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THE KING’S BUSINESS
A s th e M e thod ist w o rk ers left th e city, five h u n d re d an d fifty selected P re sb y te rian w om en e n te red from th e co u n try sta tion s to stu d y th e W o rd o f G o d fo r te n o r tw elv e days. T h e re w as p ra y e r w ith one acco rd th a t th e H o ly Spirit m igh t h av e H is w ay w ith these wom en. T h a t first nigh t dozen s o f th em w e re h e a rt b ro k e n o v e r th e ir sins. A fte r a few d ay s all h a d g o t righ t w ith G od . T h ey received th e go o d seed into p re p a re d hearts, a n d fam ilies, friends, a n d n e ighbo rs saw as soon as th e y re a ch ed hom e th a t a new p ow e r h a d com e in to th e ir lives. T h e n seventy-five theo log ical stu den ts, g a th e re d from all th e P re sb y te rian m ission c en ters in K orea, cam e in to P ing Y an g fo r a fou r m o n th s’ course o f study. In a rrang e- ing th e curriculum six m o n th s p re viously th e m issionaries h a d p lan n ed to d e v o te every even ing to p ra y e r an d special B ible study, h o p ing th a t b y th e en d o f th e fou r m o n th s’ course all th e m en w ou ld b e righ t w ith G od , an d filled w ith H is Spirit. But a fte r seeing th a t th e H o ly Spirit cam e w ith om n ip o ten t p ow e r every tim e th ey u n ited ly p ra y e d fo r H im , th ey acknow led g ed th e ir sin of th ink ing H e could on ly com e a fte r m on th s o f p rep a ra tio n . It seem ed to th em th a t th ey h a d as m uch as h in ted to G od , L e t us d o o u r b est fo r fou r m onths, a n d th e n you com e an d finish u p .” T h e y to ld G o d a b o u t it, a n d p ra y e d th a t th e H o ly Spirit m igh t b e p o u re d up o n those stu d en ts as soon as th e y assem b led ; an d it w as so, fo r G o d th e H o ly Spirit cam e am o n g st th em w ith g re a t p ow e r th e v e ry first night. T h e H o ly Spirit go t th em ready , an d d i rected th e ir stud ies fo r fo u r m on th s a n d th en sent th em ou t to p re a ch C hrist in H is pow er. Ju st h ere is th e secret o f th e w ond ro u s success of C h rist’s cause in K orea.
On Holy Ground. W h en I cam e to P ing Y ang a fte r th e rev ival in 1907, I felt I was tre a d in g o n ho ly g round . I was g re a tly im p ressed w ith th e n a tu ra l ness o f th e m issionaries. T h ey co n versed , th ey exercised, th ey ate, th ey w o rk ed , th ey re sted in th e m o st n a t u ra l m an n e r— no eccentricities, b u t as m y trav e lin g com p an ion re m a rk e d : AXTien th ey go t to p ra y e r th e y c a rried you righ t in to th e p re s ence o f G o d .” In th e K o re an rev ival it is quite c le a r th a t th e m issionaries h a d no m o n o p o ly o f th e p ra y e r spirit. A t th a t v e ry annu al m eeting in 1906 w h e re th e P ing Y ang m issionaries w ere m o v ed to p ra y e r fo r revival, a K o re an c o lp o rte u r h e a rd th ro u g h an in te rp re te r a b o u t G o d ’s w o rk on th e Kassia Hills. H is hom e w as a t K ang Kai, aw ay up am ong th e p ine forests o f N o rth K orea. H e w en t hom e an d to ld his church o f a b o u t tw o h u n d re d a n d fifty believers. T h e m en ag re ed to m e e t a t five o’clock every m o rn ing in th e church fo r p ra y e r; th e w om en, too, a p p o in te d a tim e fo r p ray e r. T h ey p ra y e d fo r six m on th s, an d th e n a t th e en d of M arch, 1907, G o d b lessed th em as a b u n d a n tly as H e h a d blessed any p lace w h ere foreign m issionaries re sided. Again, a t th e beg inn ing o f 1910, P a sto r Kil, o f th e C en tra l P re sb y te rian church, P ing Y ang, noticed th a t his church w as g row ing cold. H e to o k a faithful e ld e r in to his con fidence a n d th ey two m e t in th e church ev e ry m o rn ing a b o u t fou r o ’clock to p ray . By th e en d o f a m o n th a b o u t tw en ty o th e rs h ad found it ou t an d jo in e d them . P a s to r Kil th en saw it w as tim e to a n nounce it. O n th e S u n d ay h e a n nounced th a t a bell w ould b e rung a t 4 :3 0 o clock, an d all w ho w ished m igh t a tte n d th e p ra y e r m eeting.
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