[Illustration: MAP OF PEKING AND MONGOLIA.]
In the Empire of China the London Missionary Society occupies seven
principal stations and employs twenty-one English missionaries. By
their efforts several churches have been founded, which have been
blessed with true prosperity. No cases of earnest personal effort
have been more striking in their character and results than those
which have occurred among the prosperous churches of AMOY. Last year
the Directors published, in the usual way, detailed information from
the Rev. JOHN STRONACH, of the opening of new stations at BO-PIEN
and TIO-CHHU, and showed from Mr. Stronach's journal the hearty
reception which he met with on his visit to these villages in the
interior of the province. In the REPORT of the Amoy mission further
particulars were given, which indicated the progress of the movement,
and the healthy manner in which it has been carried on. The Directors
trust that from the outset these earnest Christians will understand
that it is their privilege and their duty to sustain for themselves
the ordinances of that faith which they have now received:--
"On the 2nd of December, Mr. JOHN STRONACH visited a large village
still further distant, called San-io, and had, in the spacious public
school-room, a numerous and attentive audience for two hours. But
the chief interest was displayed in the village of Tang-soa, distant
from Bo-pien about twelve miles, the native place of the zealous,
but as yet unbaptized convert, whose earnest efforts to instruct his
numerous neighbours I referred to in my recent letter. In Tang-soa
his efforts among his relatives have been so successful that many
of the villagers not only gave up the school-room for us to give
addresses in, but, after listening to them with an interest
altogether new in that part of the country, begged me to gratify their
desires for regular instruction in Christianity by establishing
services every Sunday. I asked what proof they could give of the
sincerity of their desire, and fifteen replied by bringing in the
evening all the idols they owned, and in the presence of about forty
of their fellow villagers, placing them on the table and then
decapitating them, breaking them in sundry pieces, trampling them
frequently under their feet, and otherwise ignominiously treating
them, to the great delight of the numerous boys who were present and
who joined gleefully in the sport; and we were at once offered the
village school-room as another chapel, with the hope of eventually
being put in possession of the idol temple. One of the deacons at
Bo-pien, who has often attended the examinations for the first
literary degree, has been engaged as an assistant preacher. At
Tio-chhu, the new station referred to in my last letter, I had the
pleasure, on the 8th December, of baptizing four additional converts,
making twelve in all."
The Report further observes with respect to the general character
of the churches in Amoy:--
"While lamenting the falls of some, we rejoice in the salvation of
many. In the region of BO-PIEN there has been a decided awakening;
not the least interesting feature of which is, that it was commenced
by the preaching of an individual who belonged to a church the fewness
of whose members has often been cause of regret; thus showing us that
the Gospel, though producing apparently little impression in one
place, may be productive of the highest results in another; and that,
though a church may not increase in numbers, it yet may increase in
the usefulness of its members.
"It is with unfeigned joy that we observe among our church members
many whose endeavour to overcome their evil habits and customs, whose
love for the Scriptures, habits of prayer, patient forbearance of
injuries, and general Christian behaviour, convince us that their
piety is such as the great Head of the Church will greatly approve."
The city of HANKOW, far up the river Yangtse, in the centre of CHINA,
has often been spoken of in the Society's periodicals as one of the
most wonderful mission stations in the world. The Society's work
commenced in HANKOW in 1861. It has steadily prospered from the first.
But during the past two years the Church has received unusual
blessings; has doubled its numbers, and has received several
remarkable accessions from the heathen. The Rev. G. JOHN thus
describes these results:--
"Profound gratitude to Almighty God for His presence and aid should
be the predominant sentiment of our hearts. The numerical accession
which the church has received this year is considerably in excess
of that of any previous year. In 1862, ten adults were baptized; in
1863, twelve; in 1864, thirteen; in 1865, eleven; in 1866,
twenty-two; in 1867, FIFTY-ONE have been added to our number. Thus,
whilst year by year the work has been steadily though slowly
advancing, this year its progress has been rapid and signal. But it
is not in the mere number that we rejoice. We rejoice in these
fifty-one converts principally on account of their general character,
their various stations in life, and the circumstances in which, and
the means by which they have been brought into the fold of Christ.
In these respects they are to us a source of much consolation and
encouragement.
"One interesting fact connected with these fifty-one members is,
that thirteen of them are women, and that eleven of the thirteen are
the wives of converts. The conversion of the female population of
China is a subject which must weigh heavily and constantly on the
heart of every earnest missionary. The obstacles are many and
formidable. Both by preaching and private conversation, for nearly
six years, I have been labouring to impress on the minds of the
converts the duty and importance of bringing their wives under the
direct influence of the Gospel. They would maintain that the custom
of the country was against it. To attend chapel and join the men in
public worship, would bring not only the wife, but the whole family
into contempt, and so on.
"Last, year there were evident signs of a movement in the right
direction; and this year the result has exceeded my most sanguine
expectations. Nineteen women have already been received into the
church, several are now coming in, and we have every reason to hope
that most of the wives of the converts who reside in and around Hankow
will be identified with us before the end of next year. There are
now several whole families in the church, and it is getting to be
generally understood that it is the solemn duty of the Christian
member of a family to make the salvation of every member of that
family a matter of deep personal concern."
[Illustration: GOLDEN ISLAND, ON THE YANG-TSE RIVER, CHINA.]
The great value of Hankow as a mission station, and the variety of
persons which it brings into contact with the Gospel, are strikingly
illustrated by Mr. JOHN:--
"There is one more interesting fact connected with these fifty-one
members, namely, that they represent SEVERAL DIFFERENT PROVINCES,
and various ranks and grades of society. Only on Sunday week I
baptized six men, who represent five distinct provinces. Of the 108
members still in communion, about seventy reside in and around the
cities of Hankow, Wu-Chang, and Han-Yang. The rest are scattered over
the country, and, we trust, are spreading abroad the knowledge of
the truth. These facts tend to impress on our minds the importance
of Hankow as a Mission station; and they prove an observation which
I made in a former communication to be correct--namely, that the
whole Empire may be influenced more or less from this grand centre.
"But these men not only represent different Provinces and Districts
of the Empire; they represent also different grades of society. Some
of them are scholars, and others are tradesmen; some are artizans,
and others are peasants; some are poor, but none (with one exception)
are helpless. We have in the church at present one who has obtained
his M.A. degree, eight who have obtained their B.A. degree, and a
large number of ordinary scholars who have passed their
matriculation examination. Among those who were admitted on Sunday
week, there were a scholar, a merchant, and a barber. It was
interesting to see representatives of the highest and lowest grades
of Chinese society meet before the same font on Sunday; and then,
on the following Wednesday, at the Christmas feast, occupying
adjoining seats. Both are filling stations in life in which they may
exercise a beneficial influence on many around them."