Thou, Lord, to God art precious

In 1932 a church was raised up in my hometown of Chefoo. In the beginning we knew only to love the Lord Jesus. When we gathered together, we had a heart only for the Lord and a love for the Bible. We did not know how to practice the church life, nor did we know how to meet, especially how to have the bread-breaking meeting. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the sweetness of the Lord's presence. The singing, praying, and speaking all expressed the Lord's loveliness and sweetness. After singing Hymns, #169, "Thou, Lord, to God art precious," we would touch the fragrance of the Lord, and spontaneously, a saint would share something like, "In the Lord's entire life on the earth, He was treasured and anointed by His lovers." Then another one would say, "When the Lord was born in Bethlehem, some offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. After He was crucified for us on the cross, someone anointed His body with spices." Still another one would say, "When the Lord Jesus was born, men offered Him spices, and after He was put to death, someone wrapped Him in linen cloths with spices. Between His birth and death, Mary anointed His head and wiped His feet with an ointment, which was of very valuable pure nard. From His birth to His death the entire person of the Lord Jesus, from His head to His toes, was full of fragrance and sweetness." In this way the bread-breaking meeting not only had the singing of hymns but also a brief supply of the word, and all the saints fully enjoyed the Lord's fragrance and sweetness.