a cup of tea, when a battering began, and
the roof was at once broken in. I went out at
the back, and saw four or five men taking the
large lumps of frozen earth turned up in a
field close by, and weighing, I should suppose,
from seven to fourteen pounds each, and throw-
‘In Perils of Robbers.’’
ing them at the boat. Speaking to them was
of no use; and it was not long ere, by this
means, and by battering at the side with the
plank placed to walk on and off by, a considerable part of the house of the boat was broken
to pieces, and no small quantity of earth
covered the things inside. Finally, Dzien got
a small boat that was passing to land him at
a short distance, and by a few tracts he drew
our assailants away, and thus ended the assault.

“We now learned that, of those who had
done this mischief, only two were natives of
the place, the other three being salt-smugglers;
and that the cause was our not having satisfied
their unreasonable demand for books. Most
providentially, no one was injured; and, as
soon as quiet was somewhat restored, we all
met in Mr. Burns’s boat, and joined in thanksgiving that we had been preserved from
personal harm, prayed for the perpetrators of
the mischief, and that it might be overruled
for good to us and to those with us. We then
took our lunch, and afterwards went on shore;
and but a few steps from our boats, addressed
the large multitude who soon assembled. We
were specially assisted; never were we heard
with more attention; and not one voice was
sympathizing with the men who had molested
us. In the evening also, in the tea-shop, the
same spirit was manifested, and some seemed
to hear with joy the glad tidings of salvation
through a crucified Saviour. As we came
home, we passed a barber’s shop still open, and
I went in; and while getting my head shaved,
had an opportunity of speaking to a few people,
and had a couple of sheet tracts pasted on the
walls for future customers to see.

‘■’■January iith. — A respectable shopkeeper,
of the name of Yao, received from us, on the
first or second day of our stay at Wu-chen,
a portion of the New Testament and a tract;
and yesterday, when our boat was broken, he
came to beg for some more books. At that
time we were all in confusion from the damage
done, and from the earth thrown into the boat;
we therefore desired him to come again in a
day or two, when we would supply him. He
came this morning and handed in the following
note: —

‘”On a former day, I begged Burns and
Taylor, the two Rabbis, to give me good books.
It happened that at that time those of our
town whose hearts were deceived by Satan,
not knowing the Son of David, went so far as
to dare to raca and moreh and injure your
respected boat. I thank you for promising
afterwards to give the books, and beg the
following, — Complete New Testament, Discourse of a Good Man when near his Death,
Important Christian Doctrines, Almanac, Principles of Christianity, Way to Make the World
Happy, — of each one copy. Sung and Dzien,
and all teachers, I hope are well. Further
compliments are unwritten.’

“The note is interesting, as shewing that
he had been reading the New Testament
attentively, as the italicized words were all
taken from it. His use of raca and moreh
for reviling, shews their meaning was not lost
upon him.

“After supplying this man, we went out
with Dzien and Kway-hwo into the east of
the town, and in the street spoke for a short
time. After our return to the boats, I was
called upon by two Chih-li men, who are in
the magistrate’s oflSce here. I was greatly
assisted in speaking to them of a crucified
Saviour, &c., in the mandarin dialect; and
though one of them did not pay much attention, the other did, and made enquiries that
shewed the interest he was taking. After they
left, I went on shore; and spoke to the people
collected there, as soon as Kway-hwo, who was
then speaking, concluded. The topic on which
I had just been dwelling had moved my own
heart, and I was aided in speaking, while the
audience was most quiet and attentive. The
sun, just setting, afforded a parable, and reminded me of the words of Jesus, ‘The night
Cometh when no man can work; ’ and as I
spoke of the uncertain duration of life, and of
our ignorance as to the time of Christ’s return,
a degree of deep seriousness prevailed that I
had never previously seen in China. I engaged
in prayer, and the greatest decorum was observed. I then went into my boat, with a
Buddhist priest who had been hearing me;
and he admitted that Buddhism was a system
of deceit and could give no hope in death.

Demand for Black Mail.

‘■’■January 12th. — In the afternoon we addressed the people on shore, opposite our boats;
also in one of the streets, and in a tea-shop,
books being distributed on each occasion. In
the evening we went out as usual to speak in
the tea-shops; but determined to go to the
opposite end of the town (it was a straggling
place, nearly two English miles long), in order
to afford those who lived there a better opportunity of meeting with us. As Mr. Burns and
I were accustomed to talk together in Chinese,
this conclusion was known to those in the
boats.

“After we had proceeded a short distance
on our way, we changed our minds and went,
instead, to the usual tea-shop, thinking that
persons might have gone there on purpose to
meet us. But this was not the case; and we
did not find such serious hearers as we had
done on previous occasions. On this account,
Mr. Burns proposed leaving earlier than usual,
and we did so; telling Dzien and Kway-hwo
that they might remain a little longer. On
our way back to the boats we gave away a few
books; but, singularly enough, we were left to
return alone, — no one going with us, as is generally the case. Instead of being a clear night,
as it was when we left the boats, we found that
it had become intensely dark. On our way we
met the boatman, whose manner seemed very
strange; and, without giving us any explanation, he blew out our lantern candle. We
relighted the lantern, telling him he was not to
put it out again; when, to our surprise, he took
the candle out and threw it into the canal.
He then walked down on a low wall jutting to
the water’s edge, and looked into the water.

“Not knowing what was the matter with him,
I ran forward to hold him, fearful lest he was
going to drown himself; but to my great relief
he came back. In answer to our repeated enquiries, he told us not to speak, for some bad
men were seeking to destroy the boats, and
they had moved them off to avoid this. He
then led us to the place where one of them was
lying. Before long, Dzien and Kway-hwo came,
and got safely on board; and soon after we
were joined by the teacher Sung, and the boat
moved off.

“The cause of all this disturbance was then
explained: — A man, professing to be the constable, had come to the boats in our absence,
with a written demand for ten dollars and
a quantity of opium. He stated that there
were more than fifty country people (salt
smugglers) awaiting our reply in an adjoining
tea-shop; that if we gave them what they
wanted, and three hundred cash to pay for
their tea, we might remain in peace; but
if not, they would come at once and destroy
our boats. Sung told them that we could not
comply with their demand; for not doing
any trade, but only preaching and distributing
books, we had not an atom of opium; and
that our money was nearly expended; a fact
of which he was aware (as far as I was concerned), as I had been saying to them that
I should have to return to Shanghai for supplies early next week. The man, however,
told him plainly that he did not believe him;
and Sung had no alternative but to seek us,
desiring the man to await our reply. Not
knowing that we had changed our plan, he
sought us in the wrong direction, and, of
course, in vain.

“In the meantime the boatmen succeeded
in moving off. They were very much alarmed;
and had had such a proof but a few days
before of what these men dare do in open
day-light, that they had no desire to see what
they would do by night. They had moved
off, therefore, and separated, one going to one
place, and the other to another; that if one
boat should be injured, the other might afford
us a refuge. It was after this that we so
providentially met the boatman, and were led
on board. As Sung repassed the place where
the boats had been lying, he saw between
ten and twenty men among the trees, and
heard them enquiring where the boats had
gone to, but no one knew. Fortunately, they
sought in vain.

“Moving to the west, the two boats joined,
and rowed together for some time. It was
already late; and to travel by night in that
part 01 the country was not the way to avoid
danger from evil men; so the question came,
what was to be done? This we left for the
” The Shadow of the Almighty.
boatmen to decide: they had moved off of
themselves, and we felt that whatever we might
personally do, we could not constrain others to
remain in a dangerous position. We told
them, however, what they did, to do quickly,
as the morrow was the Lord’s-day, and we did
not wish to travel on it: we also informed
them, that wherever we were, we must fulfil
our mission, and preach the gospel; it therefore was a very little matter where we stayed,
because, if we passed the night unperceived, we
were sure to be found out on the following day.
The men consequently said, ‘We might as
well return to the place where we started,’ — to which we replied, ‘Decidedly so; ’ and they
turned back accordingly. But, whether intentionally or accidentally I know not, they got
into another stream, and rowed they knew
not whither for some time, it being very dark;
and at last they moored for the night. We
then called all the boatmen together, with our
native assistants, and read to them the ninety-first Psalm. It may be imagined how appropriate to our position and need, and how
sweetly consoling was this portion of God’s
word: —

‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the

Most High.
‘Shall abide under the shadow of the

Almighty.
‘I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge

and my fortress:
‘My God; in Him will I trust.

‘Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare

of the fowler,
‘And from the noisome pestilence.
‘He shall cover thee with His feathers, and

under His wings shalt thou trust:
‘His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
‘Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by

night;
‘Nor for the arrow that flieth by day.’

‘Because he hath set his love upon Me,

therefore will I deliver him.
‘I will set him on high, because he hath

known My name.
‘He shall call upon Me, and I will answer

him:

‘I will be with him in trouble; — I will
deliver him, and honour him.

‘With long life will I satisfy him, — and
shew him My salvation.’

‘’ Committing ourselves in prayer to His
care and keeping who had covered us with
thick darkness and permitted us to escape from
the hand of the violent, we retired for the
night; which — thanks to the kind protection ot
the Watchman of Israel, who neither*slumbers nor forgets His people — we passed in peace
and quietness, and were enabled, in some
measure, to realise the truth of that precious
word, ‘Thou art my Hiding place, and my
Shield.’’

“Sunday, January I’^th. — I was awakened
this morning at about 4 a.m., by a violent pain
in the knee joint. I had bruised it the day
before, and severe inflammation had resulted.
To my great surprise, I heard the rain pouring
down in torrents, the weather having previously
been particularly fine. We found ourselves so
near our former stopping place, that had nothing happened to prevent, we should not have
felt justified in neglecting to go into the town
to preach as usual. But the rain was so heavy
all day that no one could leave the boats. We
enjoyed, therefore, a delightful day of rest, such
as I have not had for some time; and the
weather, doubtless, prevented much enquiry for
us; whereas, had the day been fine, we should
most likely have been discovered, even if we
had not left our boats. As it was, we were
allowed to think in peace, with wonder and
gratitude, of the gracious dealings of our God,
who had thus led us ’ apart into a desert place,’
to ’ rest awhile.’

“January ilth. — K cloudless morning. One
of the native assistants went this morning
before day-break to get some clothes which had
been put out to wash. He came back with the
tidings, that notwithstanding the drenching
rain of yesterday, men had been seeking us in
all directions. We, however, had been kept in
safety ’ under the shadow of the Almighty.’
The boatmen were now so frightened that they
would remain no longer, and moved off at
dawn. I was confined to my boat by lameness,
and had no alternative but to go with them.
In the afternoon we reached Ping-wang.”

76 “A very present Help”

The incidents narrated above, exemplify God’s preserving care in circumstances of external peril. There are other difficulties to which persons labouring in the interior of China may be exposed, which do not come under this class. Their funds may become exhausted when far in the interior; and communication with the free ports may be difficult or impossible. Or they may be robbed of all that they possess, and may find themselves destitute in the midst of strangers. But they cannot be robbed of His presence and aid, whose are the gold and the silver, and the cattle on a thousand hills. And His promise, that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness all needful temporal blessings shall be added, will be as reliable under these circumstances as when every external blessing abounds. God’s arm is never shortened that it cannot save; and it is still true, that man doth not live by bread alone, — although this may be the ordinary means which God employs to sustain life. The hearts of all men are under His control: He can soften the hardest heart, and give help to His servants, by means through which it was least expected. We give one more extract from our journal for 1856. The occasion was an attempted missionary journey from Shanghai to Ningpo, via Hang-chau, in which the writer was alone. After fourteen days spent in travelling, preaching, and distributing books, we reached a large town called Shih-mun-wan.

August Ofth. — My books were all distributed, powerful. My servant had a friend in Shih-During the journey I had given away upwards mun Hian, and he desired to spend the day

of 200 Testaments, 1200 tracts, and 1600 there, and goon next morning; but to this I

handbills. I now, therefore, determined to objected, as I wished to reach Hai-ning Chau

make all haste to Ningpo, via Hai-ning Chau. that night, where we could get sedan chairs for

“There was no water beyond Shih-mun-wan, ourselves; and nw coolies would be procurable

so I paid off my boat, hired coolies to carry my at Chang-gan for the latter part of the journey,

things to Chang-gan, and ere sun-rise set off. We therefore set off, entered the city together,

I walked on first, leaving my servant to follow and passed about a third of the way through

with the coolies, who made frequent stoppages it, when the coolies stopped to rest, and said

to rest, and when I reached Shih-mun Hian, I they should be unable to carry the burden

waited for them in the first tea-shop outside the through to Chang-gan; so it was agreed that

North Gate. The coolies came on very slowly; they should take it to the South Gate, and be

but after a while they arrived, and said they paid in proportion to the distance they had

were very tired. I found they were opium- carried it, and that the servant should call other

smokers: and though there were two of them, coolies and come along with them,

and they had only carried a load for eighteen” I walked on before as in the first instance,

U (about six miles) which one strong man is in and the distance only being twelve li, got to

the habit of carrying fifty /«, they really seemed Chang-gan, and waited their arrival, meanwhile

weary. When they had taken some rice and engaging coolies for the journey to Hai-ning

tea, and had had an hour’s rest (and I doubt Chau. Having waited a long time, I began to

not, a smoke of the opium pipe) they seemed wonder at their delay; and at last it became

refreshed; and I proposed moving on that we too late to finish the journey to Hai-ning that

might get to Chang-gan ere the sun was too day. I felt somewhat annoyed; and had not
” In weariness and painfulness!
my feet been blistered and the day very hot,
should have gone back to meet them and urge
them on. I then thought that my servant
must have gone to his friend’s, and would not
come till evening. But evening came, and no
appearance of them.

“I began to feel very uneasy, and enquired
everywhere if they had been seen. At last a
person said, ‘Are you a guest from Shih-munwan? ‘I answered in the affirmative. ‘Are you
going to Hai-ning? ’ ‘Yes.” Then your things
have gone on before you; for I was sitting
in a tea-shop when a coolie came in, took a
cup of tea, and set off for Hai-ning in a great
hurry, saying the bamboo box and bed he
carried, which were like what you describe
yours to be, were from Shih-mun-wan, and he
had to carry them to Hai-ning to-night, when
he was to be paid at the rate of ten cash a
pound.’ From this I concluded my goods were
before me: but it was impossible to follow them
at once, for I was too tired to walk, and moreover it was already dark.

“Under these circumstances, all I could do
was to seek a lodging for the night. This I
found no easy matter. I raised my heart to
God, and asked Him to help me. Then, walking to the further end of the town, where I
thought the tidings of there being a foreigner in
the place might not have spread, I looked out
for a lodging-house. I soon found one, and
went in, hoping that I might pass Unquestioned,* as it was already dark. Asking the bill
of fare, I was told that cold rice (which proved to
be more than ’ rather burnt’), and snakes fried
in lamp-oil, were all that could be had. Not
wishing any question to be raised as to my
nationality, I was compelled to order some, and
tried to make a meal, but with little success.
While so engaged, I said to the landlord, ‘I
suppose I can. spend the night here: ’ to which
he replied in the affirmative.

“Bringing out his book, he said, ‘In these
unsettled times we are required by the authorities to keep a record of our lodgers: may I ask
your respected family name? ‘I replied,
‘My unworthy family name is Tai.’ ‘And
your honourable name?” My humble name
is Yu6-k6h (James). ‘What an extraordinary

name I I never heard it before. How do you
write it? ‘I told him; and added, ‘It is a
common name where I come from.” And
may I ask whence you come, and whither
you are going?” I am journeying from
Shanghai to Ningpo, by way of Hang-chau.’
‘What may be your honourable profession? ’
‘I heal the sick.” Oh! you are a physician,’
the landlord remarked, and to my intense relief
closed the book.

“His wife, however, took up the conversation. ‘You are a physician, are you? ’
said she; ‘I am glad of that, for I have a
daughter afflicted with leprosy. If you will
cure her, you shall have your supper and
bed for nothing.’ I was curious enough to
enquire here what my supper and bed were to
cost, if paid for; and to my amusement found
they were to be about i:|^d. of our money!
Being unable to benefit the girl, I declined
to prescribe for her, saying that leprosy was a
very intractable disease, and that I had no
medicines with me. The mother brought pen
and paper, saying, ‘You can at least write
a prescription, which will do no harm, if it does
no good.’ This also I declined to do, and
requested to be shewn my bed.

“I was Conducted to a very miserable room
on the. ground floor, where, on some boards
raised on two stools, I passed the night, without
bed or pillow, save my umbrella and shoe, and
without any mosquito curtains. There were
sleeping in the same room ten or eleven other
lodgers, so I could not take anything off, for
fear of its being stolen: but I found I was by
no means too warm as midnight came on.

“August sth. — As may be supposed, I arose
but little rested or refreshed, and felt very
unwell. I had to wait a long time ere I could
get my breakfest, and then there was another
delay before I could get the only dollar I had
in my pocket changed, from its having one
or two chops on it. More than 300 cash were
deducted from its price, which was a serious
loss in my present position. I then sought
through the town for tidings of my servant
and coolies, as I thought it most likely, if the
report I had heard last night of their passing
was not correct, that they would have arrived

* The writer was now wearing the Chinese costume.

8o

A trying Night.

later last night, or come in the morning. The
town is large, long, and straggling, being
nearly two miles from one end to the other, so
this took me some time.

“I gained no information, so I set off for
Hai-ning Chau, wearied and footsore, in the full
heat of the sun. The journey (25 li) took me
a long time; but a village half-way, Shih-sing,
afforded a resting-place and a cup of tea, of
both of which I gladly availed myself. When
about to leave it, a shower of rain came on,
heavy but short. The delay occasioned by
this, enabled me to address a few words to
the people.

“The afternoon was far spent before I approached the northern suburb of Hai-ning
Chau, where I commenced enquiring, but
heard no tidings of my servant or things. I
was told that outside the East Gate I should be
more likely to hear of them, as it was there the
sea-junks called; I therefore proceeded thither,
and sought for them outside the Little East
Gate, but in vain. Very weary, I sat down
in a tea-shop to rest; and while there, a
number of persons from one of the Ya-muns
(mandarins’ offices) came in, and made enquiries as to who I was, where I had come
from, &c., &c. On learning the object of my
search, one of the men in the tea-shop said, ‘A
bamboo box and a bed, such as you describe,
were carried past here about half-an-hour ago;
the bearer seemed to be going towards either
the Great East, or the South Gate: you
had better go to the hongs there and enquire.’
I asked him to accompany me in the search,
and promised to reward him for his trouble;
but he would not. Another man offered to go
with me, so we set off together, and both
inside and outside the two gates made diligent
enquiries, but in vain. I then engaged a man
to make a thorough search, promising him a
liberal reward if he should be successful. In
the meantime I had some dinner, and addressed
a large concourse of people who had gathered
together.

“When he returned from a fruitless search,
I said to him, ‘I am quite exhausted — will you
help me to find quarters for the night, and then
I will pay you for your trouble? ‘He said,
‘Yes ’ and we set off in search of lodgings.

At the first place or two at which we enquired,
they would not receive me — for though on our
first enquiring they seemed willing to do so,
the presence of a man who followed us, and
who, I found, was engaged in one of the
Ya-muns, seemed to alarm them, and I was
refused. We now went to a third place, and
being no longer followed by the Ya-mun people,
we were promised quarters: some tea was
brought, and I paid the man who had accompanied me for his trouble. Soon after he was
gone, some of the people of the Ya-mun came
in; they soon went away, but the result of
their visit was, that I was told I could not be
entertained there. A young man blamed them
for their heartless behaviour, and said to me,
‘Never mind, come with me, and if we cannot
get better lodgings for you, you shall sleep at
our house.’

“I went with him, but we found the people
of his house unwilling to receive me. Weary
and footsore, so that I could scarcely put one
foot before the other, I had again to seek
quarters, and at length got promise of them;
but some people collecting about the door,
they desired me to go to a tea-shop and wait
there till the people had retired, or they
would be unable to accommodate me. There
was no help for it, so we went and waited till
past midnight; then we left for the promised
resting-place, but my conductor would not find
it; he led me about to another part of the city,
and finally, between i and 2 a.m., left me to
pass the night as well as I could.

“I was opposite a temple, but it was closed;
so I lay down on the stone steps in front of it,
and putting my money under my head for a
pillow, should soon have been asleep in spite of
the cold, had I not perceived a person coming
stealthily towards me. As he approached, I
saw he was one of the beggars so common in
China, and I had no doubt his intention was
to rob me of my money. I did not stir, but
watched his movements, and looked to my
Father not to leave me in this time of trial.
The man came up, looked at me for some time
to assure himself I was asleep (it was so dark
he could not see that my eyes were fixed on
him), and then began to feel about me gently.
I said to him in the quietest tone, but so as to
and a hard Bed.

convince him I was not, nor had been, sleeping,
‘What do you want? ‘He made no answer,
but went away.

“I was very thankful to see him go, and
when he was out of sight, put as much of my

cash as would not go into my pocket into my
sleeve, and made my pillow of a stone projection
of the wall. It was not long ere I began to
doze, but was aroused by the all but noiseless
footsteps of two persons approaching — for my
The return Journey.

S3

nervous system was rendered so sensitive by
exhaustion, that the slightest noise startled me.
I again sought protection from Him who
alone was my stay, and lay still as before;
till one of them came up and began to feel
under my head for the cash. I spoke again — they sat down at my feet. I asked them
what they were doing; they replied that
they, like me, were going to pass the night
there. I then requested them to take the
opposite side, as there was plenty of room, and
leave this side to me; but they would not move
from my feet, so I raised myself up, and set my
back against the wall. They said, ‘You had
better lie down and sleep; if you do not you
will be unable to walk to-morrow. Do not
be afraid; we shall not leave you, and will see
no one hurts you.’ I replied, ‘Listen to me:
I do not want your protection — I need it not,
I am not a Chinese — I do not worship your
senseless, helpless idols. I worship God — He is
my Father — I trust in Him. I know well
whdit you are, and what your intentions are, and
shall keep my eye on you and shall not sleep.’

“On this, one of them went away, but soon
returned with a third companion. I felt very
uneasy, but looked to God for help: once or
twice one of them got up to see if I was asleep.
I said, ‘Do not be mistaken, I am not sleeping.’
Occasionally my head dropped, and this was a
signal for one of them to rise; but I at once
roused myself and made some remark. As the
night slowly passed on, I felt very sleepy; and
to keep myself awake, as well as to cheer my
mind, I sang several hymns, repeated aloud some
portions of Scripture, and engaged in prayer in
English — to the great annoyance of my companions, who seemed as if they would have
given anything to get me to desist. After that
they troubled me no more; and shortly before
dawn of day they left me, and I got a little
sleep.

“August dth. — I was awakened by the young
man who had led me about so the previous
evening. He was very rude, and insisted on
my getting up and paying him for his trouble
last night; and even went so &r as to try to
accomplish by force what he wanted. It quite
roused me; and in an unguarded moment,

with very improper feeling, I seized his arm
with such a grasp as he little expected I was
capable of, and dared him to lay a finger on me
again or to annoy me. This quite changed his
rrianner; he let me quietly remain till the guns
announced the opening of the gates of the city;
then he begged me, at least, to give him some
money to buy opium with. It is needless to
say he was refused. I gave, him the price of
two candles he said he had burnt while with me
last night, and no more. I learned he was
connected with one of the Ya-muns.

“As soon as I could, I bought some ricegruel and tea for break&st, and then once more
made a personal search after my things. Some
hours thus spent proving unavailing, I set out
on my return; and after a long, weary, and
painful walk, reached Chang-gan about noon.
My enquiries here also failed to give me any
trace of my missing goods and man; so I had
a meal cooked in a tea-shop, got a thorough
wash and bathed my inflamed feet, and after
my dinner rested and slept till 4 p.m. Much
refreshed by this, I set off for Shih-mun Hien.
On the way I was led to reflect on the goodness
of God, and recollected that I had not made it
a matter 01 prayer that I should be provided
with lodgings last night. I felt condemned, too,
that I should have been so anxious for my
few things, while the many precious souls
around me had caused so little emotion. I
came as a sinner, pleaded the blood of Jesus,
felt I was accepted in Him — pardoned, cleansed,
sanctified. And oh! the love of Jesus — how
great I felt it to be! I knew something more
than I had known before of what it was to
be despised and rejected; not to have where to
lay my head; and felt more than ever I had
done before, the greatness of that love which
induced Him to leave His throne, and to suffer
thus for me — nay, to lay down His life on the
cross. I thought of Him as despised and rejected of men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief — at times without a place to lay His
head. I thought of Him at Jacob’s well, weary,
hungry, and thirsty, yet finding it His meat
and drink to do His Father’s will; and
contrasted this with my littleness of love. I
looked to Him for pardon for the past and for
grace and strength to do His will in the future,

A Father’s love and care.

to tread more closely in His footsteps, and be more than ever wholly His. I prayed for myself, for friends in England, and for my brethren in the work. Sweet tears of mingled joy and sorrow flowed freely, the road was almost forgotten, and ere I was aware of it, I was close to Shih-mun Hien. Outside the South Gate I took a cup of tea, asked about my lost luggage, and spoke of the love of Jesus. Then I entered the city, and after many vain enquiries left it by the North Gate.

“I felt so much refreshed both in mind and
body by the communion I had had on my walk
to the city, that I thought myself able to walk
over to Shih-mun-wan that evening. I first
went into another tea-shop and bought some
cakes, &c., and was making a meal of them,
when who should come in but one of the
coolies who had carried my things the first
stage. From him I learned that after I left
them they carried my luggage to the South
Gate; then my servant went out, and said on
his return that I was gone on, and he did not
intend to go at once, but would spend the day
with his friend, and then rejoin me. They
carried the things to this friend’s house and left
them there. I got him to go with me to the
house, and there learned he had spent the day
and night with them, and next morning had
called coolies and set off for Hang-chau. This
was all I could learn; so, unable to do anything
but proceed on my way to Shanghai with all
expedition, I left the city again: but it was now
too late to go on. 1 looked to my Father, as
able to supply all my need, and received
another token of His ceaseless care and love,
being invited to sleep on a hong-boat now dry
in the bed of the river. The night was again
very cold, and the mosquitoes troublesome;
still I got a little rest, and at sun-rise was up
and continued my journey.

“August ‘]th. — I felt very ill at first, and had
a sore throat, but reflected on the wonderful
goodness of God in enabling me to bear the
heat by day and the cold by night so long;
and as I soon began to freely perspire from
walking, became relieved. I felt now, too, that
quite a load was taken off my mind, l had

committed myself and my affairs to the Lord,
and knew that if it was for my good and His
glory, my things would be restored; if not,
all would be for the best. I hoped that the
most trying part of my journey was now
drawing to a close, and this helped me, weary
and footsore, on the way. When I got to
Shih-mun-wan and had break&sted, I found
I had still 8io cash* in hand; and I knew
the hong-boat fare to Kia-hing Fu was 120
cash, and thence to Shanghai 360, leaving
me 330 cash for three or four days’ provisions. I went at once to the boat-office; but
to my dismay found that from the dry state
of the river goods had not come down, so that
no boat would leave to-day, perhaps not to-morrow. I enquired if there were no letter-boats for Kia-hing Fu, and was told they had
already left. My only resource, therefore, was
to ascertain if any private boats were going in
which I could get a passage. My search was
in vain; and I could get no boat to go all the
way to Shanghai, or my difficulty would have
been at an end. But at a place where the
canal takes a turn, I saw before me a letter-boat
going in the direction of Kia-hing Fu. This, I
thought, must be one of the Kia-hing Fu
boats, that had been detained by something;
and I set off after it as fast as hope and the
necessities of my case could take me. For
the time, fatigue and sore feet were forgotten.
After a chase of a mile I overtook it. ‘Are you
going to Kia-hing Fu? ‘I called out. ‘No.’
‘Are you going in that direction?” No. ’
‘Will you give me a passage as far as you do
go that way?” No.’ Completely dispirited
and exhausted, I sunk down on the grass,
and fainted away.

“As consciousness returned, some voices
reached my ear, arid I found they were talking
bout me. One said, ‘He speaks unmixed
Shanghai dialect,’ and from their own speech I
knew they were Shanghai people. Raising my
umbrella, I saw they were on a large hong-boat on the other side of the canal, and after a
few words they sent their small boat for me,
and I went on board the junk. They were
very kind, gave me some tea, and, when I was

* About 20 cash make a penny.

“/ will never leave thee.
somewhat refreshed and able to partake of it,
some food. I then took my shoes and stockings off and eased my feet, the boatmen kindly
providing me with hot water to bathe them.
When they heard my story, and saw the
blisters on my feet, they evidently pitied me,
and hailed every boat that passed to see if it
was going my way. Not getting one, by and
bye, after a few hours’ sleep, I went ashore
with the captain, intending to preach in the
temple of Kwanti.

“Before leaving the boat, I had told the
captain and those on board that I was now
unable to help myself. That I had not strength
to walk to Kia-hing Fu, and having been
disappointed in getting a passage to-day, I
should no longer have sufficient means to take
me there by letter-boat (an expensive mode of
travelling). That I knew not how the God
whom I served would help me, but that I had
no doubt He would do so; and that my
business now was to serve Him where I was.
I also told them that the relief which I knew
would come, ought to be an evidence to them
of the truth of the religion which I and the
other missionaries at Shanghai preached.

“On our way to the town, while the captain
and I were engaged in conversation together,
we saw a letter-boat coming up. The captain
drew my attention to it; but I reminded him
that I had no longer the means of paying my
passage by it. He hailed it, nevertheless, and
found that it was going to a place about nine
English miles from Shanghai, whence one of
the boatmen would carry the mails over-land
to Shanghai. He then said, ‘This gentleman

is a foreigner from Shanghai, who has been
robbed and has no longer the means of returning. If you will take him with you as far
as you go, and then engage a sedan chair to
take him the rest of the way, he will pay you
in Shanghai. You see my boat is lying aground
yonder for want of water, and cannot get away.
Now, I will stand surety, and if this gentleman
does not pay you when you get to Shanghai, I
will do so on your return.’ This unsolicited
kindness on the part of a Chinaman, a pesjfect
stranger, will appear the more remarkable to
anyone acquainted with the character of the
Chinese, who are generally most reluctant to
part with their money.

“Those on the letter-boat agreeing to the
terms, I was taken on board as a passenger.
Oh! how thankful I felt for this providential
interposition, and to be once more on my way
to Shanghai. These letter-boats are very small
inside, being long and narrow; one has to lie
down all the time they are going, as a verj
little thing would upset them. This was no
objection to me; on the contrary, I was but
too glad to lie down. They are the quickest
Chinese boats I have seen. Each one has two
men, who work in turns, night and day: they
row with their feet and paddle with their
hands; or if the wind is quite feir, row with
their feet, with one hand manage a small sail,
and steer with the other. After a pleasant and
speedy journey, I reached Shanghai in safety,
on the 9th of August, through the help of
Him who has said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee;” Lo, T am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world.’”

Many other incidents might be given, all tending to prove that in the absence of ordinary means, God can and does help His servants in their difficulties. Let but devoted labourers be found, who will prove faithful to God, and there is no reason to fear that God will not prove faithful to them. He will set before them an open door; and will esteem them of more value than the sparrows and the lilies which He feeds and clothes. He will be with them in danger, in difficulty, in perplexity; and while they may be perfect weakness, He will work in them mightily. They may cast their bread upon the waters, but His word shall not return unto Him void, but shall accomplish that which He pleases, and shall prosper in the thing whereto He sends it.

86 Otir Labourers for China,

Nineteen years ago we gave the above instances of God’s direct interposition in times of peril and need, to warrant our expectation that God would provide both the men and the means for carrying His blessed gospel into each of the unevangelized provinces of China Proper and into Chinese Tartary. Upon past Ebp:nezers we built our Jehovah -Jireh. “They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee.” The experience of these nineteen years abundantly shews how safe it has been to base our expectations on the promises of the living God.

And first, as to the labourers themselves. As in the beginning of the gospel there was need of, and work for, a Paul, an Apollos, a Luke, as well as those who were manifestly “unlearned and ignorant,” but of whom men “took knowledge that they had been with Jesus,” — so it is now. The Lord can sanctify and use every talent that He has bestowed; He also can, and often does choose “the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” Some who have gone out have had special philological talent, others have had deeper acquaintance with God’ s Word and more matured Christian experience; but each one, we believe, has been qualified for that sphere of service which the Lord intended him or her to occupy. So we expect it will be. We have already shewn that many of the spoken languages of China are easy of acquisition, and that the mass of the people can neither read nor write; this being the case it is obvious that persons of moderate ability and limited attainments are not precluded from engaging in the work: and we shall most gladly enter into correspondence with any such who may feel called to it. At the same time, there is ample scope for the exercise of the highest talent that can be laid upon the altar of God. Nay more, there is an urgent call for men filled with love to God, whose superior education will enable them to occupy spheres of usefulness into which others could not enter. The proposed field is so extensive, and the need of labourers of every class is so great, that “the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of thee,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’”

As to those who feel themselves called to the work, the plan we were led to adopt, and on which the blessing of God has evidently rested, was and now is as follows: — After correspondence with and about them, personal acquaintance has been sought, and every care has been taken to ascertain whether they have been called to, and fitted for, the work. In order to know them more thoroughly, they have been invited to reside for a longer or shorter time with us. When the writer, and other Christian friends, have been satisfied

From all Denominations of Christians. of the fitness of one and another for the work in China, the Lord has been asked to open the way, and provide the means for outfit and passage; and He has answered prayer. By God’s help, we purpose to continue working on the same plan, and to help out none who are not personally known to us, or to those who superintend the home department of our work.

Our work is evangelistic and unsectarian: we desire to win souls for Christ, and not to spread any particular views of church government. The Lord has given us as helpers, persons from most if not all of the lea4j:ng denominations of England and Scotland.

For the convenience of carrying on the work, an account was opened with the London and County Bank. For this purpose it was necessary to adopt a definite name, and that of the “China Inland Mission” was adopted as being the most suitable, seeing our great desire and aim were to plant the standard of the cross in the eleven provinces of China Proper previously unoccupied, and in Chinese Tartary. How far this hope has been realised may be learned in some measure from what follows. It may however be well to point out here, that as it was absolutely necessary to have a basis from which to ramify, and as we had such a basis in the Cheh-kiang province, we did not, in adopting the title “China Inland Mission,” propose to abandon the work there. On the contrary, we hoped to see it carried on with greater blessing than ever, and in this too our expectation has not been disappointed, for none that wait on God shall be ashamed.