A CHINESE MISSIONARY ON TOUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2203, 21 May 1896, Page 15

A CHINESE MISSIONARY ON TOUR.

The Rev. Cheok Hong Ctifeong, superintendent of the Church of Eagl&nd Mission to Chinese, in Victoria, occupied the pulpit in two of the city churches on Sunday. In the morning he preached before a good congregation at All Saints', and in the evening he was present at St. Paul's Cathedral, where a large crowd assembled, a number of those in attendance having to be accommodated with seats in the aisles of the building. At the latter service the Rev. Chaok Hong Cheoug preached from Ist Corinthians xvi, 9: — "A great door and effe.ct'.ial is opened unto me"." He said it was because a nutnbar of earnest workers felt it to be their duty and their privilege to reach the heathen, or rather such of them as came to their shores, with the Gospel of Christ that the Church Missionary Society of Victoria was formed ; and iv the formation of that society they were aided by the wise consideration of the authorities of St. Paul's and the- Angle-Chinese colleges of Hongkong, who selected a number of young students specially trained by them, and sent them with the stream of emigration which at that time set in in consequence of the discovery of gold in Australia. These early evangelists came to the colony not for the gold which periahetb, but to reveal to their compatriots a 'treasure enduring unto eternal life. In obedience to their faith and with the devotion of consecrated lives the; set themselves to work, and although their labours were not attended with such a measure of visible success as might have been expected, still it must be remembered that they had great difficulties to contend with — difficulties of the times and circumstances of the people. AH men's minde in those days were 60 absorbed in the golden prospects and ia the actual digging for . treasure that they paid little heed to their spiritual dssMtutiou and needs. So these pioneer evangelists had, so to speak, plenty to do in ploughing and weeding their field before letting drop the seed of righteousness. In these labours they tfi.< cted good and permanent results. - They were instrumental in the conversion of men, many of whom were still in the colony labouring in the extension of Christ's Kingdom. They also built several temporary chapels, and generally laid the foundation of the present Chinese mission. Tho preacher wont on to speak of the work done by this mission, ani referred to a number of instances in which his countrymen had been converted by its" instrumentality to a belief iv Jesus Cfcriat, and were now endeavouring' to convert others. In conclusion, he pointed out that there were thousands of heathen sojournors in this colony, especially upon the West Coasts, who came and went, and left as they came — without light and without hope. Every man of them, if awakened to a sense of his lost condition, would cry "No man careth for my ooul,!^ , Were we discharging the functions of

the Christian life by allowing them to perish in their sins P He thought not, and urged that we should strive, by the grace of God, to succour and save, to enlighten and elevate the dark and degraded mass of oar fellow men.