Norwich bulletin., 1914-03-27
ADVANCE OF THE GOSPEL
 IN HEATHEM CHINA
Graphically Sf1o4xr Tn Lenten Sermon
 by Rev. Astis4lr N. Sherman.

A congregation of good numbers was aFeseat at the fifth of the united Len tea services held by Trinity asaa C.arsss casszsszes at TtfAity church TiaHzEdas evening" W4aesa aaa ssasssEias sefnaea was delivered by Rev. AEfaasaT A4. Sherman sE HassasoW, China.
 Ea opening his lae49aaFhs Rev. Mf. SAeeHaaa said that sA his opinion ae4A= aHg s4RRs4g9aeHea 8, aaaa4s faith a4aaze ts4aa he beseaae g. missionary ia China. Years ago Q ship saSled for China <saE- rF4hg the first naisstenary Go that &eatasa eeNagSA The captain said to t2se natskseHaSys rSse soa are going te Gztaa In reply tsse missionary Isaia "Tsa. "Do yea believe you can make any hsagneEsion ea the people of GAtaa.T asked Che captain, "i don't expect Se." answered ei2s missionary, 'Essat believe that God can make an An<sgvess&on on them"
 Alter RaBezing f9r years among the Czaaeses only seven people wers con- veFas4 OtAer missionaries went thess and afeer 50 years the conversions nuTzxtegsd very few compared with the popas&k7o17. It was once said that the missionaries could labor 100 years with the result that only a few thousand couseEstooS would be made. The 100 years have passed and there are now 800 sGo9 commandments in China In QUE church thera have been results thai have been tremendously gratifying. To-day there Is fully organized Episcopal church. there with II dfo- cases, and ths church has its own pro- gEau1s,7e, its own prayer hook and-i its own plans for the future. In the church thece are about 30A 600 coms- nunfcagats- Our boys schools are the models by which other schools. opened by the government are being fashion ed. Girls sGaoo4s are also being open ed by the government and there is a great demand for teachers,
 As result of this the great evils that have held the people down for areatest result is the change tn the lives of the people themselves.
 Here Rev. bIr, Sherman told a touch Ing story of 8 Chinese young man who died 8 martyr to the cause of Chris uanity. This young man was a teacher in the period just before tlae great revolution in China He was seized by the government officials as a leader of the revolUti0niSCs and thrown into prison where be was subjected to fear ful tortures. Even after the charge had been proven false, the officials re- fused to Jet him go because of their great hatred for the Christians, and lle was sentenced to be executed Ills friends succeeded in getting the sen tsEace changed to life Imprisonment While in prison this young man con veEaed not only his heather parents but even his jaIiers and others. At laaE 1Sas friends were not allowed to see him and he was kept in solitary confinement From time to time his friends received letters and hymns thax he had written while in confinement The prisoner finally contracted tHbef+- culndis and died, but his spirit and tia results of his work still live 1n China,
 These are among the joys and sor- Fugs in a n1issionaryFs life. He asks nothing batter than to be able 60 Lift up the faith that is transforming tha old. old people of China, into one of the modern forces of the world. Tie changes are rapid and within a, few years the seaffolding will be taken doarn and the new China will appear. So eager are the Chinese to get in' rouch with the western world that the opportunity is ours as it has never been be9oES.
 Booklets describing the new China and the work of the missionaries there wege distributed among the congre- Eat1on at the close of the service.