581
THE KING’S BUSINESS
ling him, and on that very day we returned to the city for the Chinese New Year. Early the next morning, on hearing o f our arrival, the father came to me and told me the story. I could see that he was in great sorrow, so we had prayèr together and I sought to com fort him. Then I urged him to go home and give himself to .prayer and fast ing for his son. At the same time I went to the son’s place of business to have a chat with him. I made nO -reference^ to the family quarrel, but simply talked with him about the Gospel. His spirit'of opposition was the same as before, yet he accepted some books which he laid on his table. Then Satan seemed to add a difficulty for a woman came into the shop, picked up thé books and carried them away with her. My heart was all stirred up' and it seemed as if my effort after all would be in vain. A fter I left the shop I found the, woman on the street, gave her qnother book in exchange for those she had taken, quickly returned to the shop and again gave the books to Mr. Ma and urged him to read them, Mr. Ma wondered at this, and’after I had left said to'himself : T am gping to look into these books and see what they really have to say.’ All praise to Gpd for leading him to read tho'se books! He was deeply interested and a, stream of light flowed into his heart. That very evening he went home and made peace with his parents who were arnazèd at the wonderful change in their son. The father had been praying and fasting, and now the parents joined in praise to God. The next morning. Ma Chin-Seng went with his father to call on Mr. Jensen, the missionary-in-charge at Wukang, and also came to see me. He confessed his sin against God and against his parents, and expressed his determina tion to leave the false and accept the,true. On the following Sunday he ■attended ser vices at the churcfTfor the first time in his life. His manner was most reverent, and the Christians o f Wukang are all rejoicing over him.” Just a word about little Hwang Ching- En whose photo is shown. Ching-En means ‘“blessing and grace,” and she .is a living
and we learn that heavy fighting is taking place now near Yochow, and that the South is in retreat. I f ' this is true,' and if the North succeeds in forcing the South back to;Changsha, there will be terrible times here as the possession of Changsha is of vital importance to both sides. W e are quietly resting in Him who “makes even the wrath o f man to praise Him.” Our mails rare now being* sent around through the Province of Kiangsi, down to' Kiukiang, and so to the Coast, thus suf fering much delay. A telegram despatched from Shanghai on January 30th, reached me on February 15th, the same .day as a letter posted there January 31st. Up to the present our work has not'been delayed on any o f the fields where our men are engaged by the war conditions. Let tis return thanks to God for this great mercy and continue to. look to Him for protection and guidance, and for power, and blessing in service. The following extract from Mr. Tien’s last letter brings out beautifully the way our men are working, and God’s gracious blessings : “W e have just had a most happy- experi ence in the .home o f one of our colpor teurs, Ma Yuin-Ting, and, I am specially writing you about it that you may rejoice withr us. Ma Yuin-Ting is himself a fruit o f our colportage work in this district; his son, Ma Chin-Seng, is thirty years o f age, is engaged in business and in his. business relationships is a man of marked integrity, but has been most bitterly opposed to the Gospel. He has reviled •and cursed his parents, saying they had become foreigners, and that he could no longer recognize them as parents. His father used every possible means to influence him, but he obstinately refused to give heed. He would not look into any o f our books, and would even turn his head so as not to look at the 1 Gospel posters pasted up in his father’s house. For many months he has ^contributed noth ing to the support o f his parents, and a bit ter enmity sprang up in the home. On the evening o f the 15th Ma Chin- Seng was again at his father’s house revi
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