He preached till after midnight to eager listening
crowds, and as he dropped upon his bed, too weary
to speak, with aching throat and parched lips, he
still breathed a prayer of thankfulness that to him
had been given this opportunity. As the Father
gave His beloved sleep, the boy murmured, " I will
rest long in the morning." At four o'clock, which
came all too soon, he heard the call : " Teacher
of the gospel, arise ; it is now full light, and the
people are assembling to hear you." Springing up
and dressing quickly, he fell upon his knees in
prayer for strength, and then, Bible in hand, went
forth to give the message. Till noon he preached
and taught, with scarcely, time for food or drink,
then when the crowd withdrew food was placed
before him and he was told to rest ; but as he sat,
with bowl and chopsticks still in hand, there came
together farmers from the country round about
asking that instead of their usual noonday nap they
might hear this wonderful gospel of rest for their
souls. So again he gladly gave himself to loving
ministry. Do we wonder that after two weeks of
such labour as this there came a pitiful appeal to
Peking for help, or that the reply was prompt,^ and
another college student was sent to answer the
Macedonian cry,?

In this same town a descendant of the philosopher
Mencius heard the young evangelist, who, while so
well versed in the holy writ of the ancient sage,

239



China's Dayspring after Thirty Years

seemed to have a new gospel from a higher source.
