A Half Century Among the Siamese and the Lāo: An AutobiographyMcGilvary, Daniel
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A Half Century Among the Siamese and the Lāo: An Autobiography
McGilvary, Daniel
Lao (Tai people); Missions -- Lao (Tai people); Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. -- Missions
I presume that most Christian people in America have a very crude idea
of the method of preaching the Gospel often, or, perhaps, generally,
used by missionaries, particularly in new fields. If they think that the
bell is rung, that the people assemble in orderly fashion, and take
their seats, that a hymn is sung, prayer offered, the Scripture read, a
sermon delivered, and the congregation dismissed with the doxology and
benediction,—they are very much mistaken. All that comes in time. We
have lived to see it come in this land—thanks to God’s blessing upon
work much more desultory than that. Long after the time we are now
speaking of, one could talk of religion to the people by the hour, or
even by the day; one might sing hymns, might solemnly utter prayer, in
response to inquiry as to how we worshipped—and they would listen
respectfully and with interest. But if public worship had been
announced, and these same people had been invited to remain, every soul
would have fled away for fear of being caught in some trap and made
Christians without their consent, or for fear of being made to suffer
the consequences of being reputed Christians before they were ready to
take that step. Forty years later than the time we are now speaking of,
I have seen people who were standing about the church door and looking
in, driven quite away by the mere invitation to come in and be seated.
In one sense our work during the first year was very desultory. I had
always to shape my instruction to the individuals before me. It would
often be in answer to questions as to where was our country; in what
direction; how one would travel to get there; could one go there on
foot; and so on. Or the question might be as to the manners and customs
of our nation; or it might be directly on religion itself. But as all
roads lead to Rome, so all subjects may be turned to Christ, His cross,
and His salvation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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