15,000至20,000人接受了基督

shiyi18

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BY REV. J. Hudson Taylor.
'你所常侍奉的神，能......吗？?
"在每个时代，不信的人都 "以悲哀的声音 "像大流士一样问这个问题，而在每个时代，上帝的见证人都有特权给予胜利的回答。在新的一年来临之际
在新的一年来临之际，我们回顾了
主带领我们走过的路
我们发现一个新的机会，可以
提升我们的埃比尼泽，重新
在它上面建立我们的耶和华耶和华。中国内地传教会的存在是一个站立的见证，比语言更有说服力，证明神对祷告的回应是充满信心的。传道会因祷告而生，因祷告而养，至今仍月月维持，只为回应恳切的祷告。
只有在真诚的祷告中才能维持。它从很小的开始发展到现在的规模；但这意味着，现在没有几个祷告的主题，而是有许多需要、许多危险、许多困难，所有这些都使我们每天都要求助于我们所爱和所服侍的、从不使我们失望的主。在三十多年前组建传教会时，人们看到，获得劳工的神圣计划是祈祷
祈祷庄稼的主把他们推出来。当我们
结果到1896年5月底，有672名传教士从许多我们从未到过的地方来。
我们从未进入过的许多地方--不仅有来自英格兰、苏格兰、爱尔兰和威尔士的
不仅来自英格兰、苏格兰、爱尔兰和威尔士，而且还来自挪威、瑞典和芬兰、丹麦和德国、瑞士和意大利、美国和加拿大以及澳大利亚。
美国和加拿大，以及澳大拉西亚殖民地--南澳大利亚、维多利亚、塔斯马尼亚。
澳大利亚、维多利亚、塔斯马尼亚、新南威尔士和昆士兰，以及新西兰的北岛和南岛都有。
新西兰。关于资金：三十年前，我们看到，我们有神圣的授权，可以根据主的话语在主的工作中前进，"你们要先求神的国和他的义，这些都是我的。
我们有神圣的保证："你们的父知道你们需要这些东西。
你们的父知道你们需要这些东西"。今天，我们依靠
今天我们依靠这些应许，并没有失望。我们不公布
我们不公布捐赠者的名字，不进行募捐，没有储备资金，也不负债。
我们从不负债；我们现在的道路就像三十年前一样在水上行走。
我们现在的道路就像三十年前一样，月复一月地在水上行走，经常会有这样的经历：直到接近必须向中国汇款的时候，才知道资金需求如何得到满足；然而
" 但 "在某种程度上，主确实提供了。我们有很大的理由赞美上帝，在完全依靠祂的恩惠时，我们从来没有拒绝过一个合适的候选人，也没有仅仅因为缺乏资金支持而放弃任何以祂的名义开始的工作。另一方面，我们不时地把供应的限制当作神圣的指导，不按最初提议的方式或时间开始某些新工作。不仅传教士的人数在不断增加，而且所有其他的需要也在按比例增长。除了由本地资金支持的辅助人员外，还有几百人与他们的家人一起，由传教会提供。然后（且不说本地儿童的寄宿和日间学校），我们有超过200名传教士的孩子需要抚养，而且这个数字还在逐年增加，他们也到了需要教育的年龄。至于开放的大门。在宣教开始时，人们普遍认为在中国内地居住是不可行的；但我们祈祷前进，相信祂的话语："一切能力都赐给我，所以你们要去。. . 而且，我永远与你们同在。"我们在这个期望中也没有失望：那握有大卫钥匙的，打开而无人关闭的，已经在中国除两个以外的所有内陆省份，以及沿海省份的内陆站，为我们设置了数百扇开放的门，因此现在在大约250个内陆站和外站，每天都有常驻传教士或本地传道人宣讲大喜的喜讯。但最精彩的还在后头。所有上述对祈祷的持续回应只是实现伟大目标的手段
我们可以有把握地估计，在过去三十年中，通过神与我们的工作，不少于15,000至20,000人接受了基督。其中许多人在信主时已超过六、七、八十岁，在经过短暂、忠诚的服侍后，被带到了那个永恒的家，这与他们在世俗生活中所度过的不舒适的居所形成了光辉的对比。许多人已经进入天国




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BY REV. J. HUDSON TAYLOR.
' Is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able . . . ?
"- HN every age unbelief "with a lamentable voice " asks, as did Darius, this question, and in every age it has been the privilege of God's witnesses to give triumphant reply. As at the threshold of a new
year we look back on the way
by which the Lord has led
us, we find a new occasion to
raise our Ebenezer and afresh
to build upon it our JehovahJireh. The very existence of the China Inland Mission is a standing testimony, more forc- ible than words, to God's faith- fulness in answer to prayer. The Mission was born of prayer, nourished by prayer, and is still sustained from month to month
only in answer to earnest prayer. It has grown from very small beginnings to its present dimensions ; but this means that in- stead of a few subjects for prayer, there are now many needs, many dangers, many difficulties, all of which cast us daily on Him whom we love and serve, and who never fails us. In the formation of the Mission, more than thirty years ago, it was seen that the Divine plan to obtain labourers was to pray
the Lord of the harvest to thrust them forth. As we have
needed workers, we have done this, with the result that at the end of May, 1896, there were in connection with the Mission 672 Missionaries drawn from many places into which we had
never been—not merely from England, Scotland, Ireland and
Wales, but also from Norway, Sweden and Finland, from Den- mark and Germany, Switzerland and Italy, from the United
States and Canada, and from the Australasian Colonies—South
Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland, as well as from both the North and South Islands of New
Zealand. As to Funds : We saw thirty years ago that we had the Divine warrant to go forward in the Lord's work resting on His words, " Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness ; and all these things shall be added unto you " : that we had the Divine assurance, " Your Father knoweth
that ye have need of these things." And to-day we rest upon
these promises and are not disappointed. We do not publish
donors' names, we make no collections, we have no reserve
funds, we never go into debt ; our path now is as much walking January, 1897.
on the waters as it was thirty years ago—month after month,itis quite a frequent experience not to see how the pecuniary needwill be met until close upon the time when it is necessarytoremit to China ; and yet
" In some way or other, The Lord does provide." Have we not great cause to praise God that, while thusde-pending wholly upon His bounty, we have never had to declineone suitable candidate, or to abandon any work begun in HisName merely from lack of pecuniary support ? On the otherhand, we have from time to time taken the limitation of suppliesas Divine guidance not to commence certain new works in theway or at the time they were first proposed. Not only is the number of Missionaries continually ontheincrease, but all other needs grow proportionately. Besidethenative helpers supported by native funds, there are severalhundreds who, together with their families, are providedforthrough the Mission. Then (not to speak of boarding anddayschools for native children) we have over 200 children of ourown Missionaries to maintain—and the number is increasingfrom year to year—who are old enough to need education also.These benefit by the excellent training and tuition given in ourChe-foo schools. And as to Open Doors : When the Mission was commencedit was generally believed that it was not practicable to resideinInland China ; but we went forward prayerfully, trustinginHis Word, " All power is given unto me ; go ye therefore. . . . And, lo, I am with you alway ! " We have not been disap-pointed in this expectation either : He who holds the keyofDavid, who opens and no man shuts, has set before us hundredsof open doors in all but two of the inland provinces of China,and in inland stations of coastal provinces, so that now in some250 inland stations and out-stations there are resident Missionaries or native Evangelists day by day proclaiming the GladTidings of great joy. But the best remains to be told. All the foregoing continu-ous answers to prayers are but a means to the great end
thesalvation of souls and the furtherance of Christ's kingdom.We may safely estimate that not less than 15,000 to 20,000souls have accepted Christ through God's working withusduring the last thirty years. Many of these were over sixtyorseventy or eighty years of age when converted, and after short,faithful service were taken to that everlasting home whichissuch a glorious contrast to the comfortless abodes in whichtheir earthly lives were spent. Many have entered the heavenly