Religious education had made a marked improvement in the
appearance of the pupils of both Seminaries, in their personal
habits, their intelligence, and especially in their knowledge of the
doctrines of the gospel. Old superstitions had lost their hold; they
could no longer trust in fasts and ceremonies, and they had an
intellectual understanding of the way of salvation through a
Redeemer. True, all this did not necessarily involve a spiritual
work; but God is pleased to have the way thus prepared for that
Spirit who sanctifies through the truth. Those who had received the
most instruction were the first to come to Christ, and have since
lived the more consistent Christian life.
Then, in the good providence of Him who always observes a beautiful
order in the manifestations of his grace, other influences tended to
the same result. The very delay of the blessing called forth earnest
prayer from the husbandmen who were waiting for precious fruit, and
had long patience for it, till they received the early and the
latter rain. The trials which the missionaries had passed through in
1845 also tended to produce that despair of help from themselves
which usually precedes blessing.
Pages:
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157