372 THE KING’ S BUSINESS lime story of the Gospel, and found it so wonderfully fascinating that they were prepared to sit on until the midnight hour with an untired mind. The after meetings I will not now attempt to describe. I want to hurry on to the main purpose of this letter—suffice it to say Mr. Buxton pronounced them ‘wonder ful.?;-.;- r;'yv-Y':' "■ - A vV-' - - ■y ,v \; / : ; ^ “ At the close of that series of remarkable and powerful Convention and Evangelistic meetings, someone asked me why I did not get a large tent and do such work up and down the empire. On the face of it it seemed an impos sible question as far as I was concerned, and yet the bold suggestion contained in it was ablaze with possibilities of a larger and more effective work for the Band apart from any personal interest I might have in the matter, however, I wondered whether God may not be calling the Band to launch out into a wider and more fruitful ministry among the churches throughout the land by means of the tent work, find seeing the, suggestion embraced one of the very funda mental principles of the J. E. B. and practically gathered to itself the whole policy and method of the work of the Band in Japan, I passed it on to Mr. Buxton as presenting a new field of opportunity. It came with a very strong appeal to him, and his decision was that it was a matter for the Band to con sider. and consider with a view to the fulfillment of the wider ministry to which he felt God was calling us. “ The subsequent question was, How and when could it be accomplished? There was not a penny in sight on which we could lay our hands—and the mat ter of finance must perforce bulk very largely, in the furtherance of the Tent Mission work up and down the empire. My own desire was to wait until fur lough and then bring the matter before God’s people while at home on deputa tion work. That was the only possible ‘How’ that seemed practical to me. But it was just when we were face to face with the problem of ways and means and seeing no way out, that God signally interposed and vouchsafed a clear indica tion of Tlis will in this matter. ■ “ It was not very long after we had discussed the question of the Band branching out into this new method of work, that Mr. Buxton received a letter from America in which the writer asked if there was any new scheme of Gospel work in which he was specially interested, and wished to see carried through in Japan, as a generous-hearted friend of the writer’s was desirous of placing a sum of money at the disposal of the Band for that purpose. In reply to that letter Mr. Buxton wrote mentioning, I think, three matters for consideration, one o f these being the purchase and equipment of a large tent to be used on a. wide scale throughout the empire in connection with the churches in Conven tion and evangelistic missions combined. In response to that letter to America, a further communication was received saying that the only thing that was likely to appeal to the donor was the Tent Mission work. This subsequently proved to be the case, and but a few months elapsed before a liberal sum of money was sent to Japan to be used exclusively for this special purpose. “ This generous gift-came as a clear evidence of God’s will in our undertak ing this Forward Movement, and it became apparent to us all that the Band was being sent forth on the wings of a new commission. “ The 'purchase of the tent and its equipment is now an established fact,, and the first mission is to be held during this month, November, at Kure, near Hiroshima, a city of one hundred and thirty thousand people, and one of the chief naval bases of the empire.”
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