"JONATHAN GOFORTH: THE HOLY SPIRIT'S MAN IN CHINA"

My eldest sister Eleanor sent me her usual forwards by email. One was about Jonathan Goforth, Missionary to China. As I read it, I was again reminded of the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ which is Evangelism & Soul Winning and the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. Not only was I reminded but was deeply stirred and challenged to ever be in the "greatest business" one can be involved in, the business of the LORD JESUS CHRIST. In Matthew 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

A passage of Scripture comes to mind Matthew 9:36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
37  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

I pray that as you find time to read through this forward, God the Holy Spirit not only warm but fill your hearts with compassion and passion for the souls of men for Proverbs 11:30 declares: ¶The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

Here now is the forwarded message sent in the Love of Jesus Christ our LORD & Saviour.

The following is an abbreviated edition of "Jonathan Goforth: The
Holy Spirit's Man in China," from Giants of the Missionary Trail by
Eugene Harrison, Scripture Press, 1954. [The book can be ordered from
Fairfax Baptist Temple, 6401 Missionary Lane, Fairfax Station, VA
22039. Phone: 703-323-8100. E-mail: fbt@fbtministries.org]

At a summer conference meeting near Chicago it was announced that a
"brilliant speaker" was to be present on a certain day for just one
address. At the appointed time the chairman introduced the speaker
with an extravagant eulogy, whereupon the speaker stepped forward,
stood a few moments in silent prayer, then said:

Friends, if you and I take glory to ourselves which belongs only to
God, we are as foolish as the woodpecker about which I shall tell
you. A certain woodpecker flew up to the top of a high pine tree and
gave three hard pecks on the side of the tree as woodpeckers are wont
to do. At that instant a bolt of lightning struck the tree, leaving
it on the ground, a heap of splinters. The woodpecker had flown to a
tree nearby where it clung in terror and amazement at what had taken
place. There it hung expecting more to follow, but as all remained
quiet it began to chuckle to itself saying, "Well, well, well. Who
would have imagined that just three pecks of my beak could have such
power as that!

That was one of Jonathan Goforth's favorite stories and with good
reason. Few Christians have been so tempted to carnal pride as was
he, for few have been the human instrument of such remarkable
revivals or the object of such praise. A Roman Catholic servant girl,
in a home where the Goforths often revisited, said, "I have often
watched Dr. Goforth's face and wondered if God looks like him."
Charles G. Trumbull said of him, "He was an electric, radiant
personality, flooding his immediate environment with sunlight that
was deep in his heart and shone on his face. And God used him in
mighty revivals." It was as true of Goforth as of Robert M. M'Cheyne
that all who knew him "felt the breathing of the hidden life of God."
He knew the folly of self-reliance. He knew whence power came and to
whom the praise belonged. So as a young man he chose Zechariah 4:6 as
his life's motto.

EARLY LIFE AND CONVERSION

Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936), the seventh of eleven children, was
born February 10, 1859 on his father's farm near London, Ontario,
Canada. His devout mother influenced him to pray and to love, read
and memorize the Scriptures. Something of the hardships endured by
the family is indicated by the fact that the father once went to
Hamilton for food and walked through the bush all the way back, a
distance of seventy miles, with a sack of flour on his back. By
diligent effort Jonathan managed to keep up with his class in school,
although he was under the handicap of being obliged to work on the
farm each year from April to October.

When he was fifteen years of age his father put him in charge of
their second farm, which was twenty miles from the home farm. "Work
hard," said his father. "At harvest I'll return and inspect." In
later years Goforth stirred many an audience as he told of his
arduous labors that summer, of his father's return in the fall and of
how his heart thrilled when his father, after inspecting the fields
of beautiful waving grain, turned to him and smiled. "That smile," he
would say, "was all the reward I wanted. I knew my father was
pleased. So will it be, dear Christians, if we are faithful to the
trust our Heavenly Father has given us. His smile of approval will be
our blessed reward."

At the age of eighteen, while Jonathan was finishing his high school
work, he came under the influence of Rev. Lachlan Cameron, a true
minister of Christ. He went one Sunday to Rev. Cameron's church and
heard a sermon from God's Word that cut deeply and exactly suited his
need. The Holy Spirit used the Word to bring him under conviction and
that day he yielded to the tender constraints of Christ.
"Henceforth," said he, "my life belongs to Him who gave His life for
me."

Under this impulse he became an active, growing Christian, He sent
for a supply of tracts and startled the staid Presbyterian elders by
standing, Sunday after Sunday, at the church door giving each person
a tract. Soon thereafter he began a Sunday evening service in an old
school house about a mile from his home. He instituted the practice
of family worship and besought the Lord for the salvation of his
father. Several months later his father took a public stand for
Christ.

About this time his faith was subjected to a severe testing. His
teacher was a blatant follower of the infidel Tom Paine, and his
classmates, influenced by the teacher, made his life miserable by
their jeers and mockery. The foundations seemed to be giving way and
in a mood of desperation Jonathan turned to God's Word. In
consequence of an earnest, day-and-night search of the Word, his
faith was firmly established and all his classmates, also his
teacher, were brought back from infidelity.

BOOKS AND THE BOOK

The next great influence in Jonathan's life came through a book and
then a collection of books. A saintly old Scotchman, Mr. Bennett, one
day handed him a well-worn copy of the Memoirs of Robert Murray
M'Cheyne, saying, "Read this, my boy; it will do you good." It did!
Stretched out on the dry leaves in the woods, he was soon so absorbed
in the book he did not notice the passing of the hours. When the
lengthening shadows of sunset aroused him, he arose a new man. The
story of M'Cheyne's spiritual struggles, sacrifices and victories
stirred him to the depths and was used of God's Spirit to turn his
life from selfish ambitions to the holy calling of being a seeker of
souls.

In view of his intention to enter Knox College to prepare for the
ministry, Rev. Cameron arranged to give him lessons in Latin and
Greek and loaned him a number of books by Bunyan, Baxter, Boston and
Spurgeon, which he "devoured" with rich blessing. But his main book
was the Bible. He arose two hours earlier each morning in order to
have unhurried time for the study of the Word before going to work or
to school.

THE MISSIONARY CALL

Young Goforth was now spiritually ready for God to deal with him
again. One epochal day he went to hear an address by the heroic
missionary pioneer, George L. Mackay of Formosa. Full of the Holy
Spirit, like Peter and Paul and Stephen of old, Dr. Mackay pressed
home the needs and claims of the heathen world, especially of
Formosa. He told how he had been going far and wide in Canada seeking
missionary reinforcements but so far he had not found even one young
man willing to respond. Simply but powerfully he continued, "I am
going back alone. It will not be long before my bones will be lying
on some Formosan hillside. To me the heartbreak is that no young man
has heard the call to come and carry on the work that I have begun."

As Goforth heard these words he was "overwhelmed with shame." He
describes his reactions as follows: "There was I, bought with the
precious blood of Jesus Christ, daring to dispose of my life as I
pleased. Then and there I capitulated to Christ. From that hour I
became a foreign missionary."

Note well the words, "From that hour I became a foreign missionary."
An ocean voyage does not transform a lukewarm Christian into a
glowing brand for God.

BIBLE COLLEGE IN TORONTO

On his first day in Toronto, Jonathan walked through the slum section
praying that God would open a way whereby he might take the Gospel to
the needy homes and hearts of that area; and the first Sunday morning
found him preaching in a jail -- a practice he continued throughout
his college course. As unreservedly as his studies would allow he
gave himself to evangelistic calling in the homes of the slums and to
the work of different rescue missions.

He exhibited a fervent zeal for souls. At the opening of a new fall
session at college the principal asked Jonathan how many homes he had
visited during the summer vacations. "Nine hundred sixty," was the
reply. "Well, Goforth, if you don't take any scholarships in Greek
and Hebrew, at least there is one book that you are going to be well
versed in and that is the book of Canadian human nature." Indeed, not
only were many souls saved but many valuable lessons learned, for, as
he discovered later, there is no essential difference between
Canadian and Chinese human nature. During his years in college and in
slum work he was often down to the last penny but God proved faithful
in every test. Like George Mueller and Hudson Taylor, he learned to
trust God utterly for all his needs.

He also learned to trust the Spirit's guidance in all circumstances.
On one occasion when scheduled to speak at a certain place on Sunday,
he found he had only sufficient money to buy a ticket one station
short of where he was to speak. After praying for divine guidance he
bought the ticket and rode to that station, then began to walk the
remaining ten miles. When he had covered approximately eight miles,
he came upon a group of men repairing the road. He engaged them in
friendly conversation, pointed them to the only "name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved" and invited them to the
service the following day. To his great joy several of them turned up
and at least one of them was saved. In referring to this later he
would say, "I would gladly walk ten miles any day to bring one lost
soul to Christ." He was indeed a missionary long before he reached
China. It was said of him, "When he found his own soul needed Jesus
Christ, it became a passion with him to take Jesus Christ to every
soul."

He did not hesitate to enter saloons and brothels and in these places
he won for Christ a number of broken, disreputable persons. One night
as he was coming out of a street that had a particularly evil
reputation, a policeman met him and said, "How have you the courage
to go into those places? We policeman never go there except in twos
or threes." "I never walk alone, either," replied Goforth. "There is
always Someone with me."

A BRIDE FOR GOFORTH

It was in connection with his mission work in Toronto that Goforth
met Rosalind Bell-Smith. She was an Episcopalian, a member of a
cultured and wealthy family, and an artist. She was also a born-again
Christian and longed to live a life of service to God. The day she
met Goforth she noted both the shabbiness of his dress and the
challenge of his eyes. A few days later at a mission meeting she
picked up Jonathan's Bible, which was lying on a chair, observed that
it was marked from cover to cover and noted that parts of it were
almost in shreds from frequent use. "That's the man I want to marry,"
she said to herself. A few months later she accepted his proposal of
marriage upon the condition he himself stipulated, namely, that in
all things he should put his Master's work before her. Little did she
dream what that promise would cost her through the long years ahead.
The first, though not the greatest, price it cost her was the
engagement ring of which she had dreamed, for Jonathan explained that
he needed every penny for his ministry of distributing Testaments and
tracts. "This," she said, "was my first lesson in real values."

October 25, 1887, Jonathan and Rosalind were married. After a
memorable farewell service in the historic Knox church of Toronto the
Goforth's sailed for China, February 4, 1888, under the auspices of
the Presbyterian Church of Canada.

NEW MISSIONARIES IN CHINA

The Goforths settled first at Chefoo for nine months of language
study. While living there some valuable lessons were learned. About
two weeks after settling in Chefoo their house burned to the ground
and practically everything they had was destroyed. Mrs. Goforth was
distraught but her husband simply said, "My dear, do not grieve so.
After all, they're just things." Thus Rosalind learned another lesson
in real values.

With elation of spirit the Goforths moved further and further into
the interior on the way to the remote province of Honan to set up a
home and a mission station. Their early years in China were marked by
sweet joys, piercing sorrows and significant manifestations of
character. Chief sorrows were connected with the untimely passing of
their first two children. Their severe heartache was swallowed up in
their travail over the woes of the Chinese masses.

SPEAKING CHINESE IN ANSWER TO PRAYER

By means of prayer and dependence upon the Holy Spirit, he witnessed
and experienced many miracles. One of these was in connection with
language study. In college in Toronto he was weak in languages and in
China he made little progress in the use of the language, although he
applied himself to the task with great diligence. Repeatedly when he
was trying to preach to a group of people, the Chinese would point to
another missionary, who had reached China a year after he did, and
say, "You speak. We don't understand him." This was mortifying but
Goforth refused to be discouraged. "The Lord called me to China, he
said, "and I expect His Spirit to perform a miracle and to enable me
to master the language." He picked up his Chinese Bible and went to
the chapel. As he began to preach the miracle happened; He spoke with
a fluency and power that amazed the people and thence forth his
mastery of the Chinese language was recognized everywhere. Two months
later he received a letter from Knox College telling of a prayer
meeting in which the students prayed "just for Goforth" and the
presence of God was manifestly among them. Looking into his diary he
found that the prayer meeting was at the very time his tongue gained
such sudden mastery over the Chinese language.

WILD MOBS AND FLOODS

His zeal for souls caused him to be away from home much of the time
in widespread evangelistic itineration. He often spent the night in
places that were disagreeable for lack of heat and for other reasons.
For instance: "One end of the small room I occupied was for the pigs
and the donkeys. Besides, we had to contend against other living
things not so big as donkeys but a thousand times more troublesome."
There were many escapes from wild mobs. One day he and a colleague
came suddenly in to a crowd of thousands attending a sort of fair.
Though both foreigners wore Chinese dress, their identity was soon
recognized and in a few moments the crowd rushed upon them, hooting,
yelling, throwing sticks, stones and clods of earth. Just when death
seemed imminent a sudden gust of wind blew a tent over and scattered
the articles offered for sale. As the Chinese scrambled for these the
missionaries escaped.

This intrepid missionary constantly lived up to his name, for he was
ever eager to "go forth" to new areas and new conquests for Christ.
In 1894 and 1895 he went to Change, in remote North Hogan, bought
land, erected buildings, established a mission station and moved the
family belongings. This was, for the Goforths, the seventh home in
their seven years in China. And even before settling in the seventh
home the mission compound was covered by flood waters to a depth of
more than six feet, and thus for the second time they experienced the
loss of practically all of their temporal possessions.

THE OPIUM ADDICT CONVERT

The air was filled with wild rumors about the foreign devils. One of
these was to the effect that the medicine used by the foreigners in
treating the people was made from the hearts and eyes of kidnapped
Chinese children. But the Spirit of God was at work and such crowds
waited upon the ministry of the Word that both Goforth and his wife
"kept up constantly preaching on an average of eight hours a day" and
were at the point of complete physical exhaustion. Early one morning
he said, "Rose, on the basis of Philippians 4:19 let us kneel down
and pray for an evangelist to help us in the work." This they did
though as yet they had not a single convert in this area. The next
day a man named Wang Fulin appeared at the Mission seeking
employment. He was a pitiable spectacle, his face having the ashy hue
of an opium fiend, his form bent from weakness and his emancipated
frame, clothed in a beggar's rags shaking every few moments from a
racking cough. This man became a mighty testimony to the transforming
power of Christ and a fervent preacher of the Gospel. In the first
five months at Change about twenty five thousand men and women
visited the compound and heard the precious tidings of redemption
proclaimed by the Goforths and the converted gambler and opium
smoker, Wang Fulin.

2,300 VISITORS IN ONE DAY

When their new semi-foreign bungalow was completed, the Chinese came
in swarms to see the board floors, glass windows, the furniture,
sewing machine and the organ. The kitchen stove, which sent its smoke
up the chimney instead of into people's eyes and all over the house,
was an object of constant wonder. The pump was the talk of the whole
countryside. What a contraption that could bring water up from the
bottom of a well with out a bucket! As many as 1,835 men and 500
women passed through the house on a single day and all heard the
Gospel message.

A GREAT DOOR AND MANY ADVERSARIES

By this time they had three living children to rejoice their hearts.
Then, in the summer of 1898, little Gracie was found to be in a
hopeless condition from an enlarged spleen caused by pernicious
malaria. For almost a year she lingered and suffered. One night Grace
sat up in bed and said, "I want my Papa." Rosalind hesitated to call
the worn out father but when Grace said again, "I want my Papa," she
roused him. As the father took the little one in his arms and began
to pace the floor, Rosalind went into another room and prayed that
God would heal the dear child or spare her from further suffering.
While the mother was on her knees, Grace sudden lifted her head from
father's shoulder, looked straight into his eyes, gave him a
wonderful smile, closed her eyes and in an instant was in the
Savior's arms.

Goforth was singularly adept at devising ways of meeting difficult
situations and appealing to various types of people. At a certain
time each year thousands of students came to Change to take
examinations for government positions. Large numbers of them came to
the mission but were full of conceit, disorderly, and impossible to
control. Planning to be ready for them the next year, he sent to
Shanghai for a large globe, several maps and astronomical charts.
When groups of students came they immediately asked, "What is that
big round thing?" He would explain that it was a representation of
the earth. "You don't mean to tell us that the earth is round, do
you?" they would reply in astonishment. And when he explained the
movements of the earth some were sure to exclaim, "If the earth turns
like that, why don't we all tumble off?" Then followed explanations
concerning the law of gravitation, the size of the sun, its distance
from the earth and other astronomical facts. Thus, pride was
dispelled and hundreds of students listened attentively to the story
of Christ and redeeming love.

The missionary had a passion for preaching, a longing to develop the
converts into New Testament Christians and a zeal to establish
spiritual, indigenous, New Testament churches after the Pauline
pattern. Taking a group of native Christians with him he would "go
from town to town and from street to street preaching and singing the
Gospel in true Salvation Army style." A map of the field was made and
each center where a Christian church or group had come into
existence, was indicated by a red dot. By May of 1900 there were over
fifty of these red dots. Both parents and children delighted to watch
the dots increase. Florence, the oldest daughter, age 7, exclaimed
one day, "Oh won't it be lovely, father when the map is all red!" The
work of God was progressing mightily. "Our hearts are aglow with the
victories of the present and the promises of the future, " wrote
Goforth. And for the hundredth or thousandth time he quoted his great
text, "We expect a great harvest of souls, for it is not by the
might, or power of man, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD."

During the early months of 1900 the hearts of the missionaries were
radiant with blessing and hope. Then came the storm. In June
golden-haired Florence was smitten with meningitis and "went to be
with Jesus."

FLEEING THE BOXER REBELLION

The funeral was scarcely over when a message came from the American
Consul in Chefoo saying, "Flee south. Northern route cut off by
Boxers." The terrors and horrors of the infamous Boxer Uprising were
descending. The missionaries were in favor of staying at their post
regardless of the consequences but the Chinese Christians made it
clear that their chances of escape would be greatly reduced if the
missionaries remained. On June 28 before daybreak the missionary
party, consisting of the Goforths and their four children, plus three
men, five women and one little boy, set out on the long and hazardous
journey fourteen days by carts to Fancheng and a longer period from
there by boat to Shanghai. There were days of panic and agony due to
the intense heat, the long hours of continual bumping over rough
roads in spring less carts, the illness of one of the children and
the oft repeated cries, "Kill these foreign devils" that came from
fierce, threatening mobs along the way.

At one point a mob of several hundred men attacked them with a
fusillade of stones. As Goforth rushed forward to try to reason with
the men, he was struck on the head and body by numerous savage blows
and one arm was slashed to the bone in several places. Dripping with
blood he staggered to the cart, picked up his baby and said, "Come!"
We must get away quickly." Rosalind and other missionaries received
very painful injuries but all managed to escape as the mob scrambled
for their possessions in the carts.
WORLDLINESS AND APOSTASY IN CANADIAN CHURCHES

After many terrifying experiences and narrow escapes they reached
Shanghai and soon sailed for Canada. The furlough was a time of
poignant sorrow as Goforth, in his deputation trips, found that
worldliness and apostasy had invaded the churches and most of the
people had little concern for the unsaved masses of heathen lands.

BACK IN CHINA

Back to China they went, to the people they loved, to the multitudes
they yearned to win to Christ, to the land where all their
possessions had been destroyed four times and where four of their
children were buried. Jonathan was soon enthused over a plan of
intensive evangelism which would entail their staying in successive
centers for a period of one month each. "I will go with my men, " he
said to Rosalind, "to villages or on the streets in the day time,
while you receive and preach to the women in the courtyard." The
evenings would be devoted to open air meetings.

ROSALIND WRESTLES WITH GOD'S WILL

At the end of a month an evangelist would be left to instruct the
converts and establish a congregation. "The plan sounds wonderful,"
replied Rosalind, "except for the children. Think of all the
infectious diseases and of our four little graves. I can't do it. I
cannot expose the children like that." He, however, was sure of God's
leading in the matter and said, "Rose, I fear for the children if you
refuse to obey God's call and stay here at Changte. The safest place
for you and the children is the path of duty." A few hours later
Wallace became seriously ill with Asiatic dysentery. After two weeks
he began to recover and Jonathan packed up and set out on tour alone.
The next day the baby, Constance, fell ill. The father was sent for.
Constance was dying when he arrived. Driven by sorrow, Rosalind
leaned her head upon the Heavenly Father's bosom and prayed, "O God,
it is too late for Constance but I will trust you hereafter for
everything, including my children."

Thenceforth, for years she and the children traveled almost
constantly with Goforth in his extensive evangelistic tours. This
meant that some things loved and prized by the family had to be given
up, such as flowers, bird, dog and cat. It also meant living simply,
in native Chinese style. Usually the furnishings of the rented native
house consisted one table, two chairs, a bench for the children and
the kang -- a long brick platform bed covered with loose straw and
straw mats, where the entire family slept; that is, if the vermin,
insects and pigs permitted them to do so!

DEPENDANCE UPON GOD'S WORD

Goforth's evangelistic methods were simple and spiritual. Whether
speaking to one person or a thousand he was never known to attempt to
deal with souls without his open Bible. His love for and dependence
upon the Word is indicated by the fact that he read through and
studied his Chinese New Testament fifty-five times in one period of
nineteen years. He also used large hymn scrolls as a means of
utilizing the people's love of singing and of teaching the great
truths of the Gospel, in addition to short Gospel messages and
testimonies. In every place where they lived as a family for one
month and carried on this type of intensive evangelistic effort, a
growing church was subsequently established.

SPIRITUAL REVIVAL

At the age of forty-four a strange restlessness came over Jonathan
Goforth. He had seen hundreds of precious souls saved and scores of
churches established. But his soul burned with an indescribably
longing to enter into the fulfillment of his Lord's promise, "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do
shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do." Tidings
of the mighty revival in Wales intensified this longing, as did also
a booklet containing selections from Finney's Lectures on Revival.

He began an intense study of every passage in the Bible dealing with
the Holy Spirit. He arose regularly at five o'clock or even earlier
for Bible study and to pray for the fullness of the Spirit. One
evening while speaking to an audience of unsaved people on "He bare
our sins in His own body on the tree," he saw deep conviction written
on every face and almost every one took an open stand for Christ.

Those were days of unprecedented spiritual awakening. As a result, he
was deluged with invitations from all parts of China and found
himself drawn into a new and far-reaching type of ministry. Rosalind
and the five children sailed for Canada and he, a lonely man,
separated from his family till his next furlough time, plunged into
the greatest work of his life.

One day at the close of his message he said to the people, "You may
pray." Immediately an elder of the church, with tears streaming down
his cheeks, stood before the congregation and confessed the sins of
theft, adultery and attempted murder. "I have disgraced the holy
office," he cried. "I herewith resign my eldership." Other elders,
then the deacons, arose one by one, confessed their sins and
resigned. Then the native pastor stood up, made his confession and
concluded, "I am not fit to be your pastor any longer. I, too, must
resign." As the Christians confessed their sins and got right with
God, large numbers of unbelievers came under deep conviction and were
saved. Some of the missionaries were entirely out of sympathy with
these revivals. One man said, "Don't expect any such praying and
confessing of sins here as took place in Mukden and Liaoyang. We're
hard-headed Presbyterians from the North of Ireland and the people
take after us. Anyhow, we have respectable people here, not terrible
sinners. Be prepared for a quiet Quakers' meeting at this place." But
several days later the Pastor and many others sobbed out their
confession, the whole congregation did the unheard of thing of
getting down on their knees in prayer and there was a mighty turning
to God in that place.

Many times there was so much praying and confessing, little or no
time was left for the message; even so, the meetings often lasted for
three or four or even six hours. At Kwangchow God's Spirit worked
mightily; the church was cleansed and edified, one hundred fifty-four
converts were baptized during the eight days' meeting and the number
of Christians in this city increased in four years from 2,000 to
8,000. At Shangtehfu there was an intense desire on the part of
missionaries and Chinese Christians alike for a blessing from Heaven.
Long before daylight the pleadings of earnest hearts arose to the
throne of grace. One missionary sobbed out his prayer, "Lord, I have
come to the place where I would rather pray than eat." In this place
five hundred people openly acknowledged Christ as Savior. In a
mission school where at first there was much antagonism, scores of
boys were brought under the conviction of the Spirit, confessed their
sins, accepted Christ and brought a huge pile of pipes, cigarettes
and tobacco to be destroyed, also stolen knives and other things to
be returned to their rightful owners.

FINAL MISSIONARY YEARS

His last years on the field were years of great harvest. Thousands
were born into the kingdom and other thousands experienced the peace
and power of the Spirit, as he traveled extensively in China and
Manchuria. On a single day he baptized 960 soldiers. A number of
thriving churches were established. All of this was accomplished in
spite of many hardships and much pain. During the 1930-1931 furlough
he lost the use of one eye and underwent many painful but fruitless
operations in an attempt to restore his sight. During this time of
illness he dictated the stirring stories found in Miracle Lives of
China. All his teeth had to be extracted and he contracted a severe
infection in his jaw. It was at this time, while pacing the floor and
holding his jaw with his hands, that he dictated the material for his
famous book, By My Spirit. In China he contracted a severe case of
pneumonia while preaching to a packed audience of sneezing, coughing
people in an unheated room in the dead of winter. In 1933 he lost the
sight of the other eye. Even during winter blizzards he continued
traveling and preaching. At Taonan he was led twice or three times
daily through the deep snow and the storm to his appointments.

A year later the Goforths returned to Canada because of a breakdown
in Rosalind's health. Despite his blindness he traveled widely in
Canada and the United States. Everywhere he went his soul was aglow
with one message "the fullness of the Christ-life through the Holy
Spirit's indwelling." Physical sight was gone but his life was as a
"shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."

HOME WITH THE LORD

That blessed day dawned for him in the early morning of October 8,
1936, as he slept. Just a few weeks before at the Ben Lippen
conference in North Carolina the sightless veteran missionary said he
rejoiced in the thought that the next face he would see would be that
of his Savior. He had entered into the bliss he had long anticipated:
"I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness" (Psalm
17:15). That was, indeed, his "coronation day," as Dr. Armstrong said
at the funeral service in Knox Church, Toronto.

Jonathan Goforth's epitaph written by the fingers of angels in
letters of flaming lights stands as summons from heaven to all who
read:

"Not by might, nor by power, but my Spirit, saith the LORD."

Used with permission. Giants of the Missionary Trail was originally
published by Scripture Press, Book Division, [1954]. The book can be
ordered from Fairfax Baptist Temple, 6401 Missionary Lane, Fairfax
Station, VA 22039. Phone: 703-323-8100. E-mail: fbt@fbtministries.org