Part 7 (1/2)
AN APPEAL FOR A MISSIONARY.
On the 30th of August, 1854, Mr. Talmage wrote, enclosing the subjoined appeal of the church at Peh-chui-ia for a missionary. It is addressed to the American Board, which these brethren call ”the Public Society.” A duplicate letter was sent at the same time to Mr. Burns to be presented to the Board of Foreign Missions of the English Presbyterian Church. ”They tell us,” says Mr. Talmage, ”that every sentence has been prayed over.
According to their own statement, they would write a sentence, and then pray, and then write another sentence, and then pray again.”
”By the mercy and grace of G.o.d, called to be little children of the Saviour Jesus, we send this letter to the Public Society, desiring that G.o.d our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, may bestow grace and peace on all the saints connected with the Public Society. We desire you to know the boundless grace and favor of G.o.d towards us, and in behalf of us, little children, heartily to thank G.o.d because that the announcement of G.o.d's grace has been conveyed by your nation to our nation, and to our province, even to Amoy, and to our market-town Peh-chui-ia. We desire the Public Society to be thoroughly informed, so that they may very heartily thank G.o.d and the Lord Jesus Christ; for we at Peh-chui-ia originally dwelt in the region of death and gloomy darkness, a place under the curse of G.o.d, and were exposed to G.o.d's righteous punishment. But many thanks to G.o.d's compa.s.sion and mercy, the Holy Spirit influenced the pastors of your nation to send holy brethren (Amoy native Christians), in company with the English pastor, the teacher, William Burns, unto our market town, to unfold the holy announcement of grace, and preach the Gospel. Many thanks to G.o.d, whose grace called several brethren, by day and by night, to listen to the preaching of the Gospel, for the s.p.a.ce of four months. Many thanks to the Holy Spirit, who opened our darkened hearts, and led us unto the Saviour Jesus, whose precious blood delivers from sin. By the grace of G.o.d five persons were received into the Church and baptized. Again, two months afterwards four persons were received into the Church and baptized. There are still some ten persons and more, from different quarters, not yet baptized, who have been operated on, so that they listen to the preaching with gladness of heart.
”By the will of G.o.d, the English pastor has been called to return to his own nation. Our place is distant from Amoy by water, several tens of 'lis,' [One li is about one-third of a mile] so that it is difficult to come and go. The two pastors of your nation at Amoy (Messrs. Doty and Talmage) have not a moment to spare from labor, for the holy brethren there are many; and it is difficult for them to leave home.
”We, the brethren of the church at our market town, with united heart pray, earnestly beseeching G.o.d again graciously to compa.s.sionate us, and send a pastor from the Public Society of your nation, that he may quickly come, and instruct us plainly in the Gospel.
”It is to be deplored-the brethren having heard the teacher William Burns preach the Word for a few months, their spiritual nature only just born again, not yet having obtained firmness in the faith, that just at this time, in the seventh month, the pastor should be separated from us.
”Day and night our tears flow; and with united heart we pray, earnestly beseeching G.o.d graciously to grant that of the disciples of the Lord Jesus a pastor hastily come, and preach to us the Gospel, this food of grace with its savoriness of grace, in order to strengthen the faith of us, little children. Moreover, we pray G.o.d to influence the saints of your nation that they may always keep us little children in remembrance. Therefore, on the 28th day of the seventh month (August 21, 1854) the brethren with united heart have prayed earnestly beseeching G.o.d that this our general letter may be conveyed to the great Public Society, that you may certainly know these our affairs, and pray G.o.d, in behalf of us, that this our request may be granted. Please give our salutation to the brethren.
KONG-BIAU, TEK-IAM, TEK-EIAN, U-JU, SI_BU, JIT-SOM, KI-AN, LAM-SAN, KIM KOA, ”The disciples of Jesus at Peh-chui-ia.
”Presented to the Public Society that all the disciples may read it.”
Mr. Talmage concludes a letter speaking of the ”times of refres.h.i.+ng” in these words:
”This remarkable work may well fill our hearts with grat.i.tude and encouragement. Heretofore, we have always been obliged to wait a long time before we were permitted to see much fruit of our labor; and we were almost led to the conclusion that such must always be the case, in carrying the Gospel to a heathen people. Now we see that such need not be the course of events. We should preach the Gospel with larger expectations, and in the hope of more immediate fruit. He who commanded the light to s.h.i.+ne out of darkness, can s.h.i.+ne into the darkest minds, 'to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of G.o.d in the face of Christ Jesus' on the first announcement of the truth as it is in Jesus. When the proper time comes, and His Church is made ready for the great accession, it will be an easy thing for Him to accomplish the expectation that a nation shall be born at once.”
VIII. CHURCH UNION.
Missionary work in its initial stage has only to do with first principles.
Given shelter, food, power of utterance in a foreign tongue, a preaching spot, a company of hearers, and you have bounded the horizon for the present.
No sooner, however, is a goodly company of believers gathered, but problems, numerous and weighty, confront the missionary.
How shall the company of believers be organized and governed? Shall it be exactly on the model of the church which the missionary represents? If not, what modifications shall be made? Shall the seedling ten thousand miles away be roped to the mother tree or shall it be encouraged to stand alone? What advantages in independence? What perils? What shall be the status of the foreign missionary before the native church just organizing?
What relation shall he sustain to the home church?
The answers to these questions have been as various as the denominations represented in Oriental lands. The answers of missionaries representing the same denomination have not even tallied.
After the gracious awakening and ingathering at Amoy and in the region about, had taken place, the question of church organization became foremost. The missionaries gave the subject earnest thought. Men like Elihu Doty and John Van Nest Talmage and Carstairs Douglas, were not likely to come to conclusions hastily.
But they were born pioneers. Conservative enough never to lose their equilibrium, they had adaptability to new circ.u.mstances.
Quite willing to follow the beaten path so long as there was promise of harvest returns, they were prepared nevertheless to blaze a new road into the trackless forest if they were sure some of G.o.d's treasure-trove could be brought back on it. There was no divergence of view as to what the foundation of the new church-structure must be. 'For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.' So long, however, as the general proportions were the same, there was no fear that the new edifice would topple over if it did not conform exactly in height and length and breadth, in column and pilaster and facade, to the venerated model in the mother countries. The brethren expressed their views to the churches in the home land. They did more. They plead their cause and hoped for endors.e.m.e.nt. The following is part of a lengthy but very interesting communication written by Mr. Talmage and sent to the Synod of the Reformed Church in 1856:
”Amoy, China, Sept. 17, 1856.
”To the General Synod of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church.
”Fathers and Brethren: We your missionaries at Amoy, China, have, by the blessing of the Head of the Church on our labors, arrived at a stage of progress in our work which imposes on us weighty responsibilities, and we feel the need of counsel and advice. It will be proper for us to give a brief account of our Mission, of our work, of the blessing of G.o.d on our labors, of our peculiar circ.u.mstances, and of the principles on which we have acted hitherto, and which we think should still guide us in our efforts to establish the Kingdom of Christ in this land, that you may praise G.o.d in our behalf and in behalf of this people, and a.s.sist us by your sympathies, prayers, and counsels. Our Mission was commenced at Amoy by the late Rev. David Abeel, D.D. Mr. Abeel arrived at Amoy in company with the Rev. (now Bishop) Boone, on the 24th of February, 1842. On the 22d of June, 1844, Rev. E. Doty and Rev. Wm. J. Pohlman arrived at Amoy from Borneo. In Dec., 1844, Mr. Abeel in consequence of continued and increasing ill health left Amoy on his return to the United States. Mrs.
Pohlman and Mrs. Doty having been removed by death, Mr. Doty left Amoy for the United States, Nov. 12, 1845, with his own and Mr. Pohlman's children.
Rev. J. V. N. Talmage accompanied Mr. Doty on his return to Amoy, arriving Aug. 19, 1847. Mr. Pohlman was lost at sea Jan. 5, or 6, 1849. Mr.
Talmage was away from Amoy from March 24, 1849 to July 16, 1850. Rev. J.