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THE KING’S BUSINESS
fo re G od . T h u s d id G o d bless a church said to b e to o sinful to b e rev iv ed w h en G o d ’s p eo p le go t right w ith H im in o th e r places, an d p ra y e d in faith fo r it. C e rta in ly also G o d will use us w h en w e a re righ t w ith H im , p ray in g in th e Spirit. W h en I w en t to Shansi, in th e a u tum n o f 190 8 , I found th a t th e re h a d b e en m uch p ra y e r fo r revival. A t one city th e la d y m issionary in ch arg e of th a t statio n said th e y h a d p ra y e d d ry fo r revival. She w as a G e rm an la d y a n d meajnt th a t th ey h a d exh au sted all p leas a n d p rom ises fo r revival. “ If G o d do e s no t g ra n t rev ival now ,” said she, “ I d o n ’t k now w h a t w e w ill d o .” T h e re w e re eight o r ten m issionary graves ou tside th e sou th g a te o f th e city ; th ey h a d b e e n k illed b y Boxers in 1900 , b u t th e b lo o d o f th e m a rty rs h a d n o t b e com e th e seed o f th e C hurch becau se o f sin am o n g th e m em bers. T h e m ission w e cam e to h o ld w as im p o rtan t, on acco u n t of rep re sen ta tiv e s from th re e p rov inces an d tw en ty -on e m ission sta tion s b e ing p resen t. But w e cou ld only sp a re fou r d ay s fo r it. W e felt th e tim e to b e to o short, b u t w e m et, an d ask ed G o d to d o a quick work. T h e first a d d re ss w as given on a T h u rsd a y m orning, an d it w as clear th a t th e H o ly Spirit w as w o rk ing d e e p conviction. W h en lib e rty was given to p ra y one a fte r a n o th e r while confessing to G o d in p ra y e r b ro k e dow n, an d th en th e p en t-u p feelings o f th e w ho le aud ien c e b ro k e loose, an d th ey w ept. Four Wonderful Days. T h e y w ere fo u r w on d e rfu l day s o f th e S p irit’s m igh ty pow er. T h e peop le, a fte r b ein g in th e m eetings som etim es several hours, on b eing dism issed w ould go to th e ir room s, shut th e d o o rs an d fall on th e ir knees in p rayer. If you p assed th ro u g h
th e com p o u n d a t night, ev en late, you m ight h e a r th e se Chinese e a r nestly p le ad in g w ith G o d in th e ir room s o r in co rn ers of th e y a rd . A fte r m y m ission h a d e n d ed th e te a ch e r of th e boy s’ school g o t u p every m o rn ing an ho u r b e fo re d a y light to p ra y fo r th e boys, th en th ey all w ould m e e t for prayers. A t th e en d of ab o u t a m o n th ’s tim e th e H o ly Spirit one m o rn ing a t p ray e rs so m ightily conv icted th e boy s th a t th ey fo rg o t all a b o u t th e ir b re ak fa st, a n d w e p t an d confessed an d p ray ed until a fte r th e no o n hour. T h e a s sistant tea ch e rs o f th e girls’ school, a s soon as it h a d op en ed , k e p t on telling th e girls how w o n d e rfu lly G o d h a d v is ite d ' th em d u ring tho se fou r n ev e r-to -b e -fo rg o tten days. T h e girls th e n a sk ed fo r a d a y of p ray e r, so th a t they, too, m igh t seek th e H o ly Spirit. T h e la d y p rincipal sa id : “W e w ill p ra y a b o u t it a d ay o r tw o a n d d e c id e .” N ex t m o rn ing th e girls m e t fo r p rayers, b u t so m ightily d id th e H o ly S p irit w o rk w ith th em th a t th ey w ere b ro k e n b e fore G o d until h a lf p a s t twelve. F o r a long tim e m uch ind iv idual a n d u n ited p ra y e r h a d a sc en d ed fo r ou r hom e station, C hang -T e -fu H o nan. W e then , in N ovem ber, 1908, h eld a m ission lasting te n days, w ith th re e public m eetings each day. By th e th ird nigh t th e Chinese te a ch e r o f th e girls’ school, a B .A ., h a d go t righ t w ith G o d b y a hum b ling c o n fession, an d th e la d y p rincipal in te a rs h a d y ie ld ed all to G od . N ext m o rn ing she w as le ad in g h e r seven ty - five girls in p ray e r, w h en a v e ry tem p est o f confession, p ra y e r a n d w e e p ing sw ep t o v e r them . T h e fou rth nigh t th e floodgates w ere lifted, an d billow s o f p ra y e r an d confession ro lled ov e r th e aud ience in th e ten t. W h en we cam e ou t from o u r m is sionary p ra y e r m eeting on th e fifth even ing w e h e a rd th e seventy-five school girls e a rn e stly p ray in g all a t
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