THANK God that we can review another year of progress, another long step taken toward the end of the way. We have a right to talk confidently about this truth going to all the world. We have Christ’s assurance that this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached as a witness to all nations, and John in the Revelation saw it actually going—the very warning message that we preach—to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. It is going swiftly, too, as by an angel flying in the midst of heaven. The word comes in a recent Testimony: “The light is to shine to all lands and all peoples. It will not be long before every one will have heard the warning, and made his decision. Then shall the end come.” Those at the ends of the earth are to make their decision for eternity, as the truth comes to them. Truly, we who know the truth are making our decision for eternity in the manner in which we meet God’s call to carry the message to souls waiting for it.
Still the world’s Macedonian cry sounds in our ears, and God’s wonderful providences urge us on to answer it. As stated in “Christ’s Object Lessons:” “From India, from Africa, from China, from the islands of the sea, from the down-trodden millions of so-called Christian lands, the cry of human woe is ascending to God. That cry will not long be unanswered.” This is not alone a general world-wide cry from souls that know not what they need. Mingled with this cry of woe is the voice of direct appeal to us. Many hearts all through the nations are listening for the voice of God. They hear of this advent movement, and they feel that we have something that will help them. They look to us for the message that will heal all their soul’s diseases. We have the “blessed hope” and the saving truth for this last day; they want it, as well as we.
VIEW OF KOBE, JAPAN
Here are just a few individual calls, to emphasize this fact of the very direct and touching appeals that come now from all parts of the world to Seventh-day Adventists. In the city of Colombo, Ceylon, Elder Armstrong was called to a house, to find a meeting already assembled. The leader said to him: “Brother Armstrong, we have invited you to open the Scriptures to us which will give us light on the Sabbath question.” From a remote interior point in Chile, South America, a letter came: “Dear brother, no one visits us here, no one enlightens us, no one explains to us, neither do we understand, what we should do.” From over in Korea came the word to Japan: “We now believe, and desire to be baptized. Dear brother, when you read this, hasten and take a boat and come to us.”
Among the Santal hills of western Bengal, India, the people thronged our workers, begging attention to sick ones in the village. Kneeling and grasping the feet of the workers, a woman cried, “See my poor husband; can’t you help him?” An aged native of Basutoland, Africa, said to our workers: “What you say is true; the Lord is coming again soon. But our hearts seem quite hard. However, you must not get tired of coming to us. Some seed will grow.” Among the Servians of Hungary, Brother Huenergardt recently found a man who had heard there were Christians keeping the Sabbath. He wrote to Hamburg, and to other leading cities in Germany, to learn where to find us. He failed to get information. Then he wrote to Budapest and the leading cities of Hungary; and again he failed. At last he got trace of us through the Bible Society, and to-day is rejoicing in the truth. A heathen African woman wept as she came to two of our native teachers,18saying, “I am a great sinner. Can God receive me?”
What a glorious truth our workers have to tell these souls that are struggling toward the light! The hard part of it is to put off those who call for help. Our missionaries have it continually thrust upon their souls that the harvest truly is great and white, and the laborers few. The spokesman of a party sent as a delegation from East Bengal said to Elder Miller, of Calcutta: “We must return to our village, and what shall we tell those who sent us here? How soon can you send the help?” In one African village the people said to two of our Matabele Mission boys who visited them: “If you send teachers here, we will become like little children again, so that we can learn. O, send us teachers!” “And have you no tracts in my language teaching the coming of the Lord?” said a Hindustani man who asked for literature in vain. “Then how are the eighty millions of my people to hear about this?”
A native preacher in one of the Fiji Islands accepted this truth, and began to teach it. Others accepted it, and as a precaution against efforts to forbid his work, he visited the king of the island, who said, “Push ahead this truth, and let it be established here. Let it come. Be not afraid of those who oppose.”
A native believer in Rangoon, Burma, was ill in bed, suffering intense pain from an ulcerated tooth. But a party of Burmese inquirers from another part pleaded so importunately to be told about this truth, that he rose, and dressed, and began to teach them. And as he taught these seekers after light, his pain was taken away, permanently.
What an incentive we have to plant the leaven of truth in the midst of the great masses of darkness! We know that souls are there waiting for light. We know it because the Lord has promised to pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, and has told us that from every nation and tongue the witnesses will be raised up. We know it because the Testimonies of the spirit of prophecy have given us the view of praying ones in all the earth, praying for this truth. And as our workers get out among the nations, they are already finding many of these seekers after God. There are others waiting for us. This is the spectacle that this dark world of ours presents to heaven, as described in “Gospel Workers:” “Would that every one of you could have a view that was presented to me years ago. In my very girlhood the Lord saw fit to open before me the glories of heaven. I was in vision taken to heaven, and the angel said to me, ‘Look!’ I looked to the world as it was in dense darkness. The agony that came over me was indescribable as I saw this darkness. Again the word came, ‘Look ye!’ And again I looked intently over the world, and I began to see jets of light like stars dotted all through this darkness; and then I saw another and another added light, and so all through this moral darkness the star-like lights were increasing. And the angel said, ‘These are they that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and are obeying the words of Christ. These are the lights of the world; and if it were not for these lights, the judgments of God would immediately fall upon the transgressors of God’s law.’ I saw then these little jets of light growing brighter, shining forth from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and lighting the whole world. Occasionally one of these lights would begin to grow dim, and others would go out; and every time this occurred, there was sadness and weeping in heaven. And some of the lights would grow brighter and brighter, and their brightness was far-reaching, and many more lights were added to it. Then there was rejoicing in heaven. I saw that the rays of light came directly from Jesus, to form these precious jets of light in the world.”
PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO THE NATIVES
Thank God we may all be in this picture of the world as jets of light, kindling other lights in the darkness. We are doing so much less than we ought to be doing; yet God has blessed in moving the work forward during the last year.
With the work already reaching to the limit of mission resources, it was known that few new enterprises could be started this year. Yet the outward pressure has thrust the lines of our work forward at many a point. During the year the following fields have been supplied with their first ministerial laborers, in some cases the first laborers of any kind: Hayti, the French republic, which has sat by the wayside these twelve years, pleading for us to send help; Cuba, the new republic; Ecuador and Peru, in South America, so long closed to all missionary effort; Korea, in the far East, the land where the truth has been truly spreading like a blaze; Barotseland, Central Africa, beyond the Zambezi; and Sierra Leone, on the African West Coast. Laborers have also entered Bolivia, South America, for the first time; and Algiers, in northern Africa, now has two workers. That is a cheering list of new fields to be supplied with ministerial superintendents and other helpers in one year, and that a hard year financially for our Mission Board treasury.
It has stretched mission resources to the utmost, and we must cry to the Lord for larger supplies of consecrated means to meet the present very urgent needs of the fields. But the work has spread forth, in spite of everything. The flame catches here, and the light is kindled there. New tongues and new tribes hear the message, and the pitiful call comes for us to lengthen our cords, strengthen the stakes, and stretch forth the curtains of our habitation to include just one more region.
For years our effort was naturally along the line of least resistance, leaving out the great Catholic and heathen fields. Now the providence of God has brought us face to face with the Catholic fields, and led us into the vast heathen lands. And the progress of the message shows that this truth of Sabbath reform and of the coming of the Lord is truth for every soul on earth. Look over the map, and see how few nations have not been entered by our work to-day. Much land, very much, remains to be possessed, but of a truth this work very nearly “belts the world.” And we are getting ready for that time when some great crisis and the receiving of the Spirit will cause the witnesses to spring up in all parts of the world to bear the testimony that will finish the work.
The world does not show another such a small denomination as this one with so large and widely distributed a missionary force over the earth. It brings daily responsibility upon the believers, for we must stand by the work. More means must be given to keep going what has already grown upon our hands, and there is not a believing soul but will say that still more workers must be sent out to answer the world’s Macedonian cry. God help us to stand by with all our power in this time when the Lord is plainly leading us forth to the finishing of the work.
Elder J. W. Westphal, of South America, sends this word for the week of prayer:—
“In Brazil we recently had an experience which illustrates the Lord’s wonderful ways, and indicates what he can and will do in this closing work. “After having labored in a certain locality with great success, Elder E. Schwantes started, muleback, for another field. On passing down a steep hill, the19animal stumbled, and his rider was thrown violently to the ground, suffering injuries to the extent that he could not rise. Strangers soon found him helpless and in pain, and, Samaritan-like, they took him to their home, and gave him the best care they could. Neighbors soon came in to visit him. Although his own condition was pitiful, he soon began to talk with them about Jesus and his love, and the precious message of God to us for this time. An interest was aroused, and by the time he was in a condition to leave, about twelve souls were rejoicing in the truth and the hope of salvation. Their images of saints were honored no more, but in their place a living Christ was worshiped.”
Elder F. W. Field, of Japan, sends a message for this service:—
“The close of this terrible war brings just the opportunity for a grand forward movement in our work in Japan and Korea. The Japanese are no doubt very exultant over their victories; but the nation has suffered severely in the loss of men, and there are many sad, sore hearts that only the grace of Christ can comfort and heal. The Koreans, at the mercy of their more powerful neighbors, have little to hope for in the way of worldly power and prosperity. Now is our opportunity to present to them the eternal blessings and joys of the world to come. So we ask our people to join with us in prayer for these fields. Remember the little handful of workers already here, and pray that the Lord will send us more help. The need is great; for we have just begun the work among these more than fifty millions. And in answer to the prayer of faith, the Lord of the harvest will lead his people to consecrate lives and means to finish the work, and hasten his coming. Even so come, Lord Jesus.”
Elder J. N. Anderson sends this greeting to the brethren and sisters, in behalf of China’s millions:—
“‘And these from the land of Sinim,’ is the Lord’s clear and definite promise with reference to the vast millions of China. The door of gospel opportunity and entrance has been swung wide open; a good foundation for God’s final message, such as Bible translations and other pioneer work, has been laid, and a beginning has been made to build upon this foundation. Already nineteen workers have been landed in China, located in three different parts of the empire, representing the three leading languages or dialects of the Chinese people. These workers have left home and native land, and gone out to that field with a glad consecration. Their hearts are in this work, and they are willing to endure privations and face difficulties, that God’s truth may be advanced. At the same time we are fully conscious of the fact that this is not in reality our work—it is God’s work, which he has called his church to discharge. It is your work, and we who are at the front look to you for Christian sympathy and support. In this special prayer season, we in distant China are glad to unite with all of God’s people in the prayer that God’s Spirit may be poured in abundant measure upon his waiting people in all lands.”
The following quotation from a letter from Dr. Miller, of Honan, shows the experiences amid which the Chinese missionaries labor:—
“We must learn to trust God. I think a man just as safe in one place as another in this world. When we came to China, we gave all to God, and were willing to lay down our lives for this truth. Several times have our lives been attempted by violence, and in danger by secret mobs. No man must count his life too dear to lay on the altar, if he comes to the mission field. Our talk has not been imaginary on these points; we have met the real living experience. Once this fall the plans of a secret mob were revealed to us by our goat herder, who was suspicious of the actions of some men. According to a custom of theirs, they bury their plans. This goat herder saw them bury the plans, and stole them, and brought them to us. They were signed by ten men, who vowed they would kill us at 2 P. M., two days later. We earnestly prayed God to deliver us, and he did. They never came. China is full of secret societies, and every once in a while we hear of the death of a missionary killed by them. Others of our workers could relate similar experiences. But these do not frighten us, and we have not made them public in order to frighten our friends. I am writing you things as we find them, not so much for you to publish, but to help you in sending out men to the interior of China. To be a good preacher, doctor, or teacher is not a sufficient preparation. He must be a missionary, which is a qualification within itself.”
A CHINESE PRINTING-OFFICE—EXTERIOR
AND INTERIOR
In this review we must here mention the loss that came to us this year in China, in the death of Dr. Maude Miller. Her last words are treasured in many hearts—her word to the home churches: “I hope others will take up the burden;” her very last words to her own: “I will meet you in the New Jerusalem.” What a change—from that crowded, sordid, sinful city in inland China, from its20misery and vileness and sadness, where she laid down her life, into the city of God, bright and all-glorious, when Jesus comes. And it was to hasten that glad day, and to gather souls from dark China to share in its bright glories, that our sister’s life was given on the altar of service for China. There is no price too precious to pay in heralding to the world the news that Christ gave his life to save sinners, such as we. Sinners saved by his grace, it is for us to spend and be spent in sending the message to others.
Last week of prayer we noted the arrival in Singapore of witnesses for this truth, and called attention to the mixture of races crowding that great seaport in the Malay Peninsula. Now, a year later, Sister G. F. Jones reports:—
“In May was organized our little Sabbath-school, with seven members, which has grown until the attendance is from thirty-five to forty-five, all of whom stay to the preaching service. Although there are diversities of race and tongue—Europeans, Eurasians, Japanese, Chinese, Hindus, Malays, etc.—yet we are a united, happy band of pilgrims. There are among us some from the Catholics, Church of England, Methodists, Plymouth Brethren, and rank heathen. Among the number is a dear old Hindu lady of one hundred and five years, until lately a Catholic, whose great-grandchildren are members of our Sabbath-school. She is quite anxious to be baptized, has burned all her Catholic books, and will hear or talk of nothing but Jesus and his coming again.”
This bright testimony from the dark region of southeastern Asia shows how truly this message is gathering out that motley multitude of every tribe and tongue to greet the Lord at his appearing.
Elder Hyatt, of South Africa, told us at the General Conference of those young men in our mission schools of Matabeleland and Nyassaland who are daily praying God to help them to learn very quickly, so that they may go out and teach the tribes beyond them. Brother Hyatt left for this service a letter that he received from one of these boys. Here is the cry of the waiting fields, voiced by one of Africa’s sons:—
“Now, my dear teacher, is my cry to all teachers (brethren and sisters) in America: Jesus is coming, coming soon, but my people in Africa, they shall perish in their sin. What shall I do for my people? I know their work soon be finished. O, my people, my people! Did you, my dear teachers (brethren and sisters) in America, read your Bibles in Daniel and Revelation? Do you see Jesus coming in these two books? Why not leave your homes, and go out telling Jesus is coming soon? O, my people, my people! they shall perish in their sin, if you do not leave your home. I tell you my heart is sick, because I have not seen people, going over Africa to tell people Jesus coming soon.”
Brethren, to go and tell it, or to send and tell it, is the only thing we can do with such a message as we have. We must tell it, in order to keep the faith of it in our own hearts. We must pray and give and go, and keep earnestly at it till the work is done.
