Page:China's spiritual need and claims.djvu/69

Rh Berger, Esq., whom we had known before leaving England, and who had ever strengthened our hands in the while in that distant land:—

"We are bringing a young Chinese brother with us to assist in translating, and, I hope, to assist in teaching the dialect to fellow-labourers, if the induce any to return with us."

And throughout our voyage our earnest prayer to was that He would overrule our return for good to China, and make it instrumental in raising up at least five helpers to labour in Ningpo and the province of.

We had not been long in England ere we met with some Christian brothers desirous of serving in China. We had more or less intercourse, both personally and by correspondence, with five; and after much prayer were led to invite one of them, Mr. James Meadows, to London, to reside with us for a time; with a view to our making his acquaintance more perfectly, and to his commencing the study of the language. He made such progress as left no doubt of his ability to master the language; and the health of Mr. Jones at Ningpo failing rapidly, we were enabled, through the co-operation and aid of our kind friend, Mr. Berger, to take a passage for Mr. Meadows and his young wife in the Challenger in January, 1862. He arrived in Ningpo in the month of June, and was soon able to commence missionary work. In the temporary absence of Mr. Jones in the month of September, and before Mr. Meadows was able to speak and preach with fluency, he conducted the meetings by giving out hymns and reading portions of Scripture in the "colloquial; while the native helpers would give an address or exhortation, and engage in prayer. In two months from this time he opened a day-school for native boys, with the aid of a Chinese teacher; and when Mr. Jones left China, his presence there became invaluable.

Mr. Meadows found his work at first far from easy. Besides the difficulties arising from his, as yet, imperfect knowledge of the language, the state of society was only slowly recovering from the violent upheaving to which it had been subjected by the rebels, and the converts were still very much scattered. But by 's grace, our good brother persevered, and success crowned his efforts. Some who had been under discipline were restored; others who had been cold and dead were quickened. The services of the native brother first given to us were blessed. A simple countryman, converted six or seven years before, so fully preached the gospel in his own neighbourhood, that in going through it for ten or twelve miles round, Mr. Meadows scarcely met with an individual who had not heard more or less of the from his