SETTLEMENT IN NINGPO
THE autumn of 1856 was well advanced before I reached Ningpo, one of the
most ancient and influential cities on the coast of China. Opened to the
residence of foreigners in 1842 by the treaty of Nan-king, it had long
been the scene of missionary labours. Within its thronging thoroughfares
the busy tide of life runs high. Four hundred thousand human beings
dwell within or around the five miles circuit of its ancient wall, every
one a soul that JESUS loves, for whom He died.
As winter drew on I rented a native house in Wu-gyiao-deo, or Lake Head
Street. It was not then a very comfortable residence. I have a very
distinct remembrance of tracing my initials on the snow which during the
night had collected upon my coverlet in the large barn-like upper room,
now subdivided into four or five smaller ones, each of which is
comfortably ceiled. The tiling of an unceiled Chinese house may keep off
the rain--if it happens to be sound--but it does not afford so good a
protection against snow, which will beat up through crannies and
crevices, and find its way within. But however unfinished may have been
its fittings, the little house was well adapted for work amongst the
people; and there I thankfully settled down, finding ample scope for
service,--morning, noon, and night.
During the latter part of this year my mind was greatly exercised about
continued connection with my Society, it being frequently in debt.
Personally I had always avoided debt, and kept within my salary, though
at times only by very careful economy. Now there was no difficulty in
doing this, for my income was larger, and the country being in a more
peaceful state, things were not so dear. But the Society itself was in
debt. The quarterly bills which I and others were instructed to draw
were often met by borrowed money, and a correspondence commenced which
terminated in the following year by my resigning from conscientious
motives.
To me it seemed that the teaching of GOD'S Word was unmistakably clear:
"Owe no man any thing." To borrow money implied, to my mind, a
contradiction of Scripture--a confession that GOD had withheld some good
thing, and a determination to get for ourselves what He had not given.
Could that which was wrong for one Christian to do be right for an
association of Christians? Or could any amount of precedents make a
wrong course justifiable? If the Word taught me anything, it taught me
to have no connection with debt. I could not think that GOD was poor,
that He was short of resources, or unwilling to supply any want of
whatever work was really His. It seemed to me that if there were lack of
funds to carry on work, then to that degree, in that special
development, or at that time, it could not be the work of GOD. To
satisfy my conscience I was therefore compelled to resign connection
with the Society which had hitherto supplied my salary.
It was a great satisfaction to me that my friend and colleague, Mr.
Jones, also of the Chinese Evangelisation Society, was led to take the
same step; and we were both profoundly thankful that the separation
took place without the least breach of friendly feeling on either side.
Indeed, we had the joy of knowing that the step we took commended itself
to several members of the Committee, although as a whole the Society
could not come to our position. Depending upon GOD alone for supplies,
we were enabled to continue a measure of connection with our former
supporters, sending home journals, etc., for publication as before, so
long as the Society continued to exist.
The step we had taken was not a little trying to faith. I was not at all
sure what GOD would have me do, or whether He would so meet my need as
to enable me to continue working as before. I had no friends whatever
from whom I expected supplies. I did not know what means the LORD might
use; but I was willing to give up all my time to the service of
evangelisation among the heathen, if by any means He would supply the
smallest amount on which I could live; and if He were not pleased to do
this, I was prepared to undertake whatever work might be necessary to
supply myself, giving all the time that could be spared from such a
calling to more distinctly missionary efforts. But GOD blessed and
prospered me; and how glad and thankful I felt when the separation was
really effected! I could look right up into my FATHER'S face with a
satisfied heart, ready, by His grace, to do the next thing as He might
teach me, and feeling very sure of His loving care.
And how blessedly He did lead me on and provide for me I can never,
never tell. It was like a continuation of some of my earlier home
experiences. My faith was not untried; it often, often failed, and I was
so sorry and ashamed of the failure to trust such a FATHER. But oh! I
was learning to know Him. I would not even then have missed the trial.
He became so near, so real, so intimate. The occasional difficulty about
funds never came from an insufficient supply for personal needs, but in
consequence of ministering to the wants of scores of the hungry and
dying ones around us. And trials far more searching in other ways quite
eclipsed these difficulties; and being deeper, brought forth in
consequence richer fruits. How glad one is now, not only to know, with
dear Miss Havergal, that----
"They who trust Him wholly
Find Him wholly true,"
but also that when we fail to trust fully He still remains unchangingly
faithful. He _is_ wholly true whether we trust or not. "If we believe
not, He abideth faithful; He cannot deny Himself." But oh, how we
dishonour our LORD whenever we fail to trust Him, and what peace,
blessing, and triumph we lose in thus sinning against the Faithful One!
May we never again presume in anything to doubt Him!
The year 1857 was a troublous time, and closed with the notorious
bombardment of Canton by the British, and the commencement of our second
Chinese war. Rumours of trouble were everywhere rife, and in many places
the missionaries passed through not a little danger. In Ningpo this was
especially the case, and the preserving care of GOD in answer to prayer
was consequently most marked. When the awful news of the bombardment of
Canton reached the Cantonese in Ningpo their wrath and indignation knew
no bounds, and they immediately set to work to plot the destruction of
all the foreigners resident in the city and neighbourhood. It was well
known that many of the foreigners were in the habit of meeting for
worship every Sunday evening at one of the missionary houses, and the
plan was to surround the place on a given occasion and make short work
of all present, cutting off afterwards any who might not be present.
The sanction of the Tao-t'ai, or chief civil magistrate of the city, was
easily obtained; and nothing remained to hinder the execution of the
plot, of which the foreigners were of course entirely in ignorance. (A
similar plot against the Portuguese a few months later was carried out,
and between fifty and sixty were massacred in open daylight.) It so
happened, however, that one of those acquainted with the conspiracy had
a friend engaged in the service of the missionaries; and anxious for his
safety, he was led to warn him of the coming danger, and urge his
leaving foreign employ. The servant made the matter known to his master,
and thus the little community became aware of their peril. Realising the
gravity of the situation, they determined to meet together at the house
of one of their number to seek the protection of the Most High, and to
hide under the shadow of His wings. Nor did they thus meet in vain.
At the very time we were praying the LORD was working. He led an
inferior mandarin, the Superintendent of Customs, to call upon the
Tao-t'ai, and remonstrate with him upon the folly of permitting such an
attempt, which he assured him would rouse the foreigners in other places
to come with armed forces to avenge the death of their countrymen and
raze the city to the ground. The Tao-t'ai replied that, when the
foreigners came for that purpose, he should deny all knowledge of or
complicity in the plot, and so direct their vengeance against the
Cantonese, who would in their turn be destroyed; "and thus," said he,
"we shall get rid of both Cantonese and foreigners by one stroke of
policy." The Superintendent of Customs assured him that all such
attempts at evasion would be useless; and, finally, the Tao-t'ai sent to
the Cantonese, withdrawing his permission, and prohibiting the attack.
This took place at the very time when we were asking protection of the
LORD, though we did not become acquainted with the facts until some
weeks later. Thus again we were led to prove that--
"Sufficient is His arm alone,
And our defence is sure."
I cannot attempt to give any historical record of the events of this
period, but ere 1857 terminated Mr. Jones and I were cheered by tokens
of blessing. It is interesting to recall the circumstances connected
with the first profession of faith in Christ, which encouraged us.
On one occasion I was preaching the glad tidings of salvation through
the finished work of CHRIST, when a middle-aged man stood up, and
testified before his assembled countrymen to his faith in the power of
the Gospel.
"I have long sought for the Truth," said he earnestly, "as my fathers
did before me; but I have never found it. I have travelled far and near,
but without obtaining it. I have found no rest in Confucianism,
Buddhism, or Taoism; but I do find rest in what I have heard here
to-night. Henceforth I am a believer in JESUS."
This man was one of the leading officers of a sect of reformed Buddhists
in Ningpo. A short time after his confession of faith in the SAVIOUR
there was a meeting of the sect over which he had formerly presided. I
accompanied him to that meeting, and there, to his former
co-religionists, he testified of the peace he had obtained in believing.
Soon after, one of his former companions was converted and baptized.
Both now sleep in JESUS. The first of these two long continued to preach
to his countrymen the glad tidings of great joy. A few nights after his
conversion he asked how long this Gospel had been known in England. He
was told that we had known it for some hundreds of years.
"What!" said he, amazed; "is it possible that for hundreds of years you
have had the knowledge of these glad tidings in your possession, and yet
have only now come to preach it to us? My father sought after the Truth
for more than twenty years, and died without finding it. Oh, why did you
not come sooner?"
A whole generation has passed away since that mournful inquiry was made;
but how many, alas! might repeat the same question to-day? More than two
hundred millions in the meanwhile have been swept into eternity, without
an offer of salvation. How long shall this continue, and the MASTER'S
words, "To every creature," remain unheeded?
[Illustration]
[Illustration]