The Cambridge Seven
Hello friends, have you ever heard of the story of the Cambridge Seven? Well, two months ago, I received a letter mailed to me by one of my christian bunk-mates. And in this letter, was this story that he thought could be inspiring in more ways than one. I would now like to share it with all of you by typing it out in American English, although I'm so used to writing in British.
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"And He said to them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15
The seven young men who came to be known as "The Cambridge Seven" were all Englishmen, but the story of how God used this handful of students really begins in China, with a medical missionary named Dr. Harold Schofield was a member of the China Inland Mission, the first Protestant mission allowed to penetrate into the interior of China and it was the mission pioneered by Hudson Taylor in 1866. Dr. Schofield had been a brilliant young doctor at Oxford who gave his life to Jesus and at the age of 29, God sent him to China as a missionary.
The was nothing glamorous about missionary life in the interior of China. The stench of dung, mingled with the stench of unwashed bodies was everywhere. Disease was common, especially among the poor, peasant class, and in fact, Dr. Schofield would later die from typhus, contracted in his mission field. At the time, few in England were interested in China mission. Fewer still had even heard of Hudson Taylor's China Inland Mission and the handful who did go to China were not university men, "trained in mind and body for leadership." Students in the universities were not interested in foreign missions and actually, there were not many students who were deeply interested in Jesus. Of the university students who had answered God's call to be missionaries, they wanted to follow the paths blazed by Dr. David Livingstone in Africa or the footsteps of William Carey in India. Dr. Schofield surveyed the province (Shanxi) in which he lived, with its nine million unsaved heathen Chinese and only five or six missionaries total, combined with the sleeping church back in England, he should have packed up his bags and went home in utter defeat. However, Dr. Schofield was a man of prayer and so night after night, "leaving behind food and leisure," he got on his knees and prayed that God would raise up Bible teachers and shepherds, especially from the universities and send them to China as missionaries. When Dr. Schofield died, he did not physically see much answer to his prayer. But God was working in such a way as not only to answer one man's faith and prayer but to awaken an entire nation from its spiritual slumber.
The power of Christian Fellowship
When these seven young men yielded their lives to Jesus, they didn't runaway to a cave and become monks. They didn't shut their mouths and become quietly self-righteous. Instead, they continued to struggle and grow in love for Jesus and for others. They made the most of their situations for the sake of telling others about their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, even though their individual positions meant nothing to them because of the joy and meaning they had in Jesus.
Soon after, these seven young men toured the campuses of England and Scotland, holding meetings for the students. God used these students to bring revival throughout Great Britain. Everywhere they went, the meeting place was always filled with people. Many people, hundreds, even a thousand were converted each night through the simple but heart-moving testimony messages, which told simply the grace of God in their lives and why they were going to China. Those who were converted at these meetings, went out and witnessed to their friends and brought them to Christ. Every night, it was the same messages and with the exception of Smith, none were talented speakers, but people kept coming and coming. The Queen of England was pleased to receive a booklet containing "The Cambridge Seven" testimonies. God had used "The Cambridge Seven" to shake the foundations of a sleeping church in England and awaken her newly to the Gospel of Salvation and World Mission. The influence of "The Cambridge Seven" even came across the Atlantic to the United States and led to the formation of Robert Wilder's Student Volunteer Movement, an organization which toured college campuses, encouraging students to volunteer as missionaries. Fittingly enough, the last farewell meeting was held at Exeter Hall and ended with an address from C.T. Studd:
"Are you living for the day or are you living for life eternal? Are you going to care for the opinion of men here, or for the opinion of God? The opinion of men won't avail us much when we get before the judgment throne. But the opinion of God will. Had we not, then, better take His word and implicitly obey it?"
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. "The Cambridge Seven" obeyed the great commission command and after six weekd, arrived in Shanghai on March 18, 1885.
World Shakers & History Makers
William Cassels worked hard in the mission field to bring souls to Christ. After ten years, he returned to England in 1895 where he was consecrated as the new Bishop of a new diocese in Western China. He returned to his mission field, Western China and brought the Gospel of Jesus to dying souls. He lived in Western China until his death in 1925.
Stanley Smith was sent to North China. God enabled him to master the Chinese language until he became as fluent a preacher in Chinese as he was in English. His life in China was very difficult but he worked hard until the end, preaching and teaching until he also died in China on January 31, 1931.
C.T. Studd, the best known of "The Cambridge Seven", was sent home because of ill health in 1894. But God recovered his health and he spent six years in India as a missionary and a brief period in Britain and America. Then, in 1910, he set off for the greatest challenge of his life, to pioneer the tropics of Africa. He had a strong, absolute attitude before God's word and some people did not like him. He had to endure poverty and much suffering for the sake of evangelizing the native African people. But he loved Jesus and the native African people and laboreed to the end, as a Bible teacher and shepherd. When he died in the Belgium Congo in 1931, over one thousand native Africans saw him to his grave.
Arthur Polhill-Turner was a faithful Gospel worker. He was ordained as a minister in 1888 and moved to the densely populated countryside to reach as many people as he could with the gospel message. He was in China throughout the uprisings against foreigners at the turn of the century and did not leave until 1928, when he retired and returneed to England. He died in 1935.
Cecil Polhill-Turner, stayed in the same province with the others for a while before moving steadily northwest, in the direction of Tibet. During a violent riot, Polhill-Turner and his wife were nearly killed in 1892 but after God restored his health, he returned to the border near Tibet to bring the Gospel to the lost souls there. In 1900, his health failed again, he was sent home to England and he was forbidden to return to China. But his heart was still in China and throughout the rest of his life, he made seven prolonged missionary visits. He died in England in 1938.
Montague Beauchamp loved the hard evangelistic journeys. Once, accompanied by Hudson Taylor, he went "about a thousand miles in intense heat, walking through market towns and villages, living in Chinese inns and preaching the gospel to crowds day by day." He also co-worked with Cassels and was a source of blessing to the native Chinese people. In 1900, he was evacuated because of the uprisings but returned again to China in 1902. He returned to England in 1911 and served as a chaplain with the British Army. His son became a second generation missionary in China and in 1935, although he was much older than his Cambridge days, he went back to China as physically strong and untiring as ever. He died at his son's mission station in 1939.
Dixon Hoste lived the longest of "The Cambridge Seven". Hoste was a faithful man of prayer and in 1903, he succeeded Hudson Taylor as the Director of the China Inland Mission. For thirty years, he led the Mission, which made great advances, reaching many with the Gospel until he retired in 1935. But he remained in China until 1945, when he was interned by the Japanese. He died in London, in May 1946, the last of "The Cambridge Seven" to die.
GOD has used them, and taught them many lessons, fitting them for wider service in days to come. Does one of them regret, now, the consecration that led them to China? Would one of them return and choose an easier pathway? No, a thousand times no! Every word, every appeal of theirs they would re-echo today with tenfold earnestness. What they have given they would give again, and more if it were possible; counting it an honor to follow in His footprints who yielded Himself "for the life of the world".
"The Canbridge Seven" revealed God's power through their lives of fellowship, lives of prayer, and lives of devotion to their first love Jesus Christ. Their beautiful lives were a blessing to the whole world. May God raise up men such as these from the campuses of Singapore in our generation.
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Comments: I'm very touched by the faith and determination of the Cambridge Seven. Their willingness to obey God's word and to do what was told was simply admirable and impressive. What moved me even more was that they were not even Chinese and yet, having the compassion for the people, conviction and love of God, they went through all odds to make a difference in a foreign land and race. As Chinese believers, how can our hearts not be moved for China? It's a place where our forebears called home. Thus, I would really hope to be able to go for mission if there's any chance. And to all of you out there, if there's a chance for mission, please go. If not, let's be faithful in our Jerusalem church, praying for the mission team and giving our best, for their lives are also in our hands. Once again, faith is not an absence of fear but it is moving forward despite of it all and most importantly, trusting God, because only faith alone pleases God.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"And He said to them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15
The seven young men who came to be known as "The Cambridge Seven" were all Englishmen, but the story of how God used this handful of students really begins in China, with a medical missionary named Dr. Harold Schofield was a member of the China Inland Mission, the first Protestant mission allowed to penetrate into the interior of China and it was the mission pioneered by Hudson Taylor in 1866. Dr. Schofield had been a brilliant young doctor at Oxford who gave his life to Jesus and at the age of 29, God sent him to China as a missionary.
The was nothing glamorous about missionary life in the interior of China. The stench of dung, mingled with the stench of unwashed bodies was everywhere. Disease was common, especially among the poor, peasant class, and in fact, Dr. Schofield would later die from typhus, contracted in his mission field. At the time, few in England were interested in China mission. Fewer still had even heard of Hudson Taylor's China Inland Mission and the handful who did go to China were not university men, "trained in mind and body for leadership." Students in the universities were not interested in foreign missions and actually, there were not many students who were deeply interested in Jesus. Of the university students who had answered God's call to be missionaries, they wanted to follow the paths blazed by Dr. David Livingstone in Africa or the footsteps of William Carey in India. Dr. Schofield surveyed the province (Shanxi) in which he lived, with its nine million unsaved heathen Chinese and only five or six missionaries total, combined with the sleeping church back in England, he should have packed up his bags and went home in utter defeat. However, Dr. Schofield was a man of prayer and so night after night, "leaving behind food and leisure," he got on his knees and prayed that God would raise up Bible teachers and shepherds, especially from the universities and send them to China as missionaries. When Dr. Schofield died, he did not physically see much answer to his prayer. But God was working in such a way as not only to answer one man's faith and prayer but to awaken an entire nation from its spiritual slumber.
The power of Christian Fellowship
When these seven young men yielded their lives to Jesus, they didn't runaway to a cave and become monks. They didn't shut their mouths and become quietly self-righteous. Instead, they continued to struggle and grow in love for Jesus and for others. They made the most of their situations for the sake of telling others about their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, even though their individual positions meant nothing to them because of the joy and meaning they had in Jesus.
Soon after, these seven young men toured the campuses of England and Scotland, holding meetings for the students. God used these students to bring revival throughout Great Britain. Everywhere they went, the meeting place was always filled with people. Many people, hundreds, even a thousand were converted each night through the simple but heart-moving testimony messages, which told simply the grace of God in their lives and why they were going to China. Those who were converted at these meetings, went out and witnessed to their friends and brought them to Christ. Every night, it was the same messages and with the exception of Smith, none were talented speakers, but people kept coming and coming. The Queen of England was pleased to receive a booklet containing "The Cambridge Seven" testimonies. God had used "The Cambridge Seven" to shake the foundations of a sleeping church in England and awaken her newly to the Gospel of Salvation and World Mission. The influence of "The Cambridge Seven" even came across the Atlantic to the United States and led to the formation of Robert Wilder's Student Volunteer Movement, an organization which toured college campuses, encouraging students to volunteer as missionaries. Fittingly enough, the last farewell meeting was held at Exeter Hall and ended with an address from C.T. Studd:
"Are you living for the day or are you living for life eternal? Are you going to care for the opinion of men here, or for the opinion of God? The opinion of men won't avail us much when we get before the judgment throne. But the opinion of God will. Had we not, then, better take His word and implicitly obey it?"
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. "The Cambridge Seven" obeyed the great commission command and after six weekd, arrived in Shanghai on March 18, 1885.
World Shakers & History Makers
William Cassels worked hard in the mission field to bring souls to Christ. After ten years, he returned to England in 1895 where he was consecrated as the new Bishop of a new diocese in Western China. He returned to his mission field, Western China and brought the Gospel of Jesus to dying souls. He lived in Western China until his death in 1925.
Stanley Smith was sent to North China. God enabled him to master the Chinese language until he became as fluent a preacher in Chinese as he was in English. His life in China was very difficult but he worked hard until the end, preaching and teaching until he also died in China on January 31, 1931.
C.T. Studd, the best known of "The Cambridge Seven", was sent home because of ill health in 1894. But God recovered his health and he spent six years in India as a missionary and a brief period in Britain and America. Then, in 1910, he set off for the greatest challenge of his life, to pioneer the tropics of Africa. He had a strong, absolute attitude before God's word and some people did not like him. He had to endure poverty and much suffering for the sake of evangelizing the native African people. But he loved Jesus and the native African people and laboreed to the end, as a Bible teacher and shepherd. When he died in the Belgium Congo in 1931, over one thousand native Africans saw him to his grave.
Arthur Polhill-Turner was a faithful Gospel worker. He was ordained as a minister in 1888 and moved to the densely populated countryside to reach as many people as he could with the gospel message. He was in China throughout the uprisings against foreigners at the turn of the century and did not leave until 1928, when he retired and returneed to England. He died in 1935.
Cecil Polhill-Turner, stayed in the same province with the others for a while before moving steadily northwest, in the direction of Tibet. During a violent riot, Polhill-Turner and his wife were nearly killed in 1892 but after God restored his health, he returned to the border near Tibet to bring the Gospel to the lost souls there. In 1900, his health failed again, he was sent home to England and he was forbidden to return to China. But his heart was still in China and throughout the rest of his life, he made seven prolonged missionary visits. He died in England in 1938.
Montague Beauchamp loved the hard evangelistic journeys. Once, accompanied by Hudson Taylor, he went "about a thousand miles in intense heat, walking through market towns and villages, living in Chinese inns and preaching the gospel to crowds day by day." He also co-worked with Cassels and was a source of blessing to the native Chinese people. In 1900, he was evacuated because of the uprisings but returned again to China in 1902. He returned to England in 1911 and served as a chaplain with the British Army. His son became a second generation missionary in China and in 1935, although he was much older than his Cambridge days, he went back to China as physically strong and untiring as ever. He died at his son's mission station in 1939.
Dixon Hoste lived the longest of "The Cambridge Seven". Hoste was a faithful man of prayer and in 1903, he succeeded Hudson Taylor as the Director of the China Inland Mission. For thirty years, he led the Mission, which made great advances, reaching many with the Gospel until he retired in 1935. But he remained in China until 1945, when he was interned by the Japanese. He died in London, in May 1946, the last of "The Cambridge Seven" to die.
GOD has used them, and taught them many lessons, fitting them for wider service in days to come. Does one of them regret, now, the consecration that led them to China? Would one of them return and choose an easier pathway? No, a thousand times no! Every word, every appeal of theirs they would re-echo today with tenfold earnestness. What they have given they would give again, and more if it were possible; counting it an honor to follow in His footprints who yielded Himself "for the life of the world".
"The Canbridge Seven" revealed God's power through their lives of fellowship, lives of prayer, and lives of devotion to their first love Jesus Christ. Their beautiful lives were a blessing to the whole world. May God raise up men such as these from the campuses of Singapore in our generation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments: I'm very touched by the faith and determination of the Cambridge Seven. Their willingness to obey God's word and to do what was told was simply admirable and impressive. What moved me even more was that they were not even Chinese and yet, having the compassion for the people, conviction and love of God, they went through all odds to make a difference in a foreign land and race. As Chinese believers, how can our hearts not be moved for China? It's a place where our forebears called home. Thus, I would really hope to be able to go for mission if there's any chance. And to all of you out there, if there's a chance for mission, please go. If not, let's be faithful in our Jerusalem church, praying for the mission team and giving our best, for their lives are also in our hands. Once again, faith is not an absence of fear but it is moving forward despite of it all and most importantly, trusting God, because only faith alone pleases God.
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