hear their cry:
Help us to help them, lest we die.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XV

SETTLEMENT IN NINGPO

THE autumn of 1856 was well advanced before I reached Ningpo, one of the
most ancient and influential cities on the coast of China. Opened to the
residence of foreigners in 1842 by the treaty of Nan-king, it had long
been the scene of missionary labours. Within its thronging thoroughfares
the busy tide of life runs high. Four hundred thousand human beings
dwell within or around the five miles circuit of its ancient wall, every
one a soul that JESUS loves, for whom He died.

As winter drew on I rented a native house in Wu-gyiao-deo, or Lake Head
Street. It was not then a very comfortable residence. I have a very
distinct remembrance of tracing my initials on the snow which during the
night had collected upon my coverlet in the large barn-like upper room,
now subdivided into four or five smaller ones, each of which is
comfortably ceiled. The tiling of an unceiled Chinese house may keep off
the rain--if it happens to be sound--but it does not afford so good a
protection against snow, which will beat up through crannies and
crevices, and find its way within. But however unfinished may have been
its fittings, the little house was well adapted for work amongst the
people; and there I thankfully settled down, finding ample scope for
service,--morning, noon, and night.

During the latter part of this year my mind was greatly exercised about
continued connection with my Society, it being frequently in debt.
Personally I had always avoided debt, and kept within my salary, though
at times only by very careful economy. Now there was no difficulty in
doing this, for my income was larger, and the country being in a more
peaceful state, things were not so dear. But the Society itself was in
debt. The quarterly bills which I and others were instructed to draw
were often met by borrowed money, and a correspondence commenced which
terminated in the following year by my resigning from conscientious
motives.

To me it seemed that the teaching of GOD'S Word was unmistakably clear:
"Owe no man any thing." To borrow money implied, to my mind, a
contradiction of Scripture--a confession that GOD had withheld some good
thing, and a determination to get for ourselves what He had not given.
Could that which was wrong for one Christian to do be right for an
association of Christians? Or could any amount of