Ocean Trip to China
At last, the time came for me to leave England for China. I had looked forward to this for a long time. I left London for Liverpool to go on the Dumfries, booked for me by the Committee of the Chinese Evangelisation Society,6 under whose care I was going to China. On September 19, 1853, a service was held in my small sleeping room at the back end of the ship.
My beloved mother had come to see me from Liverpool. I shall never forget that day. She went with me into the little room that was to be my home for nearly six long months. With a mother’s loving hand, she prepared the little bed. Sitting by my side, she joined me in the last Gospel song that we would sing together before I left home for a very long time.
We knelt and she prayed. It was the last Mother’s prayer I was to hear before starting for China. The time then came for us to separate and we had to say goodbye, never expecting to meet on earth again.
I shall never forget the cry of pain that was tom from that mother’s heart. It went through me like a knife. I never knew so fully the meaning of“God so loved the world.” I am sure that in that hour, my beloved mother depended more on the love of God than she had ever done in her life. Oh, what sorrow it must give the heart of God when He sees His children not caring about the needs of the wide world for which His beloved and only Son died!
“Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’ house. The king will greatly desire your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. ” Psalms 45:10-11 Praise God, there is a growing number of people finding the joys given to those who follow Him. They empty their hearts of their own will and leave all to obey Him in the great work of spreading the Gospel.
On September 19, 1853, the Dumfries sailed for China. We arrived in Shanghai on March 1, in the spring of the following year. Our voyage had a rough beginning, but many had promised to remember us in continuous prayer.
This was a great help for we had just left the Mersey River when a fierce seasonal wind caught us. For twelve days, we were sailing up and down in the Irish Channel, unable to get out to sea.
The wind continued to increase and after almost a week, we were able to hide behind some land. But soon we had to raise the sails again and try to sail off into the wind. The greatest efforts of the captain and crew were useless. Sunday night found us being pushed into Carnarvon Bay, each tack becoming shorter, until at last, we were sailing very close to the rocks along the land.
About this time, as the ship was put around in the other direction, the Christian captain said to me, “We cannot live half an hour now. What of your call to labor for the Lord in China?” Before, I had passed through a time of great conflict, but that was over.
It was a great joy to tell him that I would not for any amount of money be in any other position. I informed him that I surely expected to reach China. If not, the Master would be pleased that I was seeking to obey His command.
Within a few minutes, the captain told me that the wind had changed two points, enabling us to sail out to sea. And so we did. Many parts ofthe boat were damaged, but in a few days, we moved into the open sea. The necessary repairs were made as we sailed so that our trip to China was not slowed down.
One thing was a great trouble to me that night. I was a very young believer and did not have enough faith in God to see Him working through the use of things. I had felt it a duty to obey my beloved and honored mother and to please her I bought a life preserver.3 But in my soul, I felt as if I could not simply trust in God while I had this life preserver. All hope of our ship being saved was gone. However, my heart had no rest until I gave it away.
Then with perfect peace, I put several light things together, likely to float at the time we would run into the rocks. I had no thought of wrongdoing and was not troubled that my actions and words did not agree.
Ever since I have seen the mistake I made. It is very common these days when false teaching on faith healing does much harm. It leads some to make mistakes about the purposes of God, shakes the faith of others, and troubles the minds of many.
The use of things should not weaken our faith in God. Also, our faith in God should not stop us from using whatever means are at hand to complete the work He has given. For years after this, I always took a life preserver with me and my mind was never troubled about it.
After the storm was over, the question was settled for me, through the prayerful study ofthe Scriptures. God led me to see my mistake, probably to free me from a great deal of trouble on similar questions now so often asked.
In medical work, I have always asked for God’s guidance and blessing in the use of tools and medicine and then been careful to give Him thanks for answered prayer and renewed health. But to me, it would seem foolish and wrong to fail to use those things which He has put within our reach.
In the same way, we would be unwise not to take daily food and think that we could have life and health by prayer alone. The ocean trip was a very unexciting one. Calm weather made us lose much time on the equator6 and through the Eastern Archipelago.
Usually, a light wind would spring up soon after the sun went down and last until daybreak. Our captain6 would make the most use of it. During the day, we lay still with empty sails.
Often, the wind would blow us back and rob us of a good part of the distance we had gained during the night. At one time, we were dangerously close to the north of New Guinea. Saturday night had brought us to a point some 45 to 50 kilometers off the land.
During the Sunday morning service, I could not fail to see that the captain looked troubled, often going over to the side ofthe ship. Later, I learned from him that the current was carrying us quickly towards some underwater reefs.5
We were already so near that it seemed unlikely that we should get through the afternoon in safety. After dinner, the long boat was put out and all hands tried to turn the ship from the land, but were not able to. As we stood together in silence, the captain said, “Well, we have done everything that can be done and we can only wait for the results.”
I said, “No, there is one thing we have not done yet.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“Four of us on the ship are Christians,” I answered. “Let us each go to our room and pray, asking the Lord to give us a wind. He can as easily send it now as after the sun goes down.” The captain agreed. I spoke to the other two men.
After praying together, we went to our rooms to wait upon God. I had a good but short time in prayer. Feeling so satisfied that our request would be given, I could not continue asking but went up on the deck.
The first officer, a godless man, was in charge. I asked him to let down the clews6 of the mainsail, which had been pulled up to stop the useless moving ofthe sail against the rigging.7
He asked why we would want to do that. I told him we had been asking for a wind from God and that it was coming soon. We were so near the reef that there was not a minute to lose. He looked at me as if I were insane and swore that it was better to see the wind than hear of it! But I watched his eye and followed it up to the royal,8 and there, the edge ofthe sail was beginning to move in the coming wind.
“Don’t you see the wind is coming? Look at the royal!” I said excitedly. “No, it is only a cat’s-paw,9,” he said. “Cat’s-paw or not,” I called, “please let down the mainsail and let us have the good from it!”
This he was not slow to do. In another minute, there was the loud sound of the crew running on the deck. This brought the captain up from his room to find that the wind had come. In a few minutes, we were making our way through the water pushed by a nice wind, and were soon out of danger. Though the wind was sometimes not strong, we did not lose it until after passing the Pelew Islands.
In this way, God helped my faith to grow. Before landing in China, I learned to bring every kind of need to Him in prayer and to expect that He would honor the name of the Lord Jesus and give the help needed.