# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1885_S14 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 14 The Lutheran Pioneer. In China. Our picture takes us to China. It shows us the Chinese worshipping one of their many idols. China is a vast country, embracing 5,300,000 square miles or one tenth of the habitable globe. The millions of that mighty empire are still Gentiles, ‘carried away unto dumb idols.” What they need is not ‘culture and modern civilization,’ but the Gospel of Jesus. There are, however, but few laborers of the Gospel in that vast country. In all of China there are but 480 missionaries, of whom 241 are from various Christian bodies in Great Britain, 214 from the different evangelical de- nominations of America, and twenty-five from the Continental Protestant Churches. The number of Chinese who have been led to confess Christ has rapidly in- creased under their la- bors; as there were but 850 native converts in 1853, while there were 2,000 in 1863, 8,000 in 1878, and 22,000 in 1883. But all put together, what are they to a popula- tion numbering at the low- est estimate 250,000,000 souls? Lhe China Inland Mission has penetrated into the large province in the interior, where the foot of a Protestant never trod before; and in the 18 provinces occupied by the various bodies combined, allowing one missionary to 100,000 heathen, there would still remain more than 183,000,000. human beings entirely destitute of the Gospel. It is appalling to think of such a people liv- ing without Christ, and therefore without God, and without hope, and out in the dark world, dying at the rate of perhaps 1000 every hour, and dying without the Saviour. We must therefore be thankful to God for moving the “hearts of Christians to respond to the cry of those perishing millions, ‘‘Come over, and help us.” Some months ago the Rev. Taylor, the founder of the ‘‘China Inland Mission,’’ re- turned to England to obtain recruits, and he procured 49 in three days. ‘The latest intelli- gence shows that this number. has since in- creased to more than 100, embracing the sons and daughters of many wealthy parents. Within - the past few weeks the best ‘‘cricketer’’ in England not only sailed as a missionary, but gave the whole of his large fortune to the cause, and he was followed by the ‘‘strokes- in” of the Cambridge University boating club, and by others who would be considered in clegan society as belonging to the most : highly educated and refined circles. Cut it Out. Two Christian men were talking about as- surance of salvation, and one said ‘the thought it a kind of presumption for any to say that they were saved;’’ the other replied, ‘‘Friend, hand me your Bible;’’ he opened it at 1 John 5, then taking out his penknife, said, ‘Brother, Iam going to cut out verses twelve and thir- teen, you don’t believe them, they are no use to you, therefore they are better out than in.’’ —“Stop, stop,’’ cried the other; but before he could rise up to prevent him, his friend had them out and laid them on the table. There they were: “12. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.’’ “13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” At first the man was very angry and vexed that his Bible had been spoiled, but taking up the cut-out verses he began to read them over, and soon the light began to dawn on him. “What a fool I have been!’’ he exclaimed. “JT say I believe God’s Word—yes, it is true from first to last—but I have not believed this, and yet it is very plain; henceforth I will not doubt what He says. Thank you, brother, for such a sharp, cutting reproof; the holes in my Bible shall stand as a witness against my un- belief; the words are in my heart now.” Reader, how much of God’s Word ought to be |’ cut out of your Bible?—Z. R. ———— + oo \ Farrn makes the Christian; life proves the Christian; suffering confirms the Christian; death crowns the Christian. Lesson by a Swiss Guide. “Tn the summer of 1879,’’ says the writer, “‘T descended the Rhigi with one of the most faithful of Swiss guides. Beyond the services of the day, he gave me, unconsciously, a les- son for life. His first care was to put my wraps and other burdens upon his shoulders. In doing this he called forall; but I chose to keep back a few for special care. I soon found them no little hinderance to the freedom of my movement; but still I would not give them up until my guide, returning to where I was rest- ing for a moment, kindly but firmly demanded that I should give him everything but my al- pinstock. Putting them with the utmost care upon his shoulders, with a look of intense satis- faction he Jed the way. And now, in my freedom, I found that I could make double speed with double safety. Then a voicespake inwardly : ‘O foolish, will- ful heart; hast thou, in- deed, given up thy last burden? Thou hast no need to carry them.’ I saw it all in a flash; and then as I leaped lightly from rock to rock down the steep mountain-side, I said within myself: ‘And ever thus will I follow Jesus, my Guide, my Burden-bearer. I will rest all my care upon him, for he careth for me.’”’ —_—> ~