provinces which were without a missionary, and
two for Mongolia; and writing the petition on the margin of the Bible I
had with me, I returned home with a heart enjoying rest such as it had
been a stranger to for months, and with an assurance that the LORD would
bless His own work and that I should share in the blessing. I had
previously prayed, and asked prayer, that workers might be raised up for
the eleven then unoccupied provinces, and thrust forth and provided for,
but had not surrendered myself to be their leader.

About this time, with the help of my dear wife, I wrote the little book,
_China's Spiritual Need and Claims_. Every paragraph was steeped in
prayer. With the help of Mr. Berger, who had given valued aid in the
revision of the manuscript, and who bore the expense of printing an
edition of 3000 copies, they were soon put in circulation. I spoke
publicly of the proposed work as opportunity permitted, specially at the
Perth and Mildmay Conferences of 1865, and continued in prayer for
fellow-workers, who were soon raised up, and after due correspondence
were invited to my home, then in the East of London. When one house
became insufficient, the occupant of the adjoining house removed, and I
was able to rent it; and when that in its turn became insufficient,
further accommodation was provided close by. Soon there were a number of
men and women under preparatory training, and engaging in evangelistic
work which tested in some measure their qualifications as soul-winners.

[Illustration]

FOOTNOTES:

[3] Isaiah lv. 8, 9.

CHAPTER XIX

THE FORMATION OF THE C. I. M.

IT was thus that in the year 1865 the CHINA INLAND MISSION was
organised; and the workers already in the field were incorporated into
it. W. T. Berger, Esq., then residing at Saint Hill, near East
Grinstead, without whose help and encouragement I could not have gone
forward, undertook the direction of the home department of the work
during my anticipated absence in China; and I proposed, as soon as
arrangements could be completed, to go out with the volunteers and take
the direction of the work in the field. For the support of the workers
already in China, our friends at home were sending in unsolicited
contributions from time to time, and every need was met.

We had now, however, to look forward to the outgoing of a party of
sixteen or seventeen, and estimated that from L1500 to L2000 might be
required to cover outfits, passage-mon