Page 52 - incense-bearers of han
P. 52
CHAPTER VIII - A SCIENTIST MEETS THE GOD OF SCIENCE
I was preaching in Wuchang, one of the twin cities of central China. I noticed a
well-dressed man sitting in the rear of the church. He looked rather bored. Seated in a
pew all by himself, he put his foot up on the bench, braced his back in the corner of
the pew, and tried to settle down for a comfortable nap.
Presently I began to read from the Mandarin Bible. The passage was Matthew 24.
The man in the rear of the hall began to prick up his ears just a wee bit and to evince
some interest that a foreigner could read the Mandarin with a rather unusual degree of
facility. Having read a portion of the great Olivet discourse containing the signs of the
age as given by the Savior Himself, I proceeded to give a message on the signs of the
second advent of Christ, citing recent world conditions and international relationships,
the general breakdown of morals, the departure from revealed truth as fulfillments of
the sign. The man on the back seat was unable to go through with his nap. In spite of
himself, he became deeply interested, straightened up his back, put both feet on the
floor, and then leaned over on the seat in front with arms folded and chin on the back
of his hands. His eyes burned into me as I set forth the truth of the near return in
judgment of the Son of God.
After the service was over, he came down to the front to speak to me. Rarely have I
seen such agitation. Sputtering in alternate English and Chinese, he began to shout,
“It‟s true. It‟s true. Every word that you say is true. I never knew that these things
were revealed in the Bible. May I go with you to your house and talk with you further
concerning these matters?” I readily agreed.
As we walked along to the house, I learned that he was the dean of the Science
Department of a great university there in Wuchang, a Doctor of Philosophy from one
of our American universities. We had a long and earnest conversation, and my friend,
Dr. Cheng, really met the Lord Jesus. A fire was kindled within him the like of which
I have never encountered before in a spiritual babe.
At the next few meetings he was present, each time with his Bible open, listening
with avid interest. On Saturday evening, he told me about a certain friend whom he
had brought in as a professor of mathematics in his department. His friend was in
Shanghai in a hospital and he felt he was going to die shortly from a serious kidney
malady. As he told me about it, he showed the greatest agitation, and shouted, “He is
44