God is what he himself says he is—a God of love and mercy. We receive a share of his mercy, and acknowledge it with thankful hearts. We are lonely here in the midst of heathendom and darkness, but not alone. We meet with trials, disappointments, and discouragements of many kinds, but we are glad to walk in the footsteps of our fathers as they walked with Him who is the Way.
I have been out traveling some this spring. Every week, and sometimes every day, we have urgent calls to preach the truth to the people at different places. We have, through the help of God, been able to open three preaching stations in other cities, besides our headquarters here in Sin Iang. To-day I have a letter from a place about three hundred li from here (a li is about one third of a mile), asking me to come speedily and teach the people the Bible truth. In that place we have a company of ten, who willingly have received the word of truth. In another place, one hundred and twenty li from here, also a large city, we have rented a preaching chapel for about one dollar gold a month. There we have meetings regularly. About ten Bible students meet once each day and twice on the Sabbath. I send them Bible lessons written on a sheet of paper, and in that way they are able to study by themselves when I have no time to be with them.
In another city fifty li from here, we have a good street chapel, which we have rented for $1.40 gold a month. There are also a few there who are walking in the light of the Bible. At still another mountain village we have rented a street chapel for $1.50 gold a year. We have in that place ten Bible students.
You can see from this what an opening we have here; and at the same time we have the boys’ school at our station, and daily meetings for the people who will attend. The staff of workers are the school-teacher—Mr. Fan—and the evangelist, Chai. He is a true Christian. My wife also takes part in the work. While I am out traveling, she leads the meetings at home. She also travels with me sometimes. Then she and the two girls ride on the wheelbarrow while I walk. There are no sleeping cars this route, only shaking, dust, and mud. We are here to work, not to seek pleasures. I am glad we are able in this way to proclaim the last warning message to China’s dying millions. We may be able to add one or two men to our staff of helpers to fill some of the vacant places. I am doing all I can to teach and train good Christian men to help me in the work.
SABBATH CALENDAR
By this mail I send you three copies of our new hymn-book, “Songs of Truth,” also a few copies of the first Sabbath calendar issued in China. We have an edition of two hundred hymn-books and two hundred Sabbath calendars. The hymn-books contain one hundred and thirty hymns. Care has been taken to make the hymns true. I have compared every word in the book with the Bible. We want to sing the truth, as well as preach it here. The hymns are printed from wooden blocks. I employed a man to engrave on wood the hieroglyphics, which were over twenty-three hundred, for the book. The calendars are cut and printed in the same way. The text on the calendar on the upper side is a testimony given by the evangelist. Below are the ten commandments, in Wenli.
Now what we want is more missionaries for China—not for the coast. We want missionaries who can become Chinese. We need a doctor here. There is one in the province now; but the population of Honan is over twenty-two16millions—is it too much? We hope that Dr. Selmon, of Battle Creek, will come here.
We need a printing press very much. Almost all the Chinese can read. We do not want to print large books, but small tracts containing only Bible readings. The people must have the Bible and learn how to study it. The other missionaries will not print any Adventist literature. Then we have boys in the school who are large enough and are willing to work at printing a few hours every day. Kindly do what you can to send me some sort of a hand-press, with a small assortment of English type and figures. The Chinese can be bought cheaper here, either in Shanghai or in Japan. If the press is large enough to print two pages of the new hymn-book, it will help us along splendidly. If a missionary is to be sent out early this year, then the press may be sent with him.
We desire to be remembered before the throne of grace. We need the fitness of Christians, so that we may be able to work on a few days more.
Below I give you a translation of the text on the Sabbath calendar:—
“I, the servant Chai, my surname is my Litsie, my present name is Li-kie, used to be the prodigal son of Sin Iang Cheo, Honan. When I was a young man, aged twenty, I graduated and became a B. A. At that time I was involved in all kinds of unrighteous acts.
“From the time my mind was changed to some degree, I went from one preaching hall to another, and listened to the doctrine. I noticed that in all the different halls the ten commandments of God were hanging on the walls. I noticed that the fourth said: ‘Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.’ At that time I, the servant, was very stupid, and could not understand the saying of the Sabbath commandment.
“Last year in the early spring I went down to Shanghai for a trip. After returning to Sin Iang Cheo I was invited by a foreigner (Norwegian Lutheran missionary) to go east from here to a place called Ulitien and open a preaching chapel, and teach those who might come to listen, lessons from the catechism. There I found this sort of teaching: ‘The seventh day of seven is called Sabbath, this day was kept holy by the Jews only. The first day of the seven is kept holy by the followers of Jesus.’ I did my best to teach this, but still I was in thick darkness, and did not understand its meaning.
“Then I commenced to read the book of Genesis the second chapter first and second verses. I also read Matt. 5:17, 18 and Rom. 3:29, 31. Although I read these clear statements, still I did not understand its teaching because I was in darkness. Still I kept the teaching in the Bible in mind for some time.
“Last year the eighth month (September) I took leave of my place and went back to Sin Iang Cheo. There I found Pastor Pilquist, a Swedish missionary, distributing Bibles. One day as I was in a certain place another man by my side pointed to Pilquist as he passed by, and said, ‘That man [Pilquist] keeps the Sabbath.’ As soon as I heard this, it was as though a flash of lightning had come down from heaven. I went forward and found it accordingly. My heart was pacified, and I found that we were of the same mind.
“Before long I was invited to help Pilquist to write characters. Then we used one half of the day writing, and the other half we studied the Bible. Things which formerly were so cloudy in my mind were cleared up so that I could understand and see things about the Sabbath perfectly clear and bright like the morning.
“Every Sabbath when we gathered for worship and knelt down in prayer, my heart was exceedingly sorrowful by thinking that I, in former days, had not kept the Sabbath, also by knowing that to destroy the commandments of God is a great sin, I felt condemned. But the Saviour is my Redeemer. He gave his life for me. On the third day he rose from the grave. In forty days’ time he was with his disciples, and guided their minds by explaining the books of Moses and the prophets. He also commanded his disciples to go forth and teach all nations the doctrine of repentance. From the Mount Olivet, in the broad daylight he went up to heaven. At the end of this dispensation he will in like manner return, to give all those who believe in him life everlasting.
“From this time my heart is fixed, and I will reverently keep the commandments of God. Therefore I will now openly in this Sabbath calendar bear my testimony, and I wish to let all those who know me, and those who do not know me, hear of my conversion.”
