"The most novel feature of the work I noticed was the eagerness displayed to learn and sing hymns. Sometimes poor old women, from whom we could not extract much Catechism information about the unity in trinity and other theological mysteries, brightened up their old wrinkled faces when asked if they could sing, and when asked to give us a specimen of their singing, would raise their cracked and quavering voices and go through "There is a happy land," or "The Great Physician," or "Safe in the arms of Jesus," a good deal out of tune here and there, it is true, but on the whole creditably as regards music, and with an apparent earnestness and feeling that was hard to witness with dry eyes. And if the old women sang thus, what of the young people? They seemed to revel in hymns. The old, big, orthodox hymn-book used in our chapels got a good deal of patronage and attention; but their great favourites were those in a small collection of the Sankey revival hymns translated (with a few exceptions) and published by Mr. Lees. These hymns contain good gospel, seem to be easily learned, and are set to tunes which the Chinese seem never to sing themselves tired of.
The preachers have mastered a goodly number of them, and teach them to all comers; but, Mr. Lees being a singer, of course, when he arrived, there were high singing festivals, and the practice at evening prayers was sometimes so vigorous and prolonged that the tympanum of one of my ears began to show symptoms of defeat. These hymns I regard as a most powerful auxiliary to the other Gospel agencies at work, and I hope a great deal of good from them.
"Every Chinaman wants looking after. Even the best and most trustworthy men are all the better for being well and carefully superintended. In fact, the better a man is, the better he pays for being well looked after. The present state of country mission work in North China calls for careful supervision in an especial degree.
Unforeseen circ.u.mstances arise that need prompt action where a wrong course of action may be disastrous; something or other happens that dismays the whole of the little Christian community; something or other happens that lifts them up into pride; the Christians are like little islands of Christianity isolated in a vast ocean of heathenism, and the waves seem to threaten to swallow them up. The missionary, simply by going and putting in an appearance, or by giving a little simple advice, or by speaking a few words of encouragement, or by devising a few simple methods, or making a few simple arrangements, can often keep the Church out of moral danger, infuse new hope and courage to the members and preachers, and, under G.o.d, put fresh life and vigour into the whole concern. As iron sharpeneth iron, so doth a man the face of his friend; and this is true in an especial degree of a missionary and his preachers and converts."
In the course of a subsequent tour in the same district, in 1880, he gives in his diary a sketch of a sermon preached by Liu, his Chinese helper, one which may be taken as a specimen of the best cla.s.s of address given by a converted Chinaman to his fellow-countrymen.
"Liu"s subject was from Revelation, "Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." He went into an elaborate detail about the use of water, washing, laying the dust in a room being swept out, (a la Bunyan) making a sinking sand hard and good for a cart and man to travel on. Finally, he got to a couple of good stories about a man who got drunk and had his face blackened, so that when he came home his own father did not know him and would not let him in, and when he saw himself accidentally in a mirror he did not know himself. His drunkenness had completely changed his appearance and voice even.
"So G.o.d made us in His own image, but sin has terribly changed us.
Purified by the Holy Ghost we may again be like ourselves and G.o.d.
"The service lasted about two hours and ten minutes. The story parts of the sermon were very effective."
A later entry in the diary runs: "Had service. Preached "Jesus saves,"
the sermon for the heathen of that name." One who often heard him preach in China gives the following estimate of his power and method in delivering his message:--
"As a preacher Gilmour was most unconventional. His sermons were direct talks, without any attempt at rhetoric. They were plentifully ill.u.s.trated, largely from events in his own experience.
Laughable allusions or quaint ways of putting things were frequently used. While there was not much attractive in the manner of the preacher, the directness of his remark and his evident earnestness always made his sermons appreciated and enjoyed. The Chinese were always glad to hear him, and words he used to speak are often referred to."
Writing on one occasion to a friend in England being educated for the Christian ministry, who had just taken one of the higher degrees at the London University, he said:--
"I don"t think our work is so much unlike, after all. You witness for Christ, so do I; and though you are in a Christian country and I in a heathen land, human nature is human nature, and not so different as might be supposed. You may, pray you may, see more fruit of your work than I do, but your trials, and difficulties, and temptations will be, no doubt are, pretty much the same as mine. May the Lord help you and bless you now and for ever! I hope He will help you to have ever a heart ready to preach simply the simple Gospel to your hearers, half of whom, perhaps, know almost nothing of salvation, though they have been listening to sermons about it all their lives, and would not know in the least to which hand to turn if they were aroused and became anxious to be saved.
I"ll give you a text, which I think peculiarly suitable for you, now a graduate. Isaiah 1. 4--"The Lord G.o.d hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary." I like to dwell on this text. Learning should not make deep sermons, hard to be understood; on the contrary, it should be all employed to make the road simple and clear. Forgive me for exhorting you so, but I can"t refrain from it when I think of the many learned men I know at home and here who employ their learning in giving learned sermons, _not_ in making the way simple and plain."
The sermon referred to in the extract quoted above from the diary is based on Matt. i. 21. It was never written out; but the notes of it lie before us, and we quote them as an ill.u.s.tration of his way of addressing both Chinese and English audiences. It may interest the reader to endeavour to make out from it the line of thought, and any who may have heard him preach or speak will find it easy to recall _how_ he preached it.
"Matt. i. 21. "He shall save people from their sins."
"Talk to a man, he admits he is sinner; by-and-by he will break off and become good.
"He does not really know what sin is. Egypt!
"It is a _disease_; if you get it can you leave it off? Your blood is tainted.
"It is a _fire_; once light it, you can"t quench it, it smoulders and breaks out afresh.
"It is an _evil root_, evil weed, can easy sow, not extirpate.
"Sin is like the current above Niagara.
"It becomes a _habit_. Indulgence makes habit grow.
"It is like a _spider_; one thread after another binds up a fly.
"Such is sin--murder, robbery, theft, adultery, uncleanness, lying, covetousness, hatred, anger, malice, want of love to G.o.d or man.
"Many of these sins you not accused of, but you have sin: sin is fatal, can you free yourself? _Jesus is to do it._
"Disease, fire, root, current, habit, fly. _The man cannot free himself: Jesus must set him free._
"Not only from _h.e.l.l_, but from sin.
"Suppose you were freed only from h.e.l.l, and transported to Heaven, could you be happy? Who would be your companions?
"Ignorant (wicked) man in company of learned (holy).
"_A Tientsin vagrant_ became chair-bearer; had clothes, etc., but only for a day; he was soon naked again.
"Christ does not transport to Heaven only.
"_Disease._--Not die from it; He cures it.
"_Fire._--Not consumed by it; He quenches it.
"_Root_ of evil; He clears from the ground.
"_Niagara._--He lifts you out of the current on to an island.
"_Habit._--He sets you free from it.
"_Spider"s fly._--He not only takes from the spider; but He sets it free from the toils.
"_Jesus gives_ second nature; you are born again.
"But upon one _condition_, your consent. The _disease_ is severe: you must obey doctor; if you do not submit to operation; not take bitter drugs; then he does not heal.
"_Lead_ a man to Peking: not come, not follow: leave him: lead to heaven, paths of holiness not follow, not reach.
"Has Christ saved you? If yes, visible to self and others. He is not only an object of respect, admiration: He is the doctor into whose hands you put your soul for treatment.
"_Two brothers_, Kite, Loe, Pet Dog.
"_John of Hankow"s Liu_, see Chronicle; dead _v._ alive; sick (of fever) _v._ whole. Is it last time? Mongols feel queer.
"_Missionaries._ Mongol doctor who had not courage to treat himself.
"_S. S. Teacher_: Paul: be a castaway,
"Christ Matt. i. 21-23.
"Any religion good enough. No: no religion breaks bondage of sin: go down to death in sin"s slavery. Only Jesus can save from sin.
_Ask, and He"ll do it._"
During the winters in Peking he still used every effort to get at the Mongols frequenting the capital.
"The Mongols who visit Peking connect themselves with two great centres. "The Outside Lodging," which is about a mile or more north of the north wall of Peking, and is also called the "Halha Lodging," because it is the great resort of the Northern Mongols, and the "Inside Lodging," which is near the inside of the south wall of the Manchu City of Peking, is situated close behind the English Legation, and is also called the "Cold Lodging;" this name being probably due to the fact that in the open s.p.a.ce in this "Inside Lodging" a good many Mongols camp out in their tents, in place of hiring courts and rooms from the Chinese. These are the two great _centres_ for Mongols in Peking. Many of them lodge in the immediate neighbourhood, and even those who lodge in other parts of the city frequent these two centres; so that, if any one wants to know whether or not any individual Mongol has come to Peking, he seeks him at one or other of these marts.