G reat Revivals and Evangelists By JOHN H. HUNTER V. WILLIAM C. BURNS (Concluded) Copyright, 1915, by John H. Hunter
was a force o f missionaries. He continu ally sought to reach new fields that had been unreached by others. That does not mean that he never preached in cities where there were other missionaries, but only that he refused to accept such places as a permanent field o f service. His exper iences were, o f course, many and varied. He opened a school for Chinese boys o f which he recounts this little incident: “ Soon after the school was opened it was interesting to me one morning about six o’clock, and before anyone was on foot but myself, to see a Chinese woman with a little boy o f eleven or twelve knocking to be admitted to the school. I thought o f that blessed time approaching when the mothers o f China will bring their children to the feet o f Jesus that He may heal them.” ONE DOOR OPENS. - He stayed about a year in Hongkong and then closed his school and began his evangelistic work. About this time he wrote: “You desired that three doors might be opened to me—the door ,o f entrance into the language, the door of access into the country, and the door o f admittance for the Lerd’s truth into men’s hearts. The first o f these has been opened in an encouraging degree already; and it how remains to seek by prayer and actual trial that the other two doors may be opened - also.” To another friend he writes at this time: “The routine o f my work hitherto has been in learning the Chinese language with the important accompaniment o f preaching from week to week among my own countrymen. Now, however, I am entering as far as can be foreseen on a new sphere and mode of labor, being about to discontinue my tern-
UST forty years before William Burris arrived in China, Robert Morrison had rV'^ B ciVvl landed there, the pioneer' missionary to that land o f the modern missionary movement. In 1842, five years before William Burns’ arrival, the five great treaty ports, Canton, Amoy, Foochow, Ningpo and Shanghai, and Hongkong had been ceded to England. Within a few weeks o f his landing, W il liam Burns, following the soul-winning passion which possessed him, was trying to use the scanty knowledge o f the Chinese language which he had picked up on the voyage to lead three imprisoned murderers to the Saviour who had saved him and who could and would save them if they would but accept Him. How characteristic o f the man! Now that«he was in China he threw him self with all his heart into the task o f mas tering that most difficult language. God had given him a natural faculty for language and he added on his own part the hard work that was necessary. He practically abandoned, so fa^ as he could, his native tongue. After a short residence in a European home he hired a house o f his own in the native quarter (in Hong kong) and here it is said he,spoke, wrote, heard, read, sang and prayed in Chinese such as he knew. At the same time he carried on a weekly meeting for the Eng lish residents. This, however, he did not develop into a church lest it should absorb his time and energies and lead him away from his chosen work o f reaching the natives. From his arrival in 1847 until his death in 1868 he was a most devoted evan gelist. He- avoided all temptations to set tle down permanently in cities where there
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