THE CHINESE.
THREE DAYS OF EVANGELISTIC WORK AT PETALUMA.
BY JEE GAM.
I reached Petaluma a little while before school began. The scholars soon poured in and the attendance was the largest the school ever had. In order to have a little preaching service, we hurried through the lessons. At the conclusion of school, two hymns were sung. I then preached to them of Jesus. They all listened very attentively and appeared interested. At the close, I asked them to come again the next evening and bring their friends. To my great surprise, the next evening not only all the scholars came, but many outsiders; some of these had years ago attended our school for some little time, but the majority of them had never been inside our mission. I was informed, after the meeting, that five or six of them were very highly educated in Chinese, and that they were chief officers of the Chinese Branch Masonic Society in Petaluma. I thought they came simply for curiosity and perhaps for argument. Just before the meeting commenced, I went into my room, knelt down and said to God: "Oh Lord, Thou art the Almighty God, Thou knowest the motives of those who have come to this meeting; Thou knowest I am very weak. I can do nothing without Thy help, so I beseech Thee to make me a good agent in Thy hand. Give me the right word to speak, fill me with power."
I arose from prayer and felt that God was with me. I went into the meeting and announced my subject. It was on Daniel being cast into the lions' den. I noticed the marked interest they all seemed to feel. At the close, I again asked all present to come the next evening (Sunday evening) and bring more friends.
The Sabbath evening meeting came. Sunday-school began at six o'clock. Not only the scholars and every one of the outsiders who had attended the meeting of the night before came, but many others besides, so that we had to bring in extra benches, and yet we lacked room.
My subject this evening was Daniel, third chapter, the three Hebrew children cast into the fiery furnace, being a continuation of my Bible reading of the previous evening. I endeavored to bring home to my countrymen three things: 1st.—That this was the true God, and he was the Supreme Ruler mentioned by our Confucius, Mencius and other sages. 2d.—He was all-powerful and not like the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up, nor like the idols that we Chinese serve. 3d.—He was able to save all those that put their trust in Him. He is just as able and as willing to save us to-day as He was when He saved Daniel and his three countrymen, provided we are willing to trust in Him, as these men did, for He is the same yesterday, to-day and forever. The golden image could not protect from the dangers of the fire the king's mighty men that cast Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the furnace. And why? Because it was simply an image, the work of men's hands. And now, what are our Chinese idols? Are not they the works of men's hands too? We all say that they are true gods and are very powerful; yet, you all well know that we have a common saying: "Though the gods are powerful, yet they are not able to protect an unfortunate man." So let us seek, believe and worship the only true God, and Him alone.
I had to come away the next day, and felt that perhaps I might never have another chance to speak to them. The opportunity, too, was one of the best that any preacher could desire, for they all seemed hungering for more of the truth. Therefore I went on to tell them that the Son of God whom Nebuchadnezzar saw in the fiery furnace was this same Jesus that we Christians believe in and preach to-day. At the conclusion, I urged all to accept Him as their Saviour. I said: "Of course I cannot tell you all about Jesus in one evening, for nearly every one of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and every one of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament speak of Jesus,—his birth, his life, his teaching. All these you can find out by reading the Chinese translation of the Bible, and therefore we earnestly invite you all to read it for yourselves."
"One of our proverbs says: 'Genuine gold never fears the hot furnace fire.' So the Bible never fears examination. The more you try it, the truer you will find it to be. You are all acquainted with the ways of the Tanist priests. They deceive the people and you all know their doctrines and tricks will not bear inspection. For example, the manner in which they pretend to catch demons; they go to the house with their gongs, cymbals, etc., and pretend to catch the ghost and place him in a jar. After they have caught him, they will not allow you to open the jar to view him. Why? The Bible you see is as true as the broad daylight, for it has borne the inspection of centuries. The doctrines of the Tanist priests differ in this respect. Their teaching will not stand criticism nor examination, while the Bible stands the tests of all times, and it is fast becoming the standard book of the nations of the world."