Letter from Henry to Father, November 6, 1866

noyes_c_cor_729.pdf

Dublin Core

Title

Letter from Henry to Father, November 6, 1866

Subject

Missionaries; Methodism; Catholic Church; Dreams--Religious aspects--Catholic Church; Baptism; Conversion

Description

Henry writes to his father, Reverend Varnum in Guilford, concerning an article in the "China Mail" about an old man wandering the streets of Tientsin in search of Roman Catholicism. This was following a dream he had in which he was barred from the gates of heaven because no unclean, or sinful, a person could enter. Chinese Roman Catholics directed him to Tientsin, where he accidentally joined an English Methodist mission. He returned home to Lou Ling and came again to Tientsin requesting more information for his village. Missionaries arrived and converted much of the village. The villagers began stressing the importance of destroying idols to one another. Henry reports that similar conversions have been seen in India.

Creator

Noyes, Henry Varnum

Source

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3

Publisher

Unpublished

Date

1866-11-06

Contributor

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

Format

PDF

Language

eng (English)

Type

Text

Identifier

noyes_c_cor_729

Coverage

Text Item Type Metadata

Text

[Note: +c means etc]
Canton Nov 6th 1866
My dear Father
My teacher is away to day + as
I am reading I have found something which
will interest you + doubtless others. It is an ac-
count in the China Mail (A Hongkong paper) of a
very Extensive religious interest in connection
with the English Methodist Mission at Tientsin
in the North of China. I copy the main facts.
About last [u]February[/u] an aged stranger or was
seen in the streets of Tientsin inquiring for [--the--]
information relating to the Roman Catholic Religion.
By mistake he was directed to the Protestant
Chapel where he heard with deep interest a
sermon by a native assistant from the text
"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall
see God." [--Suts--] He proved to be from "Lou Ling"
a village 150 miles from Tientsin. His age
68 years. Some months before he had been very
sick Expected to die. He felt that he was
unprepared -- was a great sinner + became
very much depressed. One night he dreamed that
a very beautiful being had led him to the gate
of a most magnificent palace. He looked in
+ saw that it was full of light + splendor +
[?deavoring?] to Enter he has told that no un-
clean + vile person was admitted + the difference
between himself + those within was pointed out.
He was told that he was not to die for some
time + if he became pure + clear, after death
he could Enter the palace + join its pursuits
He awoke full of astonishment + for a
long time remained absorbed in the contem-
plation of his dream, but could not understand
its meaning. Longing to understand it he
fell asleep again + dreamed substantially
the same dream. In the morning he told
his dream to his friends but could get no
satisfactory Explanation. He soon recovered
from his illness but his [?distress?] of mind
continued + increased. He went to some
Roman Catholics (Chinese) in his neighborhood
Explained his feelings + told his dream but could
get from them no Explanation. They told him
however that there were Roman Catholics at
Tientsin who could give him instruction.
He immediately started for that city + found
his way to the Protestant Chapel as above Ex-
plained. He spent several weeks here attending
the chapel services, reading Christian books +
learning all he could regarding the new

Doctrines which he joyfully received. He
finally returned home carrying some
Christian books with him. After several
weeks he appeared at Tientsin again with
a letter signed by a number of his neighbors
+ friends who had become deeply interested in
the books he had taken home + the statements
he had made. This letter contained a request
for a native Christian to go to Lou Ling + Explain the
books more fully. In accordance with this re-
quest the Methodist Mission sent back with the
old gentleman a supply of books + one of their
native assistants. This assistant returned after
a month's absence giving very interesting +
wonderful details of the serious + profound
attachment of a comparatively large number
to the new + glad tidings. Soon afterwards [?a?]
colporteurs were sent to Lou Ling who spent
a month there distributing books + giving
instruction[--s--]. On their return they bore an
invitation for some forEign missionary to
go + administer baptism to those who on
Examination should be judged prepared for
it but as it was not at all convenient at
that time for Either of the members of the Methodist
Mission to go, a native preacher with his wife
were sent instead.
On the 4th of Sept one of the foreign
missionaries started for the place. In nine
or ten days he sent back to his associate
intelligence of such an interesting + Encour-
aging nature more than confirming the
previous statements by the Chinese, that the
remaining member of the mission started for
Lou Ling to assist in the work of Examining
and baptism. They both returned on the
29th [illegible]. The following are some of the
items of interest which they have made known.
They have baptised after a very
careful + prayerful Examination 45 persons
of whom 18 are women + 27 [--wo--]men. There are
several tens more a good proportion of whom
are females who desire baptism. The village
where the principal interest is [--is--] names after
the family clan of which the old gentleman
who came to Tientsin is the head. (is not large)
It is surrounded on all sides by similar
villages distant from Each other only a few
[u]li[/u] [--about--] A [u]li[/u] is about a third of a mile). The
interest Extends in all directions. Some come
on Saturday afternoon 7, 10 + Even 14 miles
bringing their [?bedding?] + food to attend the
Sabbath service retturnining home Sabbath

afternoon after the second preaching service
One old man living 15 miles distant
was heard to say that if the foreign teachers
could afford to come 150 miles he could
afford to come 15 + so he walks that
distance Saturday afternoon to hear preach-
ing.
The native helper before the foreign mis-
sionaries had arrived one Sabbath remarked
publicly on the duty of destroying. Every idol
+ instrument of idolatrous superstition. On the
following day 17 families brought their im-
ages, pictures +c + turned them up in the
presence of the native helper. In reference
to the Sabbath the Chinese Christians have of
their own accord made a rule which is
carefully observed, that among those who meet
together for worship + [--with--] those who remain
during the intermission on the Sabbath preparing
+ Eating their refreshments, no secular topic shall
be introduced + discussed nothing relating to
the cultivation of the soil gather of crops +c
Those who attend the meetings being
mostly farmers, this rule is Evidently a
practical one + shows the sincerity + Ear-
nestness of the people.
The Christians living in the village
go to their work on the neighboring farms,
Early in the morning after breakfast about
9-o-clock they assemble at the chapel
for singing, reading the Scriptures +
prayer for half an hour + then proceed to
their work again. In the Evening after
supper they meet in the chapel for
prayer again.
The Christians are represented as
praying, with fervency + propriety as Enga-
ging in singing hymns, if not with a strict
compliance with the rules of music, with
a deal of Enjoyment + animation [u]with
the spirit[/u] if not with the understanding
They have what cannot be generally
said of native Christians in China an
affecting and profound sense of their
personal sinfulness + unworthiness. They
have an ardent desire for the con-
version of their own families, or neighbors
who are still unconverted. This desire
manifests itself in their [--present--] fervent public
prayers and in their daily [--study and--]
conversation and conduct.
There are the principal facts

of a work commenced + carried on
with a slight Exception, without the
presence of a forEign missionary and
at a place where until last February
no one knew anything about the bible
or the Doctrines of the Bible as Explained
by Protestant missionaries. It seems
to be a genuine turning from the idolatry
to the worship of the true God. There
has been nothing like it before in
China. It is the Lords work therefore
we will rejoice.
I presume before this reaches
you, you may perhaps see other
accounts in the papers or missionary
periodicals-- if not + you think
the facts [--worth--] above stated [illegible]
to do good you have Entire liberty
to make any use of them you wish
to. I have simply abridged the
account as given in the "China Mail"
It seems very much like instances
that have sometimes occured in
India.
I shall write concerning
our own circumstances +c +c
on another sheet before the mail
leaves + so will add no more
here Your Aff son
H.V. Noyes
Rev Varnum Noyes
Guilford
Ohio



[注:andc 表示等]
广州 1866 年 11 月 6 日
我亲爱的父亲
我的老师今天不在,因为
我正在阅读我发现了一些东西
会引起你和其他人的兴趣。这是一个交流
算在中国邮政(香港报纸)的一个
非常广泛的宗教兴趣
与英国卫理公会在天津
在中国北方。我复制主要事实。
大约在去年二月,一个上了年纪的陌生人,或者是
在天津街头询问
与罗马天主教有关的信息。
错误地,他被引导到新教
教堂里他深感兴趣地听到了一个
来自文本的本地助手的布道
“清心的人有福了,因为他们将
见神。”证明他来自《楼灵》
离天津150英里的一个村庄。他的年龄
68 岁。几个月前,他非常
生病 预计死亡。他觉得他是
毫无准备——是一个大罪人,成为
非常郁闷。一天晚上他梦见
一个非常漂亮的人把他带到了门口
一座最宏伟的宫殿。他往里看
看到它充满了光明和辉煌
他执意要进,他告诉过没有不洁和卑鄙的人进入,区别在于
在他和里面的人之间被指出来了。
他被告知他不会为了某些人而死
时间,如果他变得纯净清晰,死后
他可以进入宫殿并加入它的追求
他醒来时充满了惊讶和
很长一段时间都沉浸在他的梦境中,但无法理解
它的意义。渴望明白他
又睡着了,做了大量的梦
同一个梦。早上他告诉
他的梦想给他的朋友,但得不到
满意的解释。他很快就康复了
从他的病,但他的心烦意乱
持续并增加。他去了一些
他附近的罗马天主教徒(中国人)
解释他的感受,告诉他的梦想,但可以
从他们那里得到没有解释。他们告诉他
但是有罗马天主教徒
天津谁能给他指点。
他立即出发前往那个城市,发现
如上所述,他去新教教堂的路。
他在这里待了几个星期
教堂服务,阅读基督教书籍和
尽其所能地学习新的

他欣然接受的教义。他
终于带着一些回家了
和他一起读基督教书籍。经过几次
几周后,他再次出现在天津
一封由他的一些邻居签名的信
和对它产生了浓厚兴趣的朋友们
他带回家的书和陈述
他做了。这封信包含一个请求
一个本地基督徒去楼陵解释
书籍更全面。按照这个重新
追寻卫理公会传教团与
老先生 一堆书和他们的一本
本地助手。这位助理回来后
一个月的缺席给予非常有趣和
精彩的细节严肃而深刻
数量较多的附属物
听到新的好消息。不久之后
撰稿人被派到楼玲那里,他花了
一个月在那里分发书籍和给予
操作说明。在他们返回时,他们带着一个
邀请一些外国传教士到
去为那些在
考试应做好准备
它,但因为它根本不方便
那个时候卫理公会的任何一个成员都去,一个土生土长的传教士和他的妻子
而是发送了。
9 月 4 日,一位外国
传教士开始为这个地方。在九
或者十天他寄回给他的同事
如此有趣和令人鼓舞的情报,而不是证实
中国人之前的说法,
特派团的剩余成员开始
楼玲协助检查工作
和洗礼。他们都返回了
29 日 [无法辨认]。以下是其中的一些
他们公布的感兴趣的项目。
他们经过很长时间的洗礼
仔细和虔诚的考试 45 人
其中女性 18 人,女性 27 人。有
几十个,其中很大一部分
是渴望受洗的女性。村庄
主要利益是以下名称
老先生所在的家族
来天津的就是团长。 (不大)
它四面被类似的东西包围着
相隔很远的村子只有几个
厘 厘是大约三分之一英里)。这
兴趣向四面八方延伸。有的来
周六下午 7、10 甚至 14 英里
带着他们的床上用品和食物参加
安息日服务回家安息日

第二次讲道后的下午
一位住在 15 英里外的老人
听说如果外教
他能负担得起 150 英里
负担得起来 15 所以他走那
周六下午的距离去听讲道——
ing。
一个安息日说,在外国传教士到达之前的本地帮手
公开履行销毁义务。每一个偶像
和拜偶像的迷信工具。在
第二天,17 个家庭带来了他们的照片、照片,并在
本地助手的存在。在参考
中国基督徒的安息日
他们自己制定了一条规则,即
仔细观察,在那些遇见
一起敬拜和那些留下来的人
在安息日准备中场休息期间
和吃他们的茶点,没有世俗的话题
被介绍和讨论
农作物的土壤聚集的栽培和
参加会议的人是
大多数是农民,这条规则显然是
实事求是,体现了人民的真诚和认真。
住在村子里的基督徒
去附近的农场工作,
早上早餐后约
九点钟他们在教堂集合
唱歌、读经和
祷告半小时,然后继续
再次他们的工作。之后的傍晚
他们在教堂见面的晚餐
再次祈祷。
基督徒被描述为
祈祷,像唱赞美诗一样热情而有礼貌,如果不是严格的话
遵守音乐规则,
大量的乐趣和动画
如果没有理解,精神
他们有什么不能一般
谈到中国本土的基督徒
对他们的影响和深刻的感觉
个人的罪恶和不配。他们
有强烈的愿望
他们自己的家人或邻居的版本
谁还没有皈依。这个愿望
表现在他们狂热的公众中
祈祷和他们的日常
谈话和行为。
有主要事实

开始和进行的工作
有一点例外,没有
外国传教士的存在和
在一个直到去年二月的地方
没有人对圣经一无所知
或解释的圣经教义
由新教传教士。它似乎
真正从偶像崇拜转向
敬拜真神。那里
从来没有像以前那样
中国。因此,这是上帝的工作
我们会很高兴。
我想在这之前
你,你也许会看到其他
报纸或传教士的账目
期刊——如果不是,你认为
上述事实[无法辨认]
做好事你有完全的自由
随意使用它们
至。我只是简单地删减了
“中国邮政”中给出的帐户
看起来很像实例
有时发生在
印度。
我将写关于
我们自己的情况和
在邮件前的另一张纸上
叶子,所以不会再添加
在这里你的儿子
高压诺伊斯
瓦努姆·诺耶斯牧师
吉尔福德
俄亥俄州

Original Format

Letter

Citation

Noyes, Henry Varnum, “Letter from Henry to Father, November 6, 1866,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed November 2, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/801.

Output Formats