p. 14 | God's Advance Guard

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Oct 30, 1907

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 44.

God's Advance Guard

In Mission Fields

1. John Eliot. Born in Nasing, England, 1604, early chose ministry for a life-work. Well versed in Hebrew and Greek. Came to America in 1631. Pioneer missionary among the North American Indians. He translated the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and later the Bible into a native tongue. He died in 1690.

2. Count Nicholas Ludwig Zinzendorf. Born in Dresden, Saxony, May 26, 1700. He early came into connection with some of the scattered followers of John Huss, the Moravians, and became their leader. He formed bands among them for more effective missionary work. A decade before Carey preached his memorable sermon, they had 27 stations, and supported 165 missionaries. He died in 1760.

3. Bartholomew Ziegenbalg. Born June 24, 1683, Pullsnit, Saxony. Danish pioneer missionary to Tranquebar, 1706. Having neither grammar nor dictionary in native tongue, yet in less than a year he was preaching, and souls were converted. His New Testament in Tamil was the first in any language in India.

4. Christian Frederick Schwartz. Born in Sonnenburg, Prussia, Oct. 28, 1726, and died Feb. 13, 1798, in India. Educated at Halle, as were Zinzendorf and Ziegenbalg. Began labors in India, 1750. In 12 years he had baptized 1,238. The last 20 years of his life in Tanjore. He died beloved and respected by all.

5. John Scudder, M.D. Born, Freehold, N. J., Sept. 13, 1798, died at Wynburg, South Africa, Jan. 13, 1855. Was led by a tract to give his life to missionary work, and sailed in 1819 to Ceylon under the American Board. In 1836 was transferred to Madras, where he founded a new mission with Dr. Winslow. In 1854 he went to Cape of Good Hope for his health, where he died.

6. William Carey. Born at Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, 1761; died at the age of 73, June 7, 1834. Early a preacher of the Gospel, keeping school by day and cobbling shoes at night. Devoted his life to missions to heathendom. His motto: "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." His work in India, against all kinds of opposition, hardship, and trial, was greatly blessed of God. He brought out the Bible in Bengali in five volumes in 1809, and translated it in whole or in part into twenty-four native languages or dialects, rendering the Bible accessible to more than three hundred million of human beings.

7. Henry Martyn. Born at Truro, Cornwall, England, Feb. 18, 1781, died Aug. 16, 1812, at the early age of 32. He designed to fit himself for the law, but the influence of William Carey in India, and David Brainerd, the Indian missionary of America, led him to devote himself to the work of the Christian missionary. His short life was filled with indefatigable labor. Translated the New Testament into Hindi and the Gospels into Judeo-Persic. He died at Tokat among strangers. His New Testament is used by many millions of people.

8. Reginald Heber, Bishop of Calcutta, was born April 21, 1783, died, 1826. Became a preacher in 1822, was consecrated bishop of Calcutta in 1823. He labored with great zeal in India for three years. Among his hymns which will never grow old are, "From Greenland's Icy Mountains," and "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty."

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16. Griffith John, the boy preacher of Wales, born at Swansea on the 14th of December, 1831, became a preacher of the Gospel at 14. He sailed for Shanghai, May 21, 1855, where he founded the Hankow Mission. At this writing he is still alive.

15. John Williams, the noted missionary to the South Sea Islands, was born at Tottenham, England, June 29, 1796, and died at Erromanga, Nov. 20, 1839. He was sent out by the London Missionary Society at the age of 20 to the South Sea Islands. Savage and superstitious as the natives were, they seemed to be waiting for the Gospel. He translated the New Testament into the language of Raiatea and Raratonga. He was killed at Erromanga, by savages who did not know him.

14. Robert Moffat. Born at Ormiston, Scotland, Dec. 21, 1795, of humble parentage, and died at Leigh, Aug. 9, 1883, at the age of 88. His mother saturated him while young with a knowledge of the Bible and stories of the early Moravian brethren. At the early age of 19 he offered himself to the London Missionary Society for a missionary, and was accepted, sailing for South Africa in 1816. His chief service lay in the region of Bechuanaland, the Orange River country. Most noted of his achievements was the translation of the entire Bible into Bechuana.

13. Samuel Gobat. Born at Cremine, Scotland, Jan. 26, 1799. He is noted as the first Protestant missionary to Abyssinia under the Church Missionary Society. His faithful wife was with him in all his many trials. He died in Jerusalem, May 11, 1879.

12. Mary L. Whately, the second daughter of Archbishop Whately, born at Halesworth, England, died March 9, 1889. She was given the highest education, mental, moral, and religious; was distinguished for uncommon energy and intelligence. Early gave herself to the service of Christ. Her greatest work was done in Egypt for neglected Moslem girls.

11. Ann Hasseltine Judson, Adoniram Judson's first wife. Born at Bradford, Mass., Dec. 22, 1789, and died Oct. 24, 1826, in the thirty-seventh year of her age. Never physically strong, she labored almost incessantly. While her husband was in prison, she was called to share his sufferings, following him from prison to prison, ministering to his wants, continuing this for a year and a half, walking miles in feeble health in the darkness of night or under the noonday sun, much of the time with a babe in her arms.

10. Adoniram Judson. Born, Malden, Mass., Aug. 9, 1788, died at sea, April 12, 1850. A most devoted man from his youth, one of the first missionaries that the American Board sent out, but afterward became a Baptist, and was the pioneer missionary in Burma. He and his wife suffered fearful hardships during the years 1824-26 during the war between England and Burma. Translated the Bible in Burmese. For a long time there seemed to be no fruits to his efforts, but in 1838 there was said to be a thousand converts from heathendom formed into churches.

9. Robert Morrison. Born of Scottish parentage at Morpeth, Northumberland, England, died in China, Aug. 1, 1834. He early decided to become a missionary to the heathen. Was appointed the first missionary of the London Missionary Society to China, and thus became the pioneer of Protestant missionaries in China. Translated the Scriptures and prepared a Chinese dictionary. He was in China 27 years.

17. David Livingstone, the noted African explorer and missionary, was born in Blantyre, Scotland, May 19, 1813, and died in the "Dark Continent," on his knees, May 1, 1873, at the age of 60. At 19 he resolved to be a medical missionary, and was called in 1838 by the London Missionary Society. His faithful men, after embalming his body, carried it a year's journey to the coast at Zanzibar, one of the most heroic journeys ever undertaken. His remains now rest in Westminster Abbey.

18. John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, was born in Kirkmahoe in the south of Scotland. His first experience in missions was in city mission work in Glasgow, where he met with all sorts of characters and proved himself a successful missionary among the roughest. After a time the burden of foreign mission work rested upon him and he was sent to the New Hebrides by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

19. John C. Patteson, the missionary preacher and martyr of Melanesia, was born in London, England, April 22, 1827, the son of Sir John Patteson, the distinguished English judge. His mother was a niece of Samuel Coleridge the poet. In 1855 he sailed to Melanesia with Bishop Selwyn. He made many voyages in the missionary ship, "Southern Cross." He was killed, evidently by mistake, on his last voyage to the Nakapu Islands.

20. John Wilson, M.D., one of the early missionaries to India, was born in Berwickshire, Scotland, Dec. 11, 1804, died Dec. 1, 1875. Reading reports of the Bible Society led him to devote himself to foreign fields. In 1828 was sent by the Scottish Missionary Society to Bombay, where he spent 14 years translating and working for souls.

21. John Wilkinson, for fifty-six years a missionary to the Jews, beginning his work in 1851 in London. He died Feb. 12, 1907, at the age of 82. Salvation with him meant service. His motto of life seemed to be, "The Jew first, afterward the Gentile."

22. Alexander Duff. Born April 26, 1806, in Perthshire, Scotland, died at Sidmouth, Devonshire, England, Feb. 12, 1878. Was sent out as the first missionary of the Church of Scotland to India in 1829, at the age of 23, reaching India after eight months. Established a school in India for the education of the native youth, one of the principles of which was that the Scriptures should be read in every class. The first school opened in 1830 under a banyan tree.

23. J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, went to China as a missionary in 1853 under the Chinese Evangelization Society. A friendly separation took place in 1860, and Mr. Taylor began independent work. Founded the China Inland Mission in 1865, the workers having no guaranteed salary but trusting in the Lord to supply their needs. No personal solicitation or collection of funds is made or authorized by the missionaries.

24. Thomas J. Comber, the pioneer missionary to the Kongo under the Baptist Missionary Society, was born in Camberwell, Scotland, in 1852. He began his missionary work with children in 1874, and was sent by the Baptist Missionary Society to Africa in 1876, later exploring the Kongo country. His hard labor and sacrifice brought his life to an end at the early age of 34 years.

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32. Pandita Ramabai. In all mention of this wonderful Indian woman we can find no date of her birth. Left an orphan at an early age, she became one of the child widows of India, but having a father who believed in educating his daughter, and having talents of natural ability, Ramabai made rapid progress. In the pursuance of her life-work, the elevating of the women of India, she has met much opposition. She has also met many friends. She has spent three years in America, and also some time in England. Many have been rescued, educated, and greatly helped; many famine sufferers have also received relief.

31. Mary Reed, still living. Noted for her work among the lepers, and especially for the heroism in devoting her life to that work. The Women's Foreign Mission Society sent her in 1884 as a missionary to Cawnpore, India. In 1890, her health being seriously undermined, she returned to America. Shortly after that she found herself a victim of the awful disease of leprosy, and with God she decided that her future work lay among that afflicted people. Desiring to spare her family the pain the sad knowledge would have brought them, she denied herself even a goodby kiss, telling her purpose to no one except her sister. She labors under the direction of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Pithoragh, eastern Kumaun.

30. John Kenneth Mackenzie, M.D. Born in Yarmouth, England, Aug. 25, 1850, of Scotch and Welsh parentage. Went to China in 1878 as medical missionary of the London Missionary Society. He was greatly aided by Li Hung Chang, China's great statesman and diplomat, who gave largely to the building of a hospital. He died April 1, 1888.

29. James Chalmers. Born, 1841, at Ardri-shaig, Scotland. At a Presbyterian Sunday-school when fifteen years of age he dedicated himself to the service of the Lord. January, 1866, he and his young wife entered Raratonga. In 1877 he went to New Guinea. In 1882 he wrote, "For over two years there have been no cannibal ovens, no feasts, no human flesh, no desire for skulls." He was at last murdered by a hostile tribe April 8, 1901.

28. Egerton R. Young, noted for the wonderful work for God wrought thru him and his devoted wife among the Indians of the Northwest, where he began his labors in 1868. That work has demonstrated the wonderful power of the simple word. Mr. Young is still laboring in his field.

27. Samuel Adjai Crowther, a native of the Yoruba country, Africa. He was rescued from slavery in boyhood. Within six months he could read the New Testament, and in five years was a tutor in Fourah College. In 1864 he was consecrated Bishop of the Niger by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the same year the university of Oxford conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He died Dec. 31, 1891.

26. Alexander M. Mackay was born at Rhynie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Oct. 13, 1849, the son of a minister of the Free Church. At three years of age he read the New Testament; at seven, "Milton's Paradise Lost," and "Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Was sent by the Church Missionary Society to Africa in 1876, and reached Uganda in 1878. He died Feb. 8, 1890.

25. William Duncan, the noted missionary worker among the Tsimshian Indians of Alaska. He founded the mission in 1862 among Indians notorious for every evil thing. In a short time the grace of God had transformed the whole tribe.

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