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FROM CHINA’S DARK DOMINIONS

Scripture Verse

Come over…and help us. Acts 16:9

Introduction

Words: Mar­tin M. Knapp, Bi­ble Songs of Sal­va­tion and Vic­to­ry (Cin­cin­na­ti, Ohio: M. W. Knapp, 1902), num­ber 126.

Music: San­ti­ago Ro­bert B. Finch, 1898 (🔊 ).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Finch (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), would you send us an e-mail?

portrait
Martin Knapp (1853–1901)

A young Jew­ess had been con­vert­ed in London through her Ger­man gov­ern­ess. She had been for­bid­den to read the New Tes­ta­ment by her par­ents, who were ar­dent Jews; but while read­ing Isaiah 53 she found the Mes­si­ah, and was soon ex­pelled from her home.

She then went to Ger­ma­ny, and her­self acted as gov­ern­ess for sev­er­al years. When she heard of Mr. Moo­dy’s work at North­field [Mas­sa­chu­setts], she de­cid­ed to go there.

Having been en­ter­tained in Lon­don for a few weeks by Mr. Den­ny, a pro­mi­nent lay­man, this gen­tle­man asked me one day in Lon­don, as I was about to sail for Am­eri­ca, if I would see her safe­ly across the ocean, which I pro­mised to do.

In Louis­ville she first saw Mr. Moody. On leav­ing Lou­is­ville she went to New York and ap­plied to the Pres­by­ter­ian Board of For­eign Mis­sions for ap­point­ment as a for­eign mis­sion­ary. There be­ing some de­lay in ac­cept­ing her ap­pl­ic­ation, she de­cid­ed to go with the Rev. Hud­son Tay­lor, whom she had met at North­field.

On ar­riv­ing in Chi­na she adopt­ed the garb of the Chi­nese wo­men, and be­came a faith­ful and use­ful work­er. Af­ter two years she was mar­ried to a mis­sion­ary from Scot­land. They are still en­gaged in mis­sion­ary work in North­ern Ch­ina.

Sankey, pp. 339–40

Lyrics

From China’s dark do­min­ions
Unto Co­lum­bia free,
We’ve heard the cries of ang­uish
Which ec­ho o’er the sea.
We’ve heard the roy­al sum­mons
Of Je­sus cru­ci­fied,
To hast­en to the res­cue
Of those for whom He died.

Refrain

We’re com­ing, yes, we’re com­ing
On wings of love we fly,
To bear the Gos­pel mes­sage
Ere wait­ing mill­ions die.

Our hearts with pain are bleed­ing
That we have been so slow,
To heed these plead­ing voic­es
And on our mis­sion go.
Forgive us! oh, for­give us!
Ye na­tions far away,
Forgive us, gra­cious Fa­ther!
In Je­sus’ name we pray.

Refrain

With songs and joy of glad­ness
Our of­fer­ings we give,
That all the hea­then na­tions
May look to Christ and live.
Though deep the pain in part­ing,
Our child­ren, too, may go,
And tell the thirst­ing mill­ions
Where liv­ing wa­ters flow.

Refrain

Then hea­then na­tions bend­ing
At Je­sus’ feet shall fall,
And join with saints and an­gels,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Till ov­er earth tri­umph­ant
His ran­somed Church shall reign,
When Je­sus in His glo­ry
With joy shall come again.

Refrain