erts
preached, and in the after part of meeting, when two or three
others had risen for prayers, I asked Boyinto if he wanted to ask
Christians to pray for him, and he arose and expressed his desires,
including wanting to be baptized very plainly. We called church
meeting at close of the service, and proceeded to examine him for
admission to Church. He answered so well as to please every one,
making some happy hits, as when asked what sort of a place heaven
was, replied, "I haven't been there--how can I tell?" Then said,
"Would any one pray to go there if it were not a good place?" But
his straightforward, open simplicity was refreshing. There seemed
no reason for thinking he was other than an honest
believer--seeking to follow Jesus in all things. The native church
members first responded with enthusiasm that he was a most fit
candidate for receiving to the Church, and expressed great delight
at finding a Mongol who loved and trusted our Saviour. So we felt
with Peter, "Can any man forbid water that these should not be
baptized?" The others then asked me to baptize him on the morrow,
when we were to have another union meeting at our place. And could
you have seen his rising and answering my questions, give assent to
creed and covenant, and then see him remove his cap and bow his
head reverently and receive the water of baptism, your heart would
overflow with gratitude and praise to God for this first fruit
from Mongolia. After prayer we sang "From Greenland's icy
mountains," changed to "From Mongolia, &c," and we felt it as never
before.

'Though God has thus given us great pleasure in gathering this
first fruit, still I feel, and we all feel, that the honour of the
work belongs to God, and the reward to you and others.'

During 1884 and 1885 the regular work of the Peking mission occupied
almost the whole of his time, the Rev. S. E. Meech being in England on
furlough, and most of his duties therefore falling upon Mr. Gilmour.
During his stay in England he had attended many of the Salvation Army
meetings, and had caught much of their spirit. He had also come to the
conviction that men needed to be dealt with individually rather than in
the mass. Hence he gave much time to conversation, to teaching single
persons the Christian catechism and the New Testament, and endeavouring,
by