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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Thoughts on Missions, by Sheldon Dibble
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Thoughts on Missions
+
+
+Author: Sheldon Dibble
+
+
+
+Release Date: July 15, 2008  [eBook #26062]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Anne Folland, Juliet Sutherland, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)
+
+
+
+THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS.
+
+by the Late
+
+REV. SHELDON DIBBLE,
+
+Missionary in the Sandwich Islands.
+
+
+     Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every
+     creature.--MARK 16:15.
+
+     Go--teach all nations.--MATT. 28:19.
+
+     Prove all things--hold fast that which is good.--1 THES. 5:21.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Published by the
+American Tract Society,
+150 Nassau-Street, New-York.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE TRUE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS.
+                                                            PAGE.
+
+Lowliness and condescension, like our Saviour's, essential
+to missionary character,                                     18
+
+The true Missionary is ready, like Christ, to endure
+suffering for the good of others,                            21
+
+The true Missionary, like his Master, waits not to be
+urged and entreated,                                         24
+
+The true Missionary, like the Saviour, feels no less
+compassion and love to the heathen on account
+of their ingratitude and enmity towards him,                 26
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP.
+
+All we have belongs to God,                                  32
+
+To occupy all our powers for God, we must equal
+the engagedness and enterprise of worldly men,               34
+
+How much faithful stewards may consume on themselves
+and children,                                                40
+
+The best use of a large capital,                             46
+
+Money not the main thing needed,                             50
+
+The luxury and honor of being God's stewards,                56
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+GUILT OF NEGLECTING THE HEATHEN.
+
+Prospects of the heathen for eternity,                       64
+
+Peculiar advantages of the American churches to
+carry abroad the Gospel of Christ,                           69
+
+Do we pray for the heathen as much as we ought?              73
+
+Do we give as much as we ought to evangelize the
+heathen?                                                     75
+
+Do we go and instruct the heathen as we ought?               81
+
+Why are the heathen lost?                                    85
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE SAVIOUR'S LAST COMMAND.
+
+Excuses of Christians for not doing more to evangelize
+the heathen,                                                102
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+LAYMEN CALLED TO THE FIELD OF MISSIONS.
+
+Labors of the first disciples, dispersed from Jerusalem
+by persecution,                                             111
+
+To elevate all nations requires a great variety of
+laborers,                                                   116
+
+Feasibility,                                                126
+
+Reasons why laymen should engage in the work of
+Missions,                                                   130
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+CLAIMS OF MISSIONS ON MINISTERS OF INFLUENCE.
+
+Separation of Barnabas and Saul for the Missionary
+work,                                                        134
+
+The present distribution of ministers anti-apostolic,        141
+
+Insufficient excuses of pastors for remaining at
+home,                                                        147
+
+Other excuses of pastors that have weight, but are
+not sufficient,                                              155
+
+Necessity that some pastors of influence and talent
+should become Missionaries,                                  161
+
+Some excuses common to pastors and to candidates
+for the ministry,                                            169
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+IMPORT OF THE GREAT COMMISSION.
+
+Responsibility not peculiar to Missionaries,                178
+
+The fallacy of endeavoring to convert the world by
+proxy,                                                      181
+
+No cheap or easy way of converting the world,               191
+
+Some rules that may be of use in agitating the question
+of becoming Missionaries,                                   194
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+TRIALS TO BE MET.
+
+Difficulties in the way of training children on heathen
+ground,                                                     201
+
+Reasons in the minds of Missionaries for not sending
+their children home,                                        210
+
+Other thoughts about Missionaries' children,                218
+
+Entire consecration of children, not a duty peculiar
+to Missionaries,                                            222
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTORY LETTER.
+
+TO MY CLASSMATES IN THEOLOGY.
+
+DEAR BRETHREN IN CHRIST:--Few periods of our lives can be called to mind
+with so much ease and distinctness, as the years which we spent together
+in theological studies. The events of that short season, and the
+sentiments we then indulged, are clothed with a freshness and interest
+which the lapse of time cannot efface.
+
+Among the questions that occupied our thoughts, no one perhaps was so
+absorbing, or attended with such deep and anxious feeling, as that which
+respected the field of labor to which each should devote his life. And
+many of us then, I remember, made a mutual engagement, that if spared
+and permitted for years to labor in different portions of the vineyard
+of the Lord, we would communicate to each other our _mature_ views in
+regard to the claims of different fields.
+
+Thirteen years have elapsed; and I propose to fulfil my engagement, by
+expressing, in the form of the present little volume, the views which I
+now entertain in regard to the claims of foreign lands. To you, my
+beloved classmates, the book is specially addressed; and if I use a
+frankness and freedom, which might possibly be construed into presumption,
+if I were addressing strangers and elder brethren, I am sure that I
+shall fall under no such imputation when communicating my thoughts to
+you. I wish to express my thoughts familiarly, as we used to do to each
+other, and at the same time with the earnestness and solemnity which one
+ought always to feel when pleading for the perishing heathen.
+
+A free, full, and earnest discussion of such sentiments as those
+contained in this book, had no small influence, under God, in preparing
+the way for that extensive work of grace at these islands, which has
+been denominated the Great Revival. At the General meetings of the
+mission in the month of May of 1836 and 1837, the main doctrines of this
+volume were thoroughly canvassed, and with deep effect upon every member
+present. Our feelings were enlisted, our hearts were warmed, and our
+thoughts were absorbed by the great topic of the world's conversion. The
+theme, in all its amazing import and solemn aspects, was allowed to take
+possession of our souls. It gave importunity to prayer, earnestness and
+unction to our conversation and sermons, and zeal, energy, and
+perseverance to every department of our work; and the result was soon
+apparent in the wide-spread and glorious revival.
+
+It can almost be said, therefore, that the main sentiments of this
+volume have received the impress of the Divine approbation.
+
+In the fall of 1837, I was constrained by family afflictions and the
+failure of my own health, to embark for the United States. As I began to
+breathe the bracing air of Cape Horn, my strength in a measure revived,
+and having no other employment on board ship, I sketched the outlines of
+most of the chapters of this little volume. My heart was full of the
+theme in the discussion of which I had taken part before my embarkation,
+and I penned my thoughts freely, amidst the tossings of the ship and the
+care of two motherless children.
+
+On my arrival in the United States, I revised and filled up the outlines
+I had sketched, and delivered them, in connection with various historical
+lectures, at several places, as Providence gave me opportunity. Now,
+having returned to these islands, I have thought best to give the
+chapters a second revision, to dedicate the whole to you, and with the
+help of the press to send you each a copy, accompanying it with my
+prayers and my most affectionate salutations. And may I not expect,
+beloved classmates, that you will read the book with candor, weigh well
+its arguments, admit its entreaties to your hearts, as those of your
+former associate, and act in accordance with the convictions of duty?
+
+Among the considerations that have prompted me to the train of thought
+contained in this book, as well as to the views interwoven in my history
+of the Sandwich Islands, I may mention, as not the least weighty and
+prominent, a dutiful respect and filial obedience to the instructions
+delivered to me, in connection with others, by the wise and devoted
+EVARTS, on the eve of our embarkation for the foreign field. The
+delivery of those instructions was his last effort of the kind, and they
+may therefore be regarded as the parental accents of his departing
+spirit. On that occasion of interest, to which memory can never be
+treacherous, a part of the charge to us was in the following words:
+
+"From the very commencement of your missionary life, cultivate a spirit
+of enterprise. Without such a spirit, nothing great will be achieved in
+any human pursuit; and this is an age of enterprise, to a remarkable and
+unprecedented extent. In manufactures, in the mechanic arts, in
+agriculture, in education, in the science of government, men are awake
+and active; their minds are all on the alert; their ingenuity is tasked;
+and they are making improvements with the greatest zeal. Shall not the
+same enterprise be seen in moral and religious things? Shall not
+missionaries, especially, aim at making discoveries and improvements in
+the noblest of all practical sciences--that of applying the means which
+God has provided, for the moral renovation of the world?
+
+"There are many problems yet to be solved before it can be said, that the
+best mode of administering missionary concerns has been discovered.
+What degree of expense shall be incurred in the support of missionary
+families, so as to secure the greatest possible efficiency with a given
+amount of money; how to dispose of the children of missionaries, in a
+manner most grateful to their parents, and most creditable to the cause;
+in what proportion to spend money and time upon the education of the
+heathen, as a distinct thing from preaching the Gospel; how far the
+press should be employed; by what means the attention of the heathen can
+be best gained at the beginning; how their wayward practices and habits
+can be best restrained and corrected; how the intercourse between
+missionaries and the Christian world can be conducted in the best
+manner, so as to secure the highest responsibility, and the most entire
+confidence; and how the suitable proportion between ministers of the
+Gospel retained at home, and missionaries sent abroad, is to be fixed in
+practice, as well as in principle: all these things present questions
+yet to be solved. There is room for boundless enterprise, therefore, in
+the great missionary field, which is the world."
+
+I have not attempted to discuss all the topics here named, but have
+endeavored to cultivate in some degree, as enjoined in the paragraph, a
+spirit of _enterprising inquiry_.
+
+If this book shall impart any light on the interesting topic of
+Christian duty to the heathen, and be owned by the Saviour, in the
+great day, as having contributed, though but in a small degree, towards
+that glorious consummation of which the prophets speak, and to which we
+all look forward, I shall be richly rewarded.
+
+Your affectionate classmate,
+
+SHELDON DIBBLE.
+
+LAHAINALUNA, _Feb. 17, 1844_.
+
+
+
+
+THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE TRUE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS.
+
+
+The apostles, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, uniformly enforce
+their exhortations by tender appeals to the example, sufferings, and
+death of their ascended Lord. Is humility inculcated? the argument is,
+Christ "humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death
+of the cross." Is purity of life enjoined? the plea is, Christ "gave
+himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify
+unto himself a peculiar people." Is liberality required? we are pointed
+to Christ, who, "though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that
+we through his poverty might be rich." Is entire consecration to Christ
+enjoined? the appeal is, "he died for all, that they who live should
+not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and
+rose again."
+
+In like manner, in gaining a true idea of the spirit of missions, the
+proper course evidently is, to look at once at the missionary character
+of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was indeed a missionary. He came to save
+the lost. He was a missionary to _us_. He came to save _us_.
+
+We had wandered and were lost. We were guilty and condemned. We were in a
+state of despair. Nothing within the compass of human means could avail
+in the least to avert the impending wrath of God. All wisdom became
+foolishness. All resource was futile. Not a ray of hope remained--not
+the least flickering gleam. Whichever way the eye turned, there was
+darkness--horror--despair. But Christ came, and hope again visited the
+earth. It was when we were helpless--hopeless--justly exposed to the
+horrors and agonies of the world of woe, that Jesus undertook his
+mission, and appeared for our relief.
+
+This truth cannot be too deeply impressed upon us, here, at the very
+threshold of our inquiries in regard to the spirit of missions; and to
+spread it out distinctly before our minds, let us take a simple
+illustration.
+
+You are a captive in a foreign land, and have long been immured in a
+deep, damp, and gloomy dungeon. Sorrow, sighing, and tears have been
+your meat day and night. Anguish, gloom, and a fearful looking for of
+death, combined with hunger, cold, and a bed of straw, have induced
+disease, wasted your flesh, destroyed every energy, and entirely drank
+up your spirits. Sentence of death is pronounced against you, and the
+day fixed for your execution. The massive walls and iron grating look
+down sternly upon you, and rebuke at once all hope of escape.
+Entreaties, tears, and the offer of gold and silver have been tried, but
+in vain. Effort and means have given place to horror and despair. The
+prospect before you is the scaffold, the block, a yawning grave, and a
+dread eternity. In this extremity a friend appears, and offers to be
+substituted in your place. The offer is accepted. You, pale, emaciated,
+and horror-stricken, are brought from your dungeon to behold once more
+the light of day. The irons are knocked off from your hands and
+feet--your tattered garments exchanged for cleanly apparel--and a ship
+is in readiness to convey you to the land of your birth and the bosom
+of your friends. The vital current of your soul, so long chilled and
+wasted, now flows again with warmth and vigor; your eyes are lighted up,
+and tears of joy burst forth like a flood. But, in the midst of your
+joy, you are told of your deliverer. You turn, and behold! the irons
+that were upon you are fastened upon him--he is clothed in your tattered
+garments--is about to be led to your gloomy dungeon--lie on your bed of
+straw, and thence to be taken in your stead to the scaffold or the
+block. You throw yourself at his feet, and entreat him to desist; but
+when you find his purpose fixed, you finally wish you had a thousand
+hearts to feel the gratitude you owe, and ten thousand tongues to give
+it utterance.
+
+The Lord Jesus Christ has done for us all this, and unspeakably _more_.
+We were under condemnation. The sentence of God's righteous law was
+against us. The flaming sword of Divine vengeance was unsheathed. All
+above and around us were the dark frowns of the Almighty and the red
+lightnings of his wrath. Beneath us was not merely a damp dungeon, but
+the bottomless pit yawning to receive us, and its flames ascending to
+envelope our guilty souls. There was no escape. The prospect was
+weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth--the agony of Jehovah's frown
+forever. In this extremity the Saviour appeared--substituted himself in
+our stead--bare our sins in his own body on the tree--received upon his
+own agonized soul what was our due, and thus delivered us from the
+untold horrors of eternal death, and opened before us the gate of
+heaven.
+
+To save the lost, then, was the spirit of Christ. The apostles imbibed
+this spirit. _It is the spirit of missions._ The heathen are in a lost
+condition. If we have the spirit of Christ we shall do what we can to
+save them. The spirit of missions is not something different from, or
+superadded to, the Christian spirit, but is simply, essentially, and
+emphatically _the_ spirit of Christ. It is compassion for the perishing;
+and such compassion as leads the possessor to put forth strenuous
+efforts, and to undergo, if need be, the severest sufferings.
+
+As we shall look somewhat in detail at the manifestations of the spirit
+of Christ, we shall see very evidently the great outlines of what alone
+is worthy to be called the true spirit of missions.
+
+Look at the _condescension_ of Christ, and learn a lesson of duty
+towards the destitute and degraded of our race. The Son of God, by whom
+were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth,
+whether they be thrones or dominions, principalities or powers; who
+upholdeth all things by the word of his power; before whom ten thousand
+times ten thousand and thousands of thousands prostrate themselves,
+ascribing power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and
+glory, and blessing; of whom it is said, "Every knee shall bow to him,
+of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
+earth"--the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God: this
+Infinite Being empties himself of his glory, and comes down to toil,
+suffer and die--and for whom? For us worms of the dust, insects that are
+crushed before the moth.
+
+If the Saviour had come to our relief, clothed with the glory of heaven
+and surrounded by his holy angels, even that would have been a stoop of
+amazing condescension. But look at the babe of Bethlehem, born in a
+stable, and cradled in a manger; follow him to Egypt, and then back to
+Nazareth. What humility, lowliness, and condescension! Look at the
+Saviour in his public ministry. You find him oftenest among the _poor_,
+and always so demeaning himself as to be the one that was "meek and
+lowly in heart." His chosen walk was such, that it could be said with
+emphasis, "to the poor the Gospel is preached."
+
+Such was the spirit of Christ and such his condescension! Such was the
+spirit of the apostles. They took much notice of the poor, and charged
+Paul and Barnabas, when going forth on their mission, especially to
+remember them. What else, I ask, is a missionary spirit, but to be
+willing to labor with self-denial and perseverance to elevate and save
+the low and the vile? Natural men, in the pride of their hearts, are
+inclined to look down upon the wretched--to regard them with that kind
+of loathing and disgust which disinclines them to make sacrifices in
+their behalf. This dislike is such that I have often thought it to be a
+favor to the heathen, that they are far off and out of sight; for if
+they were near and directly around many professed Christians, with all
+their defilement and ugliness in full view, much of the apparent
+sympathy for them which now exists, would be turned into contempt and
+cold neglect. But if such had been the superficial and ill-founded
+character of Christ's compassion, where should we have been at this
+present hour? There is not a wretch now wallowing in the deepest mire of
+sin, who is so vile and low in our eyes, as we all were in the eyes of
+infinite purity. Yet the more wretched we were, the more deeply did
+Christ feel for us. _This spirit of Christ is the only true spirit of
+missions_--the only spirit that will make self-denying, continued, and
+persevering efforts to save the heathen.
+
+There is no romance in the practical and every-day duties of a
+missionary. The work is of a humble form, and emphatically _toilsome_.
+There is but little true missionary spirit in the world. It is not the
+sympathy of an hour, nor an enthusiasm awakened by romance, but the pure
+love of Christ in the soul, constraining the possessor to pray earnestly,
+and to labor cheerfully without notice or applause, for the lowest human
+objects; and which finds a rich and sufficient reward for a life of toil
+in leading one ignorant slave, one degraded outcast, or one vile heathen,
+to accept the offers of salvation. My observation in the field for
+thirteen years testifies to the fact, that no sympathy or enthusiasm
+will come down to the arduous details of missionary work, and persevere
+in it for years, that does not flow from such genuine and permanent love
+as our Saviour manifested when here upon earth. The more we become like
+Christ, the more shall we possess of the true missionary character.
+
+How slow we are to make _real sacrifices_ for the good of others! It was
+not so with Christ. He chose, for our good, to become a man of sorrows
+and acquainted with grief--to be rejected, despised and hated--to become
+a mark for the bitterest rage and the finger of scorn.
+
+Go to the garden of Gethsemane. There behold, what even the pencil of
+the angel Gabriel cannot fully portray. There, in the stillness of the
+night, the Saviour retires to give vent to the bursting emotions of his
+soul. Deep sorrow, keen anguish, and excruciating agony roll in, like
+continuous surges, upon his tender spirit. His strength fails. Low he
+lies on the cold earth, and the drops from his pale and agonized
+features, like the clammy sweat of death--no, "like drops of
+blood"--fall to the ground.
+
+But the agony of his spirit does not perturb the submission of his soul,
+nor shake the steadfastness of his purpose. The furious mob arrive, and he
+calmly yields himself to their disposal. See him in the judgment-hall
+--meek under insults, forgiving under buffetings and abuse, submissive
+and quiet under the agonizing scourge. Then behold him, as faint from
+his gashes and his pains, and sinking under a heavy cross, he slowly
+moves towards Calvary. Look on, if your eyes can bear the sight. The
+rough spikes are driven through his feet and his hands--the cross is
+erected--the Lord of glory hangs between two thieves:--there, his torn,
+bleeding, writhing and excruciated body is to wear out its vitality in
+protracted agony. But all this suffering was as a drop in his cup of
+anguish. O the deep--fathomless, untold agony of his soul, when under
+the hidings of his Father's face he exclaimed, "My God, my God, why hast
+thou forsaken me!"
+
+All this suffering and agony the Infinite Son of God endured, that we
+might be saved. He had a vivid and perfect view of all this, and yet
+voluntarily assumed it that we might live.
+
+In view of such an example, what shall we say? If the Lord of glory
+shrunk not from ignominy and scorn, untold agony, exquisite torture and
+the most cruel death, can any one possess much of his spirit, and yet
+consider it too much to forego some of the comforts and delights of this
+fleeting life, and to labor and toil with perseverance and self-denial
+on a foreign shore, to instruct the destitute and the dying--to
+enlighten the millions and hundreds of millions of heathen, who have
+never heard the precious name of Jesus, and are entirely ignorant of the
+consolations of his grace? Is it too much, even to expose one's self to
+an early grave in a sultry clime, if necessary, that some ray of hope
+may break in upon the gloom of the benighted and perishing nations? God
+be praised, that the prospect of death did not daunt the spirit of the
+self-denying Jesus!
+
+O, how has a feeling of shame and deep humiliation come over my spirit,
+as I have heard the objection, that "Missionaries and missionaries'
+wives especially go forth to die!" Thanks to the continued grace of God,
+that some of this spirit of Jesus--the self-sacrificing spirit, the
+spirit of devotement, even unto death--still exists on earth. Let the
+objector inquire seriously, whether much of it reigns in his own bosom;
+and whether in proportion as he is destitute of it, he be not lacking
+not only in the spirit of missions, but in the spirit of Christ, without
+which it is impossible to be a disciple. For it is true not only of
+missionaries, but equally of all Christians, that they are not their
+own--that they are bought with a price; and are under obligations of
+_entire consecration_, each in his appropriate sphere, that are as high
+as heaven and as affecting as the scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary. And
+we are bound, equally with the early disciples, to count it not only a
+duty, but "all joy" to labor, suffer and die, if necessary, for Christ's
+sake, and in the good work which he has given us to do.
+
+Did we become sensible of our lost condition? Did we with one accord
+lift up our penitent and broken-hearted cries to the God of mercy, that
+he would provide a way for our salvation? Did the angels intercede in
+our behalf that the Saviour would come? No: _self-moved_ he appeared for
+our relief. He beheld us wedded to our sinful courses; unwilling to be
+taken from the pit into which we had plunged ourselves, and clinging
+with unyielding grasp to the very instruments of our ruin--strangely
+enamored with the very vampires that were preying upon our souls. The
+more disinclined we were to sue for mercy, the more the Saviour pitied
+us; for our very unwillingness to supplicate showed the depth of our
+ruin.
+
+In like manner, the more indisposed any heathen nation may be to receive
+us to their shores, admit the light of the Gospel and partake of its
+blessings, the more deeply should we feel for them, and the more
+zealously labor for their salvation. That a nation has not called for
+our aid, but is resolutely determined to keep us at a distance, is a
+strong argument for being deeply interested in their behalf. Their very
+blindness and maniac disposition should call forth the deep
+commiseration of our souls. Such was the spirit of Christ. Such is the
+true spirit of missions. It is but a small measure of compassion to aid
+those who supplicate our assistance. The very blindness, guilt, madness
+and vile degradation of a people, should be to us a sufficient voice of
+entreaty. They were so to the heart of the precious Saviour, or he never
+would have undertaken the work of our redemption. O, when shall it be,
+that Christians and ministers of the Gospel shall arise _self-moved_, or
+rather moved by the spirit of Christ within them, and exert all their
+powers for the good of the perishing? when they shall not need appeal
+upon appeal, entreaty upon entreaty, and the visit of one agent after
+another, to remind them of duty, and to persuade them to do it?
+
+It was not a world of penitents that the Saviour pitied, but a world of
+_rebels_--proud and stubborn rebels, ready to spurn every offer of
+reconciliation. He saw us, not on our knees pleading for mercy, but
+scorning the humble attitude of suppliants, and raising our puny arms
+against the authority of Heaven. He beheld us, not as the Ninevites once
+were, in sackcloth and ashes, but recklessly violating all his holy
+laws. It was in view of all the deformity, bitterness, rage and
+heaven-daring impiety of our naked hearts, that Christ left his throne
+of glory and died on the cross. It was for such beings that he
+voluntarily endured humiliation, toil, self-denial and death. He toiled
+and died for the ungodly. He came, though men despised his aid. He died
+even for his crucifiers.
+
+Are the heathen guilty--covered with blood and black with crime? Do they
+exhibit many traits that are repulsive and horrid? Would our visit to
+them fill them with rage and bitterness, and tempt them to crucify us?
+What then? are we to relax our efforts for them, because they are
+ungodly? So did _not_ Jesus Christ. Let us learn from his example, and
+imbibe his spirit. That man, who may be called a missionary, and yet is
+capable of being alienated in his feelings by ill-treatment, contempt,
+abuse and rage from the heathen, is not worthy of the name. That
+professed Christian, in whatever land he may reside, who loves a sinner
+less on account of the personal abuse he may suffer from him, has not
+the true missionary spirit, or, in other words, the spirit of Christ.
+
+And here I would repeat the remark with emphasis, in accordance with all
+that I have said, that _there is nothing peculiar_ in the spirit of
+missions, except what peculiarity there may be in the spirit of
+Christ--that it is what all must possess to be disciples, and without
+which no one can enter heaven. It is a spirit humble yet elevating,
+self-sacrificing yet joyful, intensely fervent yet reasonable, meek and
+yet resolute. It is all this indeed, but yet nothing more than what is
+required of every Christian; and therefore no excuse can be more absurd
+and contradictory in terms, than that sometimes made, "It is not my duty
+to go to the heathen, for I never had a missionary spirit;" for one
+professes to be a Christian, and yet excuses himself, on the ground of
+not having a missionary spirit, or in other words, of not being a
+Christian--of not being in possession of a fair title to heaven. O,
+remember, Christian reader, that the least desire to be excused shows a
+deplorable lack of the spirit of Christ.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP.
+
+
+On account of heavy domestic afflictions, and the failure of my own
+health, I was induced, a few years since, to visit the United States.
+Full well I remember my feelings when returning to my native land. I had
+been laboring among a heathen people, and impressions by the eye are
+deep and affecting. I had seen degradation and vileness, destitution and
+woe. I had a vivid impression of the urgent claim of the destitute and
+the dying; and I had formed some conception of the greatness of the
+work, if we would put forth the instrumentality needed to elevate and
+save them. And during a long voyage, I had time, not only to think of
+the Sandwich Islanders, but to cast my thoughts abroad over the wide
+world. The millions and hundreds of millions of our race often came up
+fresh before me, sunk in untold vileness, covered with abominations, and
+dropping one after another, as fast as the beating of my pulse--twenty
+millions a year--into the world of woe. Painful as it was, I could not
+avoid the deep and certain conviction, that such was their end.
+
+Then I thought of the greatness of the task, if we would be the means,
+under God, of saving them from perdition: that we have idol gods without
+number to destroy--a veil of superstition forty centuries thick to
+rend--a horrible darkness to dispel--hearts of stone to break--a gulf of
+pollution to purify--nations, in God's strength, to reform and
+regenerate. With such thoughts the conviction forced itself upon me,
+that the work could not be done without an immense amount of means, and
+a host of laborers.
+
+Think, then, how chilling and soul-sickening the intelligence that met
+me as I landed on my native shores, (in the spring of 1838,) that
+Christians were disheartened by the pressure of the times, and were
+receding from ground already taken: that the bread of life must not
+issue from the press, though millions were famishing for lack of it;
+that thirty heralds of salvation then standing on our shores must not
+embark, though the woes and agonies of dying souls were coming peal
+after peal on every wave of the ocean; that they must be turned aside
+from the perilous yet fond enterprise to which the love of Christ had
+constrained them, and that future applicants must be thereby
+discouraged--that missionaries abroad must be trammelled in their
+operations for want of means; and that multitudes of children and youth,
+the hope of the missions, gathered with much care, and partially
+instructed and trained with much expense of time, strength and money;
+the centre of solicitude, love, and interest; the adopted sons and
+daughters of the missionaries, must be sent back--in Ceylon three
+thousand in a day--to wallow again in pollution, bow down to gods of
+wood and stone, and wander, stumble and fall on the dark mountains of
+heathen superstition; a prey to the prowling monsters that lie thick and
+ready to devour in all the territory of Satan. Surely, thought I, (and
+had I not grounds for the thought?) Christians in America must be
+destitute of the common comforts of life: nothing but the direst
+necessity can induce them thus to surrender back to Satan the ground
+already taken and the trophies already gathered, and to put far off the
+hope of the latter day glory.
+
+I looked abroad and made inquiries. I found indeed a derangement of
+currency and a stagnation of business. But did I find, think you, that
+Christians were destitute of the ordinary comforts of life? that they
+were in a distressing emergency for food and clothing? that their
+retrenchments had been made _first_ in personal expenditures, and last
+in efforts to save souls? Alas! it was evident that the principal cause
+of the retraced movement was not found in the reverse of the times. It
+was found to lie deeper; and to consist in wrong views and wrong
+practice on the great subject of Christian stewardship. To this subject,
+then, my thoughts for a time were much directed, and I tried to look at
+it in view of a dying world, and a coming judgment. The subject, I
+perceived, lay at the foundation of all missionary effort; and my
+position and circumstances were perhaps advantageous for contemplating
+it in a just and proper light. Be entreated, therefore, Christian
+reader, to look at the subject in the spirit of candor and
+self-application.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A little heathen child was inquired of by her teacher, if there was
+anything which she could call her own. She hesitated a moment, and
+looking up, very humbly replied, "I think there is." "What is it?" asked
+the teacher. "I think," said she, "that my sins are my own."
+
+Yes, we may claim our sins--they are our own; but everything else
+belongs to God. We are stewards; and a steward is one who is employed to
+manage the concerns of another--his household, money or estate. We are
+God's stewards. God has intrusted to each one of us a charge of greater
+or less importance. To some he has intrusted five talents, to others
+two, and to others one. The talents are physical strength, property,
+intellect, learning, influence--all the means in our possession for
+doing good and glorifying God. We can lay claim to nothing as strictly
+our own. Even the angel Gabriel cannot claim the smallest particle of
+dust as strictly his own. The rightful owner of all things, great and
+small, is God.
+
+To be faithful stewards, then, we must _fully occupy_ for God all the
+talents in our possession. A surrender, however, of all to God--of time,
+strength, mind and property, does not imply a neglect of our own real
+wants. A proper care of ourselves and families enters into God's
+arrangement. This is not only allowed, it is required of us; and if done
+properly and with a right spirit, it is a service acceptable to God.
+This is understood then, when we say, that all our talents must be
+occupied for God. With this understanding, there must be no reserve.
+Reserve is robbery. No less than all the heart and all our powers can be
+required of us--no less can be required of angels.
+
+It is our reasonable service. We require the same of the agents we
+employ. Suppose a steward, agent or clerk, in the management of your
+money, your estate or your goods, devotes only a part to your benefit
+and uses the rest for himself, how long would you retain him in your
+employment? Let us beware, then, that we rob not God. Let us be faithful
+in his business, and _fully occupy_ for him the talents intrusted to us.
+God has an indisputable right to everything in our possession; to all
+our strength, all our influence, every moment of our time, and demands
+that everything be held loosely by us, in perfect obedience to him. For
+us or for angels to deny this right, would be downright rebellion. For
+God to require anything less, would be admitting a principle that would
+demolish his throne.
+
+No less engagedness certainly can be required of God's stewards, than
+_worldly men exhibit in the pursuit of wealth and honor_. Let us, then,
+look at their conduct and learn a lesson. They are intent upon their
+object. They rise early and sit up late. Constant toil and vigorous
+exertion fill up the day, and on their beds at night they meditate plans
+for the morrow. Their hearts are set on their object, and entirely
+engrossed in it. They show a determination to attain it, if it be within
+the compass of human means. Enter a Merchants' Exchange, and see with
+what fixed application they study the best plans of conducting their
+business. They keep their eyes and ears open, and their thoughts active.
+Such, too, must be the wakefulness of an agent, or they will not employ
+him. Notice also the physician who aspires to eminence. He tries the
+utmost of his skill. Look in, too, upon the ambitious attorney. He
+applies his mind closely to his cause that he may manage it in the best
+possible way.
+
+Now, I ask, shall not the same intense and active state of mind be
+required of us, as God's agents or stewards? Can we be faithful
+stewards, and not contrive, study, and devise the best ways of using the
+talents that God has intrusted to us, so that they may turn to the
+greatest account in his service? Is not the glory of God and the eternal
+salvation of our ruined race, an object _worthy_ of as much engagedness,
+as much engrossment of soul and determination of purpose, as a little
+property which must soon be wrapped in flames, or the flickering breath
+of empty fame? Be assured, we cannot satisfy our Maker by offering a
+sluggish service, or by putting forth a little effort, and pretending
+that it is the extent of our ability. We have shown what we are capable
+of doing, by our engagedness in seeking wealth and honor. God has seen,
+angels have seen, and we ourselves know, that our ability is not small,
+when brought fully into exercise. It is now too late to indulge the
+thought of deceiving either our Maker or our fellow men on this point.
+We can lay claim to the character of faithful stewards, only as we
+_embark all our powers_ in serving God, as worldly men do in seeking
+riches, or a name.
+
+Then, too, to be faithful, we must be as _enterprising_ in the work that
+God has given us to do, as worldly men are in their affairs. By
+enterprising, I mean, bold, adventurous, resolute to undertake. Worldly
+men exhibit enterprise in their readiness to engage in large
+projects--in digging canals, in laying railroads, and in sending their
+ships around the globe. No port seems too distant, no depth too deep, no
+height too high, no difficulty too great, and no obstacle too
+formidable. They scarcely shrink from any business on account of its
+magnitude, its arduousness, or its hazard. A man is no longer famous for
+circumnavigating the globe. To sail round the world is a common trading
+voyage, and ships now visit almost every port of the whole earth. A
+business is no longer called great, where merely thousands of dollars
+are adventured; but in great undertakings, money is counted by millions.
+Such is the spirit of enterprise in worldly matters.
+
+Now, I ask, are we not capable of as much enterprise in using the means
+ordained by Christ for rescuing souls from eternal burnings, and raising
+them to a seat at his right hand? Had the same enterprise been required
+of men in some former century, they might have plead incapacity. But it
+is too late now to plead incapacity. Unless we choose to keep back from
+God a very important talent, we must put forth this enterprise to its
+full extent in the great work of the world's conversion.
+
+Such enterprise is needed. If the latter day glory is to take place
+through human instrumentality, can it be expected without some mighty
+movement on the part of the church? Can a work of such inconceivable
+magnitude be effected, till every redeemed sinner shall lay himself out
+in the enterprise, as worldly men do in their projects? If the promises
+of God are to be fulfilled through the efforts of men, what hope can
+there be of the glorious day, till men are resolute to undertake great
+things--not for themselves merely, but for God, their Maker and
+Redeemer.
+
+Is it not a fact that will strike us dumb in the judgment, that it is
+the love of money, and not zeal for God, that digs canals, lays
+railroads, runs steamboats and packets, and, in short, is the main
+spring of every great undertaking? The love of money has explored the
+land and the seas, traced rivers in all their windings, found an
+entrance to almost every port, Christian or heathen, studied the
+character of almost every people, ascertained the products of every
+clime and the treasures of the deep, stationed agents in all the
+principal places, and in not a few ports, a hemisphere distant, erected
+shops, factories, and even sumptuous palaces.
+
+Men exhibit no such enterprise in serving God. How many ships sail the
+ocean to carry the Gospel of Christ? And in ports where one magnificent
+Exchange after another is reared, stretching out its capacious arms,
+and towering towards heaven, how difficult it is to sustain a few humble
+boarding-houses for wandering seamen. Worldly enterprise is bold and
+active, and presses onward with railroad speed. Shall, then, Christian
+enterprise be dull and sluggish, deal in cents and mills, and move along
+at a very slow pace? The thought is too humiliating to be endured.
+
+Suppose angels to be placed in our stead, would they, think you, be
+outdone by the seekers of wealth in deeds of enterprise? No: their cars
+would be the first in motion, and their ships the first on the wing.
+They would be the first to announce new islands, and the first to
+project improvements, and _for what?_ that the Gospel might have free
+course and be glorified. Enterprise and action would then be exhibited,
+worthy of our gaze and admiration. "O! if the ransom of those who fell
+from heaven like stars to eternal night, could only be paid, and the
+inquiry of the Lord were heard among the unfallen, 'Whom shall we send,
+and who will go for us?' hold they back? No: they fly like lightning to
+every province of hell; the echo of salvation rolls in the outskirts as
+in the centre; a light shines in the darkest dungeon; the heaviest
+chains are knocked off, and they rest not till all is done that angels
+can do, to restore them to their former vacated seats in the realms of
+the blest."
+
+But if angels would act thus, we too, as the stewards of God, ought to
+be the first in enterprise. God's work is infinitely more important than
+wealth or honor. And how shall we, in the judgment, be found faithful,
+if the seekers of wealth or the aspirants for renown are suffered to
+outstrip us on every side.
+
+It is not faithfulness for any one to consume _on himself or his
+children_ more of God's property than he really needs. Suppose you hold
+in your hand an amount of property. It is not yours you remember, for
+you are merely a steward. God requires that it be used to produce the
+greatest possible good. The greatest possible good, is the promotion of
+holiness in yourself and in others. Luxury, pride and vanity can lay no
+claim. Speculative knowledge, taste, and refinement must receive a due
+share of attention, but be kept in their place. Our real wants, of
+course, must be supplied. But what are our real wants--our _wants_, not
+our _desires_--our _real_ wants, not those that are artificial and
+imaginary?
+
+We really need for ourselves and families what is necessary to preserve
+life and health; we need a mental cultivation answerable to our
+profession or employment; need the means of maintaining a neat, sober
+and just taste; and we need too, proper advantages of spiritual
+improvement. Things of mere habit, fashion, and fancy may be dispensed
+with. Luxuries may be denied. Many things, which are called
+conveniences, we do not really need. If provision is to be made for all
+things that are convenient and pleasant, what room will remain for
+self-denial? Things deemed comfortable and convenient may be multiplied
+without limit--consume all of God's wealth, and leave the world in
+ruins. If the world were _not_ in ruins, then it might be proper to seek
+not only the comforts, but even the elegancies of life.
+
+Take a simple illustration: In the midst of the wide ocean I fall in
+with a crew floating on the few shattered planks of a hopeless wreck. I
+have a supply of water and a cask of bread, but the poor wrecked
+mariners are entirely destitute. Shall I keep my provisions for my own
+comfort, and leave these sufferers to pine away with hunger and thirst?
+But suppose I have not only bread and water, but many luxuries, while
+the men on the wreck are perishing for the want of a morsel of bread and
+a drop of water? And then, suppose I have casks of bread and other
+provisions to dispose of, and intend with the proceeds to furnish myself
+with certain of the conveniences and elegancies of life; and my mind is
+so fixed upon obtaining them, that I refuse to relieve the poor tenants
+of the wreck, and leave them to the lingering death of hunger and
+thirst. O, who of you would not shudder at the hardness of my heart and
+the blackness of my crime!
+
+But the world dead in sin is surely a wreck. Millions upon millions are
+famishing for the bread and water of life. Their cry--their dying cry
+has come to our ears. Shall we then take that which might relieve them,
+and expend it in procuring conveniences, elegancies, and luxuries for
+ourselves? Can we do it, and be guiltless of blood?
+
+But, perhaps here, some one may have the coolness to thrust in the
+common objection, that a man's style of living must correspond with his
+station in society. It is wonderful to what an extent this principle is
+applied. A man, it is said, cannot be a governor of a state, a mayor of
+a city, a member of Congress, or hold any high office, unless his house,
+his equipage, his dress and his table, exhibit some appearance of
+elegance and wealth; and if a man live in a large and opulent city, he
+must be somewhat expensive in his style of living, that he may exert an
+influence in the higher walks of society. Then, country towns, and small
+villages, take pattern of the large cities, and the plea goes down
+through every rank and every grade. Scarcely a Christian can be found,
+who is not familiar with the doctrine. It is a very convenient doctrine.
+In a _qualified_ sense it may be true, but in its unlimited
+interpretation it may be made to justify almost every article of luxury
+and extravagance.
+
+It seems to be conformity to the world, and the world has always been
+_wrong_. The principles of the Gospel have always been at variance with
+the maxims and customs of the world. _Conformity is always suspicious._
+
+Again, the doctrine cannot be applied to all places. Suppose a
+missionary conform to the society around him. Instead of raising up the
+heathen from their degradation, he would become a heathen himself. The
+descent to heathenism is easy. The influence of comparing ourselves with
+ourselves, and measuring ourselves by ourselves, is felt by those living
+among barbarians as well as at home, though the insidious influence
+leads in another direction. If there is a man on earth, who, more than
+any other, needs to cultivate neatness, taste and refinement, both in
+his mind and in his whole style of living, it is the man who is
+surrounded by a heathen population. Here, then, the rule contended for
+fails. Travel round the world, and how often will it fail?
+
+Let us turn away, then, from this fickle standard, and look to reason
+enlightened by the Word of God. Shall we not then find, that
+substantially the same style of living that is proper in one latitude
+and longitude, is proper in another; _substantially_ the same, paying
+only so much regard to the eyes of the world, as to avoid unnecessary
+singularity and remark; and that this rule, founded on the principles of
+the Gospel, makes a proper provision for health, mental cultivation, and
+a neat, sober and just taste? Are not these the real wants of men
+allowed by the Gospel, whether they live in London or in Ethiopia?
+
+But the ground on which I choose to rest this inquiry more than any
+other, is the perishing condition of our dying race. Is fashion,
+splendor and parade, appropriate in a grave-yard, or in the chamber of
+the dead and dying? But the whole world is a grave-yard. Countless
+millions lie beneath our feet. Most of our earth, too, is at this moment
+a chamber of dying souls. Can we have _any relish_ for luxuries, folly
+and needless expense, amidst the teeming millions commencing the agonies
+of eternal death?
+
+I erect a splendid mansion; extend about it a beautiful enclosure;
+furnish it with every elegance; make sumptuous entertainments, and live
+in luxury and ease. In the midst of it, the woes and miseries of my
+ruined race are brought vividly before me--their present wretchedness
+and eternal agonies. And it is whispered in my ear, that these woes
+might have been relieved by the expense I have so profusely lavished. O!
+how like Belshazzar must I feel, and almost imagine that the groans of
+lost souls are echoed in every chamber of my mansion, and their blood
+seen on every ornament!
+
+Let us have the love of Christ in our hearts, and then spread distinctly
+before us _the world as it is_--calculate the sum total of its present
+wretchedness and eternal woes. In such a world and as God's stewards,
+who can be at a loss in regard to the course of duty? When twenty
+millions of men every year are entering upon the untold horrors of the
+second death, and we are stewards to employ all means in our power for
+their salvation, O, away with that coldness that can suggest the
+necessity of _conforming_ to the expensive customs of the world. May we,
+in heaven, find one of these souls saved through our instrumentality,
+and we can afford to forego all we shall lose by a want of conformity.
+There is a nobleness in taking an independent stand on the side of
+economy, and saving something to benefit dying souls. There is a
+heavenly dignity in such a course, infinitely superior to the slavish
+conformity so much contended for. It is an independence induced by the
+sublimest motives; a stand which even the world must respect, and which
+God will not fail to honor.
+
+But how shall those possessing _large capitals_ best employ them as
+stewards of God? I speak not of the hoarding of the miser; that would be
+a waste of breath. I speak not of property invested in stock that
+habitually violates the Sabbath. No remark is necessary in so plain a
+case. But I speak of large capitals, professedly kept to bring in an
+income for the service of the Redeemer. The subject is involved in many
+practical difficulties; and they who are business men have some
+advantages of judging in the case which I have not. I will therefore
+merely make one or two inquiries.
+
+Is not the practice in many cases an _unwise investment_ of God's funds?
+Is there not a reasonable prospect that one dollar used now, in doing
+good, will turn to more account than twenty dollars ten years hence? A
+Bible given now may be the means of a soul's conversion; and this
+convert may be instrumental in converting other souls, and may
+consecrate all his powers and property to God; so that when years shall
+have passed away, the one dollar given to buy the Bible may have become
+hundreds of dollars, and, with God's blessing, saved many precious
+souls. One pious young man trained for the ministry _now_, may be
+instrumental, before ten years shall expire, in bringing into the Lord's
+kingdom many immortal souls, with all their wealth and influence; and so
+the small sum expended now, become ten years hence entirely inestimable.
+The same may be said of a minister sent now to the heathen, instead of
+ten years hence; and the same, too, may be said of every department of
+doing good. It would appear then, that, in all ordinary cases, to make
+an immediate use of funds in doing good is to lay them out to the
+greatest possible interest; that by such a course we can be the means of
+peopling heaven faster than in any other way. We can hardly appreciate
+how much we save by saving _time_, and how much we lose by losing it.
+Worldly men, in their railroad and steam-packet spirit of the present
+day, seem to have caught some just sense of the importance of time, and
+we, in our enterprises to do good, must not be unmindful of it.
+
+Again, is not the expenditure of property in the work of doing good, not
+only the most advantageous, but also the _safest_ possible investment of
+God's funds? Whilst kept in capital, it is always exposed to greater or
+less risk. Fire may consume it. Floods may sweep it away. Dishonest men
+may purloin it. A gale at sea may bury it. A reverse of times may ingulf
+it. But when used in doing good, it is sent up to the safe-keeping of
+the bank of God; it is commuted into the precious currency of heaven; it
+is exchanged for souls made happy, and harps and crowns of gold.
+
+Again, A. keeps a large property in capital, and therefore B. resolves
+to _accumulate_ a large property, and then give the income. But whilst
+accumulating it, he not only leaves the world to perish, but also runs
+the risk of ruining his own soul--the awful hazard which always attends
+the project of becoming rich. And the result is, in ninety-nine cases
+out of a hundred, that the summons of death arrives before the promised
+beneficence is paid in.
+
+In view of such considerations, would it not be _wiser, safer, and very
+much better_, in most instances at least, that the greater part of large
+capitals should be made use of at once in the service of the Redeemer?
+
+It is said of Normand Smith, that "he dared not be rich;" and that "it
+became an established rule with him, to use for benevolent distribution
+_all the means_ which he could take from his business, and still
+prosecute it successfully;" and that he charged a brother on his dying
+bed, to do good with his substance while living, and not suffer it to
+accumulate to be disposed of, at the last extremity, by will. Sound
+advice. A few other such men there have been in the world, and they are
+the SHINING LIGHTS. Their example is brilliant all over with true
+wisdom.
+
+It is not acting always as faithful stewards, merely to accumulate
+wealth to promote the cause of Christ; for there may be more need of our
+_personal service_ in disseminating the Gospel, than of any pecuniary
+means we can contribute. Christians are not faithful stewards, merely
+when they labor for Christ, but when they do _that_ by which they may
+most promote the cause of Christ. The dissemination of Gospel truth is
+the great end to be aimed at, either directly or indirectly. Now, it is
+evident that many must further this object by accumulating the pecuniary
+means; but the danger is, that too many, far too many prefer this
+course. Many conclude, with perfect safety and justness, that in
+practising law or medicine, or in selling goods, in tilling a farm, or
+in laboring in a shop, they are doing as much to further the object as
+in any other way; but some, it is believed, come to such a conclusion
+either from mistaken views or mistaken motives. The fact that so large a
+proportion of God's stewards resort to the notion of operating by proxy,
+and that so few choose to engage in the direct work, shows that there is
+danger existing. Not only the fathers, but a vast majority of the middle
+aged and the young, prefer to advance the cause of Christ by
+accumulating the pecuniary means. Now, why is there such a rushing after
+this department of the great work?
+
+The Saviour calls for a great army of preachers, to carry his Gospel
+everywhere, and to proclaim it to all nations, kindreds and people. In
+truth, you need not go beyond the limits of the United States to feel
+the force of this remark. Look at the destitutions in the more newly
+settled states and territories, and see if there is not need of men to
+preach the Gospel. But notwithstanding this need, only a small number,
+comparatively, offer themselves to the work. Almost all young men, even
+the professedly pious, slide easily into lucrative occupations; but to
+bring them into the direct work of making known Christ, they must be
+urged and persuaded by a score of arguments.
+
+It is needed, too, of lay members of the church, to do much in searching
+out the destitute and the dying, who exist in multitudes, even about
+their own dwellings; to give here a word of warning, and there a word of
+consolation; to add here a helping hand, and impart there the restoring
+effect of sympathy and kindness; in short, to employ some hours in the
+day in going everywhere, as the early disciples did, from house to house
+and street to street, and in communicating, in an appropriate way, the
+simple truths of Jesus. Laymen, too, are needed in great numbers in
+the foreign service. There are reasons numerous and urgent, which I
+cannot here name, why lay members in the church should go abroad.
+
+But notwithstanding this call for personal effort, it is too often that
+we meet with church members who are completely engrossed, from early
+dawn to the close of day, in accumulating wealth; and who deny
+themselves the luxury of spending either hour of the twenty-four, in
+conversing with souls, and leading them to Jesus. Such persons will give
+somewhat of their substance, when called upon; and press on, almost out
+of breath apparently, in the cares of the world, not thinking to say to
+this man or that, on the right hand and the left, that there is a heaven
+above and a hell beneath, and death is at the door. You would almost
+imagine, from the conduct of some, that they would like to commit to
+proxy even their own faith and repentance. Now this entire engrossment
+in worldly cares, even though professedly for Christ's sake, will never
+illumine the dark recesses of the earth--will never usher in the
+millenial day.
+
+It is not so much, after all, an accumulation of wealth that is needed,
+as the personal engagement of Christians in making known everywhere, at
+home and abroad, the precious news of Jesus. The disposition to go
+everywhere, regardless of wealth, and with Jesus on our lips, must be
+the spirit of the church, before we can expect much good either at home
+or abroad. The world will not be covered with the knowledge of the Lord
+as the waters cover the sea, till men to make known that word are
+scattered like rain on all the earth--not only in heathen lands, but in
+the streets and lanes of large cities, and throughout the Western
+desolations. "So long as we remain together, like water in a lake, so
+long the moral world will be desolate. We must go everywhere, and if the
+expansive warmth of benevolence will not separate us, so that we arise
+and go on the wings of the wind, God, be assured, will break up the
+fountains of the great deep of society, and dashing the parts together,
+like ocean in his turmoil or Niagara in its fall, cover the heavens with
+showers, and set the bow of hope for the nations, and the desert shall
+rejoice and blossom as the rose. God is too good to suffer either Amazon
+or Superior to lie still, and become corrupt, and the heavens in
+consequence to be brass and the earth iron." God is too benevolent also,
+in the arrangements of the moral world, to allow his people to be
+inactive--to have here a continuing city, and be immersed in the cares
+of the world as though here were their treasure, while thousands about
+them are dying for lack of instruction, and the heathen abroad are going
+down to death in one unbroken phalanx. The church must take more
+exercise, and the proper kind, too, or she will become frail and sickly,
+too weak in prayer, and too ignorant in effort to usher in the millenial
+day.
+
+It is a possible thing to seek wealth _honestly_ for God; but he that is
+called to such a work, has more occasion to mourn than to rejoice: he
+has occasion to tremble, watch, and pray; for to be a faithful steward
+of God's property, requires perhaps more grace than to be a faithful
+steward of God's truth. We find many a faithful preacher of the Gospel
+where we find one Normand Smith, or Nathaniel R. Cobb, or one firm of
+Homes & Homer. The grace needed is so great, and the temptations to err
+so many, that almost all prove defaulters, and therefore it is that the
+world lies in ruins: not because the church has not wealth enough, but
+because God's stewards claim to be owners.
+
+How small the sum appropriated by a million and a half of God's stewards
+to save a sinking world! The price of earthly ambition, convenience and
+pleasure, is counted by millions. Navies and armies have their millions;
+railroads and canals have their millions; colleges and schools have
+their millions; silks, carpets and mirrors, have their millions; parties
+of pleasure and licentiousness in high life and in low life have their
+millions; and what has the treasury of God and the Lamb, to redeem a
+world of souls from the pains of eternal damnation, and to fill them
+with joys unspeakable? The sum is so small in comparison that one's
+tongue refuses to utter it.
+
+There must be a different scale of giving; and the only way to effect it
+is, to induce a different style of personal consecration. Let a man give
+himself, or rather let him have a heart that cannot _refrain_ from
+telling of Jesus to those who are near, or from going to those who are
+more remote, and the mere item of property you will find appended, as a
+matter of course, and on the plain principle that the greater always
+includes the less. We must learn to devote, according to our vows, time,
+talents, body, soul and spirit. Bodies and minds are wanted; the bones
+and sinews of men are required: these more substantial things are
+needed, as well as property, in arduous services at home and still more
+self-denying labor abroad; and no redeemed sinner can refuse either the
+one or the other, and continue to be regarded as a faithful steward of
+Jesus. _Money, though needed, is by no means all that is required of
+us._
+
+Though God has devolved upon us, as stewards, a responsible work, the
+weight of which is fearful, and sufficient to crush us unless aided
+from on high, yet the employment is one of _indescribable delight_. It
+is a pleasant work. Angels would rejoice to be so employed.
+
+Is there any professed Christian who does not relish the idea? To such
+an one I would say, Your condition is by no means enviable. You deny
+yourself all true happiness. If you do not delight in the thought of
+being God's steward; of holding not only property, but body, soul and
+spirit at God's control, then you know not what true luxury is. There is
+pleasure in doing good; there is a luxury in entire consecration to God.
+The pleasures of this earth are empty, vain and fleeting; but the
+pleasure of doing good is real, substantial and enduring. The pleasure
+of doing good is the joy of angels; it is the thrill of delight which
+pervades the soul of Jesus; it is the happiness of the eternal God. In
+not wishing to be God's steward, you deny yourself this luxury; you
+refuse angels' food and feed on husks. O, there is a richness of holy
+joy in yielding up all to God, and holding ourselves as waiting servants
+to do his will. This fullness of bliss you foolishly spurn from you,
+and turn away to the "beggarly elements of the world." Do you feel that
+the principles of stewardship contained in the Bible are too
+strict--that too entire a devotement is required of you? Angels do not
+think so. Redeemed saints do not think so. The more entire the
+consecration, the more perfect the bliss. In heaven devotement is
+perfect, and joy of course unalloyed. Blot out this spirit of
+consecration, you blot out all true happiness on earth; you annihilate
+heaven.
+
+But it is not only a luxury, but _an honor_ to be the stewards of God.
+What honor greater than that of continuing the work which Jesus
+commenced; of being employed in the immense business of saving a ruined
+race? What work more glorious than that of being the instruments of
+peopling heaven? What employment more noble than to rescue immortal
+souls from endless agonies, and to raise them to eternal joys; to take
+their feet from the sides of the burning lake, and to plant them on the
+firm pavement of heaven; to rescue victims from eternal burnings, and to
+place them as gems in the diadem of God? Would not Gabriel feel himself
+honored with a work so noble and glorious? Were a presidency or a
+kingdom offered you, spurn it and be wise; but contemn not the glory of
+being God's stewards.
+
+Remember, too, whether these are your views or not, the work of God will
+go on. The world will be converted. The glorious event is promised.
+Almighty power and infinite wisdom are engaged to accomplish it: all the
+resources of heaven are pledged. The God of heaven, he will prosper his
+true servants, and they shall arise and build; but those who do not
+relish the idea of being God's stewards, can have no portion, nor right,
+nor memorial in Jerusalem. The wheels of God's providence are rolling
+onward: those wheels are high and dreadful. Will you, being a professed
+Christian, dare to oppose the march of God? "Ah! we do not _oppose_,"
+say you. But I reply, There can be no neutrality; you must either help
+onward his car of victory, or you do really stand in the way--will be
+crushed by his power, and ground into the earth by the weight of his
+chariot. Take then, I entreat you, this warning, which is given you in
+earnestness, but in the spirit of love.
+
+Joy, glory and immortality, to all who will cordially assent to be
+co-workers with Jesus. They shall ride with him in his chariot from
+conquering to conquer, and shall sit with him on his throne in the day
+of triumph.
+
+Be entreated, then, professed Christian, first to give your own soul to
+the Lord, and with your soul all you have, all you are, and all you hope
+to be. Make an entire consecration. You will never regret having done
+so, in time or in eternity.
+
+May God give us all grace to imbibe wholly the true principles of
+stewardship. Not the principles popular in the world, but the principles
+of the Bible; those principles which hold out the only hope of the
+latter day glory--of means commensurate with so great an end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+GUILT OF NEGLECTING THE HEATHEN.
+
+
+During all the years that I have been allowed to labor for the heathen,
+my mind has been led to contemplate, constantly and intensely, the
+obligations of Christian nations towards those who sit in darkness;
+obligations arising from the command of Christ, and the principles of
+the Gospel. And I shall, therefore, in this chapter, freely, fully, and
+solemnly express the sentiments which have been maturing in my mind, on
+the _great guilt_ which Christians incur in _neglecting the heathen_.
+
+The heathen world, as a mass, has been left to perish. And by whom? Not
+by the Father of mercies; he gave his Son to redeem it: not by the
+Saviour of sinners; look at Calvary: not by the Holy Spirit; his
+influences have been ever ready: not by angels; their wings have never
+tired when sent on errands of mercy. All that Heaven could do has been
+done, consistently with the all-wise arrangement of committing an
+important agency to the church. The church has been slothful and
+negligent. Each generation of Christians has in turn received the vast
+responsibility, neglected it in a great measure, and transmitted it to
+the next. The _guilt_ of this neglect who can estimate?
+
+That such neglect is highly criminal, the Bible everywhere testifies. It
+says, "If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and
+those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it
+not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that
+keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it?" And shall not he "render to
+every man according to his works?" This solemn interrogation needs no
+comment. The obvious import is, _If our fellow men are perishing, and we
+neglect to do what we can to save them, we are guilty of their blood_.
+But this testimony does not stand alone. What does God say to the
+prophet, who should see the peril of the wicked, and neglect to save him
+by giving him warning? "His blood will I require at thy hand." What does
+God say of the watchman of a city who should see the sword come, and
+blow not the trumpet? "If the sword come and take any person from among
+them, his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."
+
+But this is not only the sentiment of the Bible, but the voice of common
+sense.
+
+A neighbor of mine is drowning in the river. With a little exertion I
+can save his life, but neglect to do it. Shall I escape the goadings of
+conscience and the charge of blood-guiltiness?
+
+A house is in flames. The perishing occupants, looking from a window,
+implore of me to reach them a ladder. I have some little affairs of my
+own to attend to, and turn a deaf ear to their cry. The flames gather
+around them: they throw themselves from the window, and are dashed in
+pieces on the pavement. Who will not charge me with the loss of those
+lives?
+
+To-day, a raging malady is spreading through the streets of a large
+city. The people are dying by hundreds. I know the cause; the fountains
+of the city are poisoned. From indolence, or some other cause, I neglect
+to give the information, and merely attend to my own safety. Who would
+not load me with the deepest guilt, and stamp me as the basest of
+murderers?
+
+Both Scripture and common sense, then, concur in establishing the
+sentiment, that if our fellow men are perishing, and we neglect to do
+what we can to save them, we are guilty of their blood. But if this
+doctrine be true, its application to Christians, in the relation which
+they sustain to the heathen world, is irresistibly conclusive and
+awfully momentous. The soul shudders, and shrinks back from the fearful
+thought: If six hundred millions of our race are sinking to perdition,
+and we neglect to do what we can to save them, we shall be found
+accountable for their eternal agonies.
+
+If such a charge is standing against us, we shall soon meet it. The day
+of judgment will soon burst upon us. Let us look, then, at the subject
+candidly, prayerfully, and with a desire to do our duty.
+
+The conditions on which the charge impends are simply two: that the
+heathen world are sinking to perdition, and that we are neglecting to do
+what we can to save them. If these two points are substantiated, the
+overwhelming conclusion is inevitable. It becomes us, then, to look well
+at these points--to examine them with faithfulness and with honesty.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Is it true, that _the heathen world are sinking to perdition_? As fast
+as the beating of my pulse, they are passing into the world of
+retribution, and the inquiry is, What is the doom they meet? Do they
+rise to unite with angels in the songs of heaven? or sink in ceaseless
+and untold misery?
+
+Certain it is, that they are not saved through faith in Christ; for
+"how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" It is also
+clear that God, in his usual method, does not bestow the gift of
+repentance and eternal life where a Saviour is not known. "It pleases
+God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." Those
+who are saved, are said to be "begotten by the word of truth"--"born of
+the word of God." As the heathen nations, therefore, are not furnished
+with the appointed means of salvation, it follows inevitably that, as a
+mass at least, they are sinking to perdition. They are the "nations
+which have forgotten God," and "shall be turned into hell."
+
+It is unnecessary to enter into the inquiry, whether it is possible, in
+the nature of the case, for a heathen unacquainted with the Gospel to be
+saved. It is sufficient to know the FACT, that God has ordained the
+preaching of the Gospel as the means of saving the nations; and that
+there is probably no instance on record, which may not be called in
+question, of a heathen being converted without a knowledge of the true
+God and of his Son Jesus Christ.
+
+But the consideration, solemn and conclusive, which needs no other to
+corroborate it or render it overwhelming, is the _character_ of the
+heathen. Look at their character, as portrayed by the Apostle Paul in
+the first chapter to the Romans. Read the whole chapter, but especially
+the conclusion, where he describes the heathen as "being filled with all
+unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
+full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, back-biters,
+haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
+disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers,
+without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful." This description is
+not understood in Christian lands, neither can it be; but missionaries
+to the heathen, who are eye-witnesses of what is here described, place
+an emphasis on every epithet, and would clothe every word in capitals.
+
+The character of the heathen is no better now than in the days of Paul.
+It is _worse_. It is impossible that such a state of society should
+remain stationary. A mortal disease becomes more and more malignant,
+till a remedy is applied; a sinking weight hastens downwards with
+continually accumulating force; and mind, thrown from its balance,
+wanders farther and farther from reason. It is thus with the disease of
+sin, the downward propensities of a depraved nature, and a soul revolted
+from God. Besides, Satan has not been inactive in heathen lands. He has
+been aware that efforts would be made to save them. And night and day,
+year after year, and age after age, he has sought, with ceaseless toil
+and consummate skill, to perfect the heathen in every species of
+iniquity, harden their hearts to every deed of cruelty, sink them to the
+lowest depths of pollution and degradation, and place them at the
+farthest remove from the possibility of salvation. It is impossible to
+describe the state of degradation and unblushing sin to which the
+nations, for ages sinking, have sunk, and to which Satan in his
+undisturbed exertions for centuries has succeeded in reducing them. It
+is impossible to give a representation of their unrestrained passions,
+the abominations connected with their idol worship, or the scenes of
+discord, cruelty and blood, which everywhere abound. I speak of those
+lands where the Gospel has not been extended. Truly darkness covers such
+lands, and gross darkness the people. Deceit, oppression and cruelty
+fill every hut with woe; and impurity deluges the land like an
+overflowing stream. Neither can it be said, that the conduct of the
+heathen becomes sinless through ignorance. From observation for many
+years, I can assert that they have consciences--that they feel
+accountable for what they do.
+
+Will, then, God transplant the vine of Sodom, unchanged in its nature,
+to overrun his paradise above? Will he open the gates of his holy city,
+and expose the streets of its peaceful inhabitants to those whose heart
+is cruelty, whose visage is scarred with fightings, and whose hands are
+red with blood? "KNOW YE NOT, THAT THE UNRIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT ENTER INTO
+THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?" Where, then, is the hope of the unconverted
+heathen? If there were _innocent_ heathen, as some men are ready to
+imagine in the face of God's word, and in the face of a flood of facts,
+then indeed they might be saved without the Gospel. But this mass of
+pollution, under which the earth groans, must disgorge itself into the
+pit of woe. We cannot evade the conclusion, painful as it is, that the
+millions of this world of sin are sinking to perdition.
+
+_The American churches have peculiar advantages_ to carry abroad the
+Gospel of Christ; and ability in such an enterprise is the measure of
+our duty. "If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to
+that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not." "To whom much
+is given of him will much be required." And to determine whether
+Christians in the United States are _doing what they can_ to save the
+heathen from their awful doom, the second point of inquiry proposed, it
+is necessary to look at their unparalleled advantages.
+
+It may be said then, that Christians in America are not trammeled in
+their efforts to do good by any governmental restrictions, or
+ecclesiastical establishment. The remark is trite, but no less true,
+that the genius of our free constitution is eminently propitious to call
+forth energy and enterprise. And the remark applies with no more force
+to worldly matters, than to the business of doing good. The religion of
+Christ courts no extraneous influence, and is dependent for its power on
+no earthly aid. Under our free government, uncontrolled, unrestrained
+and unsupported, it is left to exert its own free and native energy. We
+can plead, therefore, no arbitrary hindrance of any kind in the work of
+propagating the Gospel. And we can carry the Gospel, too, disconnected
+from any prejudicial alliance with political interests. This is the
+free, disencumbered, and unshackled condition in which the Gospel is
+permitted to have free course in our beloved land; and it is a talent
+put into our hands to be improved.
+
+Again, no country possesses such advantages of education as the United
+States. In no land is knowledge so generally diffused throughout the
+different grades of society, and in no land do such facilities exist for
+acquiring a thorough education. Schools, colleges and seminaries, are
+open equally to the high and to the low, to the rich and to the poor;
+and only a good share of energy is required, to rise from any grade or
+condition of society, to eminence in general learning or professional
+study. The general intelligence of the community is such, that nothing
+but _disinclination_ can prevent men from being acquainted with the
+wants of the world, and their duty to evangelize it; and the facilities
+for fitting themselves for the work are such, that nothing but criminal
+delinquency can hold back a very large army from entering the field.
+This is an immense advantage committed to the American churches, for
+propagating the religion of Christ. It is another very precious talent
+committed to their trust, which if they fail to improve, they treasure
+up guilt.
+
+Again, the American churches possess a great advantage in the facilities
+so generally enjoyed for accumulating wealth. The road to comfort and to
+affluence is open to all; and notwithstanding all reverses, the remark,
+as a general one, is still true, that the prosperity of the United
+States--of the whole mass of the people--is altogether unexampled, and
+that enterprise is vigorous and successful. In the greatest strait, how
+much retrenchment has there been in the style of living? And as we look
+into the future we see, (God's providence favoring,) that wealth is
+destined to flow in upon the land like a broad and deep river. Look at
+the extent of territory, bounded only by two rolling oceans; and at the
+resources which from year to year are developed--varied, unnumbered, and
+inexhaustible. If then unto whom much is given, of them will much be
+required, what may not God justly demand of American Christians?
+
+Another advantage which the American church possesses, is the Spirit which
+has been poured out upon her from on high. God has been pleased to bless
+her with precious revivals. The Holy Ghost has come down frequently and
+with power, and gathered in multitudes of souls. What God has wrought
+for the American Zion has been told in all lands, and every one applies
+the Saviour's injunction, "Freely ye have received--freely give." One
+great reason, perhaps, why the blessings of the Spirit are not now more
+richly enjoyed, is the neglect of Christians to make this return, and to
+labor gratefully for the destitute and the dying. It _was expected_, and
+justly too, that the land of apostolic revivals would be the first to
+imitate the apostles in the work of saving the heathen. A failure to do
+this may bring a blight upon the churches, if it has not brought it upon
+them already.
+
+Surely, if there is a nation on earth to whom are intrusted many talents,
+ours is that nation. Our ability is not small. We must come up to a high
+measure of Christian action, before it can be said with truth, that we
+are _doing what we can_ to save our ruined race. The United States, a
+nation planted by God, enriched by his providence, nourished by his Holy
+Spirit, and brought to the strength of manhood in this solemnly momentous
+time of the nineteenth century, seems to have committed to her in a
+special manner the work of the world's conversion. Who knoweth but that
+she is brought to her preëminent advantages for such a time as this--for
+the interesting period preceding the latter day glory; and now if she
+prove herself unworthy of so lofty and responsible a trust, and neglect
+to put forth her strength to usher in the glorious day, deliverance will
+break out from some other quarter, but she, like a third Babylon, may
+sink in the bottomless abyss. An immense responsibility rests upon us. O
+that God would give us grace to act worthy of our trust--_to do what we
+can_ for a dying world!
+
+Let us inquire, then, Do we _pray_ for the heathen as much as we ought?
+Were one duly impressed with the condition of perishing millions,
+certainly no less could be expected of him, than to fall on his knees
+many times a day, and to lift up his cry of earnest entreaty on their
+behalf. Filled with the love of Christ, and having distinctly and
+constantly before his mind the image of millions of immortal souls
+dropping into perdition, surely he could not refrain from an agony of
+prayer. Under such a sense of the wants and woes of our perishing race,
+a sense true to facts, he would have no rest.
+
+But what prayer has actually been offered to the Lord for benighted
+nations? Is it not a fact, that many professed Christians do not remember
+the heathen once a day, and some not even once a month? Let the closet,
+the family altar, and the monthly concert testify. Prayer-meetings for
+the heathen--how thinly attended! what spectacles of grief to Jesus, and
+to angels! And if that prayer only is honest which is proved to be so by
+a readiness to labor, give, and go, there is reason to fear that few
+prayers for the heathen have been such that Christ could accept them,
+place them in his golden censer, and present them before the throne.
+
+Since such is the case, what wonder is it that a million and a half of
+Christians in the United States should be so inefficient? Inefficient, I
+say, for what do this million and a half of professed Christians
+accomplish? By their vows they are bound to be as self-denying, as
+spiritual and devoted, as though they were missionaries to foreign
+lands. If we should send abroad a million and a half of missionaries, we
+should expect that, under God, they would soon be the instruments of
+converting all nations. But what, in fact, does this vast number of
+professed Christians--or in other words, of the _professedly missionary
+band_ of Jesus Christ, accomplish in the narrow limits of the United
+States? O, there is a deplorable lack in the churches, of the deep
+devotion and missionary character of our ascended Saviour.
+
+Again, Do we _give_ as much as we ought to evangelize the heathen? It
+would perhaps be a liberal estimate to say, that a million and a half of
+professed Christians in the United States give, on an average, year by
+year, to save the heathen, about twenty-four cents each, or two cents a
+month. There are other objects, it is true, that call for contributions;
+but put all contributions together, and how small the amount?
+
+The Jews were required to give to religious objects at least one-fifth
+of their income. One-fifth of the income of a million and a half of
+Christians at seven per cent., supposing them to be worth on an average
+five hundred dollars each, would be ten and a half millions of dollars.
+This is merely the income of capital of which we now speak. A fifth of
+the income from trade and industry would probably double the amount, and
+make it twenty-one millions. Is anything like this sum given by American
+Christians to support and propagate the religion of Jesus? What
+Christians have done, therefore, is by no means a measure of their
+ability.
+
+To see what men can do, it is necessary to look away from Christians, to
+those whose ruling principle is a thirst for pleasure, for honor, and
+for gain. How vast a sum is expended at theatres--on fashionable
+amusements and splendid decorations--not to mention the hundreds of
+millions sunk by intemperance, and swallowed up in the deep dark vortex
+of infamous dissipation! Men are lavish of money on objects on which
+their hearts are set. And if the hearts of Christians _were set_ on
+saving the heathen, as much as wicked men are set on their pleasures,
+would they, think you, be content with the present measure of their
+contributions?
+
+Look, too, at what men can do who are eager in the pursuit of wealth.
+Under the influence of such an incentive, railroads, canals, and
+fortresses spring into being, and fleets bedeck the seas like the stars
+of the firmament. Money is not wanting when lucrative investment is the
+end in view. Even professed Christians can collect together heavy sums,
+when some great enterprise promises a profitable income. They profess,
+perhaps, to be accumulating money for Christ; but, alas, to what a
+painful extent does it fail of reaching the benevolent end proposed!
+Worldly men accomplish much, for their hearts are enlisted. Professed
+Christians, too, accomplish much in worldly projects, for their minds
+become engrossed. What then could they not accomplish for Christ, if
+their feelings were equally enlisted in his cause? They might have, in
+serving Christ, intellects as vigorous, muscles as strong, and this
+advantage in addition, a God on high who has vouchsafed to help them.
+
+Take another view of the case. The child that is now sitting by your
+side in perfect health, is suddenly taken sick. Its blooming cheeks turn
+pale, and it lifts its languid and imploring eyes for help. You call a
+physician, the most skillful one you can obtain. Do you think of expense?
+A protracted illness swells the bill of the physician and apothecary to
+a heavy amount. Do you dismiss the physician, or withhold any comfort
+for fear of expense?
+
+Your child recovers, and becomes a promising youth. He takes a voyage to
+a foreign country. The ship is driven from her course, and wrecked on
+some barbarous coast. Your son becomes a captive, and after long anxiety
+you hear that he is alive, and learn his suffering condition; and you
+are told that fifty dollars will procure his ransom. I will suppose you
+are poor, have not a dollar at command, and that the sum can be raised
+in no other way than by your own industry and toil. Now, I ask, how many
+months would expire before you would save the sum from your hard
+earnings, and liberate your son? But what is an Algerine dungeon? It is
+a heaven, compared with the condition of the heathen. In the one case,
+there are bodily sufferings; in the other, present wretchedness and
+eternal agonies.
+
+I once fell in company with a man of moderate circumstances, with whom I
+used the above argument. He promptly replied, "It is true. Three years
+ago I thought I could barely support my family by my utmost exertions.
+Two years since, my darling son became deranged, and the support of him
+at the asylum costs me four hundred dollars a year. I find that with
+strict economy and vigorous exertion I can meet the expense. But if any
+one had said to me three years ago, that I could raise four hundred
+dollars a year to save a lost world, I should have regarded the remark
+as the height of extravagance."
+
+Now, I ask, ought not men to feel as much in view of the eternal and
+unspeakable agony of a world of souls, as a parent feels for a suffering
+child? God felt MORE. He loved his only Son with a most tender
+affection--inconceivably more tender than any earthly parent can
+exercise towards a beloved child. And yet, when the Father placed before
+him, on the one hand the eternal ruin of men, and on the other the
+sufferings and death of his beloved Son, which did he choose? Let
+Gethsemane and Calvary answer. Can Christians then have much of the
+spirit of God, and not feel for the eternal agonies of untold millions,
+more than for the temporal sufferings of a beloved child? But if
+Christians felt thus, what exertion would they make--how immense the
+sum they would cheerfully raise, this present year, to evangelize the
+heathen! Feeling thus, a few of the wealthy churches might sustain the
+present expenditures of all foreign operations. Yet all the American
+churches combined, _feeling as they do now_, fail to send forth a few
+waiting missionaries, and suffer the schools abroad to be disbanded. The
+truth is, in the scale of giving, the church as a body (I say nothing of
+individuals or of particular churches) has scarcely risen in its feeling
+above the freezing point. What they now contribute is a mere fraction
+compared with their ability.
+
+Millions are squandered by professed Christians on a pampered appetite,
+in obedience to fashion, a taste for expensive building, a love of
+parade, and on newly-invented comforts and conveniences, of which the
+hardy soldiers of Jesus Christ ought ever to be ignorant.
+
+Then, again, some who are economical in their expenditures, have little
+conception of what is meant by total consecration to God. There must be
+an entire reform in this matter. Every Christian must feel that his
+employment, whether it be agriculture, merchandise, medicine, law, or
+anything else, is of no value any farther than it is connected with the
+Redeemer's kingdom; that wealth is trash, and life a trifle, _except_ as
+they may be used to advance the cause of Christ; and that so far as they
+may be used for this purpose, they are of immense value. Let every
+Christian feel this sentiment--let it be deeply engraven on his heart,
+and how long, think you, would pecuniary means be wanting in the work of
+the world's salvation?
+
+And do we _go and instruct_ the heathen as we ought? This is indeed the
+main point. To pray, formally at least, is quite easy; to give, is a
+little more difficult; but to go, in the minds of most persons, is
+entirely out of the question. Satan understood human nature when he
+said, "All that a man hath will he give for his life." Speak of going,
+and you touch the man, his skin and his bones. To go, requires that a
+man have such feelings as to begin to act in earnest, as men do in other
+matters. Men act in person, when they are deeply in earnest. In the case
+supposed of a sick child, does the mother simply express a desire that
+the child may recover? does she merely give money, and hire a nurse to
+take little or no care of it? No: in her _own person_ she anticipates
+its every want, with the utmost attention and watchfulness. When a son
+is in bondage on a barbarous coast, does the father merely _pray_ that
+his son may be redeemed? does he merely send _money_ for his ransom? No:
+he chooses, if possible, _to go in person_ and carry the sum, that no
+means may be left untried to accomplish the object he has so much at
+heart. Men who are deeply interested in an important matter, where there
+is much at stake, cannot be satisfied with sending; they choose to _go
+themselves._ This remark is true in all the enterprises and transactions
+of life the world over.
+
+If then, after all, the measure of going is the true measure of
+interest, to what extent, I inquire, have Christians of America gone to
+the heathen? Alas! the number is few, very few.
+
+Look at the proportion of _ministers_ who go abroad. In the United
+States the number of preachers, of all denominations, is perhaps not far
+from one to a thousand souls. This is in a land already intelligent and
+Christian; in a land of universities, colleges, and schools; in a land
+of enterprise, of industry, and of free institutions, where the arts
+flourish, and where improvements are various and unnumbered; and more
+than all, in a land where more than a million and a half of the people
+are professed Christians, and ready to aid the ministers of Christ in
+various ways. On the other hand, even if missionaries from all
+Christendom be taken into the account, there is not more than one
+minister to a million of pagan souls, with almost no intelligent
+Christians to assist as teachers, elders, catechists, and tract
+distributers; no physicians, artists, and judicious legislators, to
+improve society and afford the means of civilized habits; no literature
+worthy of the name; no colleges, or even common schools of any value; no
+industry and enterprise, and every motive for it crushed by arbitrary
+and tyrannical institutions: the mind degraded and besotted,
+inconceivably so, and preoccupied also with the vilest superstition, the
+most inveterate prejudices, and the most arrogant bigotry. Who can
+measure the vast disproportion? What mind sufficient to balance extremes
+so inconceivably immense? On the one hand a minister to a thousand
+souls, with many helpers and a thousand auxiliary influences in his
+favor; on the other, one minister to a million of souls, with no helpers
+and no auxiliary influences, finding out an untrodden track amidst
+unnumbered obstacles, and penetrating with his single lamp into the dark
+and boundless chaos of heathenism. This is the manner in which
+Christendom shows that she loves her neighbor as herself; and in view of
+it, judge ye, whether American Christians go as much as they ought to
+instruct and save the benighted nations.
+
+We said, that the number of missionaries to the heathen population is
+about one to a million of souls; but let not the conclusion be drawn,
+that every million of heathen souls has a missionary. By no means. The
+few hundred missionaries preach to a few hundred thousand souls. The
+millions and hundreds of millions of heathen, are as destitute of
+preaching as though a missionary had never sailed, as destitute of the
+Scriptures as though a Bible were never printed, and as far from
+salvation, I was about to say, as though Jesus Christ had never died.
+Men speak of operating upon the _world_. Such language is delusive. The
+present style of effort, or anything like it, can only operate on some
+small portions of the earth. To influence materially the _wide world_,
+Christians must awake to a style of praying, giving, and _going_ too, of
+which they have as yet scarcely dreamed. The work of going into all the
+world and preaching the Gospel to every creature, has scarcely been
+undertaken in earnest. And how vain it would be to expect to make any
+material impression on the world, as a whole, when so small a company
+from all the ministers in the United States go abroad, and a less number
+even of lay members from the vast body of a million and a half.
+
+The heathen are not lost because a Saviour is not provided for them.
+"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." The
+preaching of the cross is "the power of God and the wisdom of God" both
+to the Jew and the Greek. Facts show, that in every nation, however
+barbarous and degraded, the Gospel of Jesus has power to convert,
+purify, elevate and save. These facts are irresistible.
+
+Neither are the heathen lost, because the ocean separating them is
+rarely passed. For the sake of gain, men can visit the most distant and
+sultry climes. To solve a question of science or merely to gratify
+curiosity, they can circumnavigate the globe, or penetrate far into the
+icy regions of the poles. The improvements in navigation and the
+extension of commerce have united the two continents in one. The
+Atlantic ocean no longer separates you from Africa, nor the Pacific from
+China. The amount of intercourse between the seekers of wealth from
+Christian lands and almost every heathen country, is absolutely immense.
+
+Why then are the heathen left to perish? There is a lack of earnestness
+in the church in the work of the world's conversion. What does the
+present earnestness of the church amount to? They contribute on an
+average two cents a month each, and they find that the pittance of money
+will more than suffice for the small number of men: and then the cry is
+"More money than men." A few men are obtained and then the pittance of
+money fails, and "More men than money" is the cry. A year or two
+afterwards the supply of men is gone, and the cry again is reversed. As
+if, in repairing the wastes of the New-York fire, the citizens collect
+together a small quantity of brick, and then find they have more brick
+than workmen. So they employ a few more men, and then find they have
+more men than brick. Was this the rate at which the ravages of the great
+fire were so soon repaired? Was this the measure of their engagedness in
+rebuilding the city?
+
+Some derangement takes place in the Erie Canal: a lock fails, an
+aqueduct gives way, or a bank caves in. Is business stopped on the canal
+till the next season, because the times are hard, and it is difficult to
+obtain money to make repairs? Some derangement takes place in a
+railroad: is travelling postponed till next year? But in the work of
+doing good, the reverse of times is regarded as a sufficient excuse to
+detain missionaries, disband schools, and take other retrograde steps.
+We coolly block our wheels, lie still, and postpone our efforts for the
+world's conversion till more favorable times. Men are earnest in worldly
+matters: in digging a canal, in laying a railroad, or in repairing a
+city; but in God's work--the work of saving the nations--their efforts
+are so weak that one is at loss to know which is most prominent, the
+folly, or the enormous guilt.
+
+Is it not a fact, that in our efforts for the heathen we come so far
+short of our ability, that God cannot consistently add his blessing.
+Can it be that the service rendered by the church as a body is
+acceptable to God? It is not according to that she hath--it forms an
+immense and inconceivable contrast to that measure of effort which lies
+fully within her power. Is it not, then, as though an imperfect
+sacrifice were offered to the Lord--a lamb full of blemish? If the
+church were weak, and it were really beyond her ability to do more than
+she does at present, then God would accomplish great victories by the
+feeble means. He can save by few as well as by many. He would make the
+"worm Jacob to thresh mountains." But since God has blessed the American
+church with numbers, and with great and peculiar advantages, he requires
+of her efforts that accord with her ability. The poor widow's mites
+accomplish much; but the wealthy man's mites, or the wealthy nation's
+thousands, when she is fully able to give millions; and her very few
+sons, when it would even benefit her to spare a host of her ablest men;
+what shall we say of such an offering? The reason why God blesses the
+efforts of the American church may be, that there are _some widows_, and
+some others too who do what they can--who honestly come up to the
+measure of their ability. For the sake of these God may add his
+blessing, just as for the sake of ten righteous men he would have spared
+Sodom. But no very great and conspicuous blessing can be expected to
+attend the labors of missionaries, such as the conversion of China, or
+of Africa, till the church begins to _pray_, _give_ and _go_, according
+to her _ability_; till she begins to come up to the extent of her powers
+in her efforts to save the heathen. Then, when she renders according to
+that she hath, her service will be accepted; it will be a sweet savor
+before God; his throne of love will come near the tabernacle of his
+saints, and the noise of his chariot soon be heard among the ranks of
+the enemy. The church then, with Christ at their head, shall go on
+rapidly from conquering to conquer, till all nations, tongues and
+people, shall bow the knee before him. As soon as the church shall put
+forth all her strength so as to render an acceptable service to God, it
+is of little consequence whether she be weak or strong, few or many, the
+blessing will descend; the mountains will break forth into singing, and
+the trees shall clap their hands for joy; God will come, take up his
+abode with the saints, and verify all that is expressed by "the latter
+day glory."
+
+It is plain, then, not only that Christians come far short of doing what
+they can to save the heathen, but that if they would come up to the
+measure of their duty they might, under God, rescue the dying nations
+from their impending doom. If they would engage in earnest, pray with
+fervency and faith, and prove their zeal by giving and by going, then
+the providence of God would not leave a bolt or a bar in their way,
+except what might be necessary to test their perseverance. Let every
+ambassador of Christ, and _every Christian too_, possess the unreserved
+consecration of Paul, and manifest that burning zeal which carried him,
+as on the wings of an angel, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable
+riches of Christ; let every redeemed sinner, minister or layman, stand
+ready, not merely to contribute of his substance, but to traverse with
+cheerful step the burning plains of Africa or the icy mountains of
+Greenland: then the darkness that now envelopes the earth would soon be
+dispelled, the torch of Revelation be carried to the most distant lands,
+and its light be made to penetrate the most gloomy abodes of men; the
+radiance of heavenly truth would be poured around the dying bed of every
+pagan, intelligence now in to us from every quarter, not only of
+individuals, but of nations converted to God, and the shout of triumph
+would soon be heard, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom
+of our Lord."
+
+It seems to be true, therefore, that the heathen are sinking to
+perdition; and true, also, that we might, under God, be the means of
+saving them. Shall we not then be found _accountable_ for their eternal
+agonies? O Christian, pause and look at this thought! Look at it
+deliberately, for we shall be obliged to do so at the judgment day. No
+one can plead exemption from it, unless he does _what he can_ to save
+the heathen. O my soul, how much blood, how much weeping, wailing and
+gnashing of teeth, will stand at thy account in the day of judgment!
+
+I appeal to each one of you, examine yourselves in the light of this
+truth. Call up your prayers, your contributions, and your personal
+efforts. Compare what you have done with what Jesus did for you. I
+entreat you, open your ears, and hearts too, to the groans of a dying
+world. Listen to the notes which, like the noise of seven thunders, peal
+after peal, are rolling in upon your shores.
+
+"Hark! what mean those lamentations,
+  Rolling sadly through the sky?
+'Tis the cry of heathen nations,
+  'Come and help us, or we die!'
+
+"Hear the heathen's sad complaining,
+  Christians! hear their dying cry;
+And, the love of Christ constraining,
+  Haste to help them, ere they die!"
+
+Yes, reader, haste to help them. Confer not with flesh and blood. Meet
+all vain excuses with a deaf ear and a determined spirit. Let pity move
+you, the love of Christ constrain you, and a sense of responsibility
+urge you, to take that precious Gospel on which your hopes rely, and to
+carry it, without delay, to the perishing nations.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE SAVIOUR'S LAST COMMAND.
+
+
+Let us suppose that all kindreds and people of the earth are assembled,
+and that the inhabitants of Africa, Asia, the Isles of the Pacific and
+the wilds of America, are called upon to speak, and to give in their
+testimony _how far the Saviour's last command has been obeyed_.
+
+The inquiry is first put to Africa:
+
+"Africa, to what extent and for what purpose have people from Christian
+lands visited thee, and thine adjacent islands? What have they carried
+to thy shores? And what is the treatment thou hast received from them?
+Tell the whole truth: let it be known to what extent the Saviour's last
+command has been obeyed in respect to thee."
+
+To this inquiry Africa replies:
+
+"The truth I can tell, but the _whole_ truth cannot be told. I have
+indeed been visited by people from Christian lands. Thousands and
+hundreds of thousands from those lands have visited my shores. Some
+have come to measure the pyramids, and to gather relics of ancient
+literature and decayed magnificence; some to search out the sources of
+the Nile and the course of the Niger; some to possess the best of the
+soil; and a vast multitude have come, with a cruelty that knows no
+mercy, to tear the husband from his wife and the wife from her husband,
+parents from their children and children from their parents, brother
+from sister and sister from brother--to crowd them together without
+distinction of age or sex in the suffocating holds of their ships, where
+a large proportion of them die, and to convey the remainder far away to
+spend their lives in degrading servitude. They have brought beads and
+trinkets; they have brought _instruments of death_, such as muskets,
+powder, knives and swords; and they have brought, too, full cargoes of
+_liquid poison_. The navies of Christian, lands have fought in my
+harbors, and their armies upon my shores. Their money by millions has
+been lavished, and their blood has run in torrents.
+
+"A few individuals, however, of a different character, have found their
+way hither. They have come in the spirit of benevolence and of peace,
+and have brought in their hands the precious treasure of the Gospel of
+Christ. But their number is so small as to be almost lost among the
+multitude. For one who has taught righteousness, purity, truth and
+mercy, thousands have taught, by their example, rapacity, drunkenness,
+lewdness and cruelty. For one who has led us in the path of life,
+thousands have led us in the paths of destruction. For one who has
+brought the Bible, thousands have brought rum. For one whose example has
+been salutary, the intercourse of thousands has left a loathsome
+disease, which with sure and rapid progress is depopulating the land.
+Such is the sum of my testimony. Days and nights would be required to
+give the detail."
+
+This testimony of Africa being finished, the same inquiry is put to
+Asia:
+
+"Asia, to what extent have the nations of Christendom visited thee, and
+thy numerous islands? What have they carried to thy shores? and what has
+been their deportment towards thee?"
+
+To which Asia replies:
+
+"The vast number, either of men or of ships from Christian lands, that
+have visited my shores, cannot be told. I know full well the
+enterprise, the energy, and the perseverance of Christian lands; yes,
+verily, and traits too of less honorable name. Large portions of my
+territory acknowledge the control of their armies. Their thundering
+navies lie in my harbors and sail along my coasts. Ships without
+number--mighty ships whose masts pierce the clouds, have come for my
+teas, my crapes, my silks, my spices and other precious merchandise.
+Their consuls, superintendents, officers of various kinds, and merchants
+in great numbers, dwell in almost every port, and have erected in those
+ports stores, shops, offices and sumptuous dwellings. Many things
+pleasant and useful have been brought hither, but many things also that
+are ruinous: full cargoes of ardent spirits; and immense quantities of
+opium too, a means of destruction no less sure.
+
+"Among the multitudes who have come to my shores, some few, indeed, have
+brought the Gospel of Christ, made known its truths and exemplified its
+spirit; but the thousands and tens of thousands have inculcated by their
+example, worldliness, drunkenness, lewdness, war, violence and
+treachery. If needful, a volume of details might be given; but this is
+the sum."
+
+Next, the inquiry is put to the Isles of the Ocean:
+
+"Great Pacific, to what extent has the last command of Christ been
+obeyed by Christian lands, in respect to thy numerous islands?"
+
+The reply is as follows:
+
+"Thousands of ships from Christian lands continually cruise upon my wide
+waters, and visit my numerous groups of islands. They have exchanged
+with my ignorant and destitute inhabitants, beads, trinkets, and a few
+inches of rusty iron hoop, for the best produce of the islands. They
+have sold to them guns, powder and rum. Many of their ships have been
+floating grog-shops--floating exhibitions too of Sodom and Gomorrah.
+From some, on slight provocation, broadsides of cannon have been fired
+on my heedless inhabitants, strewing the deep with the dead and the
+dying. Rum and disease have been introduced. The one has slain its
+thousands, and the other has slain, and is still slaying its tens of
+thousands. Many useful things indeed have been introduced, but in
+connection with a host of evils! A few individuals too, bearing the
+Gospel of Jesus Christ, have visited some of my numerous islands; but
+what are they among the multitude?"
+
+After this testimony of the Isles of the Ocean, the inquiry is last
+addressed to America:
+
+"America, what is thy testimony? From Bhering's Straits to Cape Horn,
+what treatment have thy native inhabitants received from Christian
+nations?"
+
+America replies:
+
+"Alas! scarcely enough remain of my miserable inhabitants to return an
+answer. They have been swept away by the same causes which are now
+sweeping away the inhabitants of the Pacific. The rapacity of those
+called Christians, which has not scrupled at any means of conquest and
+extirpation, and the rum and diseases introduced, have laid my numerous
+population in the grave. Have I been visited by those who bear the
+Christian name? Yes, verily, they now possess the best portions of my
+territory, and have grown into vast nations on my soil. Even my veriest
+wilds have been repeatedly traversed by them in search of furs; and the
+tracks they have made been too often marked with drunkenness, lewdness,
+and treachery. Few, very few indeed of all that have come to this vast
+continent, have come to instruct my ignorant inhabitants in the precious
+Gospel of Jesus Christ, and lead them in the paths of righteousness and
+peace. Few who explore my wilds, explore them for this purpose. Alas! a
+far different object prompts their enterprise, their energy, and their
+perseverance. This is the sum of my testimony."
+
+Now, reader, let us look well at this testimony of Africa, of Asia, of
+the Isles of the Ocean, and of America. Is it not overwhelming? Take,
+the Encyclopedia of Geography, or McCulloch's Dictionary of Commerce, or
+Howitt's Colonization and Christianity, and carefully examine the facts.
+Are they not enough to strike us dumb? To what a vast extent heathen
+nations have been visited by those who bear the Christian name. What
+obscure island, or what obscure nook or corner of the earth has not been
+visited? What immense multitudes have gone forth. AND, ALAS! FOR WHAT
+PURPOSES. How few, how very few have gone forth to make known the
+Gospel! What a powerful motive among men is the love of earthly gain,
+and how weak a motive is love to Christ and regard to his last command.
+The command reads, "GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO
+EVERY CREATURE." Christian nations, ye have not failed in great
+multitudes to "GO INTO ALL THE WORLD;" scarcely have ye failed to visit
+"EVERY CREATURE;" but for what purpose have ye gone forth? Has it been
+mainly to make known the precious name of Jesus? Be entreated to look at
+the case as it is, for a day of impartial retribution is at hand.
+
+Many of you indeed, who go forth to heathen shores, do not profess to be
+the disciples of Jesus; but imagine not, that on that account your guilt
+is diminished. Ye who reject the Saviour, and disobey his commands--who
+throw away your own souls as worthless, and are reckless of the souls of
+your fellow men, what can you say in the day of Christ's appearing? If
+ye had only destroyed your own souls, then your case would be more
+tolerable; but since you withhold from the millions of ignorant heathen
+the knowledge of salvation, which has been imparted to you--not only
+refusing to enter the kingdom of heaven yourselves, but denying the key
+to those who might be disposed to enter;--and not only do this, but in
+your intercourse with the heathen, which has been very abundant, confirm
+them in their evil practices by a pernicious example, and hurry them by
+thousands to the grave by means of _deadly poison_ and _deadly
+disease_--Oh! how will you endure the keen remorse and fearful looking
+for of judgment, which may ere long overtake you? When the impartial
+Judge shall appear, and your eyes shall meet his eye, what agonies must
+rend your souls!
+
+But some of you have the vows of God upon you. To such I would say, Be
+entreated to look at the case as it is. As ye have gone forth on voyages
+of just and honorable traffic, and on voyages of discovery, have you
+manifested in all the heathen ports where you touched, that to make
+known the Saviour was the great and absorbing desire of your hearts?
+Alas! are there not some among you who, either as owners, masters or
+agents, are connected with ships that sail from port on the Sabbath, or
+do other unnecessary work on that day, and who thereby teach the
+heathen, wherever those ships go, to disobey God when their gain or
+convenience require it? Are there not also some among you, who, in one
+way or another, are connected with ships whose outfits are wholly or in
+part, beads, trinkets, guns, powder, rum and opium? and who thereby
+teach the heathen injustice, cheating, drunkenness, lewdness, and
+recklessness of life? Why is it that ye bear the name of the peaceful
+disciples of the benevolent Jesus, whilst ye are concerned in scattering
+among the heathen "fire-brands, arrows and death"--in teaching them
+every species of iniquity, and in rearing a wall of prejudice strong and
+high to the progress of the Gospel?
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+But most of my readers stand pure from all this crime; and of such I
+simply inquire, with deep concern and affectionate earnestness, Why,
+dear brethren, have ye not obeyed the Saviour's last command? Why have
+ye not made known the Gospel of Christ to every creature? Each one of
+you has doubtless some excuse at hand, or he could not escape the
+goadings of conscience. Let us then, in the spirit of candor and
+honesty, look at some EXCUSES.
+
+Perhaps some one may be inclined to say, "The work enjoined by the
+Saviour's last command is a very great work, and there has not been
+time enough to perform it."
+
+True, I reply, the work is great; but how does it appear that there has
+not been sufficient time to accomplish it? _Not sufficient time!_ What
+has been accomplished in the pursuit of wealth and honor during the same
+period of time? What has been done at home in railroads, canals,
+steamboats, manufactures, and in other departments of enterprise and
+industry? What has been done abroad? Look at the testimony of Africa,
+Asia, the Isles of the Pacific, and the wilds of America. There has been
+time to carry rum to every shore. There has been time to introduce
+diseases among every barbarous people, which are hurrying them to the
+grave by thousands. There has been time to kidnap thousands and hundreds
+of thousands of the degraded Africans. There has been time to extirpate
+most of the native population of North and South America. There has been
+time to wage war, till the blood of human beings has flowed in torrents.
+And then, in regard to just and honorable traffic, compute, if human
+arithmetic be competent to the task, the amount of merchandise brought
+from India, and from other distant lands. There has been time for all
+this. Now I ask with great plainness, for it is a solemn and practical
+subject, Had you exhibited the same enterprise, energy and perseverance,
+in making known the Gospel to all nations, as has been exhibited in
+worldly pursuits, would not every human being, long ere this, have heard
+the word of life? Will you not, Christian reader, look at this question,
+weigh it well, and deal honestly with your own soul?
+
+Here, I am suspicious that some may be inclined to excuse themselves
+with a vague thought secretly entertained, which, if expressed, would be
+somewhat as follows:
+
+"True, we have not exhibited as much zeal in teaching all nations as has
+been exhibited by the worldly, and by many of ourselves even, in the
+pursuit of wealth. But we claim not the praise of a holy, self-denying
+and apostolic life. We are content with an _humble_ walk in the
+Christian course, and a _low_ seat in heaven. Entire consecration, in
+the sense urged, is what we never _professed_."
+
+Your standard, then, it appears is very low--too low, it may be, to
+admit you even to that humble seat in the courts above which you
+anticipate. You claim not the praise of an apostolic life, and I
+seriously fear that you will not obtain even the testimony of being a
+true Christian. But how does it appear, that you never professed an
+entire consecration to Christ of all your powers of body and soul? It is
+true, the conduct of some would seem to say, that they put on a form of
+religion to silence their fears, to cheat themselves with a delusive
+hope, and to enjoy a comfortable state of mind on earth. But what,
+really, are the vows that rest upon you? What else than to seek by
+prayer and effort, as your supreme aim, chief desire, and all-engrossing
+object, the promotion of Christ's kingdom--the salvation of souls for
+whom he died?
+
+Besides, what is the great purpose for which the church was instituted?
+Certainly, not to promote in its members a delusive comfort and quietude
+of mind; neither mainly nor chiefly to secure their own ultimate
+salvation; but _to take advantage of union of strength to convert the
+world._ The church--the whole church, without the exception of any of
+its members, is by profession, not merely a missionary society, but a
+_missionary band:_ the minute-men of the Lord Jesus, ready to do his
+will, at home or abroad, with singleness of aim, and with a spirit of
+entire devotion.
+
+"But," you say, "were we thus to live, the world would verily believe we
+were deranged."
+
+_Deranged!_ it would be the right kind of derangement. Were not the
+apostles thought to be deranged? And the Reformers--Luther, Melancthon,
+Calvin, Knox and others--were not they thought to be enthusiasts and
+zealots? Why? Because they were somewhat in earnest in the cause of
+Christ. Worldly men toil and strive night and day, in collecting
+together a little of the pelf and dust of the earth, and think
+themselves wise in doing so; but if the disciples of Christ show zeal or
+earnestness, in pursuits as much higher than theirs as heaven is higher
+than the earth, and as much more important as the immortal soul is more
+valuable than corruption and vanity, they call them enthusiasts and
+fanatics! But, alas! how few of us who profess to be the disciples of
+Christ, have manifested such zeal in his service as to be called by such
+epithets. Such persons alone God calls wise; and those worldly men, who
+are mad in the pursuit of wealth, God calls "fools." The wisdom of God
+and the wisdom of the world are utterly at variance. O that all who
+profess to love Christ, manifested such zeal in obeying him as to be
+strange and singular men! How soon would every human being hear his
+Gospel! But since such zeal is not manifested, the heathen are left to
+perish; and where, I ask affectionately and solemnly, where rests the
+guilt?
+
+But, here it may perhaps be replied, "Our sin is a sin of ignorance. We
+have not been acquainted with the full import of the Saviour's last
+command, nor with the extent of our obligations to Christ. Neither have
+we been acquainted with the wretched and guilty condition of the heathen
+world, nor with the exertions necessary to turn it from darkness to
+light, from the power of Satan unto God. God will wink at our sin, if we
+be indeed guilty, for we have not been enlightened on this subject."
+
+I answer. Does ignorance of the laws of any nation excuse those who
+transgress those laws; or is it not considered to be the duty of all
+subjects to inform themselves in respect to the laws of their country?
+And should it not be so in the kingdom of Christ? The requirements of
+Christ in their full extent are contained in the New Testament, and are
+expressed in language that need not be misunderstood. If any one has
+mistaken their import, is it not on account of a self-seeking,
+money-getting, or slothful disposition? Let such a one search his own
+heart, and inquire with concern, "Did I desire to know my duty? Was not
+my blindness a matter of choice; no infirmity, no misfortune, but my
+guilt? If there had been a desire, nay, even a willingness to be
+instructed, could I have mistaken such plain and unequivocal precepts of
+the Gospel?"
+
+The condition too of the heathen, their guilty and wretched condition,
+is fully made known in the New Testament, especially in the first
+chapter of Paul's epistle to the Romans. Besides, accounts of their
+guilt and wretchedness have been presented before the Christian
+community in Heralds, Chronicles, reports and newspapers, till they have
+become too familiar to make an impression. Can ignorance at this day be
+any other than a criminal ignorance--an ignorance of fearful
+responsibility?
+
+And, I ask again, Can it be an excuse to many Christians that they are
+laymen and not preachers of the Gospel? Can they make it appear that
+many of their number were not called to the office of preaching the
+Gospel? Did they take the proper means to ascertain that point? How, I
+anxiously inquire, did such persons determine so readily, when a world
+was sinking to perdition for want of preachers of the Gospel, that they
+were called to be lawyers, physicians, statesmen, merchants, farmers and
+manufacturers? Can it be fairly shown that hundreds of laymen have not
+rejected an office to which they were _called_--SOLEMNLY CALLED, by the
+woes and dying groans of six hundred millions of their fellow men? Is
+there not reason to fear, that it was from a carnal choice and selfish
+inclination, rather than a sense of duty, that so great a majority slid
+so easily into their present occupations?
+
+Besides, how does it appear that only preachers of the Gospel are
+required to labor directly for the destitute at home, and to go forth to
+the heathen abroad? It was far otherwise in the days of the apostles.
+Then the whole church--driven out, indeed, by persecution--went
+everywhere making known the Saviour. And at the present hour, not only
+are ministers needed in propagating the Gospel in destitute places at
+home, and in raising up heathen nations from their deep degradation, but
+there are needed also, in their appropriate spheres, teachers,
+physicians, mechanics, farmers--in short, men of every useful profession
+and employment.
+
+Besides, much is to be done at home in sustaining those who go abroad.
+Has there been no lack in this part of the work? Alas! there are facts
+to meet such an inquiry, facts too well known to be named: disbanded
+schools, detained missionaries, and deserted monthly concerts: facts
+that stand registered on a book that shall hereafter be opened. Dear
+brethren, I speak earnestly and boldly of your obligations, not
+forgetting my own; and I would entreat you, by all that is affecting in
+the death of souls, and by all that is constraining in the love of
+Christ, to admit freely to your hearts, without subterfuge or excuse,
+the full import of the Saviour's last command, and to commence at once a
+life of sincere obedience. O! let us deal _honestly_ with ourselves, in
+a matter of such immense moment.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+LAYMEN CALLED TO THE FIELD OF MISSIONS.
+
+
+In Acts, 8:4, it is said, _Therefore they that were scattered abroad,
+went everywhere preaching the word_. And from the previous verses it
+seems that these persons, who were scattered abroad, were lay members of
+the church. The history is instructive.
+
+After the day of Pentecost, the number of converts to Christianity
+amounted to several thousands. They were Jews, and had strong feelings
+of attachment to the city of Jerusalem, to the temple, and to the land
+of their fathers. They therefore clung to Jerusalem, and seemed inclined
+to remain together as one large church. But it was the design of the
+Lord Jesus, that the Gospel should be preached _everywhere_: such was
+his last and most solemn command. As, therefore, the disciples seemed in
+a measure unmindful of this command, the Saviour permitted a persecution
+to rage, which scattered them abroad, and they went "everywhere
+preaching the word." The term _preaching_, in this place, means simply
+announcing or making known the news of salvation. This must be the
+meaning, for they that were scattered abroad were laymen. As they went,
+they told everywhere of Jesus Christ, and of the life and immortality
+which he had brought to light. This subject engrossed their thoughts;
+their hearts were full of it, and out of the abundance of their hearts
+their mouths spake. It is clear from this history, that in early times
+lay members of the church, in great numbers, were led, in the providence
+of God, to go forth and engage personally in the work of propagating the
+Gospel. And the more closely we look at the history, the more we shall
+be impressed with this fact.
+
+Notice the _time_ chosen by God for the first remarkable outpouring of
+his Holy Spirit. It was on the day of Pentecost, when multitudes were
+present, not only from all parts of Palestine, but from the surrounding
+nations. There were present, "Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and
+the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus and
+Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Lybia about
+Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and
+Arabians." Upon this multitude, assembled from all the nations round
+about, the Holy Ghost was poured out with such power, that three
+thousand souls were converted in one day; and on succeeding days many
+were added to the church. Many of these converts would naturally return
+to the different nations and places from which they came, and make known
+the Saviour far and wide. It was by the return of these converts to
+their places of residence, that the Gospel was early introduced into
+many places quite remote from Jerusalem, among which may be reckoned, in
+all probability, the distant city of Rome. The first propagation of the
+Gospel in that metropolis of the world, can be traced to no other source
+with so much probability, as to the strangers from Rome who were present
+at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. It seems evident, therefore, that
+in the time chosen by God for this remarkable outpouring of his Spirit,
+he had an eye to an extensive and rapid propagation of the Gospel by lay
+members of the church.
+
+Again, as hinted before, when the great body of the first converts chose
+to remain at Jerusalem, God saw best to _drive them thence by
+persecution_. This persecution began with the stoning of Stephen, and
+raged with such violence, that it is said that all the church at
+Jerusalem were scattered abroad, except the apostles. They were not only
+a few individuals who were driven out, but so many as to justify the
+expression, "all the church." By thus dispersing the great body of the
+church, the Saviour propagated rapidly and extensively his precious
+Gospel. For this multitude of lay members--and there were several
+thousands of them--went everywhere preaching the word; announcing in all
+places, in a way appropriate to their station, the news of salvation
+through a crucified Redeemer. They propagated the Gospel throughout
+Judea and Samaria; and some of them travelled as far as Phoenice and
+Cyprus, and laid the foundation of the church at Antioch. It was not
+till the apostles had heard of the success of these lay members at
+Antioch, that they sent thither Barnabas to help in the work. It
+appears, then, that the rapid and extensive propagation of the Gospel,
+in early times, was accomplished in a great measure by the spreading
+abroad of the great body of the church; by an actual going forth and
+personal engagement of a great multitude of lay members.
+
+Again, the treasurer of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia, seems to have been
+converted on his return home, not simply out of regard to his own
+personal salvation, but as a means of making known the Gospel in the
+distant place of his residence; for soon after, we find in that region a
+flourishing church of Christ.
+
+Again, look at the example of Aquila and Priscilla, who labored
+zealously at Corinth and at Ephesus. Look, too, at the whole list of
+Paul's fellow travellers, and those whom he salutes in his letters as
+helpers in the Gospel.
+
+From all these facts it is evident, that in early times God made use of
+common Christians in propagating the Gospel. Did he not so overrule
+events in his providence, as to show it to be his design that lay
+members of the church should go forth in great numbers, and engage
+personally, in ways appropriate and proper for them, in the work of
+making known Christ? We have then the force of primitive example--of
+primitive example, too, brought about by the manifest overrulings of
+God's providence. This example is not equivalent, indeed, to a "Thus
+saith the Lord;" yet does it not strongly favor the sentiment, that lay
+members of the church in great numbers are called to go forth and assist
+in evangelizing the heathen?
+
+_To elevate all nations requires a great variety of laborers._ In
+illustrating this point, I cannot expect to present it with all the
+clearness and force which are due to it. To appreciate fully its truth
+and its weighty import, it is necessary to live in the midst of a
+heathen people, and actually to witness the great variety and amount of
+labor which must be put forth, in order to elevate and improve them. The
+work of raising up a people from barbarism to Christianity is not only
+an immense work, but emphatically a _various_ work--a work which
+requires a great diversity both of means and of laborers. The minister
+of the Gospel must perform a prominent part, but he must not be expected
+to labor alone. His unaided efforts are altogether insufficient for the
+task.
+
+There is special need of other laborers, since the number of ministers
+among the heathen is likely to be so small; but the need would exist,
+even though the number of ministers were very much increased. Labors
+analogous, both in respect to measure and variety, to those bestowed
+upon a Christian congregation, must be expended on a congregation of
+heathen. In Christian countries, a thousand important labors are
+performed by intelligent and praying men and women in the church, as
+direct aid to the minister in his arduous work; and a thousand offices
+are performed by schoolmasters, physicians, lawyers, merchants, farmers,
+mechanics and artisans, which, though in most cases not aimed directly
+at the salvation of men, are, notwithstanding, most intimately connected
+with the world's improvement and renovation. But while ministers at home
+are assisted in their work, shall the missionary abroad receive little
+or no help in his direct labors? And in respect to all improvements in
+society indirectly connected with his main work, must the task of
+introducing them and of urging them on, devolve entirely on him alone?
+Why should not the various means of civilizing and improving society at
+home, be brought to exert their influence upon the heathen abroad? Why
+should not the aid enjoyed by the minister in Christian lands, from
+intelligent members of his church, be afforded to the missionary among
+the heathen? How, indeed, shall the world be converted, unless there be
+a going forth to heathen lands from among all classes of Christians?
+
+But I fear that these remarks are too general to be distinctly
+understood. To make my meaning, then, a little more clear, I will
+suppose a case.
+
+A missionary goes forth to a barbarous nation, and locates himself in a
+village of four thousand souls. He learns the language of the people,
+and soon succeeds in giving them a superficial knowledge of the great
+truths of the Gospel. God blesses his labors. The people throw away
+their idols; many sincerely embrace the Lord Jesus; and the community at
+large acknowledge Christianity as the religion of the land.
+
+Now, a superficial thinker might imagine that the work of elevating the
+people was almost done; but, in truth, it is but just commenced. The
+missionary looks upon his people, and wishes them not only to be
+Christians in name, but to exhibit also intelligence and good order,
+purity and loveliness, industry and enterprise; in a word, a deportment
+in all respects consistent with the religion of Jesus. But what is
+their state? The government is despotic, and the principles of its
+administration at variance with Scripture and reason. This takes away
+all motives to industry and thrift. Then again, the people are ignorant;
+have no mental discipline, no store of useful knowledge, but their minds
+are marked with torpor, imbecility, and poverty of thought: while at the
+same time they are full of grovelling ideas, false opinions, and
+superstitious notions, imbibed in childhood and confirmed by age. The
+children, too, are growing up in ignorance of all that is useful and
+praiseworthy. Entirely uninstructed and ungoverned by their parents;
+they range at large like the wild goats of the field. The people know
+not the simple business of making cloth, of working iron, or of framing
+wood; and have but a very imperfect knowledge of agriculture.
+
+Of course, men, women and children, are almost houseless and
+naked--destitute of everything but the rudest structures, the rudest
+fabrications, and the rudest tools and implements of husbandry. A large
+family herd together, of all ages and both sexes, in one little hut,
+sleep on one mat, and eat from one dish. From irregularity of habits and
+frequent exposure, they are often sick; and with the aid of a
+superstitious quackery, sink rapidly and in great numbers to the grave.
+
+The missionary looks upon his four thousand villagers, though nominally
+Christian perhaps, yet still in this state of destitution, degradation
+and ignorance. He sees, that to elevate them requires the labors not
+only of a preacher of the Gospel, but the labors of the civilian, the
+physician, the teacher, the agriculturist, the manufacturer, the
+mechanic and the artist. Can all these professions and employments be
+united in one man? Can one missionary sustain all this variety of labor?
+Yet all these departments of labor are absolutely indispensable to the
+improvement and elevation of society. They are necessary in a land
+already Christian. Still more indispensable are they in the work of
+raising up a people from barbarism.
+
+_Teachers_ are needed. To raise a people from barbarism, the simple but
+efficient means of common schools must be everywhere diffused; and
+higher schools too must be established, and vigorously conducted. To
+teach the hundreds of millions of adult heathen in week-day schools and
+in Sabbath-schools, and more especially to instruct and train the
+hundreds of millions of heathen children and youth, cannot be done by a
+few hands. We forbear to make a numerical estimate: any one may estimate
+for himself. The number must be great, even though we look upon them
+rather as a commencing capital than as an adequate supply, and expect
+that by far the greater part of laborers are to be trained up from among
+the heathen themselves. It is preposterous to think of imposing all this
+labor on a few ministers of the Gospel.
+
+_Physicians_ are needed. They are needed to benefit the bodies of the
+heathen; for disease, the fruit of sin, is depopulating with amazing
+speed a large portion of the heathen world. The nations, many of them at
+least, are melting away. Let physicians go forth, and while they seek to
+stay the tide of desolation which is sweeping away the bodies of the
+heathen, let them improve the numerous and very favorable opportunities
+afforded them of benefiting their souls. The benevolent, sympathizing,
+and compassionate spirit of Christ, led him to relieve the temporal
+sufferings of men, while his main aim was to secure their eternal
+salvation. Unless we show, by our exertions, a desire to mitigate the
+present woes and miseries of men, how shall we convince them that we
+truly seek their eternal welfare? Physicians must throw their skill in
+the healing art at the feet of the Saviour, and be ready to use it when
+and where he shall direct. The number who should go to the heathen
+cannot, and need not, be named.
+
+It is unnecessary to remark that _printers_, _book-binders_, and
+_book-distributers_ are needed to carry on the work of the world's
+conversion.
+
+_Civilians_ too are needed: men skilled in laying the foundation of
+nations and guiding their political economy. Should such men go forth,
+and evince by a prayerful, godly, and disinterested deportment and
+course of procedure, that their sole aim was to promote the happiness of
+the people, both temporal and eternal; there are many barbarous
+countries where they would readily acquire much influence, and be able
+in a gradual manner, by friendly and prudent suggestions to the rulers,
+and in other ways, to effect changes that would be productive of
+incalculable good. Many changes, with pains-taking and care, could be
+made to appear to the rulers to be really for their interest, as well as
+for the interest of the people; and more light and knowledge, without
+the intervention of any new motive, would soon introduce them.
+
+A few years since, the king and chiefs of the Sandwich Islands sent a
+united appeal to the United States for such an instructor, to guide them
+in the government of their kingdom, and offered him a competent support.
+While the nation had improved in religion and morals, the government had
+remained much as it was--keeping the people in the condition of serfs.
+The system was wrong throughout: of the very worst kind, both for the
+interests of the rulers and of the subjects. The chiefs began to see
+this, and asked for an instructor. Such an instructor was not obtained;
+and one of the missionaries was constrained, by the urgent necessity, to
+leave the service of the mission board, and to become a political
+teacher to the king and chiefs. His efforts have been crowned with great
+success.
+
+Civilians might do good also, not only in the way of their profession,
+but by a Christian example, and by instructing the people, as
+opportunity should offer, in the knowledge of Christ.
+
+_Commercial men_ also, actuated by the same benevolent and disinterested
+spirit, might develope the resources of heathen lands, and apply them in
+a wise manner for the benefit of those lands; promote industry, and
+afford the means of civilized habits; increase knowledge, by expediting
+communication; and in this way, indirectly, though efficiently, aid the
+progress of the Gospel. By exhibiting also in their dealings an example
+of honesty, uprightness, and a conscientious regard to justice and
+truth; by showing practically the only proper use of wealth, the good of
+men and the glory of God; by conversing daily with individuals, as did
+Harlan Page and Normand Smith, at their houses and by the wayside, on
+the great subject of the soul's salvation; and by presenting in
+themselves and in their families examples of a prayerful and godly life,
+they might exert a powerful influence, and perform a very important part
+in Christianizing the world.
+
+There is also much need of farmers, mechanics, manufacturers and
+artisans. They should go forth like other laborers in the field, _not
+with the selfish design of enriching themselves_, but with the
+disinterested intention of benefiting the nations. Private gain must be
+kept strictly, carefully, and absolutely _subordinate_, or immense evil
+will be wrought and no good be done. They should be men who cheerfully
+throw themselves and their property on the altar of _entire
+consecration_, and go forth to labor and toil so long as the Saviour
+pleases to employ them, with the _lofty design_ of doing good to the
+bodies and souls of their perishing fellow men. Going forth with such a
+spirit, and with emphasis I repeat, allowing _no other_ to intrude, they
+could do much in raising up the nations from their deep degradation. In
+the first place, they could do much good by communicating a knowledge of
+their several employments. Not only is a reform in government necessary,
+but an introduction of the useful arts also, to raise up the people from
+their indolence and filthy habits, and to promote thrift, order,
+neatness and consistency. Look at a heathen family as above described.
+How can you expect from them refinement or elevation of soul? How can
+you expect from them the proprieties and consistencies of a Christian
+life? Even though they may attend the sanctuary, and be instructed in
+schools; and even though the government be reformed, and hold out
+motives to industry; yet will not something else be wanting? Unless the
+various useful arts and occupations be introduced, how is the land to be
+filled with fruitful fields, pleasant dwellings, and neatly clad
+inhabitants? And to introduce these improvements, _men must go forth for
+the purpose_. Such men too might do good, by exhibiting in themselves
+and in their families habits of industry, domestic peace and strict
+economy; by holding up the hands of Christ's ministers, and by
+scattering the word of life in their appropriate spheres.
+
+That laymen of every useful occupation are needed in heathen lands, is
+by no means the opinion of one alone. In looking over the periodicals
+and papers of the last few years, I find that such is the sober and
+deliberate opinion of many foreign laborers. I find urgent appeals for
+such helpers from at least five important missionary fields. Would such
+appeals be made if the enterprise were not a feasible one?
+
+Look too at the fact, that _there is scarcely a nation on the globe
+where men do not go, and permanently reside for the purpose of making
+money_. It is absolutely amazing to what an extent this is the truth.
+Why then cannot men go forth, and while they obtain a livelihood, make
+it their ultimate and chief aim to do good?
+
+But the inquiry arises, In what way should laymen go forth? It may not
+be desirable that they should go forth, to any great extent, under the
+care of missionary boards at present existing, lest the objects of those
+boards should become too numerous and complicated. And it may not
+perhaps be desirable, or necessary, to have any other organization for
+the purpose. I am not wise enough to give an opinion; but would suggest,
+that men of some pecuniary means take those means, and emigrate to
+heathen lands, just as some good men have gone to the far West. May
+there not also be small combinations of men, not to help others, but
+_each other_ into the field, just as there is in worldly enterprise?
+When once established in the field, it is supposed that their trades and
+occupations will afford them, with trials, hardships and reverses, an
+adequate subsistence, and open before them a wide door of usefulness.
+
+Some have suggested, that ministers of the Gospel should go forth and
+sustain themselves abroad. That is a far different question. If
+ministers of the Gospel ought not to sustain themselves in Christian
+countries by laboring with their hands, still less should they attempt
+such a course in foreign fields. They have _other work_ to do--enough to
+occupy all their time.
+
+But for laymen to go forth, and sustain themselves in this way, is it
+not both proper and appropriate? and have not such enterprises, to some
+extent, been already entered upon with success? Different fields, of
+course, present greater or less obstacles; but what undertaking is
+without its difficulties? Perplexities, embarrassments and sufferings,
+would be a matter of course; but no greater and perhaps far less than
+those Christians endured, who, being scattered abroad from their beloved
+Jerusalem, went everywhere preaching the word.
+
+It may perhaps be objected, that should many from all classes of
+Christians thus go forth, to live and labor abroad, they would soon
+possess the land, while the heathen would melt away before them. Let us
+look at this point. And first, where is the evidence of such a result?
+When and where has the experiment been tried to justify such a
+supposition? When and where have individuals or companies gone forth
+with the sole design of benefiting the heathen, and yet proved their
+extermination? The settlers of New England are not an example in point,
+for the improvement and salvation of the heathen was not their main aim.
+It was indeed an idea in mind, but not fully and prominently carried
+out. It is _yet to be proved_ that a company of persons, however
+numerous, of disinterested views, aiming solely to save the nations, and
+directing all their energies of body and of mind to that end, would
+prove the extermination of the heathen, instead of their salvation.
+
+Neither can it be presumed that the descendants of such persons,
+trained, as ought to be supposed, with faith and prayer, would possess a
+spirit so selfish and different from that of their fathers, as to prove
+the extermination of the heathen. And if such is the necessary event,
+what is the conclusion at which we must arrive? It seems certain, that a
+mere handful of missionaries cannot put forth the instrumentality which,
+according to God's usual providence, is necessary to save them: that a
+great number and variety of laborers are needed to do the work. Let us
+be slow, therefore, to trust in the objection; for if it must be
+admitted, the lawful inference will not necessarily be, that Christians
+of all classes and in great numbers should not go forth to the heathen;
+but the inquiry will arise, whether heathen nations as nations must not
+cease to exist, and remnants of them only be saved--a painful and dread
+alternative, from which every benevolent heart must instinctively
+recoil.
+
+_There are other reasons why laymen should engage in the work of
+missions._ The work of the world's conversion is too great, too
+momentous and too pressing, to admit of exemption simply on the ground
+of profession or employment. When the liberties of a people are at
+stake, how few are excused from the field of battle? But now the
+question is not one of temporal liberty: it is whether six hundred
+millions of the human race shall be won to the company of the redeemed
+on high, or left to sink in the untold agonies of the world of woe. In
+this unparalleled emergency, when the question is, whether the destiny
+of a world shall be heaven or hell, who can be excused on so slight a
+ground as that of profession or employment? A few ministers cannot do
+the work. It is too great. It is presumptuous to expect, that a speedy
+and complete triumph is to be effected by a few missionaries of the
+right stamp going through the length and breadth of Satan's extensive
+and dark empire, and sounding as they go the trumpet of the Gospel
+around his strong fortifications and deep intrenchments. Such an
+expectation places an immeasurable disparity between the means and the
+end. It supposes it to be so easy to effect a transformation of heathen
+society, heathen habits, heathen minds, and heathen character, and to
+raise them up from a degradation many ages deep, that a few sounds only
+from the herald of salvation, as he passes on his way, are sufficient.
+"Leviathan is not thus tamed." The prince of the power of the air is not
+thus vanquished.
+
+Neither can the work be effected by a small number of preachers,
+stationed at different posts, in the midst of the wide domains of
+darkness and death. Like specks of light, few and far between, how can
+they illumine the broad canopy of darkness? To commit the work of the
+world's conversion to a few missionaries is, in effect, to leave the
+heathen to perish. A large company of preachers must go forth, and a
+large company too of other laborers. There must be among the whole body
+of Christians, not only an interest in the work, but to a greater extent
+than is imagined, _a personal enlistment_--an actual going forth to
+foreign lands.
+
+Again, laymen must go abroad; for no less a movement than this will
+convince them that the work of saving the heathen presses upon them
+individually, and with all its weight and responsibility. Mere giving
+does not seem to answer the purpose. Very few laymen at home seem to
+imagine that they, individually, are as responsible for the life and
+death of the heathen, as the laborers abroad. Many seem to act only as
+they are acted upon. This _passive_ state will not answer: there must be
+a more general feeling of personal responsibility. And how is such a
+feeling of equal and individual responsibility to be induced, till
+laymen in great numbers begin to go abroad? Till then, there will be a
+spirit of luxury in the church; a spirit of worldly-mindedness, and a
+spirit of committing the world's conversion to other hands. To destroy
+this spirit, which is evidently eating out the piety of the churches,
+laymen must be urged to arise; to break off their luxuries, to bury
+their covetousness--to make an entire devotement of body, soul and
+spirit, to the _direct_ and arduous work of saving the heathen.
+
+Once, I remember, after urging laymen to go forth, and to assist in
+evangelizing the heathen, a father in the church said to me, "Your
+reasons are just and weighty, but it is of no use to present them before
+the churches: they have not _piety_ enough to act upon them. If you can
+clearly show that men can accumulate wealth, that they can really make
+fortunes by going to heathen lands, then your appeals will succeed.
+Bring this selfish principle to operate, and colonies will quickly
+scatter over the world. But to go forth with a spirit of self-denial,
+running the risk of trials and straitened circumstances, and with merely
+the prospect at best of obtaining a comfortable livelihood and doing
+good, is a measure not adapted to the present standard of piety in the
+churches. Until the spirit of devotedness shall rise many degrees in the
+churches, the course you urge will be looked upon as entirely
+visionary."
+
+Alas! can the church be so low in grace? If it be a fact, it is painful
+and humiliating. If it be true, then the church is lacking in the most
+essential qualification required of it--is unfitted for the main design
+of its organization; and is there not reason to fear that God may cast
+it away, as he has the Roman church, and raise up another after his own
+heart, that shall do all his pleasure? Christian reader, can you calmly
+entertain the thought of being set aside by the Lord as unworthy of his
+employment--of being rejected on the ground of not fulfilling the
+purpose for which you were called?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+CLAIM OF MISSIONS ON MINISTERS OF INFLUENCE.
+
+
+In early days, ministers of the greatest influence were called to the
+work of missions. To prove this assertion, let us read the first verse
+of the 13th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. "Now there were in the
+church that was at Antioch, certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas,
+and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen,
+which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they
+ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me
+Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them." Paul had
+been at Antioch a whole year, and Barnabas a still longer time. Their
+labors there had been blessed. The word had been attended with the
+demonstration of the Spirit and with power, and many people had turned
+to the Lord, so that a large church had been gathered in that great and
+opulent city. Believers there became so conspicuous for their numbers,
+as to be designated by a particular name: "The disciples were called
+Christians first in Antioch."
+
+There were laboring in that city, besides Paul and Barnabas, three other
+ministers; "Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and
+Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch." The Holy Ghost
+saw that this city, though very important for its numbers, wealth and
+enterprise, could not claim the labors of five ministers, while the
+world at large was entirely destitute of the Gospel. Therefore, on a
+certain occasion, when the church were worshipping before the Lord and
+fasting, the Holy Ghost said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the
+work whereunto I have called them."
+
+The Holy Ghost did not say, "Separate me Simeon, and Lucius, and
+Manaen," but, "Separate me BARNABAS and SAUL"--the spiritual fathers,
+and main pillars of the church. Had the church been allowed to vote, it
+doubtless would have spared its sons, rather than its fathers: they
+would have stated their fond attachment to their first instructors;
+would have plead the great influence of these two fathers in the church,
+and the irreparable injury which would be sustained by their leaving it;
+and would have said, If we must part with some of our teachers, take
+Simeon, and Lucius, and Manaen, but bereave us not of our spiritual
+fathers. The question however was not left to their decision. The demand
+is stern and solemn from the Holy Spirit, with whom there is no selfish
+bias, "Separate me BARNABAS and SAUL."
+
+In reflecting on this narration, do we not come to the conclusion, that
+MEN OF TALENTS AND INFLUENCE ARE CALLED TO THE WORK OF MISSIONS?
+
+If this sentiment be true, it is one of immense and practical
+importance; one that not only ministers, but churches also ought fully
+to understand. Let us, then, dwell a moment longer on the practice of
+early times.
+
+The instance to which we have alluded is a striking one; it contains,
+distinctly and impressively uttered, the mind of the Holy Spirit. It is
+infallible authority that speaks, and what does it declare? The
+paramount claim of missions to the ablest, holiest, and most experienced
+men. If Antioch was required to spare her two ablest men, what may not
+be required of such cities as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and
+Baltimore? And judging too from this case of Antioch, what is the mind
+of the Holy Ghost in regard to the twelve thousand or more evangelical
+ministers in the United States? Can it be his will that they should all
+quietly remain where they are?
+
+Again, God in early times made known his mind on this point, not only by
+the express admonition of the Holy Ghost, but also by the _overrulings
+of his Providence_. Take the account of the first dispersion. The
+Saviour ascended from the Mount of Olives, and the disciples returned to
+Jerusalem. The day of Pentecost arrived, and three thousand converts
+were added to their number. This multitude of believers was daily and
+rapidly increased. Here, then, was a very large city, the capital and
+pride of the nation, and a place of immense resort from all the nations
+round about. And in this city were many thousands of Christians, who
+were in peculiar need of constant care and faithful instruction, and had
+they been divided out to the pastoral care of the twelve apostles, would
+have made perhaps as large churches as any twelve in the city of
+New-York. Jerusalem then presented to the apostles a vast amount of
+pastoral care, and a field of labor unequalled perhaps in religious
+influence, considering the world as it then was, by any city that can be
+named within the limits of Christendom. The apostles were inclined to
+remain in Jerusalem, and considering the call for labor there, it is not
+wonderful that they were thus inclined. They seemed for a time to have
+forgotten the last command of their ascended Lord, and to have chosen a
+work more resembling that of settled pastors. But the Saviour allowed a
+persecution to rage in the city, till first the great body of the
+church, and afterwards all the apostles, except James, were scattered
+abroad. So the great Jerusalem was left with but one apostle. Eleven of
+the twelve, who had become in a measure settled there, were driven
+abroad; and not from Jerusalem only, but without the limits of
+Palestine. Such is evidently the _fact_. Let every one draw from it the
+instruction it affords. To my mind it clashes irreconcilably with the
+present distribution of ministers.
+
+Take another case. Paul had been laboring at Ephesus two whole years,
+and had collected a very large church in that city. This city was the
+emporium of Asia Minor; a place of much resort, and greatly celebrated
+throughout the known world. The large number of disciples there, who
+needed a pastor to warn them day and night with tears, and the wide door
+which was there opened for preaching the Gospel, presented such strong
+claims to the mind of Paul, as seemed likely to fix there his permanent
+abode. What pastor of the present day can urge stronger reasons for
+continuing his charge, than Paul might have urged for continuing his
+relation to the large church at Ephesus? For in addition to a large city
+and a large church, the converts had been but lately gathered from
+heathenism--were but babes in Christ--and needed constant instruction
+and unwearied care. Yet God was pleased to allow Demetrius to excite an
+uproar, and thus to sever Paul from his church and congregation, and
+send him abroad into Macedonia. This is another _fact_--a STUBBORN FACT,
+which we ought to bear in mind, and weigh well. If God saw best thus to
+break tender ties, separate Paul from a large city and a large body of
+such converts as, above all others, needed special care, and to leave
+the important post almost destitute, _can it be_ his will that all the
+pastors of the present day should stay in their places, and that none of
+them should go forth to the heathen? If the city had been Boston, with
+its thousand means of grace, the case would have been comparatively
+weak; but it was Ephesus, a heathen city, and depending almost entirely
+on the living voice of Paul, and yet this one preacher must become a
+missionary. Let us look at this fact, and each one for himself draw
+conclusions; not those that are wild and extravagant, but such as are
+_true and sober_.
+
+We have here a commentary on the last command of Jesus. It was commented
+upon by the providence of God, separating the apostles from Jerusalem,
+Antioch, and Ephesus. It was commented upon by the direct admonition of
+the Holy Ghost in a particular case. It was commented upon by the
+practice of the apostles. Let us beware that we substitute not, for this
+correct commentary, any worldly-wise interpretation of our own. Let us
+admit it just as it comes to us from early days, fresh and unmodified,
+and allow it to govern our lives.
+
+There are but few who do not admit, that the present distribution of
+ministers is anti-apostolic--that many, who are now pastors, ought to
+have become missionaries before they were settled. And can the mere fact
+of being settled have produced such a vast change in the question of
+duty, as to place it forever at rest? If the clustering together of
+twelve thousand ministers within the bounds of the United States, where
+a thousand means of grace and improvement exist besides the voice of
+the living teacher, is a very different thing from going into all the
+world, and preaching the Gospel to every creature--an egregious
+disproportion to the wants of the world--must we stifle all emotion and
+all inquiry, in taking it for granted that it is now too late for
+change? And yet there seems to be a tacit understanding, that any other
+distribution than that now existing, of the _present generation_ of
+ministers, is a point not to be agitated. At least, many a pastor quiets
+himself with the thought, that no change is to be contemplated in his
+particular case, for the care of a church is on his hands. Almost by
+common consent, pastors are excused; and missionaries are looked for
+from the young men and the children; and the hope of the heathen amounts
+to this, that some young men may be kept from imitating the example of
+their fathers and elder brethren, and be prevailed upon to enter the
+missionary work before they _become pastors_. For if the mere fact of
+being a pastor places the question at rest, young men will feel
+themselves relieved as soon as they enter that office.
+
+I have known young men whose minds were goaded on the question of going
+to the heathen, like the conscience of a convicted sinner, till a call
+was presented to some important church; and then they succeeded in
+laying the subject at once and entirely aside. Like the pursued ostrich,
+who thrusts her head into the sand, and vainly imagines that she is
+concealed from her pursuers, so, I fear, some endeavor to elude the
+convictions of conscience. I put the question to your own good sense,
+your candor, and your pious feelings: Can the mere fact of being a
+pastor excuse a man from going to the heathen, when perhaps he became a
+pastor in violation of the Saviour's command?
+
+It is acknowledged, that many pastors ought to have become missionaries
+before they were settled--that the present amazing disproportion between
+settled ministers at home, and missionaries abroad, ought never to have
+existed. To argue so plain a case would be a waste of breath. How then
+can the fact of having wandered from duty excuse one from the
+performance of it? To-day, it is the duty of Jonah to go to Nineveh.
+To-morrow, he has engaged his passage to Tarshish, has paid his fare,
+has gone down into the sides of the ship, and is quietly at rest. Is he
+therefore excused? To-day, the command of Christ presses upon me the
+obligation to go to the heathen. To-morrow, leaving out of mind this
+command, which still applies in all its force, I enter into an
+obligation with a particular church to take upon me its pastoral care:
+which obligation is binding? The last, do you say? Can I then thus
+easily thrust aside the Saviour's last and most impressive command? Can
+I, by such a course, shield myself effectually from its further
+application? I have yet to learn, that by any change of place or
+circumstances we can free ourselves from the weight of the Saviour's
+injunction. I mean not to assert, that all who ought to have become
+missionaries before they were settled, ought to become so now. Some have
+entirely hedged up their way; and though they may have been disobedient
+in doing so, yet deep regret and sincere repentance is all the
+reparation they can now make. But those who ought to have gone to the
+heathen, and before whom the door is still open for going, _such_ should
+still become missionaries, and on the obvious principle, that it is
+better to do our duty late than not to do it all. The mere plea of being
+a pastor is not a sufficient excuse; and it is losing too, continually,
+more and more of its force. It is a wonder that it should be relied upon
+so much as a _quietus_, since, in the present age, the residence of a
+pastor is very transient and uncertain.
+
+Again let me say, it is a great thing, a good thing, and a rare thing,
+to be entirely honest in the sight of God. Let us endeavor to be so. It
+is to be feared, that there may be some who exempt themselves from
+becoming missionaries on the ground of being pastors, who are not
+altogether honest in their excuse. Are there not some individuals, who
+make it, who would manifest but little hesitation in leaving the
+pastoral office to take the oversight of a college, to become a
+professor in a theological seminary, or to take charge of some prominent
+religious periodical? When urged to become a missionary, the pastor
+pleads his attachment to his people; their affection for him, which
+gives him great influence; and his acquaintance with their prejudices,
+opinions, habits, and whole character, so as to adapt his instructions
+to their particular case. He mentions these, and the like
+considerations, and concludes very readily that he can be more useful in
+his present situation than in any other. But when a presidency, a
+professorship, or a more influential church is offered, the reasons
+before urged seem to lose something of their force; and through the
+intervention of some new light, which I shall not account for, the
+conclusion is formed that another situation would be more _useful_. The
+motive for a change is a good one; but it is to be remembered that this
+same motive, that of being more useful, could not prevail upon them to
+become missionaries.
+
+Facts of this kind could be collected, I think to a considerable extent;
+and they lead me, however unwilling, to suspect that, in some cases, the
+honest reason why ministers do not become missionaries is not that they
+are pastors, but something quite different.
+
+Another fact, too, makes me suspicious that there is some lack of entire
+honesty. A pastor says he cannot become a missionary, for he has the
+care of a church. In a few months, for some cause or other, he is
+dismissed from his church and people. What does he do? become a
+missionary? I have one in my eye who was a pastor of a church in a large
+city. He told me, that nothing but his relation as pastor in that city
+could keep him a moment from the missionary work. Soon after, he was
+dismissed from his church and people; and think you he became a
+missionary? You would betray a very limited knowledge of human nature to
+think so.
+
+"But," says one, "I am opposed to fickleness and change." Ah! indeed;
+does it betray fickleness to leave a church to become a missionary? Did
+God favor fickleness and change when he prevented the permanent location
+of the apostles in Palestine, by a voice from heaven, and by violent
+persecutions? Did the Saviour favor fickleness in his last command? When
+a presidency, a professorship, or a more prominent and influential
+church is offered you, then speak of fickleness--the excuse may possibly
+be in place; but never, never in place, while untold millions of our
+race are dying for lack of vision, and our commission reads, "GO YE INTO
+ALL THE WORLD, AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+One pastor excuses himself, by saying, "The attachment between me and my
+people is very dear, and this attachment gives me great influence with
+them." I reply, Was not the attachment very dear between the apostles
+and the disciples at Jerusalem, and also between Paul and the converts
+at Antioch, and at Ephesus? What language of affection and solicitude
+can equal that of Paul for his converts? He calls them his "joy and
+crown"--the "little children for whom he travails in birth, till Christ
+be formed in them." He says to them, "I live, if ye stand fast in the
+Lord."
+
+And had not the apostles great influence in the churches in which they
+labored? Had not Paul and Barnabas great influence in the church at
+Antioch? Did not the church love and respect them, and hang in
+breathless silence upon their lips, and look upon their departure as an
+irreparable loss? Yet, though entwined into the hearts of the people,
+and possessing every advantage to instruct them which intimate
+acquaintance and unbounded influence could give, the Holy Ghost,
+notwithstanding, said, "Separate me BARNABAS and SAUL."
+
+Attachment is your plea; but the spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of
+self-denial, and requires us not only to forsake church and people, but
+also father and mother, brother and sister, son and daughter, and to
+hold our own lives loosely. Those persons to whom attachment is
+strongest, and who _can't be spared_ on that account, are the best
+fitted for missions.
+
+You plead the _influence_ which you possess with your church and people.
+This, instead of being a reason for remaining at home, is a powerful
+argument for going abroad. In that very influence you possess an
+advantage and qualification for the missionary work, which very few
+missionaries enjoy. It is greatly to be lamented that the church has but
+little acquaintance with her missionaries. It was not so in primitive
+times. On this account there is room for the question to arise, Whether
+there ought not to be less of the home minister for life, and the exile
+for life; a narrower gulf between the two, and more passing and
+repassing, as the apostles were wont to do; a breaking up of caste,
+grade and condition among ministers, as regards various fields--a more
+literal compliance with the precept of "going into all the world, and
+preaching the Gospel to every creature." Be this however as it may--for
+there is much that can be said on either side of the question--it is
+most certainly true, that the pastor possesses one very great advantage:
+that by going to the heathen he can wake up, in one church at least,
+the spirit of doing good--the enterprising and benevolent spirit of
+Christ and his apostles. He may take with him, as helpers, some of its
+most intelligent and active members, and call forth the contributions
+and enlist the prayers of those who may remain.
+
+It seems, that nothing less than such means as the separation of pastors
+for the work of missions, can avail to awake the slumbering churches,
+and to lead them to begin in earnest to seek the salvation of the
+heathen; to feel that the work presses upon them individually, and
+demands all their energies and their personal enlistment. For it is a
+sober and humiliating fact, as I have had some opportunity of judging,
+that there are few churches comparatively, in our land, who seem to have
+drunk deeply into the missionary spirit. There is need, therefore, of a
+movement on the part of pastors, to arouse the churches from their
+guilty slumbers.
+
+A pastor possesses much influence with his church and congregation. The
+Lord then has given him five talents, and he can easily make them ten:
+by going abroad he can benefit his church perhaps as much as by
+remaining their pastor, and, at the same time, be the instrument of
+saving many heathen souls. "There is that scattereth, and yet
+increaseth;" and "he that watereth shall be watered also himself." God's
+blessing distils upon the liberal soul, and the liberal church. The
+performance of duty is attended with the Saviour's smiles and a rich
+reward. Who does not see, that a pastor could in no way so effectually
+awaken in his church a spirit of benevolent feeling and action, as by
+exhibiting it in his own person; by rising up, and going forth to the
+heathen, urging a part of his flock to accompany him, and the rest to
+sustain him in the field? Who doubts, that by such a course he would do
+more to arouse the pure and active religion of Jesus Christ and his
+apostles, than he could possibly do in any other way; that he would give
+an impulse to his church in favor of primitive piety and practice, that
+should add vastly to its strength, its glory and its numbers, and be
+felt in all time to come. Let not the pastor, then, excuse himself from
+the missionary work, because he has acquired influence in his church and
+congregation; for that very fact is a powerful argument for going
+abroad.
+
+For the same reason, no one can excuse himself because he fills a _post
+of vast importance_. He is the pastor of an influential church, a
+president of a college, a professor in a theological seminary, the
+editor of a religious paper of immense circulation, or the secretary of
+some society: his station is one of vast responsibility, and he imagines
+that he is therefore excused from becoming a missionary. But was not
+Jerusalem an important place? more prominent, compared with other cities
+of that time, than any city in the United States? And yet all the
+apostles, except one, were required not only to leave that city, but to
+go without the limits of Palestine. Was not Antioch as important as
+Boston or Philadelphia? Yet Paul and Barnabas were not suffered to
+remain there.
+
+Besides, is not the work of a missionary a difficult, important, and
+responsible work? The Holy Spirit thought so in apostolic times. When a
+man was needed to preach to Cornelius and his household, a man of no
+less ability and influence than Peter was chosen. When a man was called
+to go to Antioch, Barnabas was sent, a man of great piety and influence.
+And when two of the five preachers at Antioch were called to go to the
+heathen, the Holy Ghost did not choose Simeon, or Lucius, or Manaen, but
+said, "Separate me BARNABAS and SAUL;" the men of the greatest ability,
+experience, piety and wisdom. Thus the Holy Spirit seemed to declare
+that the work of a missionary required greater talents, more mature
+wisdom, and deeper piety, than the work of a pastor in the largest and
+most influential churches.
+
+And is not this doctrine, while it accords with the instructions of the
+Holy Ghost and the practice of primitive times, also a dictate of common
+sense? Would you choose weak men to penetrate into the very midst of the
+enemy, and to grapple with the Anaks of the land, and keep those who are
+strong in a garrison at home? Would you select indifferent statesmen to
+settle the affairs of revolutionary France, or to reduce to order the
+chaotic mass of the South American states; and employ the able, the wise
+and talented, in governing a country already quiet and peaceful? Did it
+require less wisdom to lay the foundation and form the constitution of
+our good government, than it requires to manage the state on principles
+already established? Does it require less skill to draft the plan of a
+capitol, than to work at the building when the plan is mature? Does it
+require less wisdom to govern a camp in a state of mutiny, than when in
+subjection and at peace? Look, then, at the work of missions. Does it
+require less talent to deal with minds clouded by ignorance, perverted
+by superstition, and barred by arrogance, bigotry, and pride, than to
+instruct the unbiassed, the willing, and intelligent? Does it require
+less wisdom to tear up the foundations of heathen society, and lay it
+anew on the principles of the Gospel--to change society morally,
+religiously, and socially, than to preserve in a good condition a people
+already intelligent, industrious, and Christian? Surely, if talent is
+needed anywhere in the kingdom of Christ, it is in the missionary work.
+That minister, whose talents and piety make him so useful at home that
+he _cannot be spared_, that is the minister who is needed abroad. The
+foreign field calls for no laborers who can be conveniently spared.
+
+Then, is the church of a pastor wealthy and influential? It is the very
+church that needs to be aroused by his leaving it. Or is he connected
+with a literary, or theological institution? Some thus connected are
+needed to go, to produce the best impression on the young men who are in
+training. The more important and influential then one's place is, the
+more like a rushing flood do reasons crowd upon him to arise and go.
+
+It is very common for men to excuse themselves from the work of
+missions, on the ground, that they are somewhat _advanced in years_.
+There is weight in this excuse. That person would exhibit the want of a
+proper balance of mind, who should urge all indiscriminately, whatever
+their age and however circumstanced in life, to go forth to the heathen.
+But still the excuse of age ought to be looked at cautiously.
+
+Age implies experience, authority, dignity, and wisdom--the very
+qualities most wanted in the difficult work of missions. The work of
+tearing up and laying anew the foundations of society, moral, religious,
+and social, is a task that ought by no means to be committed to the
+young and inexperienced. It is preposterous to commit altogether to
+novices in the ministry a work so new, so complicated, so beset with
+difficulties, on the right hand and on the left, and so momentous, too,
+in its responsibilities. Can Satan be driven so easily from his own
+territory, that none but raw troops are needed for the contest? Can the
+broad and deep intrenchments of Paganism, Mohammedism, and Romanism be
+so easily taken, as not to need men of age, experience and skill, to
+direct the assault? Can the snares in which the heathen are held; which
+are laid with all the subtlety of the arch-fiend, be so easily divested
+of their specious character, and traced into their thousand windings, as
+not to require the wisdom and experience of age? A minister has age: he
+has then one great qualification for the work. "Paul the aged" had none
+too much experience, dignity and wisdom, for the work of a missionary to
+heathen lands.
+
+But age, it is said, is a great barrier in acquiring a foreign language.
+There is force in this remark; but let us be cautious, that we do not
+trust too much to it. A great amount of labor may be performed on
+heathen ground without a knowledge of the language. Much can be done in
+the English language, and much, too, can be done through interpreters.
+All that David Brainerd accomplished was in this way.
+
+But how certain is it, that persons somewhat advanced cannot acquire a
+foreign language? This plea is not peculiar to those who have been some
+time in the ministry. No excuse is more frequently offered, and with
+more appearance of honesty, even in the college and the theological
+seminary. It is difficult to place the mark of age where this excuse may
+be properly offered, and where it may not. Shall we place it at
+thirty-five? Some missionaries now in the field entered on the work at
+that age, and acquired the language without much difficulty. It may be
+remarked, too, that men of traffic abroad, from youth to gray hairs,
+usually learn so much of a foreign language as to answer their purpose.
+Let us beware, then, _how much_ we depend on the excuse of age; and be
+cautious, too, _how far up_ the scale of years we place the mark.
+
+Another excuse which has some weight is this: "I must remain at home _to
+take care of my aged parents_." So said one to Christ: "Lord, I will
+follow thee, but suffer me first to go and bury my father." Jesus
+answered, "Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the
+Gospel." I leave to the reader to determine the precise meaning and
+force of this reply of our Saviour. This much it certainly means, that
+some _may_ excuse themselves from preaching to take care of their
+parents, when the excuse is not valid. I will not say, that the excuse
+is not sufficient in some cases; but I am inclined to think that such
+cases are rare. A parent must be _very_ dependent upon a son, to be
+liable to such inconvenience and suffering from his absence, as can
+reasonably weigh in the balance against the claims of the hundreds of
+millions of dying heathen.
+
+But the excuse which seems to be the most valid, is this: "My going to
+the heathen is out of the question, for _I have a family of children_."
+This is indeed a tender point. God has given me some experience on this
+subject, and I know how to appreciate the excuse. But the Saviour says,
+"He that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me." This
+declaration means nothing, unless it requires us to make great
+sacrifices in regard to our children. So far as we can at present see,
+the world cannot be converted without great self-denial on this point.
+Precisely what sacrifices are to be made in regard to children, is a
+question which is not, as yet, fully determined.
+
+But let us look at the excuse. If a minister may _stay_ at home because
+he has children, may not the missionary who has children _return_ home?
+A pastor has one child, and cannot go. Then may not the missionary who
+has one child, come back? A pastor has six children, and cannot go. Many
+missionaries have six children, shall not they return? The mere
+circumstance of being already abroad cannot have much weight; and the
+sacrifice of a voyage in such a question, and among a multitude of other
+weighty reasons, is scarcely worth being named. If children then are an
+excuse, let missionaries return. No, you say; missionaries who have
+children must not return on that account. What then shall they do with
+their children? Keep them, and train them up to be helpers in the work?
+Let pastors then take their children into the field, and train them up
+for that purpose. You certainly have hearts too noble to impose a burden
+on the shoulders of others which you would not bear yourselves. Your
+children would have the advantage of the children of missionaries,
+having been thus far trained in a Christian land. As to future
+advantages of education, they will have the same with the children now
+abroad. You certainly cannot complain of equality.
+
+But, you say, let missionaries send their children home. Then let
+pastors leave their children at home and go abroad. Ah, you say, pastors
+cannot endure the thought; it would be a shock to their parental
+feelings that they cannot sustain. But, I ask, have missionaries no
+feelings? have their hearts become hard, like blocks of wood and pieces
+of rock? Does love to Christ, and compassion for the heathen, tend to
+make men and women obtuse in their feelings, so that a father or mother
+on heathen ground does not feel as intensely for the present and eternal
+welfare of a child, as a parent who has never gone to the heathen? Ah!
+had you seen what my eyes have witnessed, facts then should speak and I
+would be silent. Missionaries, indeed, are trained to cast their care
+upon God; their feelings are chastened and disciplined, but at the same
+time deep and intense. To a thousand dangers, toils and hardships, they
+may be inured; but when the separation of children is thought of, they
+show full well that they are no proof against an agony of feeling.
+Certainly, then, you will not plead for exemption. You would not place
+upon others this burden, and pull away your own shoulders from it. You
+have souls too generous and benevolent to do that. You cannot find it in
+your hearts to offer to the lips of others a cup more bitter than you
+would drink yourselves. You can choose guardians for your children far
+better than the missionaries can who are abroad, and your children shall
+have the same provision for their support and education as theirs have.
+
+We have glanced at some excuses. Many others there are in this
+excuse-making age. Be entreated to look at them with the command of
+Christ, a sinking world and a coming judgment, in your eye, and as far
+as they have weight and _no farther_ be influenced by them. Where
+exemption cannot honestly be pleaded, the command in all its force is
+binding.
+
+That some pastors of influence and talent should become missionaries,
+seems necessary; for _how otherwise can the means be raised to sustain
+missions abroad, and to send forth young men who may offer themselves_?
+It is well known, that operations abroad have been and are still
+exceedingly crippled. It is well known, too, that quite a company of
+young men have at different times been waiting, for want of requisite
+funds to send them forth to the heathen.
+
+Now this is the state of things, not because there is not money enough
+in the hands of Christians--no one imagines that such is the fact--but
+because Christians, as a body, are not aroused to duty. What means shall
+be taken to arouse them? I, for one, am inclined to think that there
+would be hope, if some influential and prominent pastors would enter the
+missionary work. In such a case, I should indeed have strong hope that
+the impulse, falling in with the spirit of primitive practice and the
+will of the Holy Ghost, would be such as to bring forth the funds needed
+to sustain the operations now begun, send forth waiting young men, and
+carry themselves also into the field. I feel quite confident, that the
+measure would soon clear the seaboard of all who might be detained, and
+place their joyful feet on foreign soil.
+
+The great body of professed Christians are becoming luxurious in their
+modes of life. One cannot go through the churches, after the absence of
+several years, without being forcibly impressed with this fact. They
+press forward after wealth, and profess to be accumulating it for
+Christ; but in the end, spend it on themselves and on their children.
+Now what, under God, shall break up this covetousness, and luxurious
+manner of life? What shall bring them back to the pure and unadulterated
+principles of the Gospel--to live, labor, and die for Christ, as did the
+primitive disciples? Let pastors, like the apostles, go into all the
+world and preach the Gospel to every creature. There is reason to hope
+that the church members would likewise imbibe the right spirit, and act
+on right principles. Then we should hear no more of schools disbanded
+and missionaries detained, but troops of heralds would be carrying out
+the news of salvation and sending back tidings of success. There is much
+philosophical and Bible truth in the proverb, "Like people like priest."
+O, what responsibility rests on the ministers of Christ!
+
+Again, if all settled ministers of talent and influence remain at home,
+how can such a number of missionaries be secured as seem needed for the
+world's conversion? If many of those already in the sacred office do
+not go, it is absolutely certain, that the present generation of heathen
+must die without the Gospel. The angel of death continues hovering over
+the dying nations, mowing down his twenty millions a year; and before
+ministers can be raised up from among the youth and children, will be
+drawing a stroke at the last man of all that are now heathen. The
+present generation of ministers must preach the Gospel to the present
+generation of mankind. It will be the duty of the next generation of
+ministers to preach to the inhabitants that shall be then on the globe.
+To look for missionaries from among the young alone, is making no
+provision for the present generation of heathen. If the heathen are to
+be left till missionaries can be trained up, they are to be left--the
+soul shudders at the thought--till they shall be in hell! By making this
+postponement, the churches, in effect, though certainly without
+intending it, sign the death warrant of a great portion of the present
+six hundred millions of perishing heathen; relinquish all effort for
+this vast multitude, and only dream of saving the next generation--of
+whom it would be a mercy never to be born, unless there shall be more
+hope of their salvation than can be seen at present--_dream_, I say, of
+saving the next generation; for to think much of raising up the young to
+be missionaries, without going ourselves, is little better than
+dreaming.
+
+To induce young men, to any great extent, to become missionaries, when
+their fathers and elder brethren do not, is hopeless. Precept must
+become more powerful than example, before such a result can take place.
+How can you so blindfold the young, stop their ears, and wall them off
+from surrounding influences, as to expect such a result? If their eyes
+are left open, what do they see? They see their fathers and elder
+brethren settled at home, and some of them in quiet, comfort and honor.
+If their ears are left open, what do they hear? They hear various
+excuses for remaining at home, and among others, the specious idea of
+training up children to be missionaries. And what will they do? They
+will dream of training your grandchildren for missions, and your
+grandchildren dream of training the next generation, and so on, as the
+sixty generations past have done, from the time of the Saviour down. But
+the fire of God's Spirit shall burn up this chaff. The world shall not
+be cheated out of its millenium. The judgment trumpet shall not sound
+before the arrival of the latter day glory.
+
+To become a missionary, in the present state of things, is sailing
+against wind and tide; so that those who find their way to the heathen,
+compared with the number who ought to go, are very few indeed. To urge a
+large number into the field is hopeless. Bonaparte might as well have
+urged his soldiers over the Alps without leading them. We cannot expect
+the nature of things to change, and precept to become more powerful than
+example. A portion of the more talented of the settled ministry must
+lead the way. Then there shall be found a resuscitating principle; our
+eyes shall beam with joy, and we shall fondly cherish a rational hope of
+the world's renovation.
+
+Again, many pastors should become missionaries, for all things await
+their personal enlistment in the service. God, in his providence, is
+causing a state of preparation in the world which calls for some mighty
+movement on the part of the church. A door is opened into almost every
+nation on the earth, and ships are ready to carry us to almost every
+port. Now is the time for a great effort. All the elements are ready for
+action, and need only to be brought to bear on the glorious cause of the
+world's conversion. To effect this, there must be a high stand of
+prayerful enterprise on the part of the present generation of ministers.
+The Lord has brought us to the ministry for such a time as this; and
+surely my brethren will not prove themselves unworthy of so vast a
+responsibility, but come up joyfully to the work, and reap the harvest
+of the world.
+
+And here let me say, that the millions of souls already lost are
+immense; and it would be awfully presumptuous in Christians to neglect
+the millions and hundreds of millions of the present generation. Century
+after century has rolled along, ingulfing generation after generation,
+till one would think that Satan himself would be satisfied with the
+enormous havoc. Eighteen centuries have passed away, and sixty
+generations, five hundred millions each--thirty billions of immortal
+souls left to perish since Christ gave command to evangelize them. Are
+not thirty billions enough? Shall we, by any guilty neglect, suffer the
+present generation, six hundred millions more, to be added? O, let the
+billions of souls already lost suffice. O, let us arise, and go and
+preach the Gospel to the nations, that the generations that remain
+between this and the judgment may be saved.
+
+Let me suggest, too, that nothing would so readily produce _union among
+ministers at home_, as to divert all their powers of body and mind into
+some all-absorbing and self-denying enterprise. Now, what angel of
+heaven has not wept over the contentions and jealousies that cloud the
+glory of the American churches. How has the heart of Jesus bled over the
+dissensions and strife of his own ministers! And is there no remedy? Let
+pastors become so engrossed in fulfilling their commission as to obey
+its literal import, and arise and go; and I mistake much, if the
+movement would not make a material impression on their contentions and
+jealousies. They would feel that they were doing a great work, and could
+not come down. For contention they would find neither time nor
+inclination. It would be difficult to state, in a foreign tongue, their
+metaphysical distinctions, so as to make a difference. Higher and nobler
+objects would engross the soul. Be entreated to try this course. Then
+the recording angel shall not be compelled, with aching heart and
+streaming eyes, to inscribe "ICHABOD" on our American Zion; but, with
+willing soul and ready hands, shall write in fairer lines, "BEAUTIFUL
+FOR SITUATION, THE JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+But it is often said, "I never _felt_ it to be my duty to go to the
+heathen: I never had any such impression."
+
+_No such impression!_ Did then the command of our ascended Lord, his
+_last_ command, delivered under the most solemn circumstances, make no
+impression upon you? Did the temporal and eternal miseries of six
+hundred millions of your fellow men make no impression upon you? Did
+their groans and sighs, which came over the waters like the voice of
+seven thunders, peal after peal, make no impression upon you? And could
+you remain at home with comfort and peace of mind, with the weeping and
+wailing of millions of dying souls in your ears, backed up with the
+command of Christ to go and seek their salvation? While Jesus plead,
+"Lo, I died for them, go, preach my Gospel to them, that they may
+live;" could you remain unimpressed and unmoved? And have all these
+considerations, and a hundred more, been urged upon you for years, and
+yet failed to make an _impression_? Alas! of what is your heart made,
+that it does not feel? Look for no _supernatural_ impression.
+Missionaries have none. There is no need of any. He that can live and
+not be impressed, may well tremble for his own salvation. It appears
+that you are easily impressed that it is your duty to remain at home.
+The motives, I fear, that come before your mind are well suited to make
+an impression. You quickly perceive a _call_, when country, home,
+friends, the endearments of society, and the like considerations crowd
+upon your mind. O, dear brethren, let us be _entirely honest_, as we
+expect soon to meet the Saviour and the world of perishing souls for
+whom he died.
+
+Another similar excuse is often made: "Did I possess the requisite
+attainments in holiness, I should delight to go abroad. But as the case
+is, I cannot become a missionary: I have not piety enough."
+
+_Not piety enough!_ Then be entreated to become more pious without
+delay. As you value the souls of dying men, defer not to become more
+holy. Through your want of piety the heathen may be left to perish. But
+what is holiness? Is it not obedience to the commands of Christ? Obey,
+then, his last command: _that will be becoming more holy_. Go forth to
+the heathen from love to Christ: that will be becoming more pious. "NOT
+PIETY ENOUGH!" Will you presume to offer that excuse to the Lord Jesus,
+when you shall stand before him to render account for the blood of the
+heathen? And when you shall see multitudes of the heathen sinking into
+hell, whom, under the blessing of the Spirit, you might have saved; and
+hear their weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth; will it ease your
+mind, and quiet your conscience, that you had not piety enough to go and
+make known to them the way of life? This is a solemn subject. Let us
+try, dear brethren, to look at it as we ought.
+
+Allied to this excuse is the following: "I have never thought myself
+qualified for the work of missions. It is a work which in my view
+requires rare endowments. Did I possess the requisite qualifications, I
+should delight to engage in so glorious a work."
+
+To this excuse I would say, There is room in the wide field of missions
+for every grade and variety of talent. Such is the universal testimony
+of those who have gone forth. Neither could it be otherwise in so
+various and vast a work as that of converting all nations, many of whom
+need to be instructed in the simplest arts of civilized life, and in the
+very alphabet of knowledge. But the excuse you render is entirely at
+variance with the facts in the case. If the work of missions be deemed
+worthy of the greatest talents, why is it that a large number do not go
+forth from among the more prominent and influential in the sacred
+office? The plea of disqualification is a popular one. There is in it
+much appearance of humility and self-depreciation. But facts testify,
+that many who plead their want of talent do not hesitate, if invited, to
+take upon them the care of a college, or of a large and opulent church.
+If the conduct of men is to be regarded as a just interpreter of their
+sentiments, then the great body of the Christian ministry, instead of
+regarding themselves unfit for the work of missions, consider themselves
+too well qualified to enter it. They really think, that those of
+inferior qualifications will do for missions; while those of superior
+minds and brilliant talents must be reserved for important stations at
+home.
+
+It is said again, "_All_ cannot go abroad."
+
+I reply, Do not use the word "all" till there shall be some need of it.
+There is no danger _yet_ that the home company will be comparatively too
+small.
+
+There is another excuse which is worthy of more notice. One says, "My
+own country claims my first attention. It presents a field of vast
+extent, and demands a vast amount of labor. Its schools, colleges and
+seminaries, must be sustained. Its religious periodicals must be edited.
+The churches must be watched over, and brought up to a higher standard
+of piety. Revivals must be promoted. But passing by these claims for
+labor, look at the wide-spreading desolations of the West, where
+ignorance, infidelity, and Romanism prevail, and threaten, at no very
+future day, to be the overthrow of our government--the extinguishment of
+our dearly-bought and precious inheritance. All our exertions must be
+put forth to save our country; for the progress of light and knowledge
+throughout the world depends on its existence. The overthrow of our
+government would put back the dial of the moral world ten centuries. Our
+own nation lost, and what would become of the heathen? when would the
+millenium arrive? Our present attention must be directed to the
+salvation of our own country, and our missionary exertions must be
+concentrated on the West."
+
+The excuse does not stop here; but a citizen from Great Britain would
+say, "I too must speak in behalf of my country--a country whose
+possessions encircle the globe. The existence and religious prosperity
+of a nation whose commerce is so great, and whose dominions embrace a
+large portion of the heathen world, cannot but be intimately connected
+with the universal prevalence of light and peace. It is of the first
+importance, that the _heart_ of such a nation should beat with a healthy
+pulse; that much effort should be made to promote a high standard of
+vital godliness in the universities and churches at home. But more than
+this, look at the vast body of laboring men in England and Ireland, who
+are living in ignorance and in sin. They call loudly for teachers and
+for preachers of the Gospel, and ought to receive, for the present at
+least, all we can educate and all we can support."
+
+In reply to this excuse I would first say, Let us look a moment at the
+conclusion to which we are reduced. "The United States cannot furnish
+missionaries, for the present at least; far less can Great Britain; and
+still less the Continent of Europe." The inevitable conclusion is, that
+the present generation of heathen must be left to perish. Six hundred
+millions of our race must be deliberately relinquished to endure the
+agonies of eternal death. But what is the plea that so readily leaves
+the millions of ignorant heathen to hopelessness and despair? "We must
+go to the West." "We must direct our efforts to the laboring class of
+England and Ireland." Then, I say, be consistent, and actually _do_ what
+you profess. As yet, how many of the learned, the eloquent and
+influential of the ministry, have become missionaries at the West? Some
+have gone to the West, to be presidents of colleges there; but how many
+have gone to engage in the more appropriate duties of the _missionary_?
+And in Great Britain, how many have left their professorships in the
+universities, and their wealthy churches, to labor as _missionaries_
+among the ignorant class of society in England and Ireland? O! the West,
+and the ignorant class in England and Ireland, would lift up their
+hearts to God in gratitude if you would go forth to the heathen: for the
+reflex influence of such a course would scatter among them the means of
+grace as thick as the stars of heaven, and as bright as the sun in his
+glory. I could almost assert, from personal observation, that every
+missionary to the heathen sends ten to the West. If men are pressed to
+go to China, they cannot stop short of the West. Besides, have you
+forgotten the nature of benevolence? If you wish to strengthen it, to
+increase it and expand it, so as to be the means of saving the United
+States, and of saving Great Britain, then bring it into exercise. Let
+the church impart liberally of what she has, both of men and money. She
+will have the more left, paradoxical as the assertion may at first seem.
+Let the principle of benevolence be aroused in the churches, and it is
+literally inexhaustible in its resources, both of money and of men; for
+the more it exhausts the more it still possesses. This is not mere
+missionary philosophy, but Bible doctrine; and so plainly inculcated,
+that he that doubts it is a novice in the Scriptures, and a babe in the
+school of Christ. There is a backwardness, an apathy and deadness in the
+ministry, and in the churches; and it is THEREFORE that infidelity and
+Romanism prevail at the West, and that the ignorant class in England and
+Ireland remain in wretchedness. The great thing needed is that the
+spirit of benevolence, the spirit of Christ, or in other words true
+religion, be aroused in the churches. And in no way can you so
+effectually do it as by giving yourself to the missionary work. God's
+wisdom is very much at variance with the cold, calculating,
+short-sighted and sin-blinded wisdom of man. Let us follow heavenly
+wisdom, as laid down in the Bible: "GIVE," "GO," and thereby save
+ourselves, our country, and the world. _That nation that obeys God_
+shall prosper. Let us try the Bible philosophy of saving the United
+States and Great Britain, BY OBEYING GOD--by going forth and teaching
+all nations.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+IMPORT OF THE GREAT COMMISSION.
+
+
+The Founder of the church was a missionary. The church is a _missionary
+band_, professedly aiming to carry out the design of its Founder, in the
+wide field of the WORLD. The commission to the apostles is the
+commission to Christ's ministers in every age. This commission, it is to
+be feared, is losing much of its force from misinterpretation.
+
+That a construction somewhat incorrect is placed by some ministers on
+the commission which they hold, seems to be evident; for how otherwise
+should an impression obtain, that there is something _peculiar_ about
+the office of the missionary--that his commission is quite different
+from that of other ministers of Christ.
+
+Let the commission of both the minister at home and missionary abroad be
+exhibited and read. The terms, word for word, are the same. It is
+unhappy, extremely so, that a _peculiarity_ is thrown about the word
+_missionary_, since the New Testament authorizes no such distinction.
+Both ministers at home and those abroad claim to be successors of the
+apostles or first missionaries, whose letter of instructions, short but
+explicit, reads thus: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel
+to every creature." This is the commission of every ambassador, and no
+one, at home or abroad, can consistently hold his office any longer than
+he continues to act in accordance with its import.
+
+The Saviour is all-wise, and knew precisely what commission to give. He
+carefully chose every word in which it is expressed. The apostles showed
+by their conduct how they understood it--that they knew what was meant
+by "all the world" and "every creature." Now, I ask, how can such a
+construction be placed on these obvious phrases, as to make it
+consistent for about eleven thousand eight hundred ministers out of
+twelve thousand to stay in the United States, and about the same
+proportion in Great Britain? The apostles showed by their conduct what
+they understood by the word "Go." By what reasoning, I ask, has it been
+made to mean, in fifty-nine cases out of sixty, _send, contribute_,
+_and educate young men_? If an inhabitant of another planet should visit
+this earth, and see ministers clustered together in a few favored spots,
+could you make him believe that they hold in their hands the commission
+first delivered to the apostles?
+
+Would it be thought dutiful, in military officers, to treat the orders
+of their commander-in-chief as we do the command of our Master; or in
+mercantile agents, to interpret thus loosely the instructions of their
+employers? The perversion, however, has become so familiar to us, that
+we are insensible of it; and the fact may be numbered among other
+wonders of a like kind, which the experience of a few past years has
+exhibited. A few years since, good men were in the use of intoxicating
+drinks without dreaming it a sin; and so now we may be shaping our
+course very wide from the command of our Saviour, and yet think not of
+the guilt we incur.
+
+The misconstruction has become so universal, and so firmly
+established--the true and obvious interpretation buried so deep in the
+rubbish of things gone by--that all books written on ministerial duty,
+which I have seen, take it for granted that the persons addressed, for
+the most part at least, are to preach and labor among a people who have
+long had the Gospel. And may I not inquire--and I would do it with due
+deference and respect--Do not lectures on pastoral theology in the
+schools of the prophets take it too much for granted, that the hearers
+are to labor in Christian lands? Is not the business of going into all
+the world, and preaching the Gospel to every creature, regarded,
+practically at least, as an _exception_, for which there need be no
+provision in books or lectures? If Paul were to write or lecture on
+pastoral theology, would he not give more prominence to the duties that
+might devolve upon his students in foreign lands? Would he not, indeed,
+make the work of missions stand forth as _the_ work, and not as an
+exception or a peculiarity?
+
+Few men, in these last days, can quiet their consciences, and yet live
+in entire neglect of the heathen. Almost all professed Christians feel
+that they must have some interest in the great enterprise. To begin to
+act just as the last command of Christ requires, in its plain literal
+import, as the apostles understood it, would be a hard and self-denying
+service. What then shall they do? Will they operate _by proxy_? This is
+the charming suggestion, by which often conscience is lulled to sleep
+and the heathen are left to perish.
+
+It is true that many, and perhaps most, must aid in the work by
+proxy--by training up others, by sending them forth, by encouraging
+them, and by furnishing the necessary means. But the error is, that all,
+with the exception of perhaps one minister out of sixty, and one layman
+out of three thousand, are inclined so to act. It is wonderful with what
+electrical rapidity the soothing suggestion has spread abroad. It is so
+insidious and speciously good, that it has found its way, like an angel
+of light, to the best hearts and holiest places. Indeed, it is a point
+very difficult to be determined; and many judge no doubt with perfect
+correctness, when they decide to act in this way. The danger consists in
+the eager rush and universal resort. To be sensible that there is such a
+rush, begin and enumerate. Directors and officers of various
+societies--and they are not few--of theological seminaries too, and of
+colleges, think they are employed in furnishing the requisite men, the
+requisite means, and the requisite instrumentalities, and so are
+preaching to the heathen by proxy. Among ministers, the talented and
+eloquent, the learned and the influential, think they must labor in the
+important field at home; keep the churches in a state to operate upon
+the world, and so preach to the heathen by proxy. Ministers generally,
+about eleven thousand eight hundred out of twelve thousand, are zealous
+for training up young men, and think in that way of preaching to the
+heathen by proxy. Pious men of wealth, and those who are in
+circumstances to acquire wealth, or imagine that they have a talent to
+acquire it, profess to be accumulating the necessary means, and to be
+thus preaching to the heathen by proxy. Sabbath-school teachers, fathers
+and mothers, are fond of the notion of raising up children to be
+missionaries, and of thus preaching by proxy. Proxy is the universal
+resort. Now _some_ proxy effort, and much indeed, is proper and
+indispensable; but must it not strike every mind, that such a universal
+and indiscriminate resort to it is utterly unreasonable?
+
+How often do we hear the exhortation, "Let mothers consecrate their
+children to the missionary work in their earliest infancy. Let them be
+taught, as they grow up, that to labor among the heathen is the most
+glorious work on earth. Let teachers in Sabbath-schools impart such
+instructions, and ministers in their pulpits. Let ministers and elders
+search out young men, urge them to engage in the work of missions, and
+let the churches educate them for that end, and pray for them that their
+zeal fail not. Let no pains be spared and no efforts be wanting, to
+raise up and send forth a large body of young men to labor for the
+heathen."
+
+Now in regard to such an effort, every reflecting mind can see that it
+must be insufficient, if not hopeless. To succeed thus, as I have
+already said, precept must become more powerful than example. Commit the
+work of converting the world to your children, and they will commit it
+to your grandchildren. Try instruction in the nursery, try instruction
+in the Sabbath-school, try instruction from the pulpit: it will fall
+powerless as a ray of moonlight on a lake of ice, while contradicted by
+the _example_ of mothers, of Sabbath-school teachers, and of ministers.
+Urge young men into the missionary field without going yourselves? A
+general might as well urge his army over the Alps without leading them.
+Consecrate them to the work? Would it not be an unholy consecration--a
+consecration at the hands of those who were not themselves consecrated?
+The command does not say, _send_, but "Go." Let us then go, and urge
+others to _come_. We shall find this mode of persuasion the most
+effectual.
+
+Let us commit to proxy that work which is pleasant and easy, and betake
+ourselves in person to those kinds of labor that are more self-denying,
+and to those posts that are likely to be deserted. This is the only
+principle of action that will secure success in any enterprise within
+the range of human efforts. Suppose the opposite principle is acted
+upon--that every one seeks for himself the most easy and pleasant work,
+and the most delightful and honorable station, and leaves for others the
+most obscure, the most self-denying, and the most perilous. Discover
+such a spirit in any enterprise, secular or religious, and it requires
+not the gift of prophecy to predict a failure. Practical and business
+men understand full well the truth and force of this remark. The true
+method is this: if there is a work that is likely to be neglected on
+account of its obscurity or self-denial, let every one, first of all,
+see that _that_ service is attended to. And if there is a post likely to
+be left deserted on account of its hardships or its perils, let every
+one be sure, first of all, that _that_ post is occupied. Let there be an
+emulation among all to do the drudgery of the service, and to man the
+Thermopylæ of danger. Then you shall read in the vigor and nerve of the
+action the certainty of success.
+
+In this way Bonaparte conquered Europe. If a portion of his army was
+likely to fall back, there the general pressed forward in person,
+inspiring courage and firmness. If all others shrunk from the deadly
+breach, thither he rushed, at once, with the flower of his army.
+
+This principle of action is not more indispensable in the conquests of
+war, than in the great enterprise of the world's conversion. And how
+truly glorious, how sublime by contrast, to exhibit this principle of
+action, not in destroying mankind, but in laboring for their salvation!
+Let all Christians be filled with this spirit, let every redeemed sinner
+adopt in practice this rule of action, _to do the most self-denying, the
+most difficult and perilous work in person, and to commit the easiest to
+proxy_, then there would be a sight of moral sublimity that earth has
+not seen--all the elements in action that are needed, under God, to
+usher in the millenial day.
+
+O, if to angels were committed the instrumentality of the world's
+conversion, where would Gabriel speed his way if not to the post of
+peril, and to the post of self-denying and toilsome drudgery? I mistake
+his character much, if he would not betake himself at once to the most
+arduous service. O, how he would delight to come down and labor with the
+lowest being on New Holland or New Guinea, and be the instrument of
+raising him up to the throne of Jesus! But to angels is not committed
+the stewardship of propagating that precious Gospel, which God has
+ordained for the world's renovation. The infinite treasure is placed in
+our hands, the immense responsibility is thrown upon us. O, let us prove
+ourselves worthy of such a trust, and not become traitorous to the
+cause, by falling into the general spirit of operating by proxy.
+
+But, in truth, how far do we act on the principle named, that of
+performing in person the most arduous service, and of leaving the most
+pleasant work for others? Look over the desolate and secluded parts of
+the United States; look over the heathen world, and make out an answer.
+Let facts speak. Is a residence in Arkansas preferred to a residence in
+New-York, or a voyage to New Guinea before one to Europe?
+
+Our blessed Saviour and his apostles did not feel inclined to shrink
+from the more self-denying service, and to shift it upon others. If they
+had felt so, then we should have continued in a state of darkness, and
+have known full well the import of present wretchedness and eternal woe.
+
+Let us suppose, for a moment, that the apostles had made the discovery
+of obeying by proxy the Saviour's last command. But I hesitate to make
+such a supposition, lest the force of such an immense contrast should
+make it to be regarded as a caricature upon the operations of the
+present age. In other words, our efforts to convert the world become so
+clumsy, slow and inefficient, from a lack of the right spirit and enough
+of it, in ministers and in the churches, that to impute the same kind
+and degree of effort to the apostles and primitive Christians, might
+excite a smile, rather than a sigh; and be deemed an attempt to
+ridicule what is at present done, rather than an earnest, serious, and
+solemn expostulation. Such a result I should deplore. But if my readers
+will believe me to be aiming simply, with weeping eyes and an aching
+heart, to illustrate with force my own defects and their short-comings
+in duty, by detecting and tracing out a wrong principle of action, I
+will venture cautiously to make the supposition.
+
+The words of the last command have fallen from the lips of the ascended
+Saviour, and the apostles assemble to deliberate how they shall carry
+them into execution. In the first place, Peter delivers an address. It
+is an able and thrilling discourse. He seems impatient to wing his way
+to foreign lands. After the discourse, they form themselves into a
+society. Arrangements being made, and the machinery being complete, they
+send forth John to solicit funds. He finds the disciples willing to
+contribute on an average, after much urging, about twenty-four cents
+each. A pittance of money is obtained, and then they search for a man.
+They thought Peter would be ready to go, from the speech he delivered,
+but he wishes to be excused: he has a family to support. They then fall
+upon various plans: some think of training up young men to go forth,
+and others exhort parents to infuse a missionary spirit into their
+children. At length, however, it is found that one of the twelve begins
+to feel that he has a call to go--but this would be at the rate of one
+thousand from the twelve thousand ministers in the United States. This
+one man is sent forth to "go into all the world, and to preach the
+Gospel to every creature." The rest of the apostles sustain the various
+offices of the society, and have charge of important posts in Jerusalem,
+and in the cities and villages round about. They meet yearly, to
+deliberate upon the missionary enterprise. Some feel much, and humbly
+pray, and some say eloquent things about the glorious cause, and tell
+how they have found a fulcrum, where to place the lever of Archimides to
+elevate the world.
+
+Now I ask most solemnly, and in a spirit of grief and humiliation, how
+such a course of conduct would have appeared in the apostles? Would it
+have evinced a spirit of obedience? Believe me, in early times, a
+readiness to obey supplied a great deal of machinery. Bring back into
+the ministers of the present day the spirit of the apostles, and into
+the churches the spirit of the early disciples, and operations at once
+would be more simple and more efficient. A backwardness in duty--a
+disposition, if we do anything for the heathen, to do it by proxy,
+_this_ is it that makes the wheels so ponderous and encumbered. "The
+letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." Give us the spirit, and
+annihilate the notion of operating so much by proxy, and we shall soon
+see a multitude of angels flying in the midst of heaven, having the
+everlasting Gospel to preach to the nations.
+
+There is _no cheap or easy way of converting the world_. It is to be
+feared that some fall into the contrary notion, because they do not wish
+to believe that _all_ they possess is needed in the work of the Lord,
+and that there is absolute necessity that they themselves go to the
+heathen. It is to be feared, that it is for this reason that so many are
+ready to imagine that the work is to be done by a few men, and a small
+amount of means. It would seem they expect to form lines of these few
+men, and encircle the globe in various directions; to place them on
+prominent points, like light-houses, and leave each with his single lamp
+to dispel the darkness of a wide circumference. They seem to imagine
+that nations can be elevated from a degradation many ages deep, and
+thoroughly transformed, religiously, morally, mentally and socially, by
+the influence of a few missionaries, scattered here and there on some
+high eminences of the earth: that a single missionary, under a withering
+atmosphere, is to be preacher, physician, teacher, lawyer, mechanic, and
+everything that is necessary in raising a whole community from the
+inconceivable degradation of heathenism, up to the elevation of an
+industrious, intelligent, and Christian people.
+
+Neither are the expectations formed by many, of mission seminaries, less
+visionary. A school, with two or three teachers, limited accommodations
+and small funds, with all its school-books to make, and the whole
+literature to form, is expected to accomplish all the work of the
+academy, college, and theological seminary, and speedily to transform
+untutored savages into able preachers of the Gospel.
+
+And it is expected, by not a few, of the wife of the missionary--though
+living under a burning sun, in a house of poor accommodations, with
+unfaithful domestics, or none at all; that notwithstanding, she will
+not only attend to the arduous duties of the household and educate her
+own children, but teach a school among the people, and superintend the
+female portion of the congregation--a task which a minister's wife in a
+Christian land, and under a bracing air, does not often attempt.
+
+Now, would it be really a benefit to the church thus to flatter her
+indolence and her avarice, and convert the heathen with a fraction of
+wealth and a handful of men? Be assured, God loves the church too well
+thus to pamper a luxurious and self-indulgent spirit: he will allow no
+cheap and easy way of accomplishing the work. The object is worth more:
+worthy not only of the combined wealth of Christendom, but worthy also
+of the energies, the toil, and the blood if necessary, of the greatest
+and holiest men. It will not be in consistence with God's usual
+providence that a victory so noble should be achieved, till the
+treasures of the church shall be literally emptied in the contest, and
+the precious blood of thousands and tens of thousands of her ablest and
+best men poured out on the field. The work has already cost the blood
+of God's only Son; and the prosecution and finishing of it shall be
+through toil, self-denial, entire devotement, and obedience even unto
+death.
+
+_Some rules that may be of use in agitating the question of becoming
+missionaries._
+
+1. Guard against an _excuse-making_ spirit. This is an age of excuses.
+There is no need of seeking for them; they are already at hand, and of
+every variety, size and shape. They are kept ready for every occasion.
+If one will not suit, another may be tried. Be admonished then, that a
+disposition to be excused is not much different from a disposition to
+disobey.
+
+2. Guard against _antinomianism_ on the subject of missions. There is a
+great tendency in these days to _say and do not_. The thrill of the
+missionary theme, like an exhilarating gas, is pleasant to many; but the
+sober and humble business of engaging in the work is not so welcome. A
+disposition to say much and do little is a feature of the most alarming
+kind. It shows an obtuseness of conscience.
+
+3. Remember that Divine direction is better than human wisdom. We are
+very much inclined to argue the question, "Where can I do the most
+good?" Be assured we can do the most good by _obeying_ the Saviour: by
+carrying out the spirit of his last command. Let us keep _close_ to that
+command: it is safer than to determine by our own dark and biased
+reasoning, and by our very limited foresight, where we can be the most
+useful.
+
+4. The nearer you live to Jesus, the more hope will there be of your
+coming to a right decision. There is a process of conviction and
+conversion before a man becomes a missionary--a serious conflict.
+Nothing but nearness to the Saviour will prepare a man to pass through
+such a conflict, and keep safely on the side of truth and duty.
+
+5. If, after examining thoroughly and prayerfully the question of
+becoming a missionary, the mind waver between conflicting reasons, it
+will be safest to lean to the side of the greatest self-denial.
+
+6. In selecting the place of the greatest usefulness in the wide field
+of the world, the best rule is, to fly to the post most likely to be
+deserted.
+
+7. A kindred principle is, to do in person the more difficult and
+unpleasant work, and to commit the more easy and delightful to proxy.
+
+8. Remember the time is short. A few days more, and we shall meet our
+Saviour in the presence of a world of souls.
+
+9. Keep in mind the conduct of our blessed Saviour, and be imbued with
+his spirit. Feel as he felt, and do as he did, when he beheld us in
+misery and in sin.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+TRIALS TO BE MET.
+
+
+Common trials need not be named: we allude only to a few of those that
+are most severe. Take then first, the trial of leaving friends. The
+Saviour says, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not
+worthy of me, and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not
+worthy of me." The plain meaning is, to be Christians, our love to
+Christ must be supreme. Now, if it is supreme, it will show itself to be
+so in our conduct. There is full room, even at the present day, for a
+practical test of this condition of discipleship. Not only is the
+_spirit_ of this passage required, but in many cases, a _literal
+compliance_ with the identical things named in it. This saying of our
+Saviour has been too much forgotten. Like some other important sayings
+of our Lord, it has been virtually expunged. It has been regarded as
+applying only to apostolic times--to times of persecution. This is a
+wide mistake. If all nations are to be enlightened by the use of means,
+there must be a practical exhibition among Christians at the present
+time, and in all time to come, of a love to Christ superior to the love
+which we owe to father, mother, son or daughter. And this love is not
+spoken of as a high attainment in piety, but as an indispensable
+condition of discipleship. The missionary enterprise presents many
+instances of stern necessity to test and exhibit this principle.
+
+The occasion most familiar to the general reader, and the one best
+appreciated by him, is the time when missionaries go forth to the
+heathen. They are compelled to break away from almost every tie. The
+strength of attachment to all that is dear on earth, is a feeling that
+may be experienced, and can be imagined too, in part, but can never be
+described. There are a thousand ties, and tender ties too, that must be
+sundered. The loved scenes of childhood and youth, and scenes of sacred
+peace and pleasure that cluster about the sanctuary, the conference-room
+and the praying circle, must all receive a parting thought.
+Friends--dear friends and connections, must receive a last adieu and a
+lingering look. But O how keen the sensation when the last sigh, the
+last tear, and the last embrace is to be exchanged with father and
+mother, brother and sister--when all the touching associations of
+kindred and home are for once revived to be dismissed forever!
+
+Imagine not that the sensibilities of missionaries are less exquisite
+than those of other persons. The pangs they endure are indeed alleviated
+by soothing considerations drawn from the Gospel; but they are,
+notwithstanding, deep--deeper than the looker-on may at first suppose.
+
+There may be some persons--I have heard of such--who misrepresent the
+feelings and motives of missionaries in leaving their friends; who
+impute to them cold hearts and a bluntness of sensibility; who say that
+they are wanting in filial devotion, and can therefore leave aged
+parents to droop and die: that they have a small share of fraternal
+affection, and that it is therefore they can break away from the embrace
+of brothers and sisters, and leave them in anguish and in tears. All
+these remarks are sometimes made, and perhaps oftener secretly indulged,
+than openly expressed. It is often that the missionary is not allowed to
+take his leave merely with a bleeding heart and a soul gushing with
+emotion, but is compelled to endure a keener anguish: that of knowing
+that the course he is taking, agonizing as it is, is imputed by some to
+a want of sensibility; to a destitution of the finer, tenderer, and more
+delicate feelings, that adorn society, and that make families lovely and
+happy. Here then are trials: such, however, as he must cheerfully meet
+for Christ's sake.
+
+But the separation from home, with its numerous and nameless
+endearments, and at the risk of misrepresentation, is but the first
+lesson of obedience. That person whose love to Christ is so weak as to
+fail here on the threshold, would give but poor evidence of being
+prepared for similar and severer trials in prospect. The _main_ occasion
+for exemplifying the spirit of the Saviour's words to which we have
+alluded, is on heathen ground, when stern necessity calls upon parents
+to make the best disposition in their power in regard to their own
+children. This is an occasion not so well understood by the Christian
+community as the one I have noticed. The difficulties in the way of
+properly training children on heathen ground are not clearly seen;
+neither are all the objections appreciated which attend the usual
+alternative, that of sending them to a Christian land. These are the
+occasions of trial, compared with which all other sufferings of the
+missionary are scarcely worthy of being named. They are trials, however,
+that must be met, not evaded; for the Saviour says, "He that loveth son
+or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." They must be cheerfully
+met, and counted "all joy," or we cannot claim the spirit of the first
+disciples.
+
+There are those, I know, who would relieve this subject at once by
+proposing the celibacy of missionaries; but the argument of such persons
+can hardly be deemed worth considering, till they shall know a little
+more "what they say, and whereof they affirm." Celibacy for ministers
+at home would be a much more proper and expedient arrangement, than for
+missionaries in most foreign fields. And one would think that the
+experience of the church, from the days of the apostles till now, had
+taught us enough to silence at once any such proposition, and to place
+it forever at rest. Were it in place for me, I could give reasons here
+to the heart's content: but I deem it more prudent to forbear.
+
+The DIFFICULTIES in the way of training children on heathen ground,
+cannot all be named; and fewer still can be justly appreciated by those
+who have never made the attempt. What I shall say will apply
+particularly to barbarous and degraded nations, such as the Sandwich
+Islanders once were; for it is to such nations that the missionary's eye
+should be specially directed.
+
+I shall mention first, _the difficulty of keeping children from the
+pollutions and vices of the heathen_. Children have eyes, and among the
+heathen what do they see? I need only refer you to the knowledge you
+already possess of the naked condition, vile habits, and gross vices of
+a barbarous people. There is much in heathen society which cannot be
+described, but which children must more or less witness. The state of
+things, in this respect, is very much improved at the Sandwich Islands;
+but I refer to that condition in which they once were--to that condition
+in which all barbarous nations are, without the light of the Gospel.
+Imagine then to yourself this feature of heathen society, and then
+repeat the inquiry, What do children see?
+
+Again, children have ears, and they cannot be so effectually closed as
+to be kept from learning in some measure the language of the heathen.
+And if they become acquainted with the language of the heathen, what do
+they hear day after day? In many a pagan country they are liable to hear
+disputes, contentions, revilings, execration and blasphemy; but what is
+more, they are liable to hear in familiar, unblushing and open
+conversation, words and phrases which are not so much as to be named.
+The heathen have no forbidden words in their language. Every term is
+liable to be brought into public and frequent use without the least
+sense of impropriety.
+
+On account of this pernicious example and vile conversation, many
+missionaries, where it is practicable, make walls about their houses,
+and endeavor by strict inclosures to prevent their children from having
+intercourse with the natives. This can be done in some places, and to
+some degree, while children are young; but when they are somewhat grown
+up, it is preposterous to think of keeping them within inclosures. And
+as soon as they are out of their inclosures, there are a thousand
+pitfalls ready for their feet, on the right hand and on the left. How
+much solicitude was felt by Abraham and Isaac for their children, on
+account of the heathen population which surrounded them. This pernicious
+influence, better imagined than described, and still better seen than
+imagined, is one of the reasons which lead missionaries to undergo the
+agony of separation, and to send their children to a Christian land.
+This evil at the Sandwich Islands is much diminished, but not so much so
+as may at first glance be supposed from the progress in Christianity
+which has been made, and from the powerful revivals which have here been
+experienced.
+
+Again it must be remarked, that children trained up on heathen shores
+are in danger of _contracting habits of indolence_. The heathen, as a
+general remark, exert themselves no oftener and no longer than they
+feel the pressure of present want. They are far from being industrious,
+and farther still from anything like enterprise. Those nations that are
+partly civilized exhibit more or less industry, and are acquainted with
+some of the arts; but barbarous nations are acquainted with none of the
+improvements that elevate society, and exhibit a state of lounging
+indolence and torpid inactivity. If there be noise, it is not the rattle
+and whirl of business, or the hum of industry; but the noise of giddy
+mirth, boisterous and unmeaning laughter, or fierce and angry
+contention. If there be stillness, it is not the peace and quiet of
+well-ordered society, but the gloomy and deathlike stillness of
+indolence, sensuality, and beastly degradation. Now, who does not know
+that children are likely to be much influenced by the aspect and
+character of the society by which they are surrounded? Who does not know
+that they are likely to imbibe the spirit of the nation in which they
+live, whether on the one hand it be that of industry and enterprise, or
+on the other, that of sensual ease and torpid indolence? Let a youth be
+trained up in a village of intelligence, active industry and stirring
+enterprise; let his ears be filled with the noise of business from
+morning till night; let him travel in stages, in steamboats and on
+railroads, and it will be next to impossible for him to be indolent and
+sluggish. But in heathen society, the whole atmosphere is entirely
+different; it is a choke-damp to all activity, and it falls on the
+senses with a benumbing and deadening influence.
+
+But more than this, missionaries have no business in which to employ
+their children; and if it were possible to devise business in which to
+employ them, there is no one to superintend their labor. Missionaries
+have no time for the purpose, and no other persons, among most pagan
+nations, can be found who are trusty and competent. This is a stubborn
+fact, and stands in the way as a very great obstacle. Neither, in most
+cases, can the children of missionaries be kept industrious in the
+acquisition of knowledge. Their fathers and mothers cannot devote so
+much of their time to their children, as to keep their minds
+industriously employed in the pursuit of knowledge; and as to schools,
+most missions are not thus favored. Missionaries then, if they keep
+their children on heathen ground, run the risk of seeing them grow up
+in habits of inactivity and indolence. This, if a risk, is a fearful
+one; for missionaries ardently wish their children to be useful when
+they themselves shall be dead. But indolence and usefulness are the
+opposites of each other; whereas indolence and vice are closely allied.
+To prevent then this deadly evil, of having their children grow up in
+indolent habits, is one of the strong reasons why missionaries resort to
+the heart-rending alternative of parting with their children, with but
+little probability of seeing them again this side the grave.
+
+Again, as the state of things now is, the children of missionaries, if
+kept on heathen ground, can possess but _very limited advantages for
+mental improvement_. Their mothers cannot be depended upon to instruct
+them much in literature and the sciences. Under the influence of a
+withering atmosphere, often sick, with no help in many countries in
+their domestic affairs but untrusty domestics, and often with none at
+all, and obliged to attend to many calls from the people, or run the
+risk of giving offence, how can they be expected to find much time and
+strength for disciplining the minds of their children, and storing them
+with useful knowledge? They may succeed in giving them an acquaintance
+with the branches of common education, but to carry them into the higher
+branches is, as a general remark, entirely out of the question. Such a
+task is by no means expected of a minister's wife at home, much less can
+it be expected of the wife of a missionary.
+
+Neither can their fathers be depended upon to give a thorough education.
+Ministers at home would find it a great encroachment upon their time to
+spend several hours each day in instructing their own children; but they
+have _vastly_ more leisure to do so than the foreign missionary. To
+instruct a class of three or four requires the same apparatus, the same
+preparation in the teacher, and the same number of hours each day, as
+would be required for a class of thirty or forty. But should a
+missionary devote such an amount of time and means to his own family, it
+must be to the neglect of other labor. The most economical, and the most
+efficient course by far, evidently is, to collect together a sufficient
+number of missionaries' children to form a school, and devote a
+competent number of teachers entirely to that work.
+
+But even where such schools can be enjoyed, they must be attended with
+many risks and privations, and be only preparatory in their nature.
+Those scholars, who may need a thorough education, must be still under
+the necessity of visiting a Christian land. It is too of great, and
+perhaps indispensable importance, that youth who are trained for active
+life should see the industry, enterprise, and intelligence of a
+Christian land, and so far, at least, partake of its character and
+imbibe its spirit.
+
+Missionaries, then, must either suffer their children to grow up with a
+very limited education, or submit to the alternative sooner or later of
+sending them to a Christian land. But missionaries see the want of
+laborers in the great field of the world, and ardently desire that their
+children may be qualified to take part in the work. They choose
+therefore the present anguish of separation, bitter as it may be, that
+there may exist a reasonable prospect that their children, at some
+future day, may be eminently useful in the vineyard of the Lord.
+
+One other difficulty I must name, and that is, that missionaries'
+children, if kept on heathen ground, will have _no prospect of suitable
+employment when old enough to settle in life_. They will have no trades.
+To be merchants they will not have means. They will not be acquainted
+with agriculture, and in many countries will not be able to obtain land
+to cultivate. Some, who are fit for the work, may become preachers and
+teachers, but will not command the influence that they would if they
+were educated in a Christian land. Thus the prospect of suitable
+employment is very dark, and is a fact in the case of much weight.
+
+These reasons and others that might be named, possess in the minds of
+missionaries immense force--force enough, in many instances, to induce
+them to tear from their embrace the dear objects of their love, and to
+send them over a wide ocean to the care of friends, and often to the
+care of strangers. They do not lead all parents to this result; for on
+the other hand, there are strong, very strong objections to such a
+course. The trial in either case is great; but it is one that must be
+met, not evaded. It is wise to count the cost, but it is treason to be
+faint-hearted; for the trial, after all, cannot weigh much in the
+balance against the eternal interests of the dying heathen. HOW MUCH
+WORSE IS THE CONDITION OF MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF HEATHEN CHILDREN!
+
+The first OBJECTION in the minds of missionaries against sending their
+children home, is, that _such a measure seems unnatural_. That it is a
+violation of nature, all parents not only admit, but most deeply _feel_.
+God has implanted feelings in the breast of natural parents, which
+peculiarly fit them to take care of their own children. No other persons
+can precisely take their place, and feel the same interest, the same
+unwearied concern--the same unprovoked temper and unchangeable love
+through good report and through evil report. In a word, no other
+persons, however good and worthy, can be _natural parents_. Guardians
+can be found, who will feel a warm interest in those children who are
+bright, interesting, well-behaved and pious. But to feel properly for
+children that are dull, uninteresting and wayward, requires a _parent's
+heart_.
+
+That this is the state of the case, is too true to be denied. For
+parents, then, to violate this provision of nature, is causing a sword
+to pierce through their own bosoms, and the bosoms of their children: to
+do it without sufficient reasons, is to act at variance with the God who
+made them. In the feelings implanted in the breasts of parents towards
+their children, God has established a general rule: has made known his
+will, his law, and indelibly inscribed it on the parent's heart.
+Missionaries must be able to plead an _exception_ to this general law,
+or they will be found to be opposing the will of their Maker. That the
+very strong reasons they can urge really justify an exception, is plain
+to the minds of many, but not to the minds of all.
+
+Another objection arises from the command binding upon parents to train
+up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It is clear
+to the minds of some missionaries, that the spirit of this and similar
+commands is complied with when they make provision, according to the
+best of their judgment, for the religious education of their children.
+By others it is thought, that these explicit commands of God cannot be
+obeyed by any arrangement which commits the work to proxy; that there is
+risk in committing the work to others; that fully to obey God, parents,
+if not removed by death, must _in person_ pray with their children and
+instruct them in the truths of the Gospel; and that they must do this,
+not only through the period of childhood, but also through the season of
+youth, or till their children are old enough to think and act for
+themselves. It is admitted by all, that it is _desirable_ that parents
+should do this interesting and responsible work in person. No one else
+can do it with the feeling and unction natural to parents. All not only
+admit this to be true, but _feel_ it, too, to the very centre of their
+souls. But some think that it is not only very desirable, but altogether
+indispensable--that any other course is an unwarrantable substitution of
+human wisdom for the explicit direction of the all-wise God. The reader
+must judge whether this position is tenable or not.
+
+There is another objection: If missionaries' children are sent home,
+then one very important _influence of a missionary's family upon the
+heathen_ is in a great measure lost. Among the heathen, the family
+constitution is in ruins. The state of society is almost a perfect
+chaos. It is of immense importance, therefore, not only to inculcate the
+principles of domestic peace, but actually to bring before their eyes
+living examples of well-ordered and happy families. They need to see,
+not only young children well governed, but also the mutual interchanges
+of love, affection and duty, between young people and their aged
+parents. But this they cannot see if children are sent home. A
+missionary's family, who sends his older children home, and keeps with
+him only those that are quite young, is not like a tree adorned with its
+natural and well-proportioned branches, but presents the aspect of a
+tree closely trimmed, and with only a few twigs left at the very top.
+And when all his children are sent away, his family presents the aspect
+of a trunk without branch, shoot, twig or foliage, standing alone in an
+open field. This is unnatural, blighting to much of the comfort and
+cheerfulness of the parental abode, and is not the example which it is
+desirable to hold up before the eyes of the heathen. One important
+reason, then, why a missionary should have a family, is lost in sending
+his children home.
+
+I mention as another objection, the dangerous influence to which
+children are more or less exposed on a _long voyage at sea_. From some
+of the missionary fields, the voyage must be five, six, or seven months.
+I speak not of what are called the dangers of the deep, or the hardships
+of a sea life for six or seven months. These are of little account. The
+danger of which I speak is, the pernicious influence to which for that
+length of time they are exposed. This is an objection which, though not
+of sufficient weight in itself to determine one's course, may yet come
+in as an item in making up the account.
+
+On the supposition that children are sent, they go of course without
+their parents. In some cases the protector to whom they are to be
+intrusted may not be altogether such as could be desired. Even in case a
+parent accompanies the children, he will find it a great task to keep
+them from many pernicious influences during a long voyage. In very many
+ships they will hear more or less profane, low, vulgar and infamous
+language, both in conversation and in song. They will see exhibitions of
+anger, impatience, fretfulness, boisterous laughter and giddy mirth.
+They will see the holy Sabbath made a day of business, or at best a day
+of lounging and idleness. They will be likely on the one hand to
+receive such caresses as to make them vain and self-important; or, on
+the other hand, to be so treated as to chafe their tempers and injure
+their dispositions. In short, for six or seven months, they must be
+thrown into a strange family; into a family confined to the narrow
+limits of a ship's cabin and deck; into a family over which the parent
+of the children has no control; into a family, too, composed of the
+variety of character and disposition of those who sail on the ocean.
+Thus circumstanced, children inevitably suffer much, even under the
+vigilant eye of a parent, and still more would they suffer under any eye
+less careful and attentive. This moral danger to which children are
+exposed at sea, though not an objection of the strongest kind, is yet an
+item worthy of being noticed. Missionaries think of it when sending away
+their children, and dread it far more than tempests and tornadoes.
+
+Another objection is, that _no adequate provision is made for the
+support and education of missionaries' children_, if sent to a Christian
+land. The provision that is made by the American Board of Commissioners
+is $60 a year for a boy till he is eighteen years of age, and $50 a
+year for a girl during the same period. Now, every one sees that this is
+a sum scarcely sufficient to furnish them with food and clothing,
+without provision for sickness or means of education. It may be said,
+that they must be thrown much upon the spontaneous charities of
+Christians and of friends. But such a dependence must be uncertain,
+especially as few Christians appreciate the reasons and feelings of
+missionaries in sending home their children. Who of my readers in
+Christian lands would be willing to throw his own child on such a
+precarious subsistence?
+
+But the strongest objection, in my opinion is this: _If no other course
+can be adopted than that of sending the children home, it is to be
+feared that the number of missionaries will never be so increased as to
+afford a rational prospect of the world's conversion._ While the plan of
+sending children home is cherished, it will seem so incompatible with a
+large number of laborers, that it will tend to perpetuate the
+destructive notion, that the nations are to be saved by the labors of
+merely a few hundred men. But if means are to be employed in any measure
+commensurate with the end in view, a few men cannot put forth the
+instrumentality needed to elevate all nations. To commit the work to a
+few is in truth to relinquish it. If, then, the measure of sending
+children home should tend in the least to favor this destructive notion,
+it must, if possible, be avoided. This tendency is disastrous; and is,
+of course, an objection of immense force.
+
+It is clear that there are, on the one hand, very strong reasons for
+sending children home, and on the other hand, very strong objections to
+such a course. Missionaries, then, are reduced to a very trying dilemma.
+Whichever course they choose, it is equally distressing. Whichever way
+they turn, they find enough to rend their hearts with anguish. There are
+two cups, mixed indeed with different ingredients, but equally bitter,
+one of which they must drink. Their only comfort is to look upward, pour
+their sorrows into the ear of God, and cast their cares on him who
+careth for them. This is a trial, the sting of which cannot be
+appreciated except by those who have felt it. It is by far the greatest
+trial of the missionary, and probably greater than all his other trials
+combined. The pain of leaving one's kindred and country is nothing
+compared with it.
+
+But if the cup be of such a mixture, can there be found those whose
+hearts are so insensible as to throw in other ingredients to make the
+draught more bitter? If missionaries keep their children, and ask for
+the requisite means of education, shall they be called extravagant? If
+they send them home, shall they be regarded as possessing but a small
+share of natural affection?
+
+Here, then, are trials; but however great, they are to be met, not
+evaded--met by the churches, met by missionaries; and however severe and
+agonizing such trials, they are nothing in the balance against the dying
+condition of the heathen. The situation of our children, trying as it
+is, is unspeakably better than that of three hundred millions of heathen
+children and youth. The Saviour commands--the world is dying--and he
+that loveth son or daughter more than Christ is not worthy of him.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The inquiry is worth notice, Whether the situation of missionaries
+cannot be so altered as to change very materially the state of the
+question, in regard to their children? Would not such a change be
+effected by the going forth of laymen in great numbers, and of all the
+useful professions, arts and employments, so as to form little circles
+here and there over the earth?
+
+A great part of the heathen world is open for such classes of men.
+Appeals for such men have been sent from Africa, Asia Minor, Siam, the
+Sandwich Islands, and in short from almost every mission. They would of
+course labor under greater or less disadvantages; but these
+disadvantages should only have the effect to call forth the more energy,
+patience and perseverance.
+
+But it will be asked, How would the going forth of such classes of men
+better the condition of missionaries' children?
+
+1. They would afford society, form a public sentiment, and thus serve in
+a measure to keep children from the influence of a heathen population.
+It is already found on heathen ground, that where there are several
+families of missionaries, the children form a society among themselves;
+but where there is but one family, the children are more inclined to
+seek society among the degraded objects about them.
+
+2. Again, if men of various useful employments should be located with
+the missionary, there would be held up before the children examples of
+Christian industry and enterprise; whereas, in their present isolated
+condition, the children suffer from an atmosphere of indolence and
+stagnation.
+
+3. The going forth of such men to introduce the different arts and
+occupations, would afford suitable employment for the children and youth
+of missionaries, and furnish them to some extent with permanent
+situations in mature life.
+
+4. If there were such little circles of laymen as we suppose, they would
+have at whatever sacrifice, as the Pilgrims of New England did,
+institutions of learning among themselves, where children and youth
+might receive a suitable education.
+
+Unless some arrangement of this kind can be made, the trials of
+missionaries must remain unrelieved and unmitigated. And even with such
+an arrangement, the trial would be only in part removed. Even then the
+children of foreign laborers would by no means receive all the
+advantages of a Christian land, neither would they be shielded from all
+the evils of a heathen community. But it is worthy of thought, whether
+by such an arrangement they would not be so far shielded, and possess
+advantages to such an amount, as to change the preponderance of
+argument.
+
+Then, in addition to this or some similar arrangement, should not
+Christians _be more liberal in affording means and facilities for
+education, and expect of missionaries to devote to their children more
+of their time_?
+
+I have now brought before your minds the greatest of all missionary
+trials; and yet I urge many of you, ministers and laymen, and urge you
+considerately and solemnly too, to enter the work. I have not hesitated
+to state freely the whole difficulty, for I am in no wise unwilling that
+you should count the cost. And I would say with Gideon, "Whosoever is
+fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early." God desires no
+faint-hearted men in his service. He desires men that shrink from no
+self-denial for his sake. For after their trials are over--and they will
+be but short[*]--he wishes to crown them with glory, and place them at
+his own right hand as partners of his throne. He will place no
+unbelieving, faint-hearted men there. He will place none there who are
+not "worthy of him." And remember that he said, "He that loveth son or
+daughter more than me, is not worthy of me."
+
+[Footnote *: The author, soon after writing this appeal, was called to
+enter into the joy of his Lord.]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In looking at the embarrassment of missionaries in regard to their
+children, a thought something like this is apt to arise: missionaries
+are by profession a class of self-denying persons, and this trial is
+only in consistency with the life they have chosen. Now, where in the
+Bible do you find, that a spirit of self-denial and of consecration is
+enjoined peculiarly upon missionaries more than upon others? Where do
+you find it intimated, that a missionary spirit is a thing superadded to
+Christian character? An entire consecration of our children to Christ is
+not a test of missionary spirit, but a test of discipleship. Not the
+missionary, but "_He_, that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not
+worthy of me."
+
+The spirit of this injunction requires _all_ parents to train up their
+children in that way in which they may be of the greatest service to
+Christ; and not only to be willing--that would be but a small measure of
+Christian feeling--but earnestly and constantly to pray, that they may
+be employed in that part of his vineyard, and in that kind of work,
+where they can be instrumental of the most good, even though it be on
+some distant shore, teaching the alphabet to the ignorant and degraded.
+
+But is this the spirit which prevails in the churches? I have seen it
+stated that, of twenty or more young men in a theological institution,
+who were at the same time agitating the question of their duty to become
+missionaries, _all but two were discouraged by their parents, and these
+two were the sons of widows_. Many other facts of a similar kind might
+be added, if it were best to name them. Many parents give their children
+to the Lord when young, and talk of locating them on the shores of
+Japan, or New Guinea; but the very manner of educating them--in
+softness, delicacy and helplessness--shows at once the inefficacy of
+such a profession. Many parents are quite ready to consecrate their
+children before they become pious. "O, if the Saviour would only convert
+my child, I would readily yield him to go to any part of the world, and
+to perform any service for which he might be fitted." The child becomes
+a Christian, and proposes to go to the heathen. The parents cling,
+dissuade, and throw every consideration in the way to keep him at home.
+
+At the judgment day, if I mistake not, we shall see a great deal of our
+conduct in a different light from what we do now.
+
+The spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of self-denial for the sake of
+Christ. The Saviour is worthy of our highest love, and no earthly
+attachment can be allowed to come in competition with the supreme
+affection which we owe to him. This love to Christ must be manifested by
+obeying his commandments. To yield strict obedience to Christ in this
+world, disordered and confused by sin, it is frequently necessary to
+sunder some of the tenderest ties on earth. Keen as is the sensation, it
+must be endured. A child must not cling unduly to a parent, nor a parent
+to a child, but each cling with more ardent feelings and firmer grasp to
+Jesus Christ and his cause. This world is not our rest. Neither is it a
+place to give much indulgence to many of the fond affections of the
+soul. There is no time for it. We live in a world of sin--a confused,
+disordered and chaotic world--in a revolted territory, among a crowd of
+sinners dying an eternal death. The main point then is, to save our own
+souls and the souls of as many as possible of our fellow men, before the
+grave shall close upon us. The indulgence of many of our tenderer
+feelings of love and fondness must be postponed to a more peaceful
+abode. While in a world of dying souls, self-denial and laborious effort
+are most in place. Parental and filial affection should be deep and
+ardent indeed, but under the control of judgment. Love to Christ and to
+souls must predominate and govern our conduct.
+
+
+
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+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Thoughts on Missions, by Sheldon Dibble</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: Thoughts on Missions</p>
+<p>Author: Sheldon Dibble</p>
+<p>Release Date: July 15, 2008  [eBook #26062]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3>E-text prepared by Anne Folland, Juliet Sutherland,<br />
+    and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+    (http://www.pgdp.net)</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h1>THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS.</h1>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<h3>BY THE LATE</h3>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<h2>REV. SHELDON DIBBLE,</h2>
+
+<h4>MISSIONARY IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.</h4>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 75%;" />
+
+<p><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.&mdash;<span class="smcap">Mark</span> 16:15.</span><br />
+
+<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Go&mdash;teach all nations.&mdash;<span class="smcap">Matt.</span> 28:19. </span><br />
+
+<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Prove all things&mdash;hold fast that which is good.&mdash;1 <span class="smcap">Thes.</span> 5:21. </span><br />
+</p>
+<hr style="width: 75%;" />
+
+<h6>PUBLISHED BY THE</h6>
+
+<h5>AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY,</h5>
+<h5>150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW-YORK.</h5>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 75%;" />
+<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS.</h2>
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table border="0"  width="80%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="8" summary="">
+<col></col>
+<col></col>
+<col align = "right"></col>
+
+
+<tr><th colspan="3"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a></th></tr>
+<tr><th colspan="3">THE TRUE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS.</th></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'></td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><span class="smcap">Page.</span></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Lowliness and condescension, like our Saviour's,
+essential to missionary character,</td>
+<td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_18">18</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The true Missionary is ready, like Christ, to endure
+suffering for the good of others,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_21">21</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The true Missionary, like his Master, waits not to be
+urged and entreated,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_24">24</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The true Missionary, like the Saviour, feels no less
+compassion and love to the heathen on account of their ingratitude and
+enmity towards him,</td> <td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_26">26</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+
+<tr><th colspan="3"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a></th></tr>
+<tr><th colspan="3">CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP.</th></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>All we have belongs to God,</td><td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>To occupy all our powers for God, we must equal the
+engagedness and enterprise of worldly men,</td><td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td><a href="#Page_34">34</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>How much faithful stewards may consume on themselves
+and children,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_40">40</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The best use of a large capital,</td><td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td><a href="#Page_46">46</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Money not the main thing needed,</td><td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The luxury and honor of being God's stewards,</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><th colspan="3"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a></th></tr>
+<tr><th colspan="3">GUILT OF NEGLECTING THE HEATHEN.</th></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Prospects of the heathen for eternity,</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Peculiar advantages of the American churches to
+carry abroad the Gospel of Christ,</td><td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td><a href="#Page_69">69</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Do we pray for the heathen as much as we ought?</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_73">73</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Do we give as much as we ought to evangelize the
+heathen?</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Do we go and instruct the heathen as we ought?</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Why are the heathen lost?</td><td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td><a href="#Page_85">85</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><th colspan="3"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a></th></tr>
+<tr><th colspan="3">THE SAVIOUR'S LAST COMMAND.</th></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Excuses of Christians for not doing more to evangelize
+the heathen,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><th colspan="3"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a></th></tr>
+<tr><th colspan="3">LAYMEN CALLED TO THE FIELD OF MISSIONS.</th></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Labors of the first disciples, dispersed from Jerusalem
+by persecution,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>To elevate all nations requires a great variety of
+laborers,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_116">116</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Feasibility,</td><td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td><a href="#Page_126">126</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Reasons why laymen should engage in the work of
+Missions,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_130">130</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><th colspan="3"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a></th></tr>
+<tr><th colspan="3">CLAIMS OF MISSIONS ON MINISTERS OF INFLUENCE.</th></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Separation of Barnabas and Saul for the Missionary
+work,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_134">134</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The present distribution of ministers anti-apostolic,</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_141">141</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Insufficient excuses of pastors for remaining at
+home,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_147">147</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Other excuses of pastors that have weight, but are
+not sufficient,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_155">155</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Necessity that some pastors of influence and talent
+should become Missionaries,</td><td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td><a href="#Page_161">161</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Some excuses common to pastors and to candidates
+for the ministry,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_169">169</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><th colspan="3"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a></th></tr>
+<tr><th colspan="3">IMPORT OF THE GREAT COMMISSION.</th></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Responsibility not peculiar to Missionaries,</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_178">178</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The fallacy of endeavoring to convert the world by
+proxy,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_181">181</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>No cheap or easy way of converting the world,</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_191">191</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Some rules that may be of use in agitating the question
+of becoming Missionaries,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_194">194</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><th colspan="3"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a></th></tr>
+<tr><th colspan="3">TRIALS TO BE MET.</th></tr>
+
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Difficulties in the way of training children on heathen
+ground,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_201">201</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Reasons in the minds of Missionaries for not sending
+their children home,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_210">210</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Other thoughts about Missionaries' children,</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Entire consecration of children, not a duty peculiar
+to Missionaries,</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td><a href="#Page_222">222</a></td></tr>
+
+</table></div>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+
+<h2><a name="INTRODUCTORY_LETTER" id="INTRODUCTORY_LETTER"></a>INTRODUCTORY LETTER.</h2>
+<p><br /></p>
+<p><span class="smcap">To my Classmates in Theology</span>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dear Brethren in Christ</span>:&mdash;Few periods of our lives can be called to mind
+with so much ease and distinctness, as the years which we spent together
+in theological studies. The events of that short season, and the
+sentiments we then indulged, are clothed with a freshness and interest
+which the lapse of time cannot efface.</p>
+
+<p>Among the questions that occupied our thoughts, no one perhaps was so
+absorbing, or attended with such deep and anxious feeling, as that which
+respected the field of labor to which each should devote his life. And
+many of us then, I remember, made a mutual engagement, that if spared
+and permitted for years to labor in different portions of the vineyard
+of the Lord, we would communicate to each other our <i>mature</i> views in
+regard to the claims of different fields.</p>
+
+<p>Thirteen years have elapsed; and I propose to fulfil my engagement, by
+expressing, in the form of the present little volume, the views which I
+now entertain in regard to the claims of foreign lands.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> To you, my
+beloved classmates, the book is specially addressed; and if I use a
+frankness and freedom, which might possibly be construed into
+presumption, if I were addressing strangers and elder brethren, I am
+sure that I shall fall under no such imputation when communicating my
+thoughts to you. I wish to express my thoughts familiarly, as we used to
+do to each other, and at the same time with the earnestness and
+solemnity which one ought always to feel when pleading for the perishing
+heathen.</p>
+
+<p>A free, full, and earnest discussion of such sentiments as those
+contained in this book, had no small influence, under God, in preparing
+the way for that extensive work of grace at these islands, which has
+been denominated the Great Revival. At the General meetings of the
+mission in the month of May of 1836 and 1837, the main doctrines of this
+volume were thoroughly canvassed, and with deep effect upon every member
+present. Our feelings were enlisted, our hearts were warmed, and our
+thoughts were absorbed by the great topic of the world's conversion. The
+theme, in all its amazing import and solemn aspects, was allowed to take
+possession of our souls. It gave importunity to prayer, earnestness and
+unction to our conversation and sermons, and zeal, energy, and
+perseverance to every department of our work; and the result was soon
+apparent in the wide-spread and glorious revival.</p>
+
+<p>It can almost be said, therefore, that the main<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> sentiments of this
+volume have received the impress of the Divine approbation.</p>
+
+<p>In the fall of 1837, I was constrained by family afflictions and the
+failure of my own health, to embark for the United States. As I began to
+breathe the bracing air of Cape Horn, my strength in a measure revived,
+and having no other employment on board ship, I sketched the outlines of
+most of the chapters of this little volume. My heart was full of the
+theme in the discussion of which I had taken part before my embarkation,
+and I penned my thoughts freely, amidst the tossings of the ship and the
+care of two motherless children.</p>
+
+<p>On my arrival in the United States, I revised and filled up the outlines
+I had sketched, and delivered them, in connection with various
+historical lectures, at several places, as Providence gave me
+opportunity. Now, having returned to these islands, I have thought best
+to give the chapters a second revision, to dedicate the whole to you,
+and with the help of the press to send you each a copy, accompanying it
+with my prayers and my most affectionate salutations. And may I not
+expect, beloved classmates, that you will read the book with candor,
+weigh well its arguments, admit its entreaties to your hearts, as those
+of your former associate, and act in accordance with the convictions of
+duty?</p>
+
+<p>Among the considerations that have prompted me to the train of thought
+contained in this book, as well as to the views interwoven in my history
+of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> the Sandwich Islands, I may mention, as not the least weighty and
+prominent, a dutiful respect and filial obedience to the instructions
+delivered to me, in connection with others, by the wise and devoted
+<span class="smcap">Evarts</span>, on the eve of our embarkation for the foreign field. The
+delivery of those instructions was his last effort of the kind, and they
+may therefore be regarded as the parental accents of his departing
+spirit. On that occasion of interest, to which memory can never be
+treacherous, a part of the charge to us was in the following words:</p>
+
+<p>"From the very commencement of your missionary life, cultivate a spirit
+of enterprise. Without such a spirit, nothing great will be achieved in
+any human pursuit; and this is an age of enterprise, to a remarkable and
+unprecedented extent. In manufactures, in the mechanic arts, in
+agriculture, in education, in the science of government, men are awake
+and active; their minds are all on the alert; their ingenuity is tasked;
+and they are making improvements with the greatest zeal. Shall not the
+same enterprise be seen in moral and religious things? Shall not
+missionaries, especially, aim at making discoveries and improvements in
+the noblest of all practical sciences&mdash;that of applying the means which
+God has provided, for the moral renovation of the world?</p>
+
+<p>"There are many problems yet to be solved before it can be said, that the
+best mode of administering<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> missionary concerns has been discovered.
+What degree of expense shall be incurred in the support of missionary
+families, so as to secure the greatest possible efficiency with a given
+amount of money; how to dispose of the children of missionaries, in a
+manner most grateful to their parents, and most creditable to the cause;
+in what proportion to spend money and time upon the education of the
+heathen, as a distinct thing from preaching the Gospel; how far the
+press should be employed; by what means the attention of the heathen can
+be best gained at the beginning; how their wayward practices and habits
+can be best restrained and corrected; how the intercourse between
+missionaries and the Christian world can be conducted in the best
+manner, so as to secure the highest responsibility, and the most entire
+confidence; and how the suitable proportion between ministers of the
+Gospel retained at home, and missionaries sent abroad, is to be fixed in
+practice, as well as in principle: all these things present questions
+yet to be solved. There is room for boundless enterprise, therefore, in
+the great missionary field, which is the world."</p>
+
+<p>I have not attempted to discuss all the topics here named, but have
+endeavored to cultivate in some degree, as enjoined in the paragraph, a
+spirit of <i>enterprising inquiry</i>.</p>
+
+<p>If this book shall impart any light on the interesting topic of
+Christian duty to the heathen, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> be owned by the Saviour, in the
+great day, as having contributed, though but in a small degree, towards
+that glorious consummation of which the prophets speak, and to which we
+all look forward, I shall be richly rewarded.</p>
+
+<div class ="center">Your affectionate classmate,</div>
+
+<div class ="myright">SHELDON DIBBLE.</div>
+<p><br /></p>
+<p><span class="smcap">Lahainaluna</span>, <i>Feb. 17, 1844</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="THOUGHTS_ON_MISSIONS" id="THOUGHTS_ON_MISSIONS"></a>THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS.</h2>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE TRUE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The apostles, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, uniformly enforce
+their exhortations by tender appeals to the example, sufferings, and
+death of their ascended Lord. Is humility inculcated? the argument is,
+Christ "humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death
+of the cross." Is purity of life enjoined? the plea is, Christ "gave
+himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify
+unto himself a peculiar people." Is liberality required? we are pointed
+to Christ, who, "though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that
+we through his poverty might be rich." Is entire consecration to Christ
+enjoined? the appeal is, "he died for all, that they who live should
+not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and
+rose again."</p>
+
+<p>In like manner, in gaining a true idea of the spirit of missions, the
+proper course evidently is, to look at once at the missionary character
+of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was indeed a missionary. He came to save
+the lost. He was a missionary to <i>us</i>. He came to save <i>us</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We had wandered and were lost. We were guilty and condemned. We were in
+a state of despair. Nothing within the compass of human means could
+avail in the least to avert the impending wrath of God. All wisdom
+became foolishness. All resource was futile. Not a ray of hope
+remained&mdash;not the least flickering gleam. Whichever way the eye turned,
+there was darkness&mdash;horror&mdash;despair. But Christ came, and hope again
+visited the earth. It was when we were helpless&mdash;hopeless&mdash;justly
+exposed to the horrors and agonies of the world of woe, that Jesus
+undertook his mission, and appeared for our relief.</p>
+
+<p>This truth cannot be too deeply impressed upon us, here, at the very
+threshold of our inquiries in regard to the spirit of missions; and to
+spread it out distinctly before our minds, let us take a simple
+illustration.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>You are a captive in a foreign land, and have long been immured in a
+deep, damp, and gloomy dungeon. Sorrow, sighing, and tears have been
+your meat day and night. Anguish, gloom, and a fearful looking for of
+death, combined with hunger, cold, and a bed of straw, have induced
+disease, wasted your flesh, destroyed every energy, and entirely drank
+up your spirits. Sentence of death is pronounced against you, and the
+day fixed for your execution. The massive walls and iron grating look
+down sternly upon you, and rebuke at once all hope of escape.
+Entreaties, tears, and the offer of gold and silver have been tried, but
+in vain. Effort and means have given place to horror and despair. The
+prospect before you is the scaffold, the block, a yawning grave, and a
+dread eternity. In this extremity a friend appears, and offers to be
+substituted in your place. The offer is accepted. You, pale, emaciated,
+and horror-stricken, are brought from your dungeon to behold once more
+the light of day. The irons are knocked off from your hands and
+feet&mdash;your tattered garments exchanged for cleanly apparel&mdash;and a ship
+is in readiness to convey you to the land of your birth and the bosom<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span>
+of your friends. The vital current of your soul, so long chilled and
+wasted, now flows again with warmth and vigor; your eyes are lighted up,
+and tears of joy burst forth like a flood. But, in the midst of your
+joy, you are told of your deliverer. You turn, and behold! the irons
+that were upon you are fastened upon him&mdash;he is clothed in your tattered
+garments&mdash;is about to be led to your gloomy dungeon&mdash;lie on your bed of
+straw, and thence to be taken in your stead to the scaffold or the
+block. You throw yourself at his feet, and entreat him to desist; but
+when you find his purpose fixed, you finally wish you had a thousand
+hearts to feel the gratitude you owe, and ten thousand tongues to give
+it utterance.</p>
+
+<p>The Lord Jesus Christ has done for us all this, and unspeakably <i>more</i>.
+We were under condemnation. The sentence of God's righteous law was
+against us. The flaming sword of Divine vengeance was unsheathed. All
+above and around us were the dark frowns of the Almighty and the red
+lightnings of his wrath. Beneath us was not merely a damp dungeon, but
+the bottomless pit yawning to receive us, and its flames ascending to
+envelope our guilty souls. There was no escape.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> The prospect was
+weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth&mdash;the agony of Jehovah's frown
+forever. In this extremity the Saviour appeared&mdash;substituted himself in
+our stead&mdash;bare our sins in his own body on the tree&mdash;received upon his
+own agonized soul what was our due, and thus delivered us from the
+untold horrors of eternal death, and opened before us the gate of
+heaven.</p>
+
+<p>To save the lost, then, was the spirit of Christ. The apostles imbibed
+this spirit. <i>It is the spirit of missions.</i> The heathen are in a lost
+condition. If we have the spirit of Christ we shall do what we can to
+save them. The spirit of missions is not something different from, or
+superadded to, the Christian spirit, but is simply, essentially, and
+emphatically <i>the</i> spirit of Christ. It is compassion for the perishing;
+and such compassion as leads the possessor to put forth strenuous
+efforts, and to undergo, if need be, the severest sufferings.</p>
+
+<p>As we shall look somewhat in detail at the manifestations of the spirit
+of Christ, we shall see very evidently the great outlines of what alone
+is worthy to be called the true spirit of missions.</p>
+
+<p>Look at the <i>condescension</i> of Christ, and learn a lesson of duty
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span>
+towards the destitute and degraded of our race. The Son of God, by whom
+were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth,
+whether they be thrones or dominions, principalities or powers; who
+upholdeth all things by the word of his power; before whom ten thousand
+times ten thousand and thousands of thousands prostrate themselves,
+ascribing power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and
+glory, and blessing; of whom it is said, "Every knee shall bow to him,
+of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
+earth"&mdash;the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God: this
+Infinite Being empties himself of his glory, and comes down to toil,
+suffer and die&mdash;and for whom? For us worms of the dust, insects that are
+crushed before the moth.</p>
+
+<p>If the Saviour had come to our relief, clothed with the glory of heaven
+and surrounded by his holy angels, even that would have been a stoop of
+amazing condescension. But look at the babe of Bethlehem, born in a
+stable, and cradled in a manger; follow him to Egypt, and then back to
+Nazareth. What humility,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> lowliness, and condescension! Look at the
+Saviour in his public ministry. You find him oftenest among the <i>poor</i>,
+and always so demeaning himself as to be the one that was "meek and
+lowly in heart." His chosen walk was such, that it could be said with
+emphasis, "to the poor the Gospel is preached."</p>
+
+<p>Such was the spirit of Christ and such his condescension! Such was the
+spirit of the apostles. They took much notice of the poor, and charged
+Paul and Barnabas, when going forth on their mission, especially to
+remember them. What else, I ask, is a missionary spirit, but to be
+willing to labor with self-denial and perseverance to elevate and save
+the low and the vile? Natural men, in the pride of their hearts, are
+inclined to look down upon the wretched&mdash;to regard them with that kind
+of loathing and disgust which disinclines them to make sacrifices in
+their behalf. This dislike is such that I have often thought it to be a
+favor to the heathen, that they are far off and out of sight; for if
+they were near and directly around many professed Christians, with all
+their defilement and ugliness in full view, much of the apparent
+sympathy for them which now exists, would be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> turned into contempt and
+cold neglect. But if such had been the superficial and ill-founded
+character of Christ's compassion, where should we have been at this
+present hour? There is not a wretch now wallowing in the deepest mire of
+sin, who is so vile and low in our eyes, as we all were in the eyes of
+infinite purity. Yet the more wretched we were, the more deeply did
+Christ feel for us. <i>This spirit of Christ is the only true spirit of
+missions</i>&mdash;the only spirit that will make self-denying, continued, and
+persevering efforts to save the heathen.</p>
+
+<p>There is no romance in the practical and every-day duties of a
+missionary. The work is of a humble form, and emphatically <i>toilsome</i>.
+There is but little true missionary spirit in the world. It is not the
+sympathy of an hour, nor an enthusiasm awakened by romance, but the pure
+love of Christ in the soul, constraining the possessor to pray
+earnestly, and to labor cheerfully without notice or applause, for the
+lowest human objects; and which finds a rich and sufficient reward for a
+life of toil in leading one ignorant slave, one degraded outcast, or one
+vile heathen, to accept the offers of salvation. My observation<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> in the
+field for thirteen years testifies to the fact, that no sympathy or
+enthusiasm will come down to the arduous details of missionary work, and
+persevere in it for years, that does not flow from such genuine and
+permanent love as our Saviour manifested when here upon earth. The more
+we become like Christ, the more shall we possess of the true missionary
+character.</p>
+
+<p>How slow we are to make <i>real sacrifices</i> for the good of others! It was
+not so with Christ. He chose, for our good, to become a man of sorrows
+and acquainted with grief&mdash;to be rejected, despised and hated&mdash;to become
+a mark for the bitterest rage and the finger of scorn.</p>
+
+<p>Go to the garden of Gethsemane. There behold, what even the pencil of
+the angel Gabriel cannot fully portray. There, in the stillness of the
+night, the Saviour retires to give vent to the bursting emotions of his
+soul. Deep sorrow, keen anguish, and excruciating agony roll in, like
+continuous surges, upon his tender spirit. His strength fails. Low he
+lies on the cold earth, and the drops from his pale and agonized
+features, like the clammy sweat of death&mdash;no, "like drops of
+blood"&mdash;fall to the ground.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But the agony of his spirit does not perturb the submission of his soul,
+nor shake the steadfastness of his purpose. The furious mob arrive, and
+he calmly yields himself to their disposal. See him in the
+judgment-hall&mdash;meek under insults, forgiving under buffetings and abuse,
+submissive and quiet under the agonizing scourge. Then behold him, as
+faint from his gashes and his pains, and sinking under a heavy cross, he
+slowly moves towards Calvary. Look on, if your eyes can bear the sight.
+The rough spikes are driven through his feet and his hands&mdash;the cross is
+erected&mdash;the Lord of glory hangs between two thieves:&mdash;there, his torn,
+bleeding, writhing and excruciated body is to wear out its vitality in
+protracted agony. But all this suffering was as a drop in his cup of
+anguish. O the deep&mdash;fathomless, untold agony of his soul, when under
+the hidings of his Father's face he exclaimed, "My God, my God, why hast
+thou forsaken me!"</p>
+
+<p>All this suffering and agony the Infinite Son of God endured, that we
+might be saved. He had a vivid and perfect view of all this, and yet
+voluntarily assumed it that we might live.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In view of such an example, what shall we say? If the Lord of glory
+shrunk not from ignominy and scorn, untold agony, exquisite torture and
+the most cruel death, can any one possess much of his spirit, and yet
+consider it too much to forego some of the comforts and delights of this
+fleeting life, and to labor and toil with perseverance and self-denial
+on a foreign shore, to instruct the destitute and the dying&mdash;to
+enlighten the millions and hundreds of millions of heathen, who have
+never heard the precious name of Jesus, and are entirely ignorant of the
+consolations of his grace? Is it too much, even to expose one's self to
+an early grave in a sultry clime, if necessary, that some ray of hope
+may break in upon the gloom of the benighted and perishing nations? God
+be praised, that the prospect of death did not daunt the spirit of the
+self-denying Jesus!</p>
+
+<p>O, how has a feeling of shame and deep humiliation come over my spirit,
+as I have heard the objection, that "Missionaries and missionaries'
+wives especially go forth to die!" Thanks to the continued grace of God,
+that some of this spirit of Jesus&mdash;the self-sacrificing spirit, the
+spirit of devotement, even unto death&mdash;still exists on earth. Let the
+objector<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> inquire seriously, whether much of it reigns in his own bosom;
+and whether in proportion as he is destitute of it, he be not lacking
+not only in the spirit of missions, but in the spirit of Christ, without
+which it is impossible to be a disciple. For it is true not only of
+missionaries, but equally of all Christians, that they are not their
+own&mdash;that they are bought with a price; and are under obligations of
+<i>entire consecration</i>, each in his appropriate sphere, that are as high
+as heaven and as affecting as the scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary. And
+we are bound, equally with the early disciples, to count it not only a
+duty, but "all joy" to labor, suffer and die, if necessary, for Christ's
+sake, and in the good work which he has given us to do.</p>
+
+<p>Did we become sensible of our lost condition? Did we with one accord
+lift up our penitent and broken-hearted cries to the God of mercy, that
+he would provide a way for our salvation? Did the angels intercede in
+our behalf that the Saviour would come? No: <i>self-moved</i> he appeared for
+our relief. He beheld us wedded to our sinful courses; unwilling to be
+taken from the pit into which we had plunged ourselves, and clinging
+with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> unyielding grasp to the very instruments of our ruin&mdash;strangely
+enamored with the very vampires that were preying upon our souls. The
+more disinclined we were to sue for mercy, the more the Saviour pitied
+us; for our very unwillingness to supplicate showed the depth of our
+ruin.</p>
+
+<p>In like manner, the more indisposed any heathen nation may be to receive
+us to their shores, admit the light of the Gospel and partake of its
+blessings, the more deeply should we feel for them, and the more
+zealously labor for their salvation. That a nation has not called for
+our aid, but is resolutely determined to keep us at a distance, is a
+strong argument for being deeply interested in their behalf. Their very
+blindness and maniac disposition should call forth the deep
+commiseration of our souls. Such was the spirit of Christ. Such is the
+true spirit of missions. It is but a small measure of compassion to aid
+those who supplicate our assistance. The very blindness, guilt, madness
+and vile degradation of a people, should be to us a sufficient voice of
+entreaty. They were so to the heart of the precious Saviour, or he never
+would have undertaken the work of our redemption.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> O, when shall it be,
+that Christians and ministers of the Gospel shall arise <i>self-moved</i>, or
+rather moved by the spirit of Christ within them, and exert all their
+powers for the good of the perishing? when they shall not need appeal
+upon appeal, entreaty upon entreaty, and the visit of one agent after
+another, to remind them of duty, and to persuade them to do it?</p>
+
+<p>It was not a world of penitents that the Saviour pitied, but a world of
+<i>rebels</i>&mdash;proud and stubborn rebels, ready to spurn every offer of
+reconciliation. He saw us, not on our knees pleading for mercy, but
+scorning the humble attitude of suppliants, and raising our puny arms
+against the authority of Heaven. He beheld us, not as the Ninevites once
+were, in sackcloth and ashes, but recklessly violating all his holy
+laws. It was in view of all the deformity, bitterness, rage and
+heaven-daring impiety of our naked hearts, that Christ left his throne
+of glory and died on the cross. It was for such beings that he
+voluntarily endured humiliation, toil, self-denial and death. He toiled
+and died for the ungodly. He came, though men despised his aid. He died
+even for his crucifiers.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Are the heathen guilty&mdash;covered with blood and black with crime? Do they
+exhibit many traits that are repulsive and horrid? Would our visit to
+them fill them with rage and bitterness, and tempt them to crucify us?
+What then? are we to relax our efforts for them, because they are
+ungodly? So did <i>not</i> Jesus Christ. Let us learn from his example, and
+imbibe his spirit. That man, who may be called a missionary, and yet is
+capable of being alienated in his feelings by ill-treatment, contempt,
+abuse and rage from the heathen, is not worthy of the name. That
+professed Christian, in whatever land he may reside, who loves a sinner
+less on account of the personal abuse he may suffer from him, has not
+the true missionary spirit, or, in other words, the spirit of Christ.</p>
+
+<p>And here I would repeat the remark with emphasis, in accordance with all
+that I have said, that <i>there is nothing peculiar</i> in the spirit of
+missions, except what peculiarity there may be in the spirit of
+Christ&mdash;that it is what all must possess to be disciples, and without
+which no one can enter heaven. It is a spirit humble yet elevating,
+self-sacrificing yet joyful, intensely fervent yet reasonable, meek<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> and
+yet resolute. It is all this indeed, but yet nothing more than what is
+required of every Christian; and therefore no excuse can be more absurd
+and contradictory in terms, than that sometimes made, "It is not my duty
+to go to the heathen, for I never had a missionary spirit;" for one
+professes to be a Christian, and yet excuses himself, on the ground of
+not having a missionary spirit, or in other words, of not being a
+Christian&mdash;of not being in possession of a fair title to heaven. O,
+remember, Christian reader, that the least desire to be excused shows a
+deplorable lack of the spirit of Christ.</p>
+
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+
+<h3>CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP.</h3>
+
+
+<p>On account of heavy domestic afflictions, and the failure of my own
+health, I was induced, a few years since, to visit the United States.
+Full well I remember my feelings when returning to my native land. I had
+been laboring among a heathen people, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> impressions by the eye are
+deep and affecting. I had seen degradation and vileness, destitution and
+woe. I had a vivid impression of the urgent claim of the destitute and
+the dying; and I had formed some conception of the greatness of the
+work, if we would put forth the instrumentality needed to elevate and
+save them. And during a long voyage, I had time, not only to think of
+the Sandwich Islanders, but to cast my thoughts abroad over the wide
+world. The millions and hundreds of millions of our race often came up
+fresh before me, sunk in untold vileness, covered with abominations, and
+dropping one after another, as fast as the beating of my pulse&mdash;twenty
+millions a year&mdash;into the world of woe. Painful as it was, I could not
+avoid the deep and certain conviction, that such was their end.</p>
+
+<p>Then I thought of the greatness of the task, if we would be the means,
+under God, of saving them from perdition: that we have idol gods without
+number to destroy&mdash;a veil of superstition forty centuries thick to
+rend&mdash;a horrible darkness to dispel&mdash;hearts of stone to break&mdash;a gulf of
+pollution to purify&mdash;nations, in God's strength, to reform and
+regenerate.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> With such thoughts the conviction forced itself upon me,
+that the work could not be done without an immense amount of means, and
+a host of laborers.</p>
+
+<p>Think, then, how chilling and soul-sickening the intelligence that met
+me as I landed on my native shores, (in the spring of 1838,) that
+Christians were disheartened by the pressure of the times, and were
+receding from ground already taken: that the bread of life must not
+issue from the press, though millions were famishing for lack of it;
+that thirty heralds of salvation then standing on our shores must not
+embark, though the woes and agonies of dying souls were coming peal
+after peal on every wave of the ocean; that they must be turned aside
+from the perilous yet fond enterprise to which the love of Christ had
+constrained them, and that future applicants must be thereby
+discouraged&mdash;that missionaries abroad must be trammelled in their
+operations for want of means; and that multitudes of children and youth,
+the hope of the missions, gathered with much care, and partially
+instructed and trained with much expense of time, strength and money;
+the centre of solicitude, love, and interest; the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> adopted sons and
+daughters of the missionaries, must be sent back&mdash;in Ceylon three
+thousand in a day&mdash;to wallow again in pollution, bow down to gods of
+wood and stone, and wander, stumble and fall on the dark mountains of
+heathen superstition; a prey to the prowling monsters that lie thick and
+ready to devour in all the territory of Satan. Surely, thought I, (and
+had I not grounds for the thought?) Christians in America must be
+destitute of the common comforts of life: nothing but the direst
+necessity can induce them thus to surrender back to Satan the ground
+already taken and the trophies already gathered, and to put far off the
+hope of the latter day glory.</p>
+
+<p>I looked abroad and made inquiries. I found indeed a derangement of
+currency and a stagnation of business. But did I find, think you, that
+Christians were destitute of the ordinary comforts of life? that they
+were in a distressing emergency for food and clothing? that their
+retrenchments had been made <i>first</i> in personal expenditures, and last
+in efforts to save souls? Alas! it was evident that the principal cause
+of the retraced movement was not found in the reverse of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> times. It
+was found to lie deeper; and to consist in wrong views and wrong
+practice on the great subject of Christian stewardship. To this subject,
+then, my thoughts for a time were much directed, and I tried to look at
+it in view of a dying world, and a coming judgment. The subject, I
+perceived, lay at the foundation of all missionary effort; and my
+position and circumstances were perhaps advantageous for contemplating
+it in a just and proper light. Be entreated, therefore, Christian
+reader, to look at the subject in the spirit of candor and
+self-application.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>A little heathen child was inquired of by her teacher, if there was
+anything which she could call her own. She hesitated a moment, and
+looking up, very humbly replied, "I think there is." "What is it?" asked
+the teacher. "I think," said she, "that my sins are my own."</p>
+
+<p>Yes, we may claim our sins&mdash;they are our own; but everything else
+belongs to God. We are stewards; and a steward is one who is employed to
+manage the concerns of another&mdash;his household, money or estate. We are
+God's stewards. God has intrusted to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> each one of us a charge of greater
+or less importance. To some he has intrusted five talents, to others
+two, and to others one. The talents are physical strength, property,
+intellect, learning, influence&mdash;all the means in our possession for
+doing good and glorifying God. We can lay claim to nothing as strictly
+our own. Even the angel Gabriel cannot claim the smallest particle of
+dust as strictly his own. The rightful owner of all things, great and
+small, is God.</p>
+
+<p>To be faithful stewards, then, we must <i>fully occupy</i> for God all the
+talents in our possession. A surrender, however, of all to God&mdash;of time,
+strength, mind and property, does not imply a neglect of our own real
+wants. A proper care of ourselves and families enters into God's
+arrangement. This is not only allowed, it is required of us; and if done
+properly and with a right spirit, it is a service acceptable to God.
+This is understood then, when we say, that all our talents must be
+occupied for God. With this understanding, there must be no reserve.
+Reserve is robbery. No less than all the heart and all our powers can be
+required of us&mdash;no less can be required of angels.</p>
+
+<p>It is our reasonable service. We require the same of the agents we
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>
+employ. Suppose a steward, agent or clerk, in the management of your
+money, your estate or your goods, devotes only a part to your benefit
+and uses the rest for himself, how long would you retain him in your
+employment? Let us beware, then, that we rob not God. Let us be faithful
+in his business, and <i>fully occupy</i> for him the talents intrusted to us.
+God has an indisputable right to everything in our possession; to all
+our strength, all our influence, every moment of our time, and demands
+that everything be held loosely by us, in perfect obedience to him. For
+us or for angels to deny this right, would be downright rebellion. For
+God to require anything less, would be admitting a principle that would
+demolish his throne.</p>
+
+<p>No less engagedness certainly can be required of God's stewards, than
+<i>worldly men exhibit in the pursuit of wealth and honor</i>. Let us, then,
+look at their conduct and learn a lesson. They are intent upon their
+object. They rise early and sit up late. Constant toil and vigorous
+exertion fill up the day, and on their beds at night they meditate plans
+for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> morrow. Their hearts are set on their object, and entirely
+engrossed in it. They show a determination to attain it, if it be within
+the compass of human means. Enter a Merchants' Exchange, and see with
+what fixed application they study the best plans of conducting their
+business. They keep their eyes and ears open, and their thoughts active.
+Such, too, must be the wakefulness of an agent, or they will not employ
+him. Notice also the physician who aspires to eminence. He tries the
+utmost of his skill. Look in, too, upon the ambitious attorney. He
+applies his mind closely to his cause that he may manage it in the best
+possible way.</p>
+
+<p>Now, I ask, shall not the same intense and active state of mind be
+required of us, as God's agents or stewards? Can we be faithful
+stewards, and not contrive, study, and devise the best ways of using the
+talents that God has intrusted to us, so that they may turn to the
+greatest account in his service? Is not the glory of God and the eternal
+salvation of our ruined race, an object <i>worthy</i> of as much engagedness,
+as much engrossment of soul and determination of purpose, as a little
+property which must soon be wrapped in flames, or the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> flickering breath
+of empty fame? Be assured, we cannot satisfy our Maker by offering a
+sluggish service, or by putting forth a little effort, and pretending
+that it is the extent of our ability. We have shown what we are capable
+of doing, by our engagedness in seeking wealth and honor. God has seen,
+angels have seen, and we ourselves know, that our ability is not small,
+when brought fully into exercise. It is now too late to indulge the
+thought of deceiving either our Maker or our fellow men on this point.
+We can lay claim to the character of faithful stewards, only as we
+<i>embark all our powers</i> in serving God, as worldly men do in seeking
+riches, or a name.</p>
+
+<p>Then, too, to be faithful, we must be as <i>enterprising</i> in the work that
+God has given us to do, as worldly men are in their affairs. By
+enterprising, I mean, bold, adventurous, resolute to undertake. Worldly
+men exhibit enterprise in their readiness to engage in large
+projects&mdash;in digging canals, in laying railroads, and in sending their
+ships around the globe. No port seems too distant, no depth too deep, no
+height too high, no difficulty too great, and no obstacle too
+formidable. They scarcely shrink from any business on account<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> of its
+magnitude, its arduousness, or its hazard. A man is no longer famous for
+circumnavigating the globe. To sail round the world is a common trading
+voyage, and ships now visit almost every port of the whole earth. A
+business is no longer called great, where merely thousands of dollars
+are adventured; but in great undertakings, money is counted by millions.
+Such is the spirit of enterprise in worldly matters.</p>
+
+<p>Now, I ask, are we not capable of as much enterprise in using the means
+ordained by Christ for rescuing souls from eternal burnings, and raising
+them to a seat at his right hand? Had the same enterprise been required
+of men in some former century, they might have plead incapacity. But it
+is too late now to plead incapacity. Unless we choose to keep back from
+God a very important talent, we must put forth this enterprise to its
+full extent in the great work of the world's conversion.</p>
+
+<p>Such enterprise is needed. If the latter day glory is to take place
+through human instrumentality, can it be expected without some mighty
+movement on the part of the church? Can a work of such inconceivable
+magnitude<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> be effected, till every redeemed sinner shall lay himself out
+in the enterprise, as worldly men do in their projects? If the promises
+of God are to be fulfilled through the efforts of men, what hope can
+there be of the glorious day, till men are resolute to undertake great
+things&mdash;not for themselves merely, but for God, their Maker and
+Redeemer.</p>
+
+<p>Is it not a fact that will strike us dumb in the judgment, that it is
+the love of money, and not zeal for God, that digs canals, lays
+railroads, runs steamboats and packets, and, in short, is the main
+spring of every great undertaking? The love of money has explored the
+land and the seas, traced rivers in all their windings, found an
+entrance to almost every port, Christian or heathen, studied the
+character of almost every people, ascertained the products of every
+clime and the treasures of the deep, stationed agents in all the
+principal places, and in not a few ports, a hemisphere distant, erected
+shops, factories, and even sumptuous palaces.</p>
+
+<p>Men exhibit no such enterprise in serving God. How many ships sail the
+ocean to carry the Gospel of Christ? And in ports where one magnificent
+Exchange after an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span>other is reared, stretching out its capacious arms,
+and towering towards heaven, how difficult it is to sustain a few humble
+boarding-houses for wandering seamen. Worldly enterprise is bold and
+active, and presses onward with railroad speed. Shall, then, Christian
+enterprise be dull and sluggish, deal in cents and mills, and move along
+at a very slow pace? The thought is too humiliating to be endured.</p>
+
+<p>Suppose angels to be placed in our stead, would they, think you, be
+outdone by the seekers of wealth in deeds of enterprise? No: their cars
+would be the first in motion, and their ships the first on the wing.
+They would be the first to announce new islands, and the first to
+project improvements, and <i>for what?</i> that the Gospel might have free
+course and be glorified. Enterprise and action would then be exhibited,
+worthy of our gaze and admiration. "O! if the ransom of those who fell
+from heaven like stars to eternal night, could only be paid, and the
+inquiry of the Lord were heard among the unfallen, 'Whom shall we send,
+and who will go for us?' hold they back? No: they fly like lightning to
+every province of hell; the echo of salvation<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> rolls in the outskirts as
+in the centre; a light shines in the darkest dungeon; the heaviest
+chains are knocked off, and they rest not till all is done that angels
+can do, to restore them to their former vacated seats in the realms of
+the blest."</p>
+
+<p>But if angels would act thus, we too, as the stewards of God, ought to
+be the first in enterprise. God's work is infinitely more important than
+wealth or honor. And how shall we, in the judgment, be found faithful,
+if the seekers of wealth or the aspirants for renown are suffered to
+outstrip us on every side.</p>
+
+<p>It is not faithfulness for any one to consume <i>on himself or his
+children</i> more of God's property than he really needs. Suppose you hold
+in your hand an amount of property. It is not yours you remember, for
+you are merely a steward. God requires that it be used to produce the
+greatest possible good. The greatest possible good, is the promotion of
+holiness in yourself and in others. Luxury, pride and vanity can lay no
+claim. Speculative knowledge, taste, and refinement must receive a due
+share of attention, but be kept in their place. Our real wants, of
+course, must be supplied. But what are our real<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> wants&mdash;our <i>wants</i>, not
+our <i>desires</i>&mdash;our <i>real</i> wants, not those that are artificial and
+imaginary?</p>
+
+<p>We really need for ourselves and families what is necessary to preserve
+life and health; we need a mental cultivation answerable to our
+profession or employment; need the means of maintaining a neat, sober
+and just taste; and we need too, proper advantages of spiritual
+improvement. Things of mere habit, fashion, and fancy may be dispensed
+with. Luxuries may be denied. Many things, which are called
+conveniences, we do not really need. If provision is to be made for all
+things that are convenient and pleasant, what room will remain for
+self-denial? Things deemed comfortable and convenient may be multiplied
+without limit&mdash;consume all of God's wealth, and leave the world in
+ruins. If the world were <i>not</i> in ruins, then it might be proper to seek
+not only the comforts, but even the elegancies of life.</p>
+
+<p>Take a simple illustration: In the midst of the wide ocean I fall in
+with a crew floating on the few shattered planks of a hopeless wreck. I
+have a supply of water and a cask of bread, but the poor wrecked
+mariners are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> entirely destitute. Shall I keep my provisions for my own
+comfort, and leave these sufferers to pine away with hunger and thirst?
+But suppose I have not only bread and water, but many luxuries, while
+the men on the wreck are perishing for the want of a morsel of bread and
+a drop of water? And then, suppose I have casks of bread and other
+provisions to dispose of, and intend with the proceeds to furnish myself
+with certain of the conveniences and elegancies of life; and my mind is
+so fixed upon obtaining them, that I refuse to relieve the poor tenants
+of the wreck, and leave them to the lingering death of hunger and
+thirst. O, who of you would not shudder at the hardness of my heart and
+the blackness of my crime!</p>
+
+<p>But the world dead in sin is surely a wreck. Millions upon millions are
+famishing for the bread and water of life. Their cry&mdash;their dying cry
+has come to our ears. Shall we then take that which might relieve them,
+and expend it in procuring conveniences, elegancies, and luxuries for
+ourselves? Can we do it, and be guiltless of blood?</p>
+
+<p>But, perhaps here, some one may have the coolness to thrust in the
+common objection,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> that a man's style of living must correspond with his
+station in society. It is wonderful to what an extent this principle is
+applied. A man, it is said, cannot be a governor of a state, a mayor of
+a city, a member of Congress, or hold any high office, unless his house,
+his equipage, his dress and his table, exhibit some appearance of
+elegance and wealth; and if a man live in a large and opulent city, he
+must be somewhat expensive in his style of living, that he may exert an
+influence in the higher walks of society. Then, country towns, and small
+villages, take pattern of the large cities, and the plea goes down
+through every rank and every grade. Scarcely a Christian can be found,
+who is not familiar with the doctrine. It is a very convenient doctrine.
+In a <i>qualified</i> sense it may be true, but in its unlimited
+interpretation it may be made to justify almost every article of luxury
+and extravagance.</p>
+
+<p>It seems to be conformity to the world, and the world has always been
+<i>wrong</i>. The principles of the Gospel have always been at variance with
+the maxims and customs of the world. <i>Conformity is always suspicious.</i></p>
+
+<p>Again, the doctrine cannot be applied to all places. Suppose a
+missionary conform to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> society around him. Instead of raising up the
+heathen from their degradation, he would become a heathen himself. The
+descent to heathenism is easy. The influence of comparing ourselves with
+ourselves, and measuring ourselves by ourselves, is felt by those living
+among barbarians as well as at home, though the insidious influence
+leads in another direction. If there is a man on earth, who, more than
+any other, needs to cultivate neatness, taste and refinement, both in
+his mind and in his whole style of living, it is the man who is
+surrounded by a heathen population. Here, then, the rule contended for
+fails. Travel round the world, and how often will it fail?</p>
+
+<p>Let us turn away, then, from this fickle standard, and look to reason
+enlightened by the Word of God. Shall we not then find, that
+substantially the same style of living that is proper in one latitude
+and longitude, is proper in another; <i>substantially</i> the same, paying
+only so much regard to the eyes of the world, as to avoid unnecessary
+singularity and remark; and that this rule, founded on the principles of
+the Gospel, makes a proper provision for health, mental cultivation, and
+a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> neat, sober and just taste? Are not these the real wants of men
+allowed by the Gospel, whether they live in London or in Ethiopia?</p>
+
+<p>But the ground on which I choose to rest this inquiry more than any
+other, is the perishing condition of our dying race. Is fashion,
+splendor and parade, appropriate in a grave-yard, or in the chamber of
+the dead and dying? But the whole world is a grave-yard. Countless
+millions lie beneath our feet. Most of our earth, too, is at this moment
+a chamber of dying souls. Can we have <i>any relish</i> for luxuries, folly
+and needless expense, amidst the teeming millions commencing the agonies
+of eternal death?</p>
+
+<p>I erect a splendid mansion; extend about it a beautiful enclosure;
+furnish it with every elegance; make sumptuous entertainments, and live
+in luxury and ease. In the midst of it, the woes and miseries of my
+ruined race are brought vividly before me&mdash;their present wretchedness
+and eternal agonies. And it is whispered in my ear, that these woes
+might have been relieved by the expense I have so profusely lavished. O!
+how like Belshazzar must I feel, and almost imagine that the groans of
+lost souls are echoed in every chamber of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> my mansion, and their blood
+seen on every ornament!</p>
+
+<p>Let us have the love of Christ in our hearts, and then spread distinctly
+before us <i>the world as it is</i>&mdash;calculate the sum total of its present
+wretchedness and eternal woes. In such a world and as God's stewards,
+who can be at a loss in regard to the course of duty? When twenty
+millions of men every year are entering upon the untold horrors of the
+second death, and we are stewards to employ all means in our power for
+their salvation, O, away with that coldness that can suggest the
+necessity of <i>conforming</i> to the expensive customs of the world. May we,
+in heaven, find one of these souls saved through our instrumentality,
+and we can afford to forego all we shall lose by a want of conformity.
+There is a nobleness in taking an independent stand on the side of
+economy, and saving something to benefit dying souls. There is a
+heavenly dignity in such a course, infinitely superior to the slavish
+conformity so much contended for. It is an independence induced by the
+sublimest motives; a stand which even the world must respect, and which
+God will not fail to honor.</p>
+
+<p>But how shall those possessing <i>large capi<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span>tals</i> best employ them as
+stewards of God? I speak not of the hoarding of the miser; that would be
+a waste of breath. I speak not of property invested in stock that
+habitually violates the Sabbath. No remark is necessary in so plain a
+case. But I speak of large capitals, professedly kept to bring in an
+income for the service of the Redeemer. The subject is involved in many
+practical difficulties; and they who are business men have some
+advantages of judging in the case which I have not. I will therefore
+merely make one or two inquiries.</p>
+
+<p>Is not the practice in many cases an <i>unwise investment</i> of God's funds?
+Is there not a reasonable prospect that one dollar used now, in doing
+good, will turn to more account than twenty dollars ten years hence? A
+Bible given now may be the means of a soul's conversion; and this
+convert may be instrumental in converting other souls, and may
+consecrate all his powers and property to God; so that when years shall
+have passed away, the one dollar given to buy the Bible may have become
+hundreds of dollars, and, with God's blessing, saved many precious
+souls. One pious young man trained for the ministry <i>now</i>,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> may be
+instrumental, before ten years shall expire, in bringing into the Lord's
+kingdom many immortal souls, with all their wealth and influence; and so
+the small sum expended now, become ten years hence entirely inestimable.
+The same may be said of a minister sent now to the heathen, instead of
+ten years hence; and the same, too, may be said of every department of
+doing good. It would appear then, that, in all ordinary cases, to make
+an immediate use of funds in doing good is to lay them out to the
+greatest possible interest; that by such a course we can be the means of
+peopling heaven faster than in any other way. We can hardly appreciate
+how much we save by saving <i>time</i>, and how much we lose by losing it.
+Worldly men, in their railroad and steam-packet spirit of the present
+day, seem to have caught some just sense of the importance of time, and
+we, in our enterprises to do good, must not be unmindful of it.</p>
+
+<p>Again, is not the expenditure of property in the work of doing good, not
+only the most advantageous, but also the <i>safest</i> possible investment of
+God's funds? Whilst kept in capital, it is always exposed to greater or
+less risk. Fire may consume it. Floods may<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> sweep it away. Dishonest men
+may purloin it. A gale at sea may bury it. A reverse of times may ingulf
+it. But when used in doing good, it is sent up to the safe-keeping of
+the bank of God; it is commuted into the precious currency of heaven; it
+is exchanged for souls made happy, and harps and crowns of gold.</p>
+
+<p>Again, A. keeps a large property in capital, and therefore B. resolves
+to <i>accumulate</i> a large property, and then give the income. But whilst
+accumulating it, he not only leaves the world to perish, but also runs
+the risk of ruining his own soul&mdash;the awful hazard which always attends
+the project of becoming rich. And the result is, in ninety-nine cases
+out of a hundred, that the summons of death arrives before the promised
+beneficence is paid in.</p>
+
+<p>In view of such considerations, would it not be <i>wiser, safer, and very
+much better</i>, in most instances at least, that the greater part of large
+capitals should be made use of at once in the service of the Redeemer?</p>
+
+<p>It is said of Normand Smith, that "he dared not be rich;" and that "it
+became an established rule with him, to use for benevolent distribution
+<i>all the means</i> which he could take<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> from his business, and still
+prosecute it successfully;" and that he charged a brother on his dying
+bed, to do good with his substance while living, and not suffer it to
+accumulate to be disposed of, at the last extremity, by will. Sound
+advice. A few other such men there have been in the world, and they are
+the <span class="smcap">shining lights</span>. Their example is brilliant all over with true
+wisdom.</p>
+
+<p>It is not acting always as faithful stewards, merely to accumulate
+wealth to promote the cause of Christ; for there may be more need of our
+<i>personal service</i> in disseminating the Gospel, than of any pecuniary
+means we can contribute. Christians are not faithful stewards, merely
+when they labor for Christ, but when they do <i>that</i> by which they may
+most promote the cause of Christ. The dissemination of Gospel truth is
+the great end to be aimed at, either directly or indirectly. Now, it is
+evident that many must further this object by accumulating the pecuniary
+means; but the danger is, that too many, far too many prefer this
+course. Many conclude, with perfect safety and justness, that in
+practising law or medicine, or in selling goods, in tilling a farm, or
+in laboring in a shop, they are doing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> as much to further the object as
+in any other way; but some, it is believed, come to such a conclusion
+either from mistaken views or mistaken motives. The fact that so large a
+proportion of God's stewards resort to the notion of operating by proxy,
+and that so few choose to engage in the direct work, shows that there is
+danger existing. Not only the fathers, but a vast majority of the middle
+aged and the young, prefer to advance the cause of Christ by
+accumulating the pecuniary means. Now, why is there such a rushing after
+this department of the great work?</p>
+
+<p>The Saviour calls for a great army of preachers, to carry his Gospel
+everywhere, and to proclaim it to all nations, kindreds and people. In
+truth, you need not go beyond the limits of the United States to feel
+the force of this remark. Look at the destitutions in the more newly
+settled states and territories, and see if there is not need of men to
+preach the Gospel. But notwithstanding this need, only a small number,
+comparatively, offer themselves to the work. Almost all young men, even
+the professedly pious, slide easily into lucrative occupations; but to
+bring them into the direct work of making known Christ,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> they must be
+urged and persuaded by a score of arguments.</p>
+
+<p>It is needed, too, of lay members of the church, to do much in searching
+out the destitute and the dying, who exist in multitudes, even about
+their own dwellings; to give here a word of warning, and there a word of
+consolation; to add here a helping hand, and impart there the restoring
+effect of sympathy and kindness; in short, to employ some hours in the
+day in going everywhere, as the early disciples did, from house to house
+and street to street, and in communicating, in an appropriate way, the
+simple truths of Jesus. Laymen, too, are needed in great numbers in
+the foreign service. There are reasons numerous and urgent, which I
+cannot here name, why lay members in the church should go abroad.</p>
+
+<p>But notwithstanding this call for personal effort, it is too often that
+we meet with church members who are completely engrossed, from early
+dawn to the close of day, in accumulating wealth; and who deny
+themselves the luxury of spending either hour of the twenty-four, in
+conversing with souls, and leading them to Jesus. Such persons will give
+somewhat of their substance, when called upon;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> and press on, almost out
+of breath apparently, in the cares of the world, not thinking to say to
+this man or that, on the right hand and the left, that there is a heaven
+above and a hell beneath, and death is at the door. You would almost
+imagine, from the conduct of some, that they would like to commit to
+proxy even their own faith and repentance. Now this entire engrossment
+in worldly cares, even though professedly for Christ's sake, will never
+illumine the dark recesses of the earth&mdash;will never usher in the
+millenial day.</p>
+
+<p>It is not so much, after all, an accumulation of wealth that is needed,
+as the personal engagement of Christians in making known everywhere, at
+home and abroad, the precious news of Jesus. The disposition to go
+everywhere, regardless of wealth, and with Jesus on our lips, must be
+the spirit of the church, before we can expect much good either at home
+or abroad. The world will not be covered with the knowledge of the Lord
+as the waters cover the sea, till men to make known that word are
+scattered like rain on all the earth&mdash;not only in heathen lands, but in
+the streets and lanes of large cities, and throughout the Western
+desolations. "So<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> long as we remain together, like water in a lake, so
+long the moral world will be desolate. We must go everywhere, and if the
+expansive warmth of benevolence will not separate us, so that we arise
+and go on the wings of the wind, God, be assured, will break up the
+fountains of the great deep of society, and dashing the parts together,
+like ocean in his turmoil or Niagara in its fall, cover the heavens with
+showers, and set the bow of hope for the nations, and the desert shall
+rejoice and blossom as the rose. God is too good to suffer either Amazon
+or Superior to lie still, and become corrupt, and the heavens in
+consequence to be brass and the earth iron." God is too benevolent also,
+in the arrangements of the moral world, to allow his people to be
+inactive&mdash;to have here a continuing city, and be immersed in the cares
+of the world as though here were their treasure, while thousands about
+them are dying for lack of instruction, and the heathen abroad are going
+down to death in one unbroken phalanx. The church must take more
+exercise, and the proper kind, too, or she will become frail and sickly,
+too weak in prayer, and too ignorant in effort to usher in the millenial
+day.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It is a possible thing to seek wealth <i>honestly</i> for God; but he that is
+called to such a work, has more occasion to mourn than to rejoice: he
+has occasion to tremble, watch, and pray; for to be a faithful steward
+of God's property, requires perhaps more grace than to be a faithful
+steward of God's truth. We find many a faithful preacher of the Gospel
+where we find one Normand Smith, or Nathaniel R. Cobb, or one firm of
+Homes &amp; Homer. The grace needed is so great, and the temptations to err
+so many, that almost all prove defaulters, and therefore it is that the
+world lies in ruins: not because the church has not wealth enough, but
+because God's stewards claim to be owners.</p>
+
+<p>How small the sum appropriated by a million and a half of God's stewards
+to save a sinking world! The price of earthly ambition, convenience and
+pleasure, is counted by millions. Navies and armies have their millions;
+railroads and canals have their millions; colleges and schools have
+their millions; silks, carpets and mirrors, have their millions; parties
+of pleasure and licentiousness in high life and in low life have their
+millions; and what has the treasury of God and the Lamb, to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> redeem a
+world of souls from the pains of eternal damnation, and to fill them
+with joys unspeakable? The sum is so small in comparison that one's
+tongue refuses to utter it.</p>
+
+<p>There must be a different scale of giving; and the only way to effect it
+is, to induce a different style of personal consecration. Let a man give
+himself, or rather let him have a heart that cannot <i>refrain</i> from
+telling of Jesus to those who are near, or from going to those who are
+more remote, and the mere item of property you will find appended, as a
+matter of course, and on the plain principle that the greater always
+includes the less. We must learn to devote, according to our vows, time,
+talents, body, soul and spirit. Bodies and minds are wanted; the bones
+and sinews of men are required: these more substantial things are
+needed, as well as property, in arduous services at home and still more
+self-denying labor abroad; and no redeemed sinner can refuse either the
+one or the other, and continue to be regarded as a faithful steward of
+Jesus. <i>Money, though needed, is by no means all that is required of
+us.</i></p>
+
+<p>Though God has devolved upon us, as stewards, a responsible work, the
+weight of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> which is fearful, and sufficient to crush us unless aided
+from on high, yet the employment is one of <i>indescribable delight</i>. It
+is a pleasant work. Angels would rejoice to be so employed.</p>
+
+<p>Is there any professed Christian who does not relish the idea? To such
+an one I would say, Your condition is by no means enviable. You deny
+yourself all true happiness. If you do not delight in the thought of
+being God's steward; of holding not only property, but body, soul and
+spirit at God's control, then you know not what true luxury is. There is
+pleasure in doing good; there is a luxury in entire consecration to God.
+The pleasures of this earth are empty, vain and fleeting; but the
+pleasure of doing good is real, substantial and enduring. The pleasure
+of doing good is the joy of angels; it is the thrill of delight which
+pervades the soul of Jesus; it is the happiness of the eternal God. In
+not wishing to be God's steward, you deny yourself this luxury; you
+refuse angels' food and feed on husks. O, there is a richness of holy
+joy in yielding up all to God, and holding ourselves as waiting servants
+to do his will. This fullness of bliss you foolishly spurn from you,
+and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> turn away to the "beggarly elements of the world." Do you feel that
+the principles of stewardship contained in the Bible are too
+strict&mdash;that too entire a devotement is required of you? Angels do not
+think so. Redeemed saints do not think so. The more entire the
+consecration, the more perfect the bliss. In heaven devotement is
+perfect, and joy of course unalloyed. Blot out this spirit of
+consecration, you blot out all true happiness on earth; you annihilate
+heaven.</p>
+
+<p>But it is not only a luxury, but <i>an honor</i> to be the stewards of God.
+What honor greater than that of continuing the work which Jesus
+commenced; of being employed in the immense business of saving a ruined
+race? What work more glorious than that of being the instruments of
+peopling heaven? What employment more noble than to rescue immortal
+souls from endless agonies, and to raise them to eternal joys; to take
+their feet from the sides of the burning lake, and to plant them on the
+firm pavement of heaven; to rescue victims from eternal burnings, and to
+place them as gems in the diadem of God? Would not Gabriel feel himself
+honored with a work so noble and glorious? Were a presidency or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> a
+kingdom offered you, spurn it and be wise; but contemn not the glory of
+being God's stewards.</p>
+
+<p>Remember, too, whether these are your views or not, the work of God will
+go on. The world will be converted. The glorious event is promised.
+Almighty power and infinite wisdom are engaged to accomplish it: all the
+resources of heaven are pledged. The God of heaven, he will prosper his
+true servants, and they shall arise and build; but those who do not
+relish the idea of being God's stewards, can have no portion, nor right,
+nor memorial in Jerusalem. The wheels of God's providence are rolling
+onward: those wheels are high and dreadful. Will you, being a professed
+Christian, dare to oppose the march of God? "Ah! we do not <i>oppose</i>,"
+say you. But I reply, There can be no neutrality; you must either help
+onward his car of victory, or you do really stand in the way&mdash;will be
+crushed by his power, and ground into the earth by the weight of his
+chariot. Take then, I entreat you, this warning, which is given you in
+earnestness, but in the spirit of love.</p>
+
+<p>Joy, glory and immortality, to all who will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> cordially assent to be
+co-workers with Jesus. They shall ride with him in his chariot from
+conquering to conquer, and shall sit with him on his throne in the day
+of triumph.</p>
+
+<p>Be entreated, then, professed Christian, first to give your own soul to
+the Lord, and with your soul all you have, all you are, and all you hope
+to be. Make an entire consecration. You will never regret having done
+so, in time or in eternity.</p>
+
+<p>May God give us all grace to imbibe wholly the true principles of
+stewardship. Not the principles popular in the world, but the principles
+of the Bible; those principles which hold out the only hope of the
+latter day glory&mdash;of means commensurate with so great an end.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+
+<h3>GUILT OF NEGLECTING THE HEATHEN.</h3>
+
+
+<p>During all the years that I have been allowed to labor for the heathen,
+my mind has been led to contemplate, constantly and intensely, the
+obligations of Christian nations<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> towards those who sit in darkness;
+obligations arising from the command of Christ, and the principles of
+the Gospel. And I shall, therefore, in this chapter, freely, fully, and
+solemnly express the sentiments which have been maturing in my mind, on
+the <i>great guilt</i> which Christians incur in <i>neglecting the heathen</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The heathen world, as a mass, has been left to perish. And by whom? Not
+by the Father of mercies; he gave his Son to redeem it: not by the
+Saviour of sinners; look at Calvary: not by the Holy Spirit; his
+influences have been ever ready: not by angels; their wings have never
+tired when sent on errands of mercy. All that Heaven could do has been
+done, consistently with the all-wise arrangement of committing an
+important agency to the church. The church has been slothful and
+negligent. Each generation of Christians has in turn received the vast
+responsibility, neglected it in a great measure, and transmitted it to
+the next. The <i>guilt</i> of this neglect who can estimate?</p>
+
+<p>That such neglect is highly criminal, the Bible everywhere testifies. It
+says, "If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> death, and
+those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it
+not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that
+keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it?" And shall not he "render to
+every man according to his works?" This solemn interrogation needs no
+comment. The obvious import is, <i>If our fellow men are perishing, and we
+neglect to do what we can to save them, we are guilty of their blood</i>.
+But this testimony does not stand alone. What does God say to the
+prophet, who should see the peril of the wicked, and neglect to save him
+by giving him warning? "His blood will I require at thy hand." What does
+God say of the watchman of a city who should see the sword come, and
+blow not the trumpet? "If the sword come and take any person from among
+them, his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."</p>
+
+<p>But this is not only the sentiment of the Bible, but the voice of common
+sense.</p>
+
+<p>A neighbor of mine is drowning in the river. With a little exertion I
+can save his life, but neglect to do it. Shall I escape the goadings of
+conscience and the charge of blood-guiltiness?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A house is in flames. The perishing occupants, looking from a window,
+implore of me to reach them a ladder. I have some little affairs of my
+own to attend to, and turn a deaf ear to their cry. The flames gather
+around them: they throw themselves from the window, and are dashed in
+pieces on the pavement. Who will not charge me with the loss of those
+lives?</p>
+
+<p>To-day, a raging malady is spreading through the streets of a large
+city. The people are dying by hundreds. I know the cause; the fountains
+of the city are poisoned. From indolence, or some other cause, I neglect
+to give the information, and merely attend to my own safety. Who would
+not load me with the deepest guilt, and stamp me as the basest of
+murderers?</p>
+
+<p>Both Scripture and common sense, then, concur in establishing the
+sentiment, that if our fellow men are perishing, and we neglect to do
+what we can to save them, we are guilty of their blood. But if this
+doctrine be true, its application to Christians, in the relation which
+they sustain to the heathen world, is irresistibly conclusive and
+awfully momentous. The soul shudders, and shrinks back from the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> fearful
+thought: If six hundred millions of our race are sinking to perdition,
+and we neglect to do what we can to save them, we shall be found
+accountable for their eternal agonies.</p>
+
+<p>If such a charge is standing against us, we shall soon meet it. The day
+of judgment will soon burst upon us. Let us look, then, at the subject
+candidly, prayerfully, and with a desire to do our duty.</p>
+
+<p>The conditions on which the charge impends are simply two: that the
+heathen world are sinking to perdition, and that we are neglecting to do
+what we can to save them. If these two points are substantiated, the
+overwhelming conclusion is inevitable. It becomes us, then, to look well
+at these points&mdash;to examine them with faithfulness and with honesty.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Is it true, that <i>the heathen world are sinking to perdition</i>? As fast
+as the beating of my pulse, they are passing into the world of
+retribution, and the inquiry is, What is the doom they meet? Do they
+rise to unite with angels in the songs of heaven? or sink in ceaseless
+and untold misery?</p>
+
+<p>Certain it is, that they are not saved through<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> faith in Christ; for
+"how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" It is also
+clear that God, in his usual method, does not bestow the gift of
+repentance and eternal life where a Saviour is not known. "It pleases
+God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." Those
+who are saved, are said to be "begotten by the word of truth"&mdash;"born of
+the word of God." As the heathen nations, therefore, are not furnished
+with the appointed means of salvation, it follows inevitably that, as a
+mass at least, they are sinking to perdition. They are the "nations
+which have forgotten God," and "shall be turned into hell."</p>
+
+<p>It is unnecessary to enter into the inquiry, whether it is possible, in
+the nature of the case, for a heathen unacquainted with the Gospel to be
+saved. It is sufficient to know the <span class="smcap">fact</span>, that God has ordained the
+preaching of the Gospel as the means of saving the nations; and that
+there is probably no instance on record, which may not be called in
+question, of a heathen being converted without a knowledge of the true
+God and of his Son Jesus Christ.</p>
+
+<p>But the consideration, solemn and conclu<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>sive, which needs no other to
+corroborate it or render it overwhelming, is the <i>character</i> of the
+heathen. Look at their character, as portrayed by the Apostle Paul in
+the first chapter to the Romans. Read the whole chapter, but especially
+the conclusion, where he describes the heathen as "being filled with all
+unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
+full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
+back-biters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of
+evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant
+breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful." This
+description is not understood in Christian lands, neither can it be; but
+missionaries to the heathen, who are eye-witnesses of what is here
+described, place an emphasis on every epithet, and would clothe every
+word in capitals.</p>
+
+<p>The character of the heathen is no better now than in the days of Paul.
+It is <i>worse</i>. It is impossible that such a state of society should
+remain stationary. A mortal disease becomes more and more malignant,
+till a remedy is applied; a sinking weight hastens downwards with
+continually accumulating<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> force; and mind, thrown from its balance,
+wanders farther and farther from reason. It is thus with the disease of
+sin, the downward propensities of a depraved nature, and a soul revolted
+from God. Besides, Satan has not been inactive in heathen lands. He has
+been aware that efforts would be made to save them. And night and day,
+year after year, and age after age, he has sought, with ceaseless toil
+and consummate skill, to perfect the heathen in every species of
+iniquity, harden their hearts to every deed of cruelty, sink them to the
+lowest depths of pollution and degradation, and place them at the
+farthest remove from the possibility of salvation. It is impossible to
+describe the state of degradation and unblushing sin to which the
+nations, for ages sinking, have sunk, and to which Satan in his
+undisturbed exertions for centuries has succeeded in reducing them. It
+is impossible to give a representation of their unrestrained passions,
+the abominations connected with their idol worship, or the scenes of
+discord, cruelty and blood, which everywhere abound. I speak of those
+lands where the Gospel has not been extended. Truly darkness covers such
+lands, and gross darkness<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> the people. Deceit, oppression and cruelty
+fill every hut with woe; and impurity deluges the land like an
+overflowing stream. Neither can it be said, that the conduct of the
+heathen becomes sinless through ignorance. From observation for many
+years, I can assert that they have consciences&mdash;that they feel
+accountable for what they do.</p>
+
+<p>Will, then, God transplant the vine of Sodom, unchanged in its nature,
+to overrun his paradise above? Will he open the gates of his holy city,
+and expose the streets of its peaceful inhabitants to those whose heart
+is cruelty, whose visage is scarred with fightings, and whose hands are
+red with blood? "<span class="smcap">Know ye not, that the unrighteous shall not enter into
+the kingdom of heaven?</span>" Where, then, is the hope of the unconverted
+heathen? If there were <i>innocent</i> heathen, as some men are ready to
+imagine in the face of God's word, and in the face of a flood of facts,
+then indeed they might be saved without the Gospel. But this mass of
+pollution, under which the earth groans, must disgorge itself into the
+pit of woe. We cannot evade the conclusion, painful as it is, that the
+millions of this world of sin are sinking to perdition.</p>
+
+<p><i>The American churches have peculiar advantages</i> to carry abroad the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span>
+Gospel of Christ; and ability in such an enterprise is the measure of
+our duty. "If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to
+that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not." "To whom much
+is given of him will much be required." And to determine whether
+Christians in the United States are <i>doing what they can</i> to save the
+heathen from their awful doom, the second point of inquiry proposed, it
+is necessary to look at their unparalleled advantages.</p>
+
+<p>It may be said then, that Christians in America are not trammeled in
+their efforts to do good by any governmental restrictions, or
+ecclesiastical establishment. The remark is trite, but no less true,
+that the genius of our free constitution is eminently propitious to call
+forth energy and enterprise. And the remark applies with no more force
+to worldly matters, than to the business of doing good. The religion of
+Christ courts no extraneous influence, and is dependent for its power on
+no earthly aid. Under our free government, uncontrolled, unrestrained
+and unsupported, it is left to exert its own free and native energy.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> We
+can plead, therefore, no arbitrary hindrance of any kind in the work of
+propagating the Gospel. And we can carry the Gospel, too, disconnected
+from any prejudicial alliance with political interests. This is the
+free, disencumbered, and unshackled condition in which the Gospel is
+permitted to have free course in our beloved land; and it is a talent
+put into our hands to be improved.</p>
+
+<p>Again, no country possesses such advantages of education as the United
+States. In no land is knowledge so generally diffused throughout the
+different grades of society, and in no land do such facilities exist for
+acquiring a thorough education. Schools, colleges and seminaries, are
+open equally to the high and to the low, to the rich and to the poor;
+and only a good share of energy is required, to rise from any grade or
+condition of society, to eminence in general learning or professional
+study. The general intelligence of the community is such, that nothing
+but <i>disinclination</i> can prevent men from being acquainted with the
+wants of the world, and their duty to evangelize it; and the facilities
+for fitting themselves for the work are such, that nothing but criminal
+delinquency can hold back a very<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> large army from entering the field.
+This is an immense advantage committed to the American churches, for
+propagating the religion of Christ. It is another very precious talent
+committed to their trust, which if they fail to improve, they treasure
+up guilt.</p>
+
+<p>Again, the American churches possess a great advantage in the facilities
+so generally enjoyed for accumulating wealth. The road to comfort and to
+affluence is open to all; and notwithstanding all reverses, the remark,
+as a general one, is still true, that the prosperity of the United
+States&mdash;of the whole mass of the people&mdash;is altogether unexampled, and
+that enterprise is vigorous and successful. In the greatest strait, how
+much retrenchment has there been in the style of living? And as we look
+into the future we see, (God's providence favoring,) that wealth is
+destined to flow in upon the land like a broad and deep river. Look at
+the extent of territory, bounded only by two rolling oceans; and at the
+resources which from year to year are developed&mdash;varied, unnumbered, and
+inexhaustible. If then unto whom much is given, of them will much be
+required, what may not God justly demand of American Christians?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Another advantage which the American church possesses, is the Spirit
+which has been poured out upon her from on high. God has been pleased to
+bless her with precious revivals. The Holy Ghost has come down
+frequently and with power, and gathered in multitudes of souls. What God
+has wrought for the American Zion has been told in all lands, and every
+one applies the Saviour's injunction, "Freely ye have received&mdash;freely
+give." One great reason, perhaps, why the blessings of the Spirit are
+not now more richly enjoyed, is the neglect of Christians to make this
+return, and to labor gratefully for the destitute and the dying. It <i>was
+expected</i>, and justly too, that the land of apostolic revivals would be
+the first to imitate the apostles in the work of saving the heathen. A
+failure to do this may bring a blight upon the churches, if it has not
+brought it upon them already.</p>
+
+<p>Surely, if there is a nation on earth to whom are intrusted many
+talents, ours is that nation. Our ability is not small. We must come up
+to a high measure of Christian action, before it can be said with truth,
+that we are <i>doing what we can</i> to save our ruined race. The United
+States, a nation planted by God,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> enriched by his providence, nourished
+by his Holy Spirit, and brought to the strength of manhood in this
+solemnly momentous time of the nineteenth century, seems to have
+committed to her in a special manner the work of the world's conversion.
+Who knoweth but that she is brought to her pre&euml;minent advantages for
+such a time as this&mdash;for the interesting period preceding the latter day
+glory; and now if she prove herself unworthy of so lofty and responsible
+a trust, and neglect to put forth her strength to usher in the glorious
+day, deliverance will break out from some other quarter, but she, like a
+third Babylon, may sink in the bottomless abyss. An immense
+responsibility rests upon us. O that God would give us grace to act
+worthy of our trust&mdash;<i>to do what we can</i> for a dying world!</p>
+
+<p>Let us inquire, then, Do we <i>pray</i> for the heathen as much as we ought?
+Were one duly impressed with the condition of perishing millions,
+certainly no less could be expected of him, than to fall on his knees
+many times a day, and to lift up his cry of earnest entreaty on their
+behalf. Filled with the love of Christ, and having distinctly and
+constantly before his mind the image of millions of im<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>mortal souls
+dropping into perdition, surely he could not refrain from an agony of
+prayer. Under such a sense of the wants and woes of our perishing race,
+a sense true to facts, he would have no rest.</p>
+
+<p>But what prayer has actually been offered to the Lord for benighted
+nations? Is it not a fact, that many professed Christians do not
+remember the heathen once a day, and some not even once a month? Let the
+closet, the family altar, and the monthly concert testify.
+Prayer-meetings for the heathen&mdash;how thinly attended! what spectacles of
+grief to Jesus, and to angels! And if that prayer only is honest which
+is proved to be so by a readiness to labor, give, and go, there is
+reason to fear that few prayers for the heathen have been such that
+Christ could accept them, place them in his golden censer, and present
+them before the throne.</p>
+
+<p>Since such is the case, what wonder is it that a million and a half of
+Christians in the United States should be so inefficient? Inefficient, I
+say, for what do this million and a half of professed Christians
+accomplish? By their vows they are bound to be as self-denying, as
+spiritual and devoted, as though they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> were missionaries to foreign
+lands. If we should send abroad a million and a half of missionaries, we
+should expect that, under God, they would soon be the instruments of
+converting all nations. But what, in fact, does this vast number of
+professed Christians&mdash;or in other words, of the <i>professedly missionary
+band</i> of Jesus Christ, accomplish in the narrow limits of the United
+States? O, there is a deplorable lack in the churches, of the deep
+devotion and missionary character of our ascended Saviour.</p>
+
+<p>Again, Do we <i>give</i> as much as we ought to evangelize the heathen? It
+would perhaps be a liberal estimate to say, that a million and a half of
+professed Christians in the United States give, on an average, year by
+year, to save the heathen, about twenty-four cents each, or two cents a
+month. There are other objects, it is true, that call for contributions;
+but put all contributions together, and how small the amount?</p>
+
+<p>The Jews were required to give to religious objects at least one-fifth
+of their income. One-fifth of the income of a million and a half of
+Christians at seven per cent., supposing them to be worth on an average
+five hundred dol<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span>lars each, would be ten and a half millions of dollars.
+This is merely the income of capital of which we now speak. A fifth of
+the income from trade and industry would probably double the amount, and
+make it twenty-one millions. Is anything like this sum given by American
+Christians to support and propagate the religion of Jesus? What
+Christians have done, therefore, is by no means a measure of their
+ability.</p>
+
+<p>To see what men can do, it is necessary to look away from Christians, to
+those whose ruling principle is a thirst for pleasure, for honor, and
+for gain. How vast a sum is expended at theatres&mdash;on fashionable
+amusements and splendid decorations&mdash;not to mention the hundreds of
+millions sunk by intemperance, and swallowed up in the deep dark vortex
+of infamous dissipation! Men are lavish of money on objects on which
+their hearts are set. And if the hearts of Christians <i>were set</i> on
+saving the heathen, as much as wicked men are set on their pleasures,
+would they, think you, be content with the present measure of their
+contributions?</p>
+
+<p>Look, too, at what men can do who are eager in the pursuit of wealth.
+Under the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> influence of such an incentive, railroads, canals, and
+fortresses spring into being, and fleets bedeck the seas like the stars
+of the firmament. Money is not wanting when lucrative investment is the
+end in view. Even professed Christians can collect together heavy sums,
+when some great enterprise promises a profitable income. They profess,
+perhaps, to be accumulating money for Christ; but, alas, to what a
+painful extent does it fail of reaching the benevolent end proposed!
+Worldly men accomplish much, for their hearts are enlisted. Professed
+Christians, too, accomplish much in worldly projects, for their minds
+become engrossed. What then could they not accomplish for Christ, if
+their feelings were equally enlisted in his cause? They might have, in
+serving Christ, intellects as vigorous, muscles as strong, and this
+advantage in addition, a God on high who has vouchsafed to help them.</p>
+
+<p>Take another view of the case. The child that is now sitting by your
+side in perfect health, is suddenly taken sick. Its blooming cheeks turn
+pale, and it lifts its languid and imploring eyes for help. You call a
+physician, the most skillful one you can obtain.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> Do you think of
+expense? A protracted illness swells the bill of the physician and
+apothecary to a heavy amount. Do you dismiss the physician, or withhold
+any comfort for fear of expense?</p>
+
+<p>Your child recovers, and becomes a promising youth. He takes a voyage to
+a foreign country. The ship is driven from her course, and wrecked on
+some barbarous coast. Your son becomes a captive, and after long anxiety
+you hear that he is alive, and learn his suffering condition; and you
+are told that fifty dollars will procure his ransom. I will suppose you
+are poor, have not a dollar at command, and that the sum can be raised
+in no other way than by your own industry and toil. Now, I ask, how many
+months would expire before you would save the sum from your hard
+earnings, and liberate your son? But what is an Algerine dungeon? It is
+a heaven, compared with the condition of the heathen. In the one case,
+there are bodily sufferings; in the other, present wretchedness and
+eternal agonies.</p>
+
+<p>I once fell in company with a man of moderate circumstances, with whom I
+used the above argument. He promptly replied, "It is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> true. Three years
+ago I thought I could barely support my family by my utmost exertions.
+Two years since, my darling son became deranged, and the support of him
+at the asylum costs me four hundred dollars a year. I find that with
+strict economy and vigorous exertion I can meet the expense. But if any
+one had said to me three years ago, that I could raise four hundred
+dollars a year to save a lost world, I should have regarded the remark
+as the height of extravagance."</p>
+
+<p>Now, I ask, ought not men to feel as much in view of the eternal and
+unspeakable agony of a world of souls, as a parent feels for a suffering
+child? God felt <span class="smcap">more</span>. He loved his only Son with a most tender
+affection&mdash;inconceivably more tender than any earthly parent can
+exercise towards a beloved child. And yet, when the Father placed before
+him, on the one hand the eternal ruin of men, and on the other the
+sufferings and death of his beloved Son, which did he choose? Let
+Gethsemane and Calvary answer. Can Christians then have much of the
+spirit of God, and not feel for the eternal agonies of untold millions,
+more than for the temporal sufferings of a beloved child? But if
+Christians felt thus,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> what exertion would they make&mdash;how immense the
+sum they would cheerfully raise, this present year, to evangelize the
+heathen! Feeling thus, a few of the wealthy churches might sustain the
+present expenditures of all foreign operations. Yet all the American
+churches combined, <i>feeling as they do now</i>, fail to send forth a few
+waiting missionaries, and suffer the schools abroad to be disbanded. The
+truth is, in the scale of giving, the church as a body (I say nothing of
+individuals or of particular churches) has scarcely risen in its feeling
+above the freezing point. What they now contribute is a mere fraction
+compared with their ability.</p>
+
+<p>Millions are squandered by professed Christians on a pampered appetite,
+in obedience to fashion, a taste for expensive building, a love of
+parade, and on newly-invented comforts and conveniences, of which the
+hardy soldiers of Jesus Christ ought ever to be ignorant.</p>
+
+<p>Then, again, some who are economical in their expenditures, have little
+conception of what is meant by total consecration to God. There must be
+an entire reform in this matter. Every Christian must feel that his
+employment, whether it be agriculture, merchandise,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> medicine, law, or
+anything else, is of no value any farther than it is connected with the
+Redeemer's kingdom; that wealth is trash, and life a trifle, <i>except</i> as
+they may be used to advance the cause of Christ; and that so far as they
+may be used for this purpose, they are of immense value. Let every
+Christian feel this sentiment&mdash;let it be deeply engraven on his heart,
+and how long, think you, would pecuniary means be wanting in the work of
+the world's salvation?</p>
+
+<p>And do we <i>go and instruct</i> the heathen as we ought? This is indeed the
+main point. To pray, formally at least, is quite easy; to give, is a
+little more difficult; but to go, in the minds of most persons, is
+entirely out of the question. Satan understood human nature when he
+said, "All that a man hath will he give for his life." Speak of going,
+and you touch the man, his skin and his bones. To go, requires that a
+man have such feelings as to begin to act in earnest, as men do in other
+matters. Men act in person, when they are deeply in earnest. In the case
+supposed of a sick child, does the mother simply express a desire that
+the child may recover? does she merely give money, and hire a nurse to
+take<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> little or no care of it? No: in her <i>own person</i> she anticipates
+its every want, with the utmost attention and watchfulness. When a son
+is in bondage on a barbarous coast, does the father merely <i>pray</i> that
+his son may be redeemed? does he merely send <i>money</i> for his ransom? No:
+he chooses, if possible, <i>to go in person</i> and carry the sum, that no
+means may be left untried to accomplish the object he has so much at
+heart. Men who are deeply interested in an important matter, where there
+is much at stake, cannot be satisfied with sending; they choose to <i>go
+themselves.</i> This remark is true in all the enterprises and transactions
+of life the world over.</p>
+
+<p>If then, after all, the measure of going is the true measure of
+interest, to what extent, I inquire, have Christians of America gone to
+the heathen? Alas! the number is few, very few.</p>
+
+<p>Look at the proportion of <i>ministers</i> who go abroad. In the United
+States the number of preachers, of all denominations, is perhaps not far
+from one to a thousand souls. This is in a land already intelligent and
+Christian; in a land of universities, colleges, and schools; in a land
+of enterprise, of industry, and of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> free institutions, where the arts
+flourish, and where improvements are various and unnumbered; and more
+than all, in a land where more than a million and a half of the people
+are professed Christians, and ready to aid the ministers of Christ in
+various ways. On the other hand, even if missionaries from all
+Christendom be taken into the account, there is not more than one
+minister to a million of pagan souls, with almost no intelligent
+Christians to assist as teachers, elders, catechists, and tract
+distributers; no physicians, artists, and judicious legislators, to
+improve society and afford the means of civilized habits; no literature
+worthy of the name; no colleges, or even common schools of any value; no
+industry and enterprise, and every motive for it crushed by arbitrary
+and tyrannical institutions: the mind degraded and besotted,
+inconceivably so, and preoccupied also with the vilest superstition, the
+most inveterate prejudices, and the most arrogant bigotry. Who can
+measure the vast disproportion? What mind sufficient to balance extremes
+so inconceivably immense? On the one hand a minister to a thousand
+souls, with many helpers and a thousand auxiliary influences in his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span>
+favor; on the other, one minister to a million of souls, with no helpers
+and no auxiliary influences, finding out an untrodden track amidst
+unnumbered obstacles, and penetrating with his single lamp into the dark
+and boundless chaos of heathenism. This is the manner in which
+Christendom shows that she loves her neighbor as herself; and in view of
+it, judge ye, whether American Christians go as much as they ought to
+instruct and save the benighted nations.</p>
+
+<p>We said, that the number of missionaries to the heathen population is
+about one to a million of souls; but let not the conclusion be drawn,
+that every million of heathen souls has a missionary. By no means. The
+few hundred missionaries preach to a few hundred thousand souls. The
+millions and hundreds of millions of heathen, are as destitute of
+preaching as though a missionary had never sailed, as destitute of the
+Scriptures as though a Bible were never printed, and as far from
+salvation, I was about to say, as though Jesus Christ had never died.
+Men speak of operating upon the <i>world</i>. Such language is delusive. The
+present style of effort, or anything like it, can only operate on some
+small<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> portions of the earth. To influence materially the <i>wide world</i>,
+Christians must awake to a style of praying, giving, and <i>going</i> too, of
+which they have as yet scarcely dreamed. The work of going into all the
+world and preaching the Gospel to every creature, has scarcely been
+undertaken in earnest. And how vain it would be to expect to make any
+material impression on the world, as a whole, when so small a company
+from all the ministers in the United States go abroad, and a less number
+even of lay members from the vast body of a million and a half.</p>
+
+<p>The heathen are not lost because a Saviour is not provided for them.
+"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." The
+preaching of the cross is "the power of God and the wisdom of God" both
+to the Jew and the Greek. Facts show, that in every nation, however
+barbarous and degraded, the Gospel of Jesus has power to convert,
+purify, elevate and save. These facts are irresistible.</p>
+
+<p>Neither are the heathen lost, because the ocean separating them is
+rarely passed. For the sake of gain, men can visit the most distant and
+sultry climes. To solve a question of science or merely to gratify
+curiosity,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> they can circumnavigate the globe, or penetrate far into the
+icy regions of the poles. The improvements in navigation and the
+extension of commerce have united the two continents in one. The
+Atlantic ocean no longer separates you from Africa, nor the Pacific from
+China. The amount of intercourse between the seekers of wealth from
+Christian lands and almost every heathen country, is absolutely immense.</p>
+
+<p>Why then are the heathen left to perish? There is a lack of earnestness
+in the church in the work of the world's conversion. What does the
+present earnestness of the church amount to? They contribute on an
+average two cents a month each, and they find that the pittance of money
+will more than suffice for the small number of men: and then the cry is
+"More money than men." A few men are obtained and then the pittance of
+money fails, and "More men than money" is the cry. A year or two
+afterwards the supply of men is gone, and the cry again is reversed. As
+if, in repairing the wastes of the New-York fire, the citizens collect
+together a small quantity of brick, and then find they have more brick
+than workmen. So they employ<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> a few more men, and then find they have
+more men than brick. Was this the rate at which the ravages of the great
+fire were so soon repaired? Was this the measure of their engagedness in
+rebuilding the city?</p>
+
+<p>Some derangement takes place in the Erie Canal: a lock fails, an
+aqueduct gives way, or a bank caves in. Is business stopped on the canal
+till the next season, because the times are hard, and it is difficult to
+obtain money to make repairs? Some derangement takes place in a
+railroad: is travelling postponed till next year? But in the work of
+doing good, the reverse of times is regarded as a sufficient excuse to
+detain missionaries, disband schools, and take other retrograde steps.
+We coolly block our wheels, lie still, and postpone our efforts for the
+world's conversion till more favorable times. Men are earnest in worldly
+matters: in digging a canal, in laying a railroad, or in repairing a
+city; but in God's work&mdash;the work of saving the nations&mdash;their efforts
+are so weak that one is at loss to know which is most prominent, the
+folly, or the enormous guilt.</p>
+
+<p>Is it not a fact, that in our efforts for the heathen we come so far
+short of our ability,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> that God cannot consistently add his blessing.
+Can it be that the service rendered by the church as a body is
+acceptable to God? It is not according to that she hath&mdash;it forms an
+immense and inconceivable contrast to that measure of effort which lies
+fully within her power. Is it not, then, as though an imperfect
+sacrifice were offered to the Lord&mdash;a lamb full of blemish? If the
+church were weak, and it were really beyond her ability to do more than
+she does at present, then God would accomplish great victories by the
+feeble means. He can save by few as well as by many. He would make the
+"worm Jacob to thresh mountains." But since God has blessed the American
+church with numbers, and with great and peculiar advantages, he requires
+of her efforts that accord with her ability. The poor widow's mites
+accomplish much; but the wealthy man's mites, or the wealthy nation's
+thousands, when she is fully able to give millions; and her very few
+sons, when it would even benefit her to spare a host of her ablest men;
+what shall we say of such an offering? The reason why God blesses the
+efforts of the American church may be, that there are <i>some widows</i>, and
+some others too<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> who do what they can&mdash;who honestly come up to the
+measure of their ability. For the sake of these God may add his
+blessing, just as for the sake of ten righteous men he would have spared
+Sodom. But no very great and conspicuous blessing can be expected to
+attend the labors of missionaries, such as the conversion of China, or
+of Africa, till the church begins to <i>pray</i>, <i>give</i> and <i>go</i>, according
+to her <i>ability</i>; till she begins to come up to the extent of her powers
+in her efforts to save the heathen. Then, when she renders according to
+that she hath, her service will be accepted; it will be a sweet savor
+before God; his throne of love will come near the tabernacle of his
+saints, and the noise of his chariot soon be heard among the ranks of
+the enemy. The church then, with Christ at their head, shall go on
+rapidly from conquering to conquer, till all nations, tongues and
+people, shall bow the knee before him. As soon as the church shall put
+forth all her strength so as to render an acceptable service to God, it
+is of little consequence whether she be weak or strong, few or many, the
+blessing will descend; the mountains will break forth into singing, and
+the trees shall clap their hands<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> for joy; God will come, take up his
+abode with the saints, and verify all that is expressed by "the latter
+day glory."</p>
+
+<p>It is plain, then, not only that Christians come far short of doing what
+they can to save the heathen, but that if they would come up to the
+measure of their duty they might, under God, rescue the dying nations
+from their impending doom. If they would engage in earnest, pray with
+fervency and faith, and prove their zeal by giving and by going, then
+the providence of God would not leave a bolt or a bar in their way,
+except what might be necessary to test their perseverance. Let every
+ambassador of Christ, and <i>every Christian too</i>, possess the unreserved
+consecration of Paul, and manifest that burning zeal which carried him,
+as on the wings of an angel, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable
+riches of Christ; let every redeemed sinner, minister or layman, stand
+ready, not merely to contribute of his substance, but to traverse with
+cheerful step the burning plains of Africa or the icy mountains of
+Greenland: then the darkness that now envelopes the earth would soon be
+dispelled, the torch of Revelation be carried to the most distant lands,
+and its light<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> be made to penetrate the most gloomy abodes of men; the
+radiance of heavenly truth would be poured around the dying bed of every
+pagan, intelligence now in to us from every quarter, not only of
+individuals, but of nations converted to God, and the shout of triumph
+would soon be heard, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom
+of our Lord."</p>
+
+<p>It seems to be true, therefore, that the heathen are sinking to
+perdition; and true, also, that we might, under God, be the means of
+saving them. Shall we not then be found <i>accountable</i> for their eternal
+agonies? O Christian, pause and look at this thought! Look at it
+deliberately, for we shall be obliged to do so at the judgment day. No
+one can plead exemption from it, unless he does <i>what he can</i> to save
+the heathen. O my soul, how much blood, how much weeping, wailing and
+gnashing of teeth, will stand at thy account in the day of judgment!</p>
+
+<p>I appeal to each one of you, examine yourselves in the light of this
+truth. Call up your prayers, your contributions, and your personal
+efforts. Compare what you have done with what Jesus did for you. I
+entreat you, open your ears, and hearts too, to the groans of a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> dying
+world. Listen to the notes which, like the noise of seven thunders, peal
+after peal, are rolling in upon your shores.</p>
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr><td align='left'>"Hark! what mean those lamentations,</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span style="margin-left: 1em;">Rolling sadly through the sky?</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>'Tis the cry of heathen nations,</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span style="margin-left: 1em;">'Come and help us, or we die!'</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>"Hear the heathen's sad complaining,</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span style="margin-left: 1em;">Christians! hear their dying cry;</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>And, the love of Christ constraining,</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span style="margin-left: 1em;">Haste to help them, ere they die!"</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr></table></div>
+<p>Yes, reader, haste to help them. Confer not with flesh and blood. Meet
+all vain excuses with a deaf ear and a determined spirit. Let pity move
+you, the love of Christ constrain you, and a sense of responsibility
+urge you, to take that precious Gospel on which your hopes rely, and to
+carry it, without delay, to the perishing nations.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SAVIOUR'S LAST COMMAND.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Let us suppose that all kindreds and people of the earth are assembled,
+and that the inhabitants of Africa, Asia, the Isles of the Pacific and
+the wilds of America, are called upon to speak, and to give in their
+testimony <i>how far the Saviour's last command has been obeyed</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The inquiry is first put to Africa:</p>
+
+<p>"Africa, to what extent and for what purpose have people from Christian
+lands visited thee, and thine adjacent islands? What have they carried
+to thy shores? And what is the treatment thou hast received from them?
+Tell the whole truth: let it be known to what extent the Saviour's last
+command has been obeyed in respect to thee."</p>
+
+<p>To this inquiry Africa replies:</p>
+
+<p>"The truth I can tell, but the <i>whole</i> truth cannot be told. I have
+indeed been visited by people from Christian lands. Thousands and
+hundreds of thousands from those lands<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> have visited my shores. Some
+have come to measure the pyramids, and to gather relics of ancient
+literature and decayed magnificence; some to search out the sources of
+the Nile and the course of the Niger; some to possess the best of the
+soil; and a vast multitude have come, with a cruelty that knows no
+mercy, to tear the husband from his wife and the wife from her husband,
+parents from their children and children from their parents, brother
+from sister and sister from brother&mdash;to crowd them together without
+distinction of age or sex in the suffocating holds of their ships, where
+a large proportion of them die, and to convey the remainder far away to
+spend their lives in degrading servitude. They have brought beads and
+trinkets; they have brought <i>instruments of death</i>, such as muskets,
+powder, knives and swords; and they have brought, too, full cargoes of
+<i>liquid poison</i>. The navies of Christian, lands have fought in my
+harbors, and their armies upon my shores. Their money by millions has
+been lavished, and their blood has run in torrents.</p>
+
+<p>"A few individuals, however, of a different character, have found their
+way hither. They have come in the spirit of benevolence and of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> peace,
+and have brought in their hands the precious treasure of the Gospel of
+Christ. But their number is so small as to be almost lost among the
+multitude. For one who has taught righteousness, purity, truth and
+mercy, thousands have taught, by their example, rapacity, drunkenness,
+lewdness and cruelty. For one who has led us in the path of life,
+thousands have led us in the paths of destruction. For one who has
+brought the Bible, thousands have brought rum. For one whose example has
+been salutary, the intercourse of thousands has left a loathsome
+disease, which with sure and rapid progress is depopulating the land.
+Such is the sum of my testimony. Days and nights would be required to
+give the detail."</p>
+
+<p>This testimony of Africa being finished, the same inquiry is put to
+Asia:</p>
+
+<p>"Asia, to what extent have the nations of Christendom visited thee, and
+thy numerous islands? What have they carried to thy shores? and what has
+been their deportment towards thee?"</p>
+
+<p>To which Asia replies:</p>
+
+<p>"The vast number, either of men or of ships from Christian lands, that
+have visited<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> my shores, cannot be told. I know full well the
+enterprise, the energy, and the perseverance of Christian lands; yes,
+verily, and traits too of less honorable name. Large portions of my
+territory acknowledge the control of their armies. Their thundering
+navies lie in my harbors and sail along my coasts. Ships without
+number&mdash;mighty ships whose masts pierce the clouds, have come for my
+teas, my crapes, my silks, my spices and other precious merchandise.
+Their consuls, superintendents, officers of various kinds, and merchants
+in great numbers, dwell in almost every port, and have erected in those
+ports stores, shops, offices and sumptuous dwellings. Many things
+pleasant and useful have been brought hither, but many things also that
+are ruinous: full cargoes of ardent spirits; and immense quantities of
+opium too, a means of destruction no less sure.</p>
+
+<p>"Among the multitudes who have come to my shores, some few, indeed, have
+brought the Gospel of Christ, made known its truths and exemplified its
+spirit; but the thousands and tens of thousands have inculcated by their
+example, worldliness, drunkenness, lewdness, war, violence and
+treachery. If needful, a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> volume of details might be given; but this is
+the sum."</p>
+
+<p>Next, the inquiry is put to the Isles of the Ocean:</p>
+
+<p>"Great Pacific, to what extent has the last command of Christ been
+obeyed by Christian lands, in respect to thy numerous islands?"</p>
+
+<p>The reply is as follows:</p>
+
+<p>"Thousands of ships from Christian lands continually cruise upon my wide
+waters, and visit my numerous groups of islands. They have exchanged
+with my ignorant and destitute inhabitants, beads, trinkets, and a few
+inches of rusty iron hoop, for the best produce of the islands. They
+have sold to them guns, powder and rum. Many of their ships have been
+floating grog-shops&mdash;floating exhibitions too of Sodom and Gomorrah.
+From some, on slight provocation, broadsides of cannon have been fired
+on my heedless inhabitants, strewing the deep with the dead and the
+dying. Rum and disease have been introduced. The one has slain its
+thousands, and the other has slain, and is still slaying its tens of
+thousands. Many useful things indeed have been introduced, but in
+connection with a host of evils! A few individuals too, bear<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>ing the
+Gospel of Jesus Christ, have visited some of my numerous islands; but
+what are they among the multitude?"</p>
+
+<p>After this testimony of the Isles of the Ocean, the inquiry is last
+addressed to America:</p>
+
+<p>"America, what is thy testimony? From Bhering's Straits to Cape Horn,
+what treatment have thy native inhabitants received from Christian
+nations?"</p>
+
+<p>America replies:</p>
+
+<p>"Alas! scarcely enough remain of my miserable inhabitants to return an
+answer. They have been swept away by the same causes which are now
+sweeping away the inhabitants of the Pacific. The rapacity of those
+called Christians, which has not scrupled at any means of conquest and
+extirpation, and the rum and diseases introduced, have laid my numerous
+population in the grave. Have I been visited by those who bear the
+Christian name? Yes, verily, they now possess the best portions of my
+territory, and have grown into vast nations on my soil. Even my veriest
+wilds have been repeatedly traversed by them in search of furs; and the
+tracks they have made been too often marked with drunk<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>enness, lewdness,
+and treachery. Few, very few indeed of all that have come to this vast
+continent, have come to instruct my ignorant inhabitants in the precious
+Gospel of Jesus Christ, and lead them in the paths of righteousness and
+peace. Few who explore my wilds, explore them for this purpose. Alas! a
+far different object prompts their enterprise, their energy, and their
+perseverance. This is the sum of my testimony."</p>
+
+<p>Now, reader, let us look well at this testimony of Africa, of Asia, of
+the Isles of the Ocean, and of America. Is it not overwhelming? Take,
+the Encyclopedia of Geography, or McCulloch's Dictionary of Commerce, or
+Howitt's Colonization and Christianity, and carefully examine the facts.
+Are they not enough to strike us dumb? To what a vast extent heathen
+nations have been visited by those who bear the Christian name. What
+obscure island, or what obscure nook or corner of the earth has not been
+visited? What immense multitudes have gone forth. <span class="smcap">And, alas! for what
+purposes</span>. How few, how very few have gone forth to make known the
+Gospel! What a powerful motive among men is the love of earthly gain,
+and how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> weak a motive is love to Christ and regard to his last command.
+The command reads, "<span class="smcap">Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to
+every creature</span>." Christian nations, ye have not failed in great
+multitudes to "<span class="smcap">go into all the world</span>;" scarcely have ye failed to visit
+"<span class="smcap">every creature</span>;" but for what purpose have ye gone forth? Has it been
+mainly to make known the precious name of Jesus? Be entreated to look at
+the case as it is, for a day of impartial retribution is at hand.</p>
+
+<p>Many of you indeed, who go forth to heathen shores, do not profess to be
+the disciples of Jesus; but imagine not, that on that account your guilt
+is diminished. Ye who reject the Saviour, and disobey his commands&mdash;who
+throw away your own souls as worthless, and are reckless of the souls of
+your fellow men, what can you say in the day of Christ's appearing? If
+ye had only destroyed your own souls, then your case would be more
+tolerable; but since you withhold from the millions of ignorant heathen
+the knowledge of salvation, which has been imparted to you&mdash;not only
+refusing to enter the kingdom of heaven yourselves, but deny<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span>ing the key
+to those who might be disposed to enter;&mdash;and not only do this, but in
+your intercourse with the heathen, which has been very abundant, confirm
+them in their evil practices by a pernicious example, and hurry them by
+thousands to the grave by means of <i>deadly poison</i> and <i>deadly
+disease</i>&mdash;Oh! how will you endure the keen remorse and fearful looking
+for of judgment, which may ere long overtake you? When the impartial
+Judge shall appear, and your eyes shall meet his eye, what agonies must
+rend your souls!</p>
+
+<p>But some of you have the vows of God upon you. To such I would say, Be
+entreated to look at the case as it is. As ye have gone forth on voyages
+of just and honorable traffic, and on voyages of discovery, have you
+manifested in all the heathen ports where you touched, that to make
+known the Saviour was the great and absorbing desire of your hearts?
+Alas! are there not some among you who, either as owners, masters or
+agents, are connected with ships that sail from port on the Sabbath, or
+do other unnecessary work on that day, and who thereby teach the
+heathen, wherever those ships go, to disobey God when their gain or
+convenience require it? Are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> there not also some among you, who, in one
+way or another, are connected with ships whose outfits are wholly or in
+part, beads, trinkets, guns, powder, rum and opium? and who thereby
+teach the heathen injustice, cheating, drunkenness, lewdness, and
+recklessness of life? Why is it that ye bear the name of the peaceful
+disciples of the benevolent Jesus, whilst ye are concerned in scattering
+among the heathen "fire-brands, arrows and death"&mdash;in teaching them
+every species of iniquity, and in rearing a wall of prejudice strong and
+high to the progress of the Gospel?</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>But most of my readers stand pure from all this crime; and of such I
+simply inquire, with deep concern and affectionate earnestness, Why,
+dear brethren, have ye not obeyed the Saviour's last command? Why have
+ye not made known the Gospel of Christ to every creature? Each one of
+you has doubtless some excuse at hand, or he could not escape the
+goadings of conscience. Let us then, in the spirit of candor and
+honesty, look at some <span class="smcap">excuses</span>.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps some one may be inclined to say, "The work enjoined by the
+Saviour's last<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> command is a very great work, and there has not been
+time enough to perform it."</p>
+
+<p>True, I reply, the work is great; but how does it appear that there has
+not been sufficient time to accomplish it? <i>Not sufficient time!</i> What
+has been accomplished in the pursuit of wealth and honor during the same
+period of time? What has been done at home in railroads, canals,
+steamboats, manufactures, and in other departments of enterprise and
+industry? What has been done abroad? Look at the testimony of Africa,
+Asia, the Isles of the Pacific, and the wilds of America. There has been
+time to carry rum to every shore. There has been time to introduce
+diseases among every barbarous people, which are hurrying them to the
+grave by thousands. There has been time to kidnap thousands and hundreds
+of thousands of the degraded Africans. There has been time to extirpate
+most of the native population of North and South America. There has been
+time to wage war, till the blood of human beings has flowed in torrents.
+And then, in regard to just and honorable traffic, compute, if human
+arithmetic be competent to the task, the amount of merchandise brought
+from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> India, and from other distant lands. There has been time for all
+this. Now I ask with great plainness, for it is a solemn and practical
+subject, Had you exhibited the same enterprise, energy and perseverance,
+in making known the Gospel to all nations, as has been exhibited in
+worldly pursuits, would not every human being, long ere this, have heard
+the word of life? Will you not, Christian reader, look at this question,
+weigh it well, and deal honestly with your own soul?</p>
+
+<p>Here, I am suspicious that some may be inclined to excuse themselves
+with a vague thought secretly entertained, which, if expressed, would be
+somewhat as follows:</p>
+
+<p>"True, we have not exhibited as much zeal in teaching all nations as has
+been exhibited by the worldly, and by many of ourselves even, in the
+pursuit of wealth. But we claim not the praise of a holy, self-denying
+and apostolic life. We are content with an <i>humble</i> walk in the
+Christian course, and a <i>low</i> seat in heaven. Entire consecration, in
+the sense urged, is what we never <i>professed</i>."</p>
+
+<p>Your standard, then, it appears is very low&mdash;too low, it may be, to
+admit you even to that humble seat in the courts above which you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span>
+anticipate. You claim not the praise of an apostolic life, and I
+seriously fear that you will not obtain even the testimony of being a
+true Christian. But how does it appear, that you never professed an
+entire consecration to Christ of all your powers of body and soul? It is
+true, the conduct of some would seem to say, that they put on a form of
+religion to silence their fears, to cheat themselves with a delusive
+hope, and to enjoy a comfortable state of mind on earth. But what,
+really, are the vows that rest upon you? What else than to seek by
+prayer and effort, as your supreme aim, chief desire, and all-engrossing
+object, the promotion of Christ's kingdom&mdash;the salvation of souls for
+whom he died?</p>
+
+<p>Besides, what is the great purpose for which the church was instituted?
+Certainly, not to promote in its members a delusive comfort and quietude
+of mind; neither mainly nor chiefly to secure their own ultimate
+salvation; but <i>to take advantage of union of strength to convert the
+world.</i> The church&mdash;the whole church, without the exception of any of
+its members, is by profession, not merely a missionary society, but a
+<i>missionary band:</i> the minute-men of the Lord Jesus, ready to do<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> his
+will, at home or abroad, with singleness of aim, and with a spirit of
+entire devotion.</p>
+
+<p>"But," you say, "were we thus to live, the world would verily believe we
+were deranged."</p>
+
+<p><i>Deranged!</i> it would be the right kind of derangement. Were not the
+apostles thought to be deranged? And the Reformers&mdash;Luther, Melancthon,
+Calvin, Knox and others&mdash;were not they thought to be enthusiasts and
+zealots? Why? Because they were somewhat in earnest in the cause of
+Christ. Worldly men toil and strive night and day, in collecting
+together a little of the pelf and dust of the earth, and think
+themselves wise in doing so; but if the disciples of Christ show zeal or
+earnestness, in pursuits as much higher than theirs as heaven is higher
+than the earth, and as much more important as the immortal soul is more
+valuable than corruption and vanity, they call them enthusiasts and
+fanatics! But, alas! how few of us who profess to be the disciples of
+Christ, have manifested such zeal in his service as to be called by such
+epithets. Such persons alone God calls wise; and those worldly men, who
+are mad in the pursuit of wealth, God calls "fools." The wisdom of God
+and the wis<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>dom of the world are utterly at variance. O that all who
+profess to love Christ, manifested such zeal in obeying him as to be
+strange and singular men! How soon would every human being hear his
+Gospel! But since such zeal is not manifested, the heathen are left to
+perish; and where, I ask affectionately and solemnly, where rests the
+guilt?</p>
+
+<p>But, here it may perhaps be replied, "Our sin is a sin of ignorance. We
+have not been acquainted with the full import of the Saviour's last
+command, nor with the extent of our obligations to Christ. Neither have
+we been acquainted with the wretched and guilty condition of the heathen
+world, nor with the exertions necessary to turn it from darkness to
+light, from the power of Satan unto God. God will wink at our sin, if we
+be indeed guilty, for we have not been enlightened on this subject."</p>
+
+<p>I answer. Does ignorance of the laws of any nation excuse those who
+transgress those laws; or is it not considered to be the duty of all
+subjects to inform themselves in respect to the laws of their country?
+And should it not be so in the kingdom of Christ? The requirements of
+Christ in their full extent are con<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span>tained in the New Testament, and are
+expressed in language that need not be misunderstood. If any one has
+mistaken their import, is it not on account of a self-seeking,
+money-getting, or slothful disposition? Let such a one search his own
+heart, and inquire with concern, "Did I desire to know my duty? Was not
+my blindness a matter of choice; no infirmity, no misfortune, but my
+guilt? If there had been a desire, nay, even a willingness to be
+instructed, could I have mistaken such plain and unequivocal precepts of
+the Gospel?"</p>
+
+<p>The condition too of the heathen, their guilty and wretched condition,
+is fully made known in the New Testament, especially in the first
+chapter of Paul's epistle to the Romans. Besides, accounts of their
+guilt and wretchedness have been presented before the Christian
+community in Heralds, Chronicles, reports and newspapers, till they have
+become too familiar to make an impression. Can ignorance at this day be
+any other than a criminal ignorance&mdash;an ignorance of fearful
+responsibility?</p>
+
+<p>And, I ask again, Can it be an excuse to many Christians that they are
+laymen and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> not preachers of the Gospel? Can they make it appear that
+many of their number were not called to the office of preaching the
+Gospel? Did they take the proper means to ascertain that point? How, I
+anxiously inquire, did such persons determine so readily, when a world
+was sinking to perdition for want of preachers of the Gospel, that they
+were called to be lawyers, physicians, statesmen, merchants, farmers and
+manufacturers? Can it be fairly shown that hundreds of laymen have not
+rejected an office to which they were <i>called</i>&mdash;
+<span class="smcap">solemnly called</span>, by the
+woes and dying groans of six hundred millions of their fellow men? Is
+there not reason to fear, that it was from a carnal choice and selfish
+inclination, rather than a sense of duty, that so great a majority slid
+so easily into their present occupations?</p>
+
+<p>Besides, how does it appear that only preachers of the Gospel are
+required to labor directly for the destitute at home, and to go forth to
+the heathen abroad? It was far otherwise in the days of the apostles.
+Then the whole church&mdash;driven out, indeed, by persecution&mdash;went
+everywhere making known the Saviour. And at the present hour, not only<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span>
+are ministers needed in propagating the Gospel in destitute places at
+home, and in raising up heathen nations from their deep degradation, but
+there are needed also, in their appropriate spheres, teachers,
+physicians, mechanics, farmers&mdash;in short, men of every useful profession
+and employment.</p>
+
+<p>Besides, much is to be done at home in sustaining those who go abroad.
+Has there been no lack in this part of the work? Alas! there are facts
+to meet such an inquiry, facts too well known to be named: disbanded
+schools, detained missionaries, and deserted monthly concerts: facts
+that stand registered on a book that shall hereafter be opened. Dear
+brethren, I speak earnestly and boldly of your obligations, not
+forgetting my own; and I would entreat you, by all that is affecting in
+the death of souls, and by all that is constraining in the love of
+Christ, to admit freely to your hearts, without subterfuge or excuse,
+the full import of the Saviour's last command, and to commence at once a
+life of sincere obedience. O! let us deal <i>honestly</i> with ourselves, in
+a matter of such immense moment.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+
+<h3>LAYMEN CALLED TO THE FIELD OF MISSIONS.</h3>
+
+
+<p>In Acts, 8:4, it is said, <i>Therefore they that were scattered abroad,
+went everywhere preaching the word</i>. And from the previous verses it
+seems that these persons, who were scattered abroad, were lay members of
+the church. The history is instructive.</p>
+
+<p>After the day of Pentecost, the number of converts to Christianity
+amounted to several thousands. They were Jews, and had strong feelings
+of attachment to the city of Jerusalem, to the temple, and to the land
+of their fathers. They therefore clung to Jerusalem, and seemed inclined
+to remain together as one large church. But it was the design of the
+Lord Jesus, that the Gospel should be preached <i>everywhere</i>: such was
+his last and most solemn command. As, therefore, the disciples seemed in
+a measure unmindful of this command, the Saviour permitted a persecution
+to rage, which scattered them abroad, and they went "everywhere
+preaching the word." The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> term <i>preaching</i>, in this place, means simply
+announcing or making known the news of salvation. This must be the
+meaning, for they that were scattered abroad were laymen. As they went,
+they told everywhere of Jesus Christ, and of the life and immortality
+which he had brought to light. This subject engrossed their thoughts;
+their hearts were full of it, and out of the abundance of their hearts
+their mouths spake. It is clear from this history, that in early times
+lay members of the church, in great numbers, were led, in the providence
+of God, to go forth and engage personally in the work of propagating the
+Gospel. And the more closely we look at the history, the more we shall
+be impressed with this fact.</p>
+
+<p>Notice the <i>time</i> chosen by God for the first remarkable outpouring of
+his Holy Spirit. It was on the day of Pentecost, when multitudes were
+present, not only from all parts of Palestine, but from the surrounding
+nations. There were present, "Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and
+the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus and
+Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Lybia about
+Cyrene,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and
+Arabians." Upon this multitude, assembled from all the nations round
+about, the Holy Ghost was poured out with such power, that three
+thousand souls were converted in one day; and on succeeding days many
+were added to the church. Many of these converts would naturally return
+to the different nations and places from which they came, and make known
+the Saviour far and wide. It was by the return of these converts to
+their places of residence, that the Gospel was early introduced into
+many places quite remote from Jerusalem, among which may be reckoned, in
+all probability, the distant city of Rome. The first propagation of the
+Gospel in that metropolis of the world, can be traced to no other source
+with so much probability, as to the strangers from Rome who were present
+at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. It seems evident, therefore, that
+in the time chosen by God for this remarkable outpouring of his Spirit,
+he had an eye to an extensive and rapid propagation of the Gospel by lay
+members of the church.</p>
+
+<p>Again, as hinted before, when the great body of the first converts chose
+to remain at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> Jerusalem, God saw best to <i>drive them thence by
+persecution</i>. This persecution began with the stoning of Stephen, and
+raged with such violence, that it is said that all the church at
+Jerusalem were scattered abroad, except the apostles. They were not only
+a few individuals who were driven out, but so many as to justify the
+expression, "all the church." By thus dispersing the great body of the
+church, the Saviour propagated rapidly and extensively his precious
+Gospel. For this multitude of lay members&mdash;and there were several
+thousands of them&mdash;went everywhere preaching the word; announcing in all
+places, in a way appropriate to their station, the news of salvation
+through a crucified Redeemer. They propagated the Gospel throughout
+Judea and Samaria; and some of them travelled as far as Ph[oe]nice and
+Cyprus, and laid the foundation of the church at Antioch. It was not
+till the apostles had heard of the success of these lay members at
+Antioch, that they sent thither Barnabas to help in the work. It
+appears, then, that the rapid and extensive propagation of the Gospel,
+in early times, was accomplished in a great measure by the spreading
+abroad of the great body of the church;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> by an actual going forth and
+personal engagement of a great multitude of lay members.</p>
+
+<p>Again, the treasurer of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia, seems to have been
+converted on his return home, not simply out of regard to his own
+personal salvation, but as a means of making known the Gospel in the
+distant place of his residence; for soon after, we find in that region a
+flourishing church of Christ.</p>
+
+<p>Again, look at the example of Aquila and Priscilla, who labored
+zealously at Corinth and at Ephesus. Look, too, at the whole list of
+Paul's fellow travellers, and those whom he salutes in his letters as
+helpers in the Gospel.</p>
+
+<p>From all these facts it is evident, that in early times God made use of
+common Christians in propagating the Gospel. Did he not so overrule
+events in his providence, as to show it to be his design that lay
+members of the church should go forth in great numbers, and engage
+personally, in ways appropriate and proper for them, in the work of
+making known Christ? We have then the force of primitive example&mdash;of
+primitive example, too, brought about by the manifest overrulings of
+God's providence. This example is not equi<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span>valent, indeed, to a "Thus
+saith the Lord;" yet does it not strongly favor the sentiment, that lay
+members of the church in great numbers are called to go forth and assist
+in evangelizing the heathen?</p>
+
+<p><i>To elevate all nations requires a great variety of laborers.</i> In
+illustrating this point, I cannot expect to present it with all the
+clearness and force which are due to it. To appreciate fully its truth
+and its weighty import, it is necessary to live in the midst of a
+heathen people, and actually to witness the great variety and amount of
+labor which must be put forth, in order to elevate and improve them. The
+work of raising up a people from barbarism to Christianity is not only
+an immense work, but emphatically a <i>various</i> work&mdash;a work which
+requires a great diversity both of means and of laborers. The minister
+of the Gospel must perform a prominent part, but he must not be expected
+to labor alone. His unaided efforts are altogether insufficient for the
+task.</p>
+
+<p>There is special need of other laborers, since the number of ministers
+among the heathen is likely to be so small; but the need would exist,
+even though the number of min<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span>isters were very much increased. Labors
+analogous, both in respect to measure and variety, to those bestowed
+upon a Christian congregation, must be expended on a congregation of
+heathen. In Christian countries, a thousand important labors are
+performed by intelligent and praying men and women in the church, as
+direct aid to the minister in his arduous work; and a thousand offices
+are performed by schoolmasters, physicians, lawyers, merchants, farmers,
+mechanics and artisans, which, though in most cases not aimed directly
+at the salvation of men, are, notwithstanding, most intimately connected
+with the world's improvement and renovation. But while ministers at home
+are assisted in their work, shall the missionary abroad receive little
+or no help in his direct labors? And in respect to all improvements in
+society indirectly connected with his main work, must the task of
+introducing them and of urging them on, devolve entirely on him alone?
+Why should not the various means of civilizing and improving society at
+home, be brought to exert their influence upon the heathen abroad? Why
+should not the aid enjoyed by the minister in Christian lands, from
+intelligent members of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> his church, be afforded to the missionary among
+the heathen? How, indeed, shall the world be converted, unless there be
+a going forth to heathen lands from among all classes of Christians?</p>
+
+<p>But I fear that these remarks are too general to be distinctly
+understood. To make my meaning, then, a little more clear, I will
+suppose a case.</p>
+
+<p>A missionary goes forth to a barbarous nation, and locates himself in a
+village of four thousand souls. He learns the language of the people,
+and soon succeeds in giving them a superficial knowledge of the great
+truths of the Gospel. God blesses his labors. The people throw away
+their idols; many sincerely embrace the Lord Jesus; and the community at
+large acknowledge Christianity as the religion of the land.</p>
+
+<p>Now, a superficial thinker might imagine that the work of elevating the
+people was almost done; but, in truth, it is but just commenced. The
+missionary looks upon his people, and wishes them not only to be
+Christians in name, but to exhibit also intelligence and good order,
+purity and loveliness, industry and enterprise; in a word, a deportment
+in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> all respects consistent with the religion of Jesus. But what is
+their state? The government is despotic, and the principles of its
+administration at variance with Scripture and reason. This takes away
+all motives to industry and thrift. Then again, the people are ignorant;
+have no mental discipline, no store of useful knowledge, but their minds
+are marked with torpor, imbecility, and poverty of thought: while at the
+same time they are full of grovelling ideas, false opinions, and
+superstitious notions, imbibed in childhood and confirmed by age. The
+children, too, are growing up in ignorance of all that is useful and
+praiseworthy. Entirely uninstructed and ungoverned by their parents;
+they range at large like the wild goats of the field. The people know
+not the simple business of making cloth, of working iron, or of framing
+wood; and have but a very imperfect knowledge of agriculture.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, men, women and children, are almost houseless and
+naked&mdash;destitute of everything but the rudest structures, the rudest
+fabrications, and the rudest tools and implements of husbandry. A large
+family herd together, of all ages and both sexes, in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> one little hut,
+sleep on one mat, and eat from one dish. From irregularity of habits and
+frequent exposure, they are often sick; and with the aid of a
+superstitious quackery, sink rapidly and in great numbers to the grave.</p>
+
+<p>The missionary looks upon his four thousand villagers, though nominally
+Christian perhaps, yet still in this state of destitution, degradation
+and ignorance. He sees, that to elevate them requires the labors not
+only of a preacher of the Gospel, but the labors of the civilian, the
+physician, the teacher, the agriculturist, the manufacturer, the
+mechanic and the artist. Can all these professions and employments be
+united in one man? Can one missionary sustain all this variety of labor?
+Yet all these departments of labor are absolutely indispensable to the
+improvement and elevation of society. They are necessary in a land
+already Christian. Still more indispensable are they in the work of
+raising up a people from barbarism.</p>
+
+<p><i>Teachers</i> are needed. To raise a people from barbarism, the simple but
+efficient means of common schools must be everywhere diffused; and
+higher schools too must be established, and vigorously conducted. To
+teach<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> the hundreds of millions of adult heathen in week-day schools and
+in Sabbath-schools, and more especially to instruct and train the
+hundreds of millions of heathen children and youth, cannot be done by a
+few hands. We forbear to make a numerical estimate: any one may estimate
+for himself. The number must be great, even though we look upon them
+rather as a commencing capital than as an adequate supply, and expect
+that by far the greater part of laborers are to be trained up from among
+the heathen themselves. It is preposterous to think of imposing all this
+labor on a few ministers of the Gospel.</p>
+
+<p><i>Physicians</i> are needed. They are needed to benefit the bodies of the
+heathen; for disease, the fruit of sin, is depopulating with amazing
+speed a large portion of the heathen world. The nations, many of them at
+least, are melting away. Let physicians go forth, and while they seek to
+stay the tide of desolation which is sweeping away the bodies of the
+heathen, let them improve the numerous and very favorable opportunities
+afforded them of benefiting their souls. The benevolent, sympathizing,
+and compassionate spirit of Christ, led him to relieve the temporal
+suffer<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span>ings of men, while his main aim was to secure their eternal
+salvation. Unless we show, by our exertions, a desire to mitigate the
+present woes and miseries of men, how shall we convince them that we
+truly seek their eternal welfare? Physicians must throw their skill in
+the healing art at the feet of the Saviour, and be ready to use it when
+and where he shall direct. The number who should go to the heathen
+cannot, and need not, be named.</p>
+
+<p>It is unnecessary to remark that <i>printers</i>, <i>book-binders</i>, and
+<i>book-distributers</i> are needed to carry on the work of the world's
+conversion.</p>
+
+<p><i>Civilians</i> too are needed: men skilled in laying the foundation of
+nations and guiding their political economy. Should such men go forth,
+and evince by a prayerful, godly, and disinterested deportment and
+course of procedure, that their sole aim was to promote the happiness of
+the people, both temporal and eternal; there are many barbarous
+countries where they would readily acquire much influence, and be able
+in a gradual manner, by friendly and prudent suggestions to the rulers,
+and in other ways, to effect changes that would be productive of
+incalculable good. Many changes, with pains-taking and care,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> could be
+made to appear to the rulers to be really for their interest, as well as
+for the interest of the people; and more light and knowledge, without
+the intervention of any new motive, would soon introduce them.</p>
+
+<p>A few years since, the king and chiefs of the Sandwich Islands sent a
+united appeal to the United States for such an instructor, to guide them
+in the government of their kingdom, and offered him a competent support.
+While the nation had improved in religion and morals, the government had
+remained much as it was&mdash;keeping the people in the condition of serfs.
+The system was wrong throughout: of the very worst kind, both for the
+interests of the rulers and of the subjects. The chiefs began to see
+this, and asked for an instructor. Such an instructor was not obtained;
+and one of the missionaries was constrained, by the urgent necessity, to
+leave the service of the mission board, and to become a political
+teacher to the king and chiefs. His efforts have been crowned with great
+success.</p>
+
+<p>Civilians might do good also, not only in the way of their profession,
+but by a Christian example, and by instructing the people, as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>
+opportunity should offer, in the knowledge of Christ.</p>
+
+<p><i>Commercial men</i> also, actuated by the same benevolent and disinterested
+spirit, might develope the resources of heathen lands, and apply them in
+a wise manner for the benefit of those lands; promote industry, and
+afford the means of civilized habits; increase knowledge, by expediting
+communication; and in this way, indirectly, though efficiently, aid the
+progress of the Gospel. By exhibiting also in their dealings an example
+of honesty, uprightness, and a conscientious regard to justice and
+truth; by showing practically the only proper use of wealth, the good of
+men and the glory of God; by conversing daily with individuals, as did
+Harlan Page and Normand Smith, at their houses and by the wayside, on
+the great subject of the soul's salvation; and by presenting in
+themselves and in their families examples of a prayerful and godly life,
+they might exert a powerful influence, and perform a very important part
+in Christianizing the world.</p>
+
+<p>There is also much need of farmers, mechanics, manufacturers and
+artisans. They should go forth like other laborers in the field,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> <i>not
+with the selfish design of enriching themselves</i>, but with the
+disinterested intention of benefiting the nations. Private gain must be
+kept strictly, carefully, and absolutely <i>subordinate</i>, or immense evil
+will be wrought and no good be done. They should be men who cheerfully
+throw themselves and their property on the altar of <i>entire
+consecration</i>, and go forth to labor and toil so long as the Saviour
+pleases to employ them, with the <i>lofty design</i> of doing good to the
+bodies and souls of their perishing fellow men. Going forth with such a
+spirit, and with emphasis I repeat, allowing <i>no other</i> to intrude, they
+could do much in raising up the nations from their deep degradation. In
+the first place, they could do much good by communicating a knowledge of
+their several employments. Not only is a reform in government necessary,
+but an introduction of the useful arts also, to raise up the people from
+their indolence and filthy habits, and to promote thrift, order,
+neatness and consistency. Look at a heathen family as above described.
+How can you expect from them refinement or elevation of soul? How can
+you expect from them the proprieties and consistencies of a Christian
+life? Even though<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> they may attend the sanctuary, and be instructed in
+schools; and even though the government be reformed, and hold out
+motives to industry; yet will not something else be wanting? Unless the
+various useful arts and occupations be introduced, how is the land to be
+filled with fruitful fields, pleasant dwellings, and neatly clad
+inhabitants? And to introduce these improvements, <i>men must go forth for
+the purpose</i>. Such men too might do good, by exhibiting in themselves
+and in their families habits of industry, domestic peace and strict
+economy; by holding up the hands of Christ's ministers, and by
+scattering the word of life in their appropriate spheres.</p>
+
+<p>That laymen of every useful occupation are needed in heathen lands, is
+by no means the opinion of one alone. In looking over the periodicals
+and papers of the last few years, I find that such is the sober and
+deliberate opinion of many foreign laborers. I find urgent appeals for
+such helpers from at least five important missionary fields. Would such
+appeals be made if the enterprise were not a feasible one?</p>
+
+<p>Look too at the fact, that <i>there is scarcely a nation on the globe
+where men do not go,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> and permanently reside for the purpose of making
+money</i>. It is absolutely amazing to what an extent this is the truth.
+Why then cannot men go forth, and while they obtain a livelihood, make
+it their ultimate and chief aim to do good?</p>
+
+<p>But the inquiry arises, In what way should laymen go forth? It may not
+be desirable that they should go forth, to any great extent, under the
+care of missionary boards at present existing, lest the objects of those
+boards should become too numerous and complicated. And it may not
+perhaps be desirable, or necessary, to have any other organization for
+the purpose. I am not wise enough to give an opinion; but would suggest,
+that men of some pecuniary means take those means, and emigrate to
+heathen lands, just as some good men have gone to the far West. May
+there not also be small combinations of men, not to help others, but
+<i>each other</i> into the field, just as there is in worldly enterprise?
+When once established in the field, it is supposed that their trades and
+occupations will afford them, with trials, hardships and reverses, an
+adequate subsistence, and open before them a wide door of usefulness.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Some have suggested, that ministers of the Gospel should go forth and
+sustain themselves abroad. That is a far different question. If
+ministers of the Gospel ought not to sustain themselves in Christian
+countries by laboring with their hands, still less should they attempt
+such a course in foreign fields. They have <i>other work</i> to do&mdash;enough to
+occupy all their time.</p>
+
+<p>But for laymen to go forth, and sustain themselves in this way, is it
+not both proper and appropriate? and have not such enterprises, to some
+extent, been already entered upon with success? Different fields, of
+course, present greater or less obstacles; but what undertaking is
+without its difficulties? Perplexities, embarrassments and sufferings,
+would be a matter of course; but no greater and perhaps far less than
+those Christians endured, who, being scattered abroad from their beloved
+Jerusalem, went everywhere preaching the word.</p>
+
+<p>It may perhaps be objected, that should many from all classes of
+Christians thus go forth, to live and labor abroad, they would soon
+possess the land, while the heathen would melt away before them. Let us
+look at this point. And first, where is the evi<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span>dence of such a result?
+When and where has the experiment been tried to justify such a
+supposition? When and where have individuals or companies gone forth
+with the sole design of benefiting the heathen, and yet proved their
+extermination? The settlers of New England are not an example in point,
+for the improvement and salvation of the heathen was not their main aim.
+It was indeed an idea in mind, but not fully and prominently carried
+out. It is <i>yet to be proved</i> that a company of persons, however
+numerous, of disinterested views, aiming solely to save the nations, and
+directing all their energies of body and of mind to that end, would
+prove the extermination of the heathen, instead of their salvation.</p>
+
+<p>Neither can it be presumed that the descendants of such persons,
+trained, as ought to be supposed, with faith and prayer, would possess a
+spirit so selfish and different from that of their fathers, as to prove
+the extermination of the heathen. And if such is the necessary event,
+what is the conclusion at which we must arrive? It seems certain, that a
+mere handful of missionaries cannot put forth the instrumentality which,
+according to God's usual providence, is necessary to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> save them: that a
+great number and variety of laborers are needed to do the work. Let us
+be slow, therefore, to trust in the objection; for if it must be
+admitted, the lawful inference will not necessarily be, that Christians
+of all classes and in great numbers should not go forth to the heathen;
+but the inquiry will arise, whether heathen nations as nations must not
+cease to exist, and remnants of them only be saved&mdash;a painful and dread
+alternative, from which every benevolent heart must instinctively
+recoil.</p>
+
+<p><i>There are other reasons why laymen should engage in the work of
+missions.</i> The work of the world's conversion is too great, too
+momentous and too pressing, to admit of exemption simply on the ground
+of profession or employment. When the liberties of a people are at
+stake, how few are excused from the field of battle? But now the
+question is not one of temporal liberty: it is whether six hundred
+millions of the human race shall be won to the company of the redeemed
+on high, or left to sink in the untold agonies of the world of woe. In
+this unparalleled emergency, when the question is, whether the destiny
+of a world shall be heaven or hell, who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> can be excused on so slight a
+ground as that of profession or employment? A few ministers cannot do
+the work. It is too great. It is presumptuous to expect, that a speedy
+and complete triumph is to be effected by a few missionaries of the
+right stamp going through the length and breadth of Satan's extensive
+and dark empire, and sounding as they go the trumpet of the Gospel
+around his strong fortifications and deep intrenchments. Such an
+expectation places an immeasurable disparity between the means and the
+end. It supposes it to be so easy to effect a transformation of heathen
+society, heathen habits, heathen minds, and heathen character, and to
+raise them up from a degradation many ages deep, that a few sounds only
+from the herald of salvation, as he passes on his way, are sufficient.
+"Leviathan is not thus tamed." The prince of the power of the air is not
+thus vanquished.</p>
+
+<p>Neither can the work be effected by a small number of preachers,
+stationed at different posts, in the midst of the wide domains of
+darkness and death. Like specks of light, few and far between, how can
+they illumine the broad canopy of darkness? To commit<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> the work of the
+world's conversion to a few missionaries is, in effect, to leave the
+heathen to perish. A large company of preachers must go forth, and a
+large company too of other laborers. There must be among the whole body
+of Christians, not only an interest in the work, but to a greater extent
+than is imagined, <i>a personal enlistment</i>&mdash;an actual going forth to
+foreign lands.</p>
+
+<p>Again, laymen must go abroad; for no less a movement than this will
+convince them that the work of saving the heathen presses upon them
+individually, and with all its weight and responsibility. Mere giving
+does not seem to answer the purpose. Very few laymen at home seem to
+imagine that they, individually, are as responsible for the life and
+death of the heathen, as the laborers abroad. Many seem to act only as
+they are acted upon. This <i>passive</i> state will not answer: there must be
+a more general feeling of personal responsibility. And how is such a
+feeling of equal and individual responsibility to be induced, till
+laymen in great numbers begin to go abroad? Till then, there will be a
+spirit of luxury in the church; a spirit of worldly-mindedness, and a
+spirit of commit<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span>ting the world's conversion to other hands. To destroy
+this spirit, which is evidently eating out the piety of the churches,
+laymen must be urged to arise; to break off their luxuries, to bury
+their covetousness&mdash;to make an entire devotement of body, soul and
+spirit, to the <i>direct</i> and arduous work of saving the heathen.</p>
+
+<p>Once, I remember, after urging laymen to go forth, and to assist in
+evangelizing the heathen, a father in the church said to me, "Your
+reasons are just and weighty, but it is of no use to present them before
+the churches: they have not <i>piety</i> enough to act upon them. If you can
+clearly show that men can accumulate wealth, that they can really make
+fortunes by going to heathen lands, then your appeals will succeed.
+Bring this selfish principle to operate, and colonies will quickly
+scatter over the world. But to go forth with a spirit of self-denial,
+running the risk of trials and straitened circumstances, and with merely
+the prospect at best of obtaining a comfortable livelihood and doing
+good, is a measure not adapted to the present standard of piety in the
+churches. Until the spirit of devotedness shall rise many degrees in the
+churches, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> course you urge will be looked upon as entirely
+visionary."</p>
+
+<p>Alas! can the church be so low in grace? If it be a fact, it is painful
+and humiliating. If it be true, then the church is lacking in the most
+essential qualification required of it&mdash;is unfitted for the main design
+of its organization; and is there not reason to fear that God may cast
+it away, as he has the Roman church, and raise up another after his own
+heart, that shall do all his pleasure? Christian reader, can you calmly
+entertain the thought of being set aside by the Lord as unworthy of his
+employment&mdash;of being rejected on the ground of not fulfilling the
+purpose for which you were called?</p>
+
+
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+
+<h3>CLAIM OF MISSIONS ON MINISTERS OF INFLUENCE.</h3>
+
+
+<p>In early days, ministers of the greatest influence were called to the
+work of missions. To prove this assertion, let us read the first verse
+of the 13th chapter of the Acts of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> Apostles. "Now there were in the
+church that was at Antioch, certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas,
+and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen,
+which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they
+ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me
+Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them." Paul had
+been at Antioch a whole year, and Barnabas a still longer time. Their
+labors there had been blessed. The word had been attended with the
+demonstration of the Spirit and with power, and many people had turned
+to the Lord, so that a large church had been gathered in that great and
+opulent city. Believers there became so conspicuous for their numbers,
+as to be designated by a particular name: "The disciples were called
+Christians first in Antioch."</p>
+
+<p>There were laboring in that city, besides Paul and Barnabas, three other
+ministers; "Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and
+Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch." The Holy Ghost
+saw that this city, though very important for its numbers, wealth and
+enterprise,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> could not claim the labors of five ministers, while the
+world at large was entirely destitute of the Gospel. Therefore, on a
+certain occasion, when the church were worshipping before the Lord and
+fasting, the Holy Ghost said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the
+work whereunto I have called them."</p>
+
+<p>The Holy Ghost did not say, "Separate me Simeon, and Lucius, and
+Manaen," but, "Separate me <span class="smcap">Barnabas</span> and
+<span class="smcap">Saul</span>"&mdash;the spiritual fathers,
+and main pillars of the church. Had the church been allowed to vote, it
+doubtless would have spared its sons, rather than its fathers: they
+would have stated their fond attachment to their first instructors;
+would have plead the great influence of these two fathers in the church,
+and the irreparable injury which would be sustained by their leaving it;
+and would have said, If we must part with some of our teachers, take
+Simeon, and Lucius, and Manaen, but bereave us not of our spiritual
+fathers. The question however was not left to their decision. The demand
+is stern and solemn from the Holy Spirit, with whom there is no selfish
+bias, "Separate me <span class="smcap">Barnabas</span> and
+<span class="smcap">Saul</span>."</p>
+
+<p>In reflecting on this narration, do we not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> come to the conclusion, that
+<span class="smcap">men of talents and influence are called to the work of missions</span>?</p>
+
+<p>If this sentiment be true, it is one of immense and practical
+importance; one that not only ministers, but churches also ought fully
+to understand. Let us, then, dwell a moment longer on the practice of
+early times.</p>
+
+<p>The instance to which we have alluded is a striking one; it contains,
+distinctly and impressively uttered, the mind of the Holy Spirit. It is
+infallible authority that speaks, and what does it declare? The
+paramount claim of missions to the ablest, holiest, and most experienced
+men. If Antioch was required to spare her two ablest men, what may not
+be required of such cities as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and
+Baltimore? And judging too from this case of Antioch, what is the mind
+of the Holy Ghost in regard to the twelve thousand or more evangelical
+ministers in the United States? Can it be his will that they should all
+quietly remain where they are?</p>
+
+<p>Again, God in early times made known his mind on this point, not only by
+the express admonition of the Holy Ghost, but also by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> the <i>overrulings
+of his Providence</i>. Take the account of the first dispersion. The
+Saviour ascended from the Mount of Olives, and the disciples returned to
+Jerusalem. The day of Pentecost arrived, and three thousand converts
+were added to their number. This multitude of believers was daily and
+rapidly increased. Here, then, was a very large city, the capital and
+pride of the nation, and a place of immense resort from all the nations
+round about. And in this city were many thousands of Christians, who
+were in peculiar need of constant care and faithful instruction, and had
+they been divided out to the pastoral care of the twelve apostles, would
+have made perhaps as large churches as any twelve in the city of
+New-York. Jerusalem then presented to the apostles a vast amount of
+pastoral care, and a field of labor unequalled perhaps in religious
+influence, considering the world as it then was, by any city that can be
+named within the limits of Christendom. The apostles were inclined to
+remain in Jerusalem, and considering the call for labor there, it is not
+wonderful that they were thus inclined. They seemed for a time to have
+forgotten the last command of their ascended Lord, and to have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> chosen a
+work more resembling that of settled pastors. But the Saviour allowed a
+persecution to rage in the city, till first the great body of the
+church, and afterwards all the apostles, except James, were scattered
+abroad. So the great Jerusalem was left with but one apostle. Eleven of
+the twelve, who had become in a measure settled there, were driven
+abroad; and not from Jerusalem only, but without the limits of
+Palestine. Such is evidently the <i>fact</i>. Let every one draw from it the
+instruction it affords. To my mind it clashes irreconcilably with the
+present distribution of ministers.</p>
+
+<p>Take another case. Paul had been laboring at Ephesus two whole years,
+and had collected a very large church in that city. This city was the
+emporium of Asia Minor; a place of much resort, and greatly celebrated
+throughout the known world. The large number of disciples there, who
+needed a pastor to warn them day and night with tears, and the wide door
+which was there opened for preaching the Gospel, presented such strong
+claims to the mind of Paul, as seemed likely to fix there his permanent
+abode. What pastor of the present day can urge stronger<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> reasons for
+continuing his charge, than Paul might have urged for continuing his
+relation to the large church at Ephesus? For in addition to a large city
+and a large church, the converts had been but lately gathered from
+heathenism&mdash;were but babes in Christ&mdash;and needed constant instruction
+and unwearied care. Yet God was pleased to allow Demetrius to excite an
+uproar, and thus to sever Paul from his church and congregation, and
+send him abroad into Macedonia. This is another <i>fact</i>&mdash;a <span class="smcap">stubborn fact</span>,
+which we ought to bear in mind, and weigh well. If God saw best thus to
+break tender ties, separate Paul from a large city and a large body of
+such converts as, above all others, needed special care, and to leave
+the important post almost destitute, <i>can it be</i> his will that all the
+pastors of the present day should stay in their places, and that none of
+them should go forth to the heathen? If the city had been Boston, with
+its thousand means of grace, the case would have been comparatively
+weak; but it was Ephesus, a heathen city, and depending almost entirely
+on the living voice of Paul, and yet this one preacher must become a
+missionary. Let us look at this fact, and each<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> one for himself draw
+conclusions; not those that are wild and extravagant, but such as are
+<i>true and sober</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We have here a commentary on the last command of Jesus. It was commented
+upon by the providence of God, separating the apostles from Jerusalem,
+Antioch, and Ephesus. It was commented upon by the direct admonition of
+the Holy Ghost in a particular case. It was commented upon by the
+practice of the apostles. Let us beware that we substitute not, for this
+correct commentary, any worldly-wise interpretation of our own. Let us
+admit it just as it comes to us from early days, fresh and unmodified,
+and allow it to govern our lives.</p>
+
+<p>There are but few who do not admit, that the present distribution of
+ministers is anti-apostolic&mdash;that many, who are now pastors, ought to
+have become missionaries before they were settled. And can the mere fact
+of being settled have produced such a vast change in the question of
+duty, as to place it forever at rest? If the clustering together of
+twelve thousand ministers within the bounds of the United States, where
+a thousand means of grace and improvement exist besides the voice<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> of
+the living teacher, is a very different thing from going into all the
+world, and preaching the Gospel to every creature&mdash;an egregious
+disproportion to the wants of the world&mdash;must we stifle all emotion and
+all inquiry, in taking it for granted that it is now too late for
+change? And yet there seems to be a tacit understanding, that any other
+distribution than that now existing, of the <i>present generation</i> of
+ministers, is a point not to be agitated. At least, many a pastor quiets
+himself with the thought, that no change is to be contemplated in his
+particular case, for the care of a church is on his hands. Almost by
+common consent, pastors are excused; and missionaries are looked for
+from the young men and the children; and the hope of the heathen amounts
+to this, that some young men may be kept from imitating the example of
+their fathers and elder brethren, and be prevailed upon to enter the
+missionary work before they <i>become pastors</i>. For if the mere fact of
+being a pastor places the question at rest, young men will feel
+themselves relieved as soon as they enter that office.</p>
+
+<p>I have known young men whose minds were goaded on the question of going
+to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> heathen, like the conscience of a convicted sinner, till a call
+was presented to some important church; and then they succeeded in
+laying the subject at once and entirely aside. Like the pursued ostrich,
+who thrusts her head into the sand, and vainly imagines that she is
+concealed from her pursuers, so, I fear, some endeavor to elude the
+convictions of conscience. I put the question to your own good sense,
+your candor, and your pious feelings: Can the mere fact of being a
+pastor excuse a man from going to the heathen, when perhaps he became a
+pastor in violation of the Saviour's command?</p>
+
+<p>It is acknowledged, that many pastors ought to have become missionaries
+before they were settled&mdash;that the present amazing disproportion between
+settled ministers at home, and missionaries abroad, ought never to have
+existed. To argue so plain a case would be a waste of breath. How then
+can the fact of having wandered from duty excuse one from the
+performance of it? To-day, it is the duty of Jonah to go to Nineveh.
+To-morrow, he has engaged his passage to Tarshish, has paid his fare,
+has gone down into the sides of the ship, and is quietly at rest. Is he
+therefore<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> excused? To-day, the command of Christ presses upon me the
+obligation to go to the heathen. To-morrow, leaving out of mind this
+command, which still applies in all its force, I enter into an
+obligation with a particular church to take upon me its pastoral care:
+which obligation is binding? The last, do you say? Can I then thus
+easily thrust aside the Saviour's last and most impressive command? Can
+I, by such a course, shield myself effectually from its further
+application? I have yet to learn, that by any change of place or
+circumstances we can free ourselves from the weight of the Saviour's
+injunction. I mean not to assert, that all who ought to have become
+missionaries before they were settled, ought to become so now. Some have
+entirely hedged up their way; and though they may have been disobedient
+in doing so, yet deep regret and sincere repentance is all the
+reparation they can now make. But those who ought to have gone to the
+heathen, and before whom the door is still open for going, <i>such</i> should
+still become missionaries, and on the obvious principle, that it is
+better to do our duty late than not to do it all. The mere plea of being
+a pastor is not a sufficient ex<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>cuse; and it is losing too, continually,
+more and more of its force. It is a wonder that it should be relied upon
+so much as a <i>quietus</i>, since, in the present age, the residence of a
+pastor is very transient and uncertain.</p>
+
+<p>Again let me say, it is a great thing, a good thing, and a rare thing,
+to be entirely honest in the sight of God. Let us endeavor to be so. It
+is to be feared, that there may be some who exempt themselves from
+becoming missionaries on the ground of being pastors, who are not
+altogether honest in their excuse. Are there not some individuals, who
+make it, who would manifest but little hesitation in leaving the
+pastoral office to take the oversight of a college, to become a
+professor in a theological seminary, or to take charge of some prominent
+religious periodical? When urged to become a missionary, the pastor
+pleads his attachment to his people; their affection for him, which
+gives him great influence; and his acquaintance with their prejudices,
+opinions, habits, and whole character, so as to adapt his instructions
+to their particular case. He mentions these, and the like
+considerations, and concludes very readily that he can be more useful in
+his present situation than in any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> other. But when a presidency, a
+professorship, or a more influential church is offered, the reasons
+before urged seem to lose something of their force; and through the
+intervention of some new light, which I shall not account for, the
+conclusion is formed that another situation would be more <i>useful</i>. The
+motive for a change is a good one; but it is to be remembered that this
+same motive, that of being more useful, could not prevail upon them to
+become missionaries.</p>
+
+<p>Facts of this kind could be collected, I think to a considerable extent;
+and they lead me, however unwilling, to suspect that, in some cases, the
+honest reason why ministers do not become missionaries is not that they
+are pastors, but something quite different.</p>
+
+<p>Another fact, too, makes me suspicious that there is some lack of entire
+honesty. A pastor says he cannot become a missionary, for he has the
+care of a church. In a few months, for some cause or other, he is
+dismissed from his church and people. What does he do? become a
+missionary? I have one in my eye who was a pastor of a church in a large
+city. He told me, that nothing but his relation as pastor in that city
+could keep him a moment<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> from the missionary work. Soon after, he was
+dismissed from his church and people; and think you he became a
+missionary? You would betray a very limited knowledge of human nature to
+think so.</p>
+
+<p>"But," says one, "I am opposed to fickleness and change." Ah! indeed;
+does it betray fickleness to leave a church to become a missionary? Did
+God favor fickleness and change when he prevented the permanent location
+of the apostles in Palestine, by a voice from heaven, and by violent
+persecutions? Did the Saviour favor fickleness in his last command? When
+a presidency, a professorship, or a more prominent and influential
+church is offered you, then speak of fickleness&mdash;the excuse may possibly
+be in place; but never, never in place, while untold millions of our
+race are dying for lack of vision, and our commission reads, "<span class="smcap">Go ye into
+all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature</span>."</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>One pastor excuses himself, by saying, "The attachment between me and my
+people is very dear, and this attachment gives me great influence with
+them." I reply, Was not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> the attachment very dear between the apostles
+and the disciples at Jerusalem, and also between Paul and the converts
+at Antioch, and at Ephesus? What language of affection and solicitude
+can equal that of Paul for his converts? He calls them his "joy and
+crown"&mdash;the "little children for whom he travails in birth, till Christ
+be formed in them." He says to them, "I live, if ye stand fast in the
+Lord."</p>
+
+<p>And had not the apostles great influence in the churches in which they
+labored? Had not Paul and Barnabas great influence in the church at
+Antioch? Did not the church love and respect them, and hang in
+breathless silence upon their lips, and look upon their departure as an
+irreparable loss? Yet, though entwined into the hearts of the people,
+and possessing every advantage to instruct them which intimate
+acquaintance and unbounded influence could give, the Holy Ghost,
+notwithstanding, said, "Separate me <span class="smcap">Barnabas</span> and <span class="smcap">Saul</span>."</p>
+
+<p>Attachment is your plea; but the spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of
+self-denial, and requires us not only to forsake church and people, but
+also father and mother, brother and sister, son and daughter, and to
+hold our own lives<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> loosely. Those persons to whom attachment is
+strongest, and who <i>can't be spared</i> on that account, are the best
+fitted for missions.</p>
+
+<p>You plead the <i>influence</i> which you possess with your church and people.
+This, instead of being a reason for remaining at home, is a powerful
+argument for going abroad. In that very influence you possess an
+advantage and qualification for the missionary work, which very few
+missionaries enjoy. It is greatly to be lamented that the church has but
+little acquaintance with her missionaries. It was not so in primitive
+times. On this account there is room for the question to arise, Whether
+there ought not to be less of the home minister for life, and the exile
+for life; a narrower gulf between the two, and more passing and
+repassing, as the apostles were wont to do; a breaking up of caste,
+grade and condition among ministers, as regards various fields&mdash;a more
+literal compliance with the precept of "going into all the world, and
+preaching the Gospel to every creature." Be this however as it may&mdash;for
+there is much that can be said on either side of the question&mdash;it is
+most certainly true, that the pastor possesses one very great advantage:
+that by going to the heathen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> he can wake up, in one church at least,
+the spirit of doing good&mdash;the enterprising and benevolent spirit of
+Christ and his apostles. He may take with him, as helpers, some of its
+most intelligent and active members, and call forth the contributions
+and enlist the prayers of those who may remain.</p>
+
+<p>It seems, that nothing less than such means as the separation of pastors
+for the work of missions, can avail to awake the slumbering churches,
+and to lead them to begin in earnest to seek the salvation of the
+heathen; to feel that the work presses upon them individually, and
+demands all their energies and their personal enlistment. For it is a
+sober and humiliating fact, as I have had some opportunity of judging,
+that there are few churches comparatively, in our land, who seem to have
+drunk deeply into the missionary spirit. There is need, therefore, of a
+movement on the part of pastors, to arouse the churches from their
+guilty slumbers.</p>
+
+<p>A pastor possesses much influence with his church and congregation. The
+Lord then has given him five talents, and he can easily make them ten:
+by going abroad he can benefit his church perhaps as much as by
+remaining their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> pastor, and, at the same time, be the instrument of
+saving many heathen souls. "There is that scattereth, and yet
+increaseth;" and "he that watereth shall be watered also himself." God's
+blessing distils upon the liberal soul, and the liberal church. The
+performance of duty is attended with the Saviour's smiles and a rich
+reward. Who does not see, that a pastor could in no way so effectually
+awaken in his church a spirit of benevolent feeling and action, as by
+exhibiting it in his own person; by rising up, and going forth to the
+heathen, urging a part of his flock to accompany him, and the rest to
+sustain him in the field? Who doubts, that by such a course he would do
+more to arouse the pure and active religion of Jesus Christ and his
+apostles, than he could possibly do in any other way; that he would give
+an impulse to his church in favor of primitive piety and practice, that
+should add vastly to its strength, its glory and its numbers, and be
+felt in all time to come. Let not the pastor, then, excuse himself from
+the missionary work, because he has acquired influence in his church and
+congregation; for that very fact is a powerful argument for going
+abroad.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>For the same reason, no one can excuse himself because he fills a <i>post
+of vast importance</i>. He is the pastor of an influential church, a
+president of a college, a professor in a theological seminary, the
+editor of a religious paper of immense circulation, or the secretary of
+some society: his station is one of vast responsibility, and he imagines
+that he is therefore excused from becoming a missionary. But was not
+Jerusalem an important place? more prominent, compared with other cities
+of that time, than any city in the United States? And yet all the
+apostles, except one, were required not only to leave that city, but to
+go without the limits of Palestine. Was not Antioch as important as
+Boston or Philadelphia? Yet Paul and Barnabas were not suffered to
+remain there.</p>
+
+<p>Besides, is not the work of a missionary a difficult, important, and
+responsible work? The Holy Spirit thought so in apostolic times. When a
+man was needed to preach to Cornelius and his household, a man of no
+less ability and influence than Peter was chosen. When a man was called
+to go to Antioch, Barnabas was sent, a man of great piety and influence.
+And when two of the five preach<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span>ers at Antioch were called to go to the
+heathen, the Holy Ghost did not choose Simeon, or Lucius, or Manaen, but
+said, "Separate me <span class="smcap">Barnabas</span> and <span class="smcap">Saul</span>;" the men of the greatest ability,
+experience, piety and wisdom. Thus the Holy Spirit seemed to declare
+that the work of a missionary required greater talents, more mature
+wisdom, and deeper piety, than the work of a pastor in the largest and
+most influential churches.</p>
+
+<p>And is not this doctrine, while it accords with the instructions of the
+Holy Ghost and the practice of primitive times, also a dictate of common
+sense? Would you choose weak men to penetrate into the very midst of the
+enemy, and to grapple with the Anaks of the land, and keep those who are
+strong in a garrison at home? Would you select indifferent statesmen to
+settle the affairs of revolutionary France, or to reduce to order the
+chaotic mass of the South American states; and employ the able, the wise
+and talented, in governing a country already quiet and peaceful? Did it
+require less wisdom to lay the foundation and form the constitution of
+our good government, than it requires to manage the state on principles
+already established?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> Does it require less skill to draft the plan of a
+capitol, than to work at the building when the plan is mature? Does it
+require less wisdom to govern a camp in a state of mutiny, than when in
+subjection and at peace? Look, then, at the work of missions. Does it
+require less talent to deal with minds clouded by ignorance, perverted
+by superstition, and barred by arrogance, bigotry, and pride, than to
+instruct the unbiassed, the willing, and intelligent? Does it require
+less wisdom to tear up the foundations of heathen society, and lay it
+anew on the principles of the Gospel&mdash;to change society morally,
+religiously, and socially, than to preserve in a good condition a people
+already intelligent, industrious, and Christian? Surely, if talent is
+needed anywhere in the kingdom of Christ, it is in the missionary work.
+That minister, whose talents and piety make him so useful at home that
+he <i>cannot be spared</i>, that is the minister who is needed abroad. The
+foreign field calls for no laborers who can be conveniently spared.</p>
+
+<p>Then, is the church of a pastor wealthy and influential? It is the very
+church that needs to be aroused by his leaving it. Or is he connected
+with a literary, or theological<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> institution? Some thus connected are
+needed to go, to produce the best impression on the young men who are in
+training. The more important and influential then one's place is, the
+more like a rushing flood do reasons crowd upon him to arise and go.</p>
+
+<p>It is very common for men to excuse themselves from the work of
+missions, on the ground, that they are somewhat <i>advanced in years</i>.
+There is weight in this excuse. That person would exhibit the want of a
+proper balance of mind, who should urge all indiscriminately, whatever
+their age and however circumstanced in life, to go forth to the heathen.
+But still the excuse of age ought to be looked at cautiously.</p>
+
+<p>Age implies experience, authority, dignity, and wisdom&mdash;the very
+qualities most wanted in the difficult work of missions. The work of
+tearing up and laying anew the foundations of society, moral, religious,
+and social, is a task that ought by no means to be committed to the
+young and inexperienced. It is preposterous to commit altogether to
+novices in the ministry a work so new, so complicated, so beset with
+difficulties, on the right hand and on the left, and so momentous, too,
+in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> its responsibilities. Can Satan be driven so easily from his own
+territory, that none but raw troops are needed for the contest? Can the
+broad and deep intrenchments of Paganism, Mohammedism, and Romanism be
+so easily taken, as not to need men of age, experience and skill, to
+direct the assault? Can the snares in which the heathen are held; which
+are laid with all the subtlety of the arch-fiend, be so easily divested
+of their specious character, and traced into their thousand windings, as
+not to require the wisdom and experience of age? A minister has age: he
+has then one great qualification for the work. "Paul the aged" had none
+too much experience, dignity and wisdom, for the work of a missionary to
+heathen lands.</p>
+
+<p>But age, it is said, is a great barrier in acquiring a foreign language.
+There is force in this remark; but let us be cautious, that we do not
+trust too much to it. A great amount of labor may be performed on
+heathen ground without a knowledge of the language. Much can be done in
+the English language, and much, too, can be done through interpreters.
+All that David Brainerd accomplished was in this way.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But how certain is it, that persons somewhat advanced cannot acquire a
+foreign language? This plea is not peculiar to those who have been some
+time in the ministry. No excuse is more frequently offered, and with
+more appearance of honesty, even in the college and the theological
+seminary. It is difficult to place the mark of age where this excuse may
+be properly offered, and where it may not. Shall we place it at
+thirty-five? Some missionaries now in the field entered on the work at
+that age, and acquired the language without much difficulty. It may be
+remarked, too, that men of traffic abroad, from youth to gray hairs,
+usually learn so much of a foreign language as to answer their purpose.
+Let us beware, then, <i>how much</i> we depend on the excuse of age; and be
+cautious, too, <i>how far up</i> the scale of years we place the mark.</p>
+
+<p>Another excuse which has some weight is this: "I must remain at home <i>to
+take care of my aged parents</i>." So said one to Christ: "Lord, I will
+follow thee, but suffer me first to go and bury my father." Jesus
+answered, "Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the
+Gospel." I leave to the reader<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> to determine the precise meaning and
+force of this reply of our Saviour. This much it certainly means, that
+some <i>may</i> excuse themselves from preaching to take care of their
+parents, when the excuse is not valid. I will not say, that the excuse
+is not sufficient in some cases; but I am inclined to think that such
+cases are rare. A parent must be <i>very</i> dependent upon a son, to be
+liable to such inconvenience and suffering from his absence, as can
+reasonably weigh in the balance against the claims of the hundreds of
+millions of dying heathen.</p>
+
+<p>But the excuse which seems to be the most valid, is this: "My going to
+the heathen is out of the question, for <i>I have a family of children</i>."
+This is indeed a tender point. God has given me some experience on this
+subject, and I know how to appreciate the excuse. But the Saviour says,
+"He that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me." This
+declaration means nothing, unless it requires us to make great
+sacrifices in regard to our children. So far as we can at present see,
+the world cannot be converted without great self-denial on this point.
+Precisely what sacrifices are to be made in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> regard to children, is a
+question which is not, as yet, fully determined.</p>
+
+<p>But let us look at the excuse. If a minister may <i>stay</i> at home because
+he has children, may not the missionary who has children <i>return</i> home?
+A pastor has one child, and cannot go. Then may not the missionary who
+has one child, come back? A pastor has six children, and cannot go. Many
+missionaries have six children, shall not they return? The mere
+circumstance of being already abroad cannot have much weight; and the
+sacrifice of a voyage in such a question, and among a multitude of other
+weighty reasons, is scarcely worth being named. If children then are an
+excuse, let missionaries return. No, you say; missionaries who have
+children must not return on that account. What then shall they do with
+their children? Keep them, and train them up to be helpers in the work?
+Let pastors then take their children into the field, and train them up
+for that purpose. You certainly have hearts too noble to impose a burden
+on the shoulders of others which you would not bear yourselves. Your
+children would have the advantage of the children of missionaries,
+having been thus far<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> trained in a Christian land. As to future
+advantages of education, they will have the same with the children now
+abroad. You certainly cannot complain of equality.</p>
+
+<p>But, you say, let missionaries send their children home. Then let
+pastors leave their children at home and go abroad. Ah, you say, pastors
+cannot endure the thought; it would be a shock to their parental
+feelings that they cannot sustain. But, I ask, have missionaries no
+feelings? have their hearts become hard, like blocks of wood and pieces
+of rock? Does love to Christ, and compassion for the heathen, tend to
+make men and women obtuse in their feelings, so that a father or mother
+on heathen ground does not feel as intensely for the present and eternal
+welfare of a child, as a parent who has never gone to the heathen? Ah!
+had you seen what my eyes have witnessed, facts then should speak and I
+would be silent. Missionaries, indeed, are trained to cast their care
+upon God; their feelings are chastened and disciplined, but at the same
+time deep and intense. To a thousand dangers, toils and hardships, they
+may be inured; but when the separation of children is thought of, they
+show<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> full well that they are no proof against an agony of feeling.
+Certainly, then, you will not plead for exemption. You would not place
+upon others this burden, and pull away your own shoulders from it. You
+have souls too generous and benevolent to do that. You cannot find it in
+your hearts to offer to the lips of others a cup more bitter than you
+would drink yourselves. You can choose guardians for your children far
+better than the missionaries can who are abroad, and your children shall
+have the same provision for their support and education as theirs have.</p>
+
+<p>We have glanced at some excuses. Many others there are in this
+excuse-making age. Be entreated to look at them with the command of
+Christ, a sinking world and a coming judgment, in your eye, and as far
+as they have weight and <i>no farther</i> be influenced by them. Where
+exemption cannot honestly be pleaded, the command in all its force is
+binding.</p>
+
+<p>That some pastors of influence and talent should become missionaries,
+seems necessary; for <i>how otherwise can the means be raised to sustain
+missions abroad, and to send forth young men who may offer themselves</i>?
+It is well known, that operations abroad have been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> and are still
+exceedingly crippled. It is well known, too, that quite a company of
+young men have at different times been waiting, for want of requisite
+funds to send them forth to the heathen.</p>
+
+<p>Now this is the state of things, not because there is not money enough
+in the hands of Christians&mdash;no one imagines that such is the fact&mdash;but
+because Christians, as a body, are not aroused to duty. What means shall
+be taken to arouse them? I, for one, am inclined to think that there
+would be hope, if some influential and prominent pastors would enter the
+missionary work. In such a case, I should indeed have strong hope that
+the impulse, falling in with the spirit of primitive practice and the
+will of the Holy Ghost, would be such as to bring forth the funds needed
+to sustain the operations now begun, send forth waiting young men, and
+carry themselves also into the field. I feel quite confident, that the
+measure would soon clear the seaboard of all who might be detained, and
+place their joyful feet on foreign soil.</p>
+
+<p>The great body of professed Christians are becoming luxurious in their
+modes of life. One cannot go through the churches, after the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> absence of
+several years, without being forcibly impressed with this fact. They
+press forward after wealth, and profess to be accumulating it for
+Christ; but in the end, spend it on themselves and on their children.
+Now what, under God, shall break up this covetousness, and luxurious
+manner of life? What shall bring them back to the pure and unadulterated
+principles of the Gospel&mdash;to live, labor, and die for Christ, as did the
+primitive disciples? Let pastors, like the apostles, go into all the
+world and preach the Gospel to every creature. There is reason to hope
+that the church members would likewise imbibe the right spirit, and act
+on right principles. Then we should hear no more of schools disbanded
+and missionaries detained, but troops of heralds would be carrying out
+the news of salvation and sending back tidings of success. There is much
+philosophical and Bible truth in the proverb, "Like people like priest."
+O, what responsibility rests on the ministers of Christ!</p>
+
+<p>Again, if all settled ministers of talent and influence remain at home,
+how can such a number of missionaries be secured as seem needed for the
+world's conversion? If many<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> of those already in the sacred office do
+not go, it is absolutely certain, that the present generation of heathen
+must die without the Gospel. The angel of death continues hovering over
+the dying nations, mowing down his twenty millions a year; and before
+ministers can be raised up from among the youth and children, will be
+drawing a stroke at the last man of all that are now heathen. The
+present generation of ministers must preach the Gospel to the present
+generation of mankind. It will be the duty of the next generation of
+ministers to preach to the inhabitants that shall be then on the globe.
+To look for missionaries from among the young alone, is making no
+provision for the present generation of heathen. If the heathen are to
+be left till missionaries can be trained up, they are to be left&mdash;the
+soul shudders at the thought&mdash;till they shall be in hell! By making this
+postponement, the churches, in effect, though certainly without
+intending it, sign the death warrant of a great portion of the present
+six hundred millions of perishing heathen; relinquish all effort for
+this vast multitude, and only dream of saving the next generation&mdash;of
+whom it would be a mercy never to be born,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> unless there shall be more
+hope of their salvation than can be seen at present&mdash;<i>dream</i>, I say, of
+saving the next generation; for to think much of raising up the young to
+be missionaries, without going ourselves, is little better than
+dreaming.</p>
+
+<p>To induce young men, to any great extent, to become missionaries, when
+their fathers and elder brethren do not, is hopeless. Precept must
+become more powerful than example, before such a result can take place.
+How can you so blindfold the young, stop their ears, and wall them off
+from surrounding influences, as to expect such a result? If their eyes
+are left open, what do they see? They see their fathers and elder
+brethren settled at home, and some of them in quiet, comfort and honor.
+If their ears are left open, what do they hear? They hear various
+excuses for remaining at home, and among others, the specious idea of
+training up children to be missionaries. And what will they do? They
+will dream of training your grandchildren for missions, and your
+grandchildren dream of training the next generation, and so on, as the
+sixty generations past have done, from the time of the Saviour down. But
+the fire of God's Spirit shall burn<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> up this chaff. The world shall not
+be cheated out of its millenium. The judgment trumpet shall not sound
+before the arrival of the latter day glory.</p>
+
+<p>To become a missionary, in the present state of things, is sailing
+against wind and tide; so that those who find their way to the heathen,
+compared with the number who ought to go, are very few indeed. To urge a
+large number into the field is hopeless. Bonaparte might as well have
+urged his soldiers over the Alps without leading them. We cannot expect
+the nature of things to change, and precept to become more powerful than
+example. A portion of the more talented of the settled ministry must
+lead the way. Then there shall be found a resuscitating principle; our
+eyes shall beam with joy, and we shall fondly cherish a rational hope of
+the world's renovation.</p>
+
+<p>Again, many pastors should become missionaries, for all things await
+their personal enlistment in the service. God, in his providence, is
+causing a state of preparation in the world which calls for some mighty
+movement on the part of the church. A door is opened into almost every
+nation on the earth, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> ships are ready to carry us to almost every
+port. Now is the time for a great effort. All the elements are ready for
+action, and need only to be brought to bear on the glorious cause of the
+world's conversion. To effect this, there must be a high stand of
+prayerful enterprise on the part of the present generation of ministers.
+The Lord has brought us to the ministry for such a time as this; and
+surely my brethren will not prove themselves unworthy of so vast a
+responsibility, but come up joyfully to the work, and reap the harvest
+of the world.</p>
+
+<p>And here let me say, that the millions of souls already lost are
+immense; and it would be awfully presumptuous in Christians to neglect
+the millions and hundreds of millions of the present generation. Century
+after century has rolled along, ingulfing generation after generation,
+till one would think that Satan himself would be satisfied with the
+enormous havoc. Eighteen centuries have passed away, and sixty
+generations, five hundred millions each&mdash;thirty billions of immortal
+souls left to perish since Christ gave command to evangelize them. Are
+not thirty billions enough? Shall we, by any guilty neglect, suffer the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span>
+present generation, six hundred millions more, to be added? O, let the
+billions of souls already lost suffice. O, let us arise, and go and
+preach the Gospel to the nations, that the generations that remain
+between this and the judgment may be saved.</p>
+
+<p>Let me suggest, too, that nothing would so readily produce <i>union among
+ministers at home</i>, as to divert all their powers of body and mind into
+some all-absorbing and self-denying enterprise. Now, what angel of
+heaven has not wept over the contentions and jealousies that cloud the
+glory of the American churches. How has the heart of Jesus bled over the
+dissensions and strife of his own ministers! And is there no remedy? Let
+pastors become so engrossed in fulfilling their commission as to obey
+its literal import, and arise and go; and I mistake much, if the
+movement would not make a material impression on their contentions and
+jealousies. They would feel that they were doing a great work, and could
+not come down. For contention they would find neither time nor
+inclination. It would be difficult to state, in a foreign tongue, their
+metaphysical distinctions, so as to make a difference. Higher and nobler
+objects<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> would engross the soul. Be entreated to try this course. Then
+the recording angel shall not be compelled, with aching heart and
+streaming eyes, to inscribe "<span class="smcap">Ichabod</span>" on our American Zion; but, with
+willing soul and ready hands, shall write in fairer lines, "<span class="smcap">Beautiful
+for situation, the joy of the whole earth.</span>"</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>But it is often said, "I never <i>felt</i> it to be my duty to go to the
+heathen: I never had any such impression."</p>
+
+<p><i>No such impression!</i> Did then the command of our ascended Lord, his
+<i>last</i> command, delivered under the most solemn circumstances, make no
+impression upon you? Did the temporal and eternal miseries of six
+hundred millions of your fellow men make no impression upon you? Did
+their groans and sighs, which came over the waters like the voice of
+seven thunders, peal after peal, make no impression upon you? And could
+you remain at home with comfort and peace of mind, with the weeping and
+wailing of millions of dying souls in your ears, backed up with the
+command of Christ to go and seek their salvation? While Jesus plead,
+"Lo, I died for them, go, preach my Gospel<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> to them, that they may
+live;" could you remain unimpressed and unmoved? And have all these
+considerations, and a hundred more, been urged upon you for years, and
+yet failed to make an <i>impression</i>? Alas! of what is your heart made,
+that it does not feel? Look for no <i>supernatural</i> impression.
+Missionaries have none. There is no need of any. He that can live and
+not be impressed, may well tremble for his own salvation. It appears
+that you are easily impressed that it is your duty to remain at home.
+The motives, I fear, that come before your mind are well suited to make
+an impression. You quickly perceive a <i>call</i>, when country, home,
+friends, the endearments of society, and the like considerations crowd
+upon your mind. O, dear brethren, let us be <i>entirely honest</i>, as we
+expect soon to meet the Saviour and the world of perishing souls for
+whom he died.</p>
+
+<p>Another similar excuse is often made: "Did I possess the requisite
+attainments in holiness, I should delight to go abroad. But as the case
+is, I cannot become a missionary: I have not piety enough."</p>
+
+<p><i>Not piety enough!</i> Then be entreated to become more pious without
+delay. As you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> value the souls of dying men, defer not to become more
+holy. Through your want of piety the heathen may be left to perish. But
+what is holiness? Is it not obedience to the commands of Christ? Obey,
+then, his last command: <i>that will be becoming more holy</i>. Go forth to
+the heathen from love to Christ: that will be becoming more pious. "<span class="smcap">Not
+piety enough!</span>" Will you presume to offer that excuse to the Lord Jesus,
+when you shall stand before him to render account for the blood of the
+heathen? And when you shall see multitudes of the heathen sinking into
+hell, whom, under the blessing of the Spirit, you might have saved; and
+hear their weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth; will it ease your
+mind, and quiet your conscience, that you had not piety enough to go and
+make known to them the way of life? This is a solemn subject. Let us
+try, dear brethren, to look at it as we ought.</p>
+
+<p>Allied to this excuse is the following: "I have never thought myself
+qualified for the work of missions. It is a work which in my view
+requires rare endowments. Did I possess the requisite qualifications, I
+should delight to engage in so glorious a work."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>To this excuse I would say, There is room in the wide field of missions
+for every grade and variety of talent. Such is the universal testimony
+of those who have gone forth. Neither could it be otherwise in so
+various and vast a work as that of converting all nations, many of whom
+need to be instructed in the simplest arts of civilized life, and in the
+very alphabet of knowledge. But the excuse you render is entirely at
+variance with the facts in the case. If the work of missions be deemed
+worthy of the greatest talents, why is it that a large number do not go
+forth from among the more prominent and influential in the sacred
+office? The plea of disqualification is a popular one. There is in it
+much appearance of humility and self-depreciation. But facts testify,
+that many who plead their want of talent do not hesitate, if invited, to
+take upon them the care of a college, or of a large and opulent church.
+If the conduct of men is to be regarded as a just interpreter of their
+sentiments, then the great body of the Christian ministry, instead of
+regarding themselves unfit for the work of missions, consider themselves
+too well qualified to enter it. They really think, that those of
+inferior qualifica<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span>tions will do for missions; while those of superior
+minds and brilliant talents must be reserved for important stations at
+home.</p>
+
+<p>It is said again, "<i>All</i> cannot go abroad."</p>
+
+<p>I reply, Do not use the word "all" till there shall be some need of it.
+There is no danger <i>yet</i> that the home company will be comparatively too
+small.</p>
+
+<p>There is another excuse which is worthy of more notice. One says, "My
+own country claims my first attention. It presents a field of vast
+extent, and demands a vast amount of labor. Its schools, colleges and
+seminaries, must be sustained. Its religious periodicals must be edited.
+The churches must be watched over, and brought up to a higher standard
+of piety. Revivals must be promoted. But passing by these claims for
+labor, look at the wide-spreading desolations of the West, where
+ignorance, infidelity, and Romanism prevail, and threaten, at no very
+future day, to be the overthrow of our government&mdash;the extinguishment of
+our dearly-bought and precious inheritance. All our exertions must be
+put forth to save our country; for the progress of light and knowledge
+throughout the world depends on its existence.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> The overthrow of our
+government would put back the dial of the moral world ten centuries. Our
+own nation lost, and what would become of the heathen? when would the
+millenium arrive? Our present attention must be directed to the
+salvation of our own country, and our missionary exertions must be
+concentrated on the West."</p>
+
+<p>The excuse does not stop here; but a citizen from Great Britain would
+say, "I too must speak in behalf of my country&mdash;a country whose
+possessions encircle the globe. The existence and religious prosperity
+of a nation whose commerce is so great, and whose dominions embrace a
+large portion of the heathen world, cannot but be intimately connected
+with the universal prevalence of light and peace. It is of the first
+importance, that the <i>heart</i> of such a nation should beat with a healthy
+pulse; that much effort should be made to promote a high standard of
+vital godliness in the universities and churches at home. But more than
+this, look at the vast body of laboring men in England and Ireland, who
+are living in ignorance and in sin. They call loudly for teachers and
+for preachers of the Gospel, and ought to receive, for the pres<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span>ent at
+least, all we can educate and all we can support."</p>
+
+<p>In reply to this excuse I would first say, Let us look a moment at the
+conclusion to which we are reduced. "The United States cannot furnish
+missionaries, for the present at least; far less can Great Britain; and
+still less the Continent of Europe." The inevitable conclusion is, that
+the present generation of heathen must be left to perish. Six hundred
+millions of our race must be deliberately relinquished to endure the
+agonies of eternal death. But what is the plea that so readily leaves
+the millions of ignorant heathen to hopelessness and despair? "We must
+go to the West." "We must direct our efforts to the laboring class of
+England and Ireland." Then, I say, be consistent, and actually <i>do</i> what
+you profess. As yet, how many of the learned, the eloquent and
+influential of the ministry, have become missionaries at the West? Some
+have gone to the West, to be presidents of colleges there; but how many
+have gone to engage in the more appropriate duties of the <i>missionary</i>?
+And in Great Britain, how many have left their professorships in the
+universities, and their wealthy churches,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> to labor as <i>missionaries</i>
+among the ignorant class of society in England and Ireland? O! the West,
+and the ignorant class in England and Ireland, would lift up their
+hearts to God in gratitude if you would go forth to the heathen: for the
+reflex influence of such a course would scatter among them the means of
+grace as thick as the stars of heaven, and as bright as the sun in his
+glory. I could almost assert, from personal observation, that every
+missionary to the heathen sends ten to the West. If men are pressed to
+go to China, they cannot stop short of the West. Besides, have you
+forgotten the nature of benevolence? If you wish to strengthen it, to
+increase it and expand it, so as to be the means of saving the United
+States, and of saving Great Britain, then bring it into exercise. Let
+the church impart liberally of what she has, both of men and money. She
+will have the more left, paradoxical as the assertion may at first seem.
+Let the principle of benevolence be aroused in the churches, and it is
+literally inexhaustible in its resources, both of money and of men; for
+the more it exhausts the more it still possesses. This is not mere
+missionary philosophy, but Bible doctrine; and so plainly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> inculcated,
+that he that doubts it is a novice in the Scriptures, and a babe in the
+school of Christ. There is a backwardness, an apathy and deadness in the
+ministry, and in the churches; and it is <span class="smcap">therefore</span> that infidelity and
+Romanism prevail at the West, and that the ignorant class in England and
+Ireland remain in wretchedness. The great thing needed is that the
+spirit of benevolence, the spirit of Christ, or in other words true
+religion, be aroused in the churches. And in no way can you so
+effectually do it as by giving yourself to the missionary work. God's
+wisdom is very much at variance with the cold, calculating,
+short-sighted and sin-blinded wisdom of man. Let us follow heavenly
+wisdom, as laid down in the Bible: "<span class="smcap">Give</span>," "<span class="smcap">Go</span>," and thereby save
+ourselves, our country, and the world. <i>That nation that obeys God</i>
+shall prosper. Let us try the Bible philosophy of saving the United
+States and Great Britain, <span class="smcap">by obeying God</span>&mdash;by going forth and teaching
+all nations.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+
+<h3>IMPORT OF THE GREAT COMMISSION.</h3>
+
+
+<p>The Founder of the church was a missionary. The church is a <i>missionary
+band</i>, professedly aiming to carry out the design of its Founder, in the
+wide field of the <span class="smcap">World</span>. The commission to the apostles is the
+commission to Christ's ministers in every age. This commission, it is to
+be feared, is losing much of its force from misinterpretation.</p>
+
+<p>That a construction somewhat incorrect is placed by some ministers on
+the commission which they hold, seems to be evident; for how otherwise
+should an impression obtain, that there is something <i>peculiar</i> about
+the office of the missionary&mdash;that his commission is quite different
+from that of other ministers of Christ.</p>
+
+<p>Let the commission of both the minister at home and missionary abroad be
+exhibited and read. The terms, word for word, are the same. It is
+unhappy, extremely so, that a <i>peculiarity</i> is thrown about the word
+<i>missionary</i>, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span>since the New Testament authorizes no such distinction.
+Both ministers at home and those abroad claim to be successors of the
+apostles or first missionaries, whose letter of instructions, short but
+explicit, reads thus: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel
+to every creature." This is the commission of every ambassador, and no
+one, at home or abroad, can consistently hold his office any longer than
+he continues to act in accordance with its import.</p>
+
+<p>The Saviour is all-wise, and knew precisely what commission to give. He
+carefully chose every word in which it is expressed. The apostles showed
+by their conduct how they understood it&mdash;that they knew what was meant
+by "all the world" and "every creature." Now, I ask, how can such a
+construction be placed on these obvious phrases, as to make it
+consistent for about eleven thousand eight hundred ministers out of
+twelve thousand to stay in the United States, and about the same
+proportion in Great Britain? The apostles showed by their conduct what
+they understood by the word "Go." By what reasoning, I ask, has it been
+made to mean, in fifty-nine cases out of sixty, <i>send, contribute</i>,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>
+<i>and educate young men</i>? If an inhabitant of another planet should visit
+this earth, and see ministers clustered together in a few favored spots,
+could you make him believe that they hold in their hands the commission
+first delivered to the apostles?</p>
+
+<p>Would it be thought dutiful, in military officers, to treat the orders
+of their commander-in-chief as we do the command of our Master; or in
+mercantile agents, to interpret thus loosely the instructions of their
+employers? The perversion, however, has become so familiar to us, that
+we are insensible of it; and the fact may be numbered among other
+wonders of a like kind, which the experience of a few past years has
+exhibited. A few years since, good men were in the use of intoxicating
+drinks without dreaming it a sin; and so now we may be shaping our
+course very wide from the command of our Saviour, and yet think not of
+the guilt we incur.</p>
+
+<p>The misconstruction has become so universal, and so firmly
+established&mdash;the true and obvious interpretation buried so deep in the
+rubbish of things gone by&mdash;that all books written on ministerial duty,
+which I have seen, take it for granted that the persons<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> addressed, for
+the most part at least, are to preach and labor among a people who have
+long had the Gospel. And may I not inquire&mdash;and I would do it with due
+deference and respect&mdash;Do not lectures on pastoral theology in the
+schools of the prophets take it too much for granted, that the hearers
+are to labor in Christian lands? Is not the business of going into all
+the world, and preaching the Gospel to every creature, regarded,
+practically at least, as an <i>exception</i>, for which there need be no
+provision in books or lectures? If Paul were to write or lecture on
+pastoral theology, would he not give more prominence to the duties that
+might devolve upon his students in foreign lands? Would he not, indeed,
+make the work of missions stand forth as <i>the</i> work, and not as an
+exception or a peculiarity?</p>
+
+<p>Few men, in these last days, can quiet their consciences, and yet live
+in entire neglect of the heathen. Almost all professed Christians feel
+that they must have some interest in the great enterprise. To begin to
+act just as the last command of Christ requires, in its plain literal
+import, as the apostles understood it, would be a hard and self-denying
+service. What then shall they do? Will they operate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> <i>by proxy</i>? This is
+the charming suggestion, by which often conscience is lulled to sleep
+and the heathen are left to perish.</p>
+
+<p>It is true that many, and perhaps most, must aid in the work by
+proxy&mdash;by training up others, by sending them forth, by encouraging
+them, and by furnishing the necessary means. But the error is, that all,
+with the exception of perhaps one minister out of sixty, and one layman
+out of three thousand, are inclined so to act. It is wonderful with what
+electrical rapidity the soothing suggestion has spread abroad. It is so
+insidious and speciously good, that it has found its way, like an angel
+of light, to the best hearts and holiest places. Indeed, it is a point
+very difficult to be determined; and many judge no doubt with perfect
+correctness, when they decide to act in this way. The danger consists in
+the eager rush and universal resort. To be sensible that there is such a
+rush, begin and enumerate. Directors and officers of various
+societies&mdash;and they are not few&mdash;of theological seminaries too, and of
+colleges, think they are employed in furnishing the requisite men, the
+requisite means, and the requisite instrumentalities, and so are
+preaching to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> heathen by proxy. Among ministers, the talented and
+eloquent, the learned and the influential, think they must labor in the
+important field at home; keep the churches in a state to operate upon
+the world, and so preach to the heathen by proxy. Ministers generally,
+about eleven thousand eight hundred out of twelve thousand, are zealous
+for training up young men, and think in that way of preaching to the
+heathen by proxy. Pious men of wealth, and those who are in
+circumstances to acquire wealth, or imagine that they have a talent to
+acquire it, profess to be accumulating the necessary means, and to be
+thus preaching to the heathen by proxy. Sabbath-school teachers, fathers
+and mothers, are fond of the notion of raising up children to be
+missionaries, and of thus preaching by proxy. Proxy is the universal
+resort. Now <i>some</i> proxy effort, and much indeed, is proper and
+indispensable; but must it not strike every mind, that such a universal
+and indiscriminate resort to it is utterly unreasonable?</p>
+
+<p>How often do we hear the exhortation, "Let mothers consecrate their
+children to the missionary work in their earliest infancy. Let them be
+taught, as they grow up, that to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> labor among the heathen is the most
+glorious work on earth. Let teachers in Sabbath-schools impart such
+instructions, and ministers in their pulpits. Let ministers and elders
+search out young men, urge them to engage in the work of missions, and
+let the churches educate them for that end, and pray for them that their
+zeal fail not. Let no pains be spared and no efforts be wanting, to
+raise up and send forth a large body of young men to labor for the
+heathen."</p>
+
+<p>Now in regard to such an effort, every reflecting mind can see that it
+must be insufficient, if not hopeless. To succeed thus, as I have
+already said, precept must become more powerful than example. Commit the
+work of converting the world to your children, and they will commit it
+to your grandchildren. Try instruction in the nursery, try instruction
+in the Sabbath-school, try instruction from the pulpit: it will fall
+powerless as a ray of moonlight on a lake of ice, while contradicted by
+the <i>example</i> of mothers, of Sabbath-school teachers, and of ministers.
+Urge young men into the missionary field without going yourselves? A
+general might as well urge his army over the Alps without<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> leading them.
+Consecrate them to the work? Would it not be an unholy consecration&mdash;a
+consecration at the hands of those who were not themselves consecrated?
+The command does not say, <i>send</i>, but "Go." Let us then go, and urge
+others to <i>come</i>. We shall find this mode of persuasion the most
+effectual.</p>
+
+<p>Let us commit to proxy that work which is pleasant and easy, and betake
+ourselves in person to those kinds of labor that are more self-denying,
+and to those posts that are likely to be deserted. This is the only
+principle of action that will secure success in any enterprise within
+the range of human efforts. Suppose the opposite principle is acted
+upon&mdash;that every one seeks for himself the most easy and pleasant work,
+and the most delightful and honorable station, and leaves for others the
+most obscure, the most self-denying, and the most perilous. Discover
+such a spirit in any enterprise, secular or religious, and it requires
+not the gift of prophecy to predict a failure. Practical and business
+men understand full well the truth and force of this remark. The true
+method is this: if there is a work that is likely to be neglected on
+account of its obscurity or self-denial, let every one, first of all,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span>
+see that <i>that</i> service is attended to. And if there is a post likely to
+be left deserted on account of its hardships or its perils, let every
+one be sure, first of all, that <i>that</i> post is occupied. Let there be an
+emulation among all to do the drudgery of the service, and to man the
+Thermopyl&aelig; of danger. Then you shall read in the vigor and nerve of the
+action the certainty of success.</p>
+
+<p>In this way Bonaparte conquered Europe. If a portion of his army was
+likely to fall back, there the general pressed forward in person,
+inspiring courage and firmness. If all others shrunk from the deadly
+breach, thither he rushed, at once, with the flower of his army.</p>
+
+<p>This principle of action is not more indispensable in the conquests of
+war, than in the great enterprise of the world's conversion. And how
+truly glorious, how sublime by contrast, to exhibit this principle of
+action, not in destroying mankind, but in laboring for their salvation!
+Let all Christians be filled with this spirit, let every redeemed sinner
+adopt in practice this rule of action, <i>to do the most self-denying, the
+most difficult and perilous work in person, and to commit the easiest to
+proxy</i>, then there would be a sight of moral sublim<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span>ity that earth has
+not seen&mdash;all the elements in action that are needed, under God, to
+usher in the millenial day.</p>
+
+<p>O, if to angels were committed the instrumentality of the world's
+conversion, where would Gabriel speed his way if not to the post of
+peril, and to the post of self-denying and toilsome drudgery? I mistake
+his character much, if he would not betake himself at once to the most
+arduous service. O, how he would delight to come down and labor with the
+lowest being on New Holland or New Guinea, and be the instrument of
+raising him up to the throne of Jesus! But to angels is not committed
+the stewardship of propagating that precious Gospel, which God has
+ordained for the world's renovation. The infinite treasure is placed in
+our hands, the immense responsibility is thrown upon us. O, let us prove
+ourselves worthy of such a trust, and not become traitorous to the
+cause, by falling into the general spirit of operating by proxy.</p>
+
+<p>But, in truth, how far do we act on the principle named, that of
+performing in person the most arduous service, and of leaving the most
+pleasant work for others? Look over<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> the desolate and secluded parts of
+the United States; look over the heathen world, and make out an answer.
+Let facts speak. Is a residence in Arkansas preferred to a residence in
+New-York, or a voyage to New Guinea before one to Europe?</p>
+
+<p>Our blessed Saviour and his apostles did not feel inclined to shrink
+from the more self-denying service, and to shift it upon others. If they
+had felt so, then we should have continued in a state of darkness, and
+have known full well the import of present wretchedness and eternal woe.</p>
+
+<p>Let us suppose, for a moment, that the apostles had made the discovery
+of obeying by proxy the Saviour's last command. But I hesitate to make
+such a supposition, lest the force of such an immense contrast should
+make it to be regarded as a caricature upon the operations of the
+present age. In other words, our efforts to convert the world become so
+clumsy, slow and inefficient, from a lack of the right spirit and enough
+of it, in ministers and in the churches, that to impute the same kind
+and degree of effort to the apostles and primitive Christians, might
+excite a smile, rather than a sigh; and be deemed an attempt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> to
+ridicule what is at present done, rather than an earnest, serious, and
+solemn expostulation. Such a result I should deplore. But if my readers
+will believe me to be aiming simply, with weeping eyes and an aching
+heart, to illustrate with force my own defects and their short-comings
+in duty, by detecting and tracing out a wrong principle of action, I
+will venture cautiously to make the supposition.</p>
+
+<p>The words of the last command have fallen from the lips of the ascended
+Saviour, and the apostles assemble to deliberate how they shall carry
+them into execution. In the first place, Peter delivers an address. It
+is an able and thrilling discourse. He seems impatient to wing his way
+to foreign lands. After the discourse, they form themselves into a
+society. Arrangements being made, and the machinery being complete, they
+send forth John to solicit funds. He finds the disciples willing to
+contribute on an average, after much urging, about twenty-four cents
+each. A pittance of money is obtained, and then they search for a man.
+They thought Peter would be ready to go, from the speech he delivered,
+but he wishes to be excused: he has a family to support. They then fall
+upon various plans: some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> think of training up young men to go forth,
+and others exhort parents to infuse a missionary spirit into their
+children. At length, however, it is found that one of the twelve begins
+to feel that he has a call to go&mdash;but this would be at the rate of one
+thousand from the twelve thousand ministers in the United States. This
+one man is sent forth to "go into all the world, and to preach the
+Gospel to every creature." The rest of the apostles sustain the various
+offices of the society, and have charge of important posts in Jerusalem,
+and in the cities and villages round about. They meet yearly, to
+deliberate upon the missionary enterprise. Some feel much, and humbly
+pray, and some say eloquent things about the glorious cause, and tell
+how they have found a fulcrum, where to place the lever of Archimides to
+elevate the world.</p>
+
+<p>Now I ask most solemnly, and in a spirit of grief and humiliation, how
+such a course of conduct would have appeared in the apostles? Would it
+have evinced a spirit of obedience? Believe me, in early times, a
+readiness to obey supplied a great deal of machinery. Bring back into
+the ministers of the present day the spirit of the apostles, and into
+the churches<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> the spirit of the early disciples, and operations at once
+would be more simple and more efficient. A backwardness in duty&mdash;a
+disposition, if we do anything for the heathen, to do it by proxy,
+<i>this</i> is it that makes the wheels so ponderous and encumbered. "The
+letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." Give us the spirit, and
+annihilate the notion of operating so much by proxy, and we shall soon
+see a multitude of angels flying in the midst of heaven, having the
+everlasting Gospel to preach to the nations.</p>
+
+<p>There is <i>no cheap or easy way of converting the world</i>. It is to be
+feared that some fall into the contrary notion, because they do not wish
+to believe that <i>all</i> they possess is needed in the work of the Lord,
+and that there is absolute necessity that they themselves go to the
+heathen. It is to be feared, that it is for this reason that so many are
+ready to imagine that the work is to be done by a few men, and a small
+amount of means. It would seem they expect to form lines of these few
+men, and encircle the globe in various directions; to place them on
+prominent points, like light-houses, and leave each with his single lamp
+to dispel the darkness of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> a wide circumference. They seem to imagine
+that nations can be elevated from a degradation many ages deep, and
+thoroughly transformed, religiously, morally, mentally and socially, by
+the influence of a few missionaries, scattered here and there on some
+high eminences of the earth: that a single missionary, under a withering
+atmosphere, is to be preacher, physician, teacher, lawyer, mechanic, and
+everything that is necessary in raising a whole community from the
+inconceivable degradation of heathenism, up to the elevation of an
+industrious, intelligent, and Christian people.</p>
+
+<p>Neither are the expectations formed by many, of mission seminaries, less
+visionary. A school, with two or three teachers, limited accommodations
+and small funds, with all its school-books to make, and the whole
+literature to form, is expected to accomplish all the work of the
+academy, college, and theological seminary, and speedily to transform
+untutored savages into able preachers of the Gospel.</p>
+
+<p>And it is expected, by not a few, of the wife of the missionary&mdash;though
+living under a burning sun, in a house of poor accommodations, with
+unfaithful domestics, or none at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> all; that notwithstanding, she will
+not only attend to the arduous duties of the household and educate her
+own children, but teach a school among the people, and superintend the
+female portion of the congregation&mdash;a task which a minister's wife in a
+Christian land, and under a bracing air, does not often attempt.</p>
+
+<p>Now, would it be really a benefit to the church thus to flatter her
+indolence and her avarice, and convert the heathen with a fraction of
+wealth and a handful of men? Be assured, God loves the church too well
+thus to pamper a luxurious and self-indulgent spirit: he will allow no
+cheap and easy way of accomplishing the work. The object is worth more:
+worthy not only of the combined wealth of Christendom, but worthy also
+of the energies, the toil, and the blood if necessary, of the greatest
+and holiest men. It will not be in consistence with God's usual
+providence that a victory so noble should be achieved, till the
+treasures of the church shall be literally emptied in the contest, and
+the precious blood of thousands and tens of thousands of her ablest and
+best men poured out on the field. The work has already cost the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> blood
+of God's only Son; and the prosecution and finishing of it shall be
+through toil, self-denial, entire devotement, and obedience even unto
+death.</p>
+
+<p><i>Some rules that may be of use in agitating the question of becoming
+missionaries.</i></p>
+
+<p>1. Guard against an <i>excuse-making</i> spirit. This is an age of excuses.
+There is no need of seeking for them; they are already at hand, and of
+every variety, size and shape. They are kept ready for every occasion.
+If one will not suit, another may be tried. Be admonished then, that a
+disposition to be excused is not much different from a disposition to
+disobey.</p>
+
+<p>2. Guard against <i>antinomianism</i> on the subject of missions. There is a
+great tendency in these days to <i>say and do not</i>. The thrill of the
+missionary theme, like an exhilarating gas, is pleasant to many; but the
+sober and humble business of engaging in the work is not so welcome. A
+disposition to say much and do little is a feature of the most alarming
+kind. It shows an obtuseness of conscience.</p>
+
+<p>3. Remember that Divine direction is better than human wisdom. We are
+very much inclined to argue the question, "Where can I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> do the most
+good?" Be assured we can do the most good by <i>obeying</i> the Saviour: by
+carrying out the spirit of his last command. Let us keep <i>close</i> to that
+command: it is safer than to determine by our own dark and biased
+reasoning, and by our very limited foresight, where we can be the most
+useful.</p>
+
+<p>4. The nearer you live to Jesus, the more hope will there be of your
+coming to a right decision. There is a process of conviction and
+conversion before a man becomes a missionary&mdash;a serious conflict.
+Nothing but nearness to the Saviour will prepare a man to pass through
+such a conflict, and keep safely on the side of truth and duty.</p>
+
+<p>5. If, after examining thoroughly and prayerfully the question of
+becoming a missionary, the mind waver between conflicting reasons, it
+will be safest to lean to the side of the greatest self-denial.</p>
+
+<p>6. In selecting the place of the greatest usefulness in the wide field
+of the world, the best rule is, to fly to the post most likely to be
+deserted.</p>
+
+<p>7. A kindred principle is, to do in person the more difficult and
+unpleasant work, and to commit the more easy and delightful to proxy.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>8. Remember the time is short. A few days more, and we shall meet our
+Saviour in the presence of a world of souls.</p>
+
+<p>9. Keep in mind the conduct of our blessed Saviour, and be imbued with
+his spirit. Feel as he felt, and do as he did, when he beheld us in
+misery and in sin.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>TRIALS TO BE MET.</h3>
+
+
+<p>Common trials need not be named: we allude only to a few of those that
+are most severe. Take then first, the trial of leaving friends. The
+Saviour says, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not
+worthy of me, and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not
+worthy of me." The plain meaning is, to be Christians, our love to
+Christ must be supreme. Now, if it is supreme, it will show itself to be
+so in our conduct. There is full room, even at the present day, for a
+practical test of this condition of discipleship. Not only is the
+<i>spirit</i> of this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> passage required, but in many cases, a <i>literal
+compliance</i> with the identical things named in it. This saying of our
+Saviour has been too much forgotten. Like some other important sayings
+of our Lord, it has been virtually expunged. It has been regarded as
+applying only to apostolic times&mdash;to times of persecution. This is a
+wide mistake. If all nations are to be enlightened by the use of means,
+there must be a practical exhibition among Christians at the present
+time, and in all time to come, of a love to Christ superior to the love
+which we owe to father, mother, son or daughter. And this love is not
+spoken of as a high attainment in piety, but as an indispensable
+condition of discipleship. The missionary enterprise presents many
+instances of stern necessity to test and exhibit this principle.</p>
+
+<p>The occasion most familiar to the general reader, and the one best
+appreciated by him, is the time when missionaries go forth to the
+heathen. They are compelled to break away from almost every tie. The
+strength of attachment to all that is dear on earth, is a feeling that
+may be experienced, and can be imagined too, in part, but can never be
+de<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span>scribed. There are a thousand ties, and tender ties too, that must be
+sundered. The loved scenes of childhood and youth, and scenes of sacred
+peace and pleasure that cluster about the sanctuary, the conference-room
+and the praying circle, must all receive a parting thought.
+Friends&mdash;dear friends and connections, must receive a last adieu and a
+lingering look. But O how keen the sensation when the last sigh, the
+last tear, and the last embrace is to be exchanged with father and
+mother, brother and sister&mdash;when all the touching associations of
+kindred and home are for once revived to be dismissed forever!</p>
+
+<p>Imagine not that the sensibilities of missionaries are less exquisite
+than those of other persons. The pangs they endure are indeed alleviated
+by soothing considerations drawn from the Gospel; but they are,
+notwithstanding, deep&mdash;deeper than the looker-on may at first suppose.</p>
+
+<p>There may be some persons&mdash;I have heard of such&mdash;who misrepresent the
+feelings and motives of missionaries in leaving their friends; who
+impute to them cold hearts and a bluntness of sensibility; who say that
+they are wanting in filial devotion, and can therefore<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> leave aged
+parents to droop and die: that they have a small share of fraternal
+affection, and that it is therefore they can break away from the embrace
+of brothers and sisters, and leave them in anguish and in tears. All
+these remarks are sometimes made, and perhaps oftener secretly indulged,
+than openly expressed. It is often that the missionary is not allowed to
+take his leave merely with a bleeding heart and a soul gushing with
+emotion, but is compelled to endure a keener anguish: that of knowing
+that the course he is taking, agonizing as it is, is imputed by some to
+a want of sensibility; to a destitution of the finer, tenderer, and more
+delicate feelings, that adorn society, and that make families lovely and
+happy. Here then are trials: such, however, as he must cheerfully meet
+for Christ's sake.</p>
+
+<p>But the separation from home, with its numerous and nameless
+endearments, and at the risk of misrepresentation, is but the first
+lesson of obedience. That person whose love to Christ is so weak as to
+fail here on the threshold, would give but poor evidence of being
+prepared for similar and severer trials in prospect. The <i>main</i> occasion
+for exemplify<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span>ing the spirit of the Saviour's words to which we have
+alluded, is on heathen ground, when stern necessity calls upon parents
+to make the best disposition in their power in regard to their own
+children. This is an occasion not so well understood by the Christian
+community as the one I have noticed. The difficulties in the way of
+properly training children on heathen ground are not clearly seen;
+neither are all the objections appreciated which attend the usual
+alternative, that of sending them to a Christian land. These are the
+occasions of trial, compared with which all other sufferings of the
+missionary are scarcely worthy of being named. They are trials, however,
+that must be met, not evaded; for the Saviour says, "He that loveth son
+or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." They must be cheerfully
+met, and counted "all joy," or we cannot claim the spirit of the first
+disciples.</p>
+
+<p>There are those, I know, who would relieve this subject at once by
+proposing the celibacy of missionaries; but the argument of such persons
+can hardly be deemed worth considering, till they shall know a little
+more "what they say, and whereof they affirm." Celibacy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> for ministers
+at home would be a much more proper and expedient arrangement, than for
+missionaries in most foreign fields. And one would think that the
+experience of the church, from the days of the apostles till now, had
+taught us enough to silence at once any such proposition, and to place
+it forever at rest. Were it in place for me, I could give reasons here
+to the heart's content: but I deem it more prudent to forbear.</p>
+
+<p>The <span class="smcap">difficulties</span> in the way of training children on heathen ground,
+cannot all be named; and fewer still can be justly appreciated by those
+who have never made the attempt. What I shall say will apply
+particularly to barbarous and degraded nations, such as the Sandwich
+Islanders once were; for it is to such nations that the missionary's eye
+should be specially directed.</p>
+
+<p>I shall mention first, <i>the difficulty of keeping children from the
+pollutions and vices of the heathen</i>. Children have eyes, and among the
+heathen what do they see? I need only refer you to the knowledge you
+already possess of the naked condition, vile habits, and gross vices of
+a barbarous people. There is much in heathen society which cannot be
+described,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> but which children must more or less witness. The state of
+things, in this respect, is very much improved at the Sandwich Islands;
+but I refer to that condition in which they once were&mdash;to that condition
+in which all barbarous nations are, without the light of the Gospel.
+Imagine then to yourself this feature of heathen society, and then
+repeat the inquiry, What do children see?</p>
+
+<p>Again, children have ears, and they cannot be so effectually closed as
+to be kept from learning in some measure the language of the heathen.
+And if they become acquainted with the language of the heathen, what do
+they hear day after day? In many a pagan country they are liable to hear
+disputes, contentions, revilings, execration and blasphemy; but what is
+more, they are liable to hear in familiar, unblushing and open
+conversation, words and phrases which are not so much as to be named.
+The heathen have no forbidden words in their language. Every term is
+liable to be brought into public and frequent use without the least
+sense of impropriety.</p>
+
+<p>On account of this pernicious example and vile conversation, many
+missionaries, where it is practicable, make walls about their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> houses,
+and endeavor by strict inclosures to prevent their children from having
+intercourse with the natives. This can be done in some places, and to
+some degree, while children are young; but when they are somewhat grown
+up, it is preposterous to think of keeping them within inclosures. And
+as soon as they are out of their inclosures, there are a thousand
+pitfalls ready for their feet, on the right hand and on the left. How
+much solicitude was felt by Abraham and Isaac for their children, on
+account of the heathen population which surrounded them. This pernicious
+influence, better imagined than described, and still better seen than
+imagined, is one of the reasons which lead missionaries to undergo the
+agony of separation, and to send their children to a Christian land.
+This evil at the Sandwich Islands is much diminished, but not so much so
+as may at first glance be supposed from the progress in Christianity
+which has been made, and from the powerful revivals which have here been
+experienced.</p>
+
+<p>Again it must be remarked, that children trained up on heathen shores
+are in danger of <i>contracting habits of indolence</i>. The heathen, as a
+general remark, exert themselves<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> no oftener and no longer than they
+feel the pressure of present want. They are far from being industrious,
+and farther still from anything like enterprise. Those nations that are
+partly civilized exhibit more or less industry, and are acquainted with
+some of the arts; but barbarous nations are acquainted with none of the
+improvements that elevate society, and exhibit a state of lounging
+indolence and torpid inactivity. If there be noise, it is not the rattle
+and whirl of business, or the hum of industry; but the noise of giddy
+mirth, boisterous and unmeaning laughter, or fierce and angry
+contention. If there be stillness, it is not the peace and quiet of
+well-ordered society, but the gloomy and deathlike stillness of
+indolence, sensuality, and beastly degradation. Now, who does not know
+that children are likely to be much influenced by the aspect and
+character of the society by which they are surrounded? Who does not know
+that they are likely to imbibe the spirit of the nation in which they
+live, whether on the one hand it be that of industry and enterprise, or
+on the other, that of sensual ease and torpid indolence? Let a youth be
+trained up in a village of intelligence, active industry and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> stirring
+enterprise; let his ears be filled with the noise of business from
+morning till night; let him travel in stages, in steamboats and on
+railroads, and it will be next to impossible for him to be indolent and
+sluggish. But in heathen society, the whole atmosphere is entirely
+different; it is a choke-damp to all activity, and it falls on the
+senses with a benumbing and deadening influence.</p>
+
+<p>But more than this, missionaries have no business in which to employ
+their children; and if it were possible to devise business in which to
+employ them, there is no one to superintend their labor. Missionaries
+have no time for the purpose, and no other persons, among most pagan
+nations, can be found who are trusty and competent. This is a stubborn
+fact, and stands in the way as a very great obstacle. Neither, in most
+cases, can the children of missionaries be kept industrious in the
+acquisition of knowledge. Their fathers and mothers cannot devote so
+much of their time to their children, as to keep their minds
+industriously employed in the pursuit of knowledge; and as to schools,
+most missions are not thus favored. Missionaries then, if they keep
+their children on heathen ground,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> run the risk of seeing them grow up
+in habits of inactivity and indolence. This, if a risk, is a fearful
+one; for missionaries ardently wish their children to be useful when
+they themselves shall be dead. But indolence and usefulness are the
+opposites of each other; whereas indolence and vice are closely allied.
+To prevent then this deadly evil, of having their children grow up in
+indolent habits, is one of the strong reasons why missionaries resort to
+the heart-rending alternative of parting with their children, with but
+little probability of seeing them again this side the grave.</p>
+
+<p>Again, as the state of things now is, the children of missionaries, if
+kept on heathen ground, can possess but <i>very limited advantages for
+mental improvement</i>. Their mothers cannot be depended upon to instruct
+them much in literature and the sciences. Under the influence of a
+withering atmosphere, often sick, with no help in many countries in
+their domestic affairs but untrusty domestics, and often with none at
+all, and obliged to attend to many calls from the people, or run the
+risk of giving offence, how can they be expected to find much time and
+strength for disciplining the minds of their children, and storing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> them
+with useful knowledge? They may succeed in giving them an acquaintance
+with the branches of common education, but to carry them into the higher
+branches is, as a general remark, entirely out of the question. Such a
+task is by no means expected of a minister's wife at home, much less can
+it be expected of the wife of a missionary.</p>
+
+<p>Neither can their fathers be depended upon to give a thorough education.
+Ministers at home would find it a great encroachment upon their time to
+spend several hours each day in instructing their own children; but they
+have <i>vastly</i> more leisure to do so than the foreign missionary. To
+instruct a class of three or four requires the same apparatus, the same
+preparation in the teacher, and the same number of hours each day, as
+would be required for a class of thirty or forty. But should a
+missionary devote such an amount of time and means to his own family, it
+must be to the neglect of other labor. The most economical, and the most
+efficient course by far, evidently is, to collect together a sufficient
+number of missionaries' children to form a school, and devote a
+competent number of teachers entirely to that work.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But even where such schools can be enjoyed, they must be attended with
+many risks and privations, and be only preparatory in their nature.
+Those scholars, who may need a thorough education, must be still under
+the necessity of visiting a Christian land. It is too of great, and
+perhaps indispensable importance, that youth who are trained for active
+life should see the industry, enterprise, and intelligence of a
+Christian land, and so far, at least, partake of its character and
+imbibe its spirit.</p>
+
+<p>Missionaries, then, must either suffer their children to grow up with a
+very limited education, or submit to the alternative sooner or later of
+sending them to a Christian land. But missionaries see the want of
+laborers in the great field of the world, and ardently desire that their
+children may be qualified to take part in the work. They choose
+therefore the present anguish of separation, bitter as it may be, that
+there may exist a reasonable prospect that their children, at some
+future day, may be eminently useful in the vineyard of the Lord.</p>
+
+<p>One other difficulty I must name, and that is, that missionaries'
+children, if kept on hea<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span>then ground, will have <i>no prospect of suitable
+employment when old enough to settle in life</i>. They will have no trades.
+To be merchants they will not have means. They will not be acquainted
+with agriculture, and in many countries will not be able to obtain land
+to cultivate. Some, who are fit for the work, may become preachers and
+teachers, but will not command the influence that they would if they
+were educated in a Christian land. Thus the prospect of suitable
+employment is very dark, and is a fact in the case of much weight.</p>
+
+<p>These reasons and others that might be named, possess in the minds of
+missionaries immense force&mdash;force enough, in many instances, to induce
+them to tear from their embrace the dear objects of their love, and to
+send them over a wide ocean to the care of friends, and often to the
+care of strangers. They do not lead all parents to this result; for on
+the other hand, there are strong, very strong objections to such a
+course. The trial in either case is great; but it is one that must be
+met, not evaded. It is wise to count the cost, but it is treason to be
+faint-hearted; for the trial, after all, cannot weigh much in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span>
+balance against the eternal interests of the dying heathen. <span class="smcap">How much
+worse is the condition of millions upon millions of heathen children</span>!</p>
+
+<p>The first <span class="smcap">objection</span> in the minds of missionaries against sending their
+children home, is, that <i>such a measure seems unnatural</i>. That it is a
+violation of nature, all parents not only admit, but most deeply <i>feel</i>.
+God has implanted feelings in the breast of natural parents, which
+peculiarly fit them to take care of their own children. No other persons
+can precisely take their place, and feel the same interest, the same
+unwearied concern&mdash;the same unprovoked temper and unchangeable love
+through good report and through evil report. In a word, no other
+persons, however good and worthy, can be <i>natural parents</i>. Guardians
+can be found, who will feel a warm interest in those children who are
+bright, interesting, well-behaved and pious. But to feel properly for
+children that are dull, uninteresting and wayward, requires a <i>parent's
+heart</i>.</p>
+
+<p>That this is the state of the case, is too true to be denied. For
+parents, then, to violate this provision of nature, is causing a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> sword
+to pierce through their own bosoms, and the bosoms of their children: to
+do it without sufficient reasons, is to act at variance with the God who
+made them. In the feelings implanted in the breasts of parents towards
+their children, God has established a general rule: has made known his
+will, his law, and indelibly inscribed it on the parent's heart.
+Missionaries must be able to plead an <i>exception</i> to this general law,
+or they will be found to be opposing the will of their Maker. That the
+very strong reasons they can urge really justify an exception, is plain
+to the minds of many, but not to the minds of all.</p>
+
+<p>Another objection arises from the command binding upon parents to train
+up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It is clear
+to the minds of some missionaries, that the spirit of this and similar
+commands is complied with when they make provision, according to the
+best of their judgment, for the religious education of their children.
+By others it is thought, that these explicit commands of God cannot be
+obeyed by any arrangement which commits the work to proxy; that there is
+risk in committing the work to others; that fully to obey God, parents,
+if not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> removed by death, must <i>in person</i> pray with their children and
+instruct them in the truths of the Gospel; and that they must do this,
+not only through the period of childhood, but also through the season of
+youth, or till their children are old enough to think and act for
+themselves. It is admitted by all, that it is <i>desirable</i> that parents
+should do this interesting and responsible work in person. No one else
+can do it with the feeling and unction natural to parents. All not only
+admit this to be true, but <i>feel</i> it, too, to the very centre of their
+souls. But some think that it is not only very desirable, but altogether
+indispensable&mdash;that any other course is an unwarrantable substitution of
+human wisdom for the explicit direction of the all-wise God. The reader
+must judge whether this position is tenable or not.</p>
+
+<p>There is another objection: If missionaries' children are sent home,
+then one very important <i>influence of a missionary's family upon the
+heathen</i> is in a great measure lost. Among the heathen, the family
+constitution is in ruins. The state of society is almost a perfect
+chaos. It is of immense importance, therefore, not only to inculcate the
+principles<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> of domestic peace, but actually to bring before their eyes
+living examples of well-ordered and happy families. They need to see,
+not only young children well governed, but also the mutual interchanges
+of love, affection and duty, between young people and their aged
+parents. But this they cannot see if children are sent home. A
+missionary's family, who sends his older children home, and keeps with
+him only those that are quite young, is not like a tree adorned with its
+natural and well-proportioned branches, but presents the aspect of a
+tree closely trimmed, and with only a few twigs left at the very top.
+And when all his children are sent away, his family presents the aspect
+of a trunk without branch, shoot, twig or foliage, standing alone in an
+open field. This is unnatural, blighting to much of the comfort and
+cheerfulness of the parental abode, and is not the example which it is
+desirable to hold up before the eyes of the heathen. One important
+reason, then, why a missionary should have a family, is lost in sending
+his children home.</p>
+
+<p>I mention as another objection, the dangerous influence to which
+children are more or less exposed on a <i>long voyage at sea</i>. From<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> some
+of the missionary fields, the voyage must be five, six, or seven months.
+I speak not of what are called the dangers of the deep, or the hardships
+of a sea life for six or seven months. These are of little account. The
+danger of which I speak is, the pernicious influence to which for that
+length of time they are exposed. This is an objection which, though not
+of sufficient weight in itself to determine one's course, may yet come
+in as an item in making up the account.</p>
+
+<p>On the supposition that children are sent, they go of course without
+their parents. In some cases the protector to whom they are to be
+intrusted may not be altogether such as could be desired. Even in case a
+parent accompanies the children, he will find it a great task to keep
+them from many pernicious influences during a long voyage. In very many
+ships they will hear more or less profane, low, vulgar and infamous
+language, both in conversation and in song. They will see exhibitions of
+anger, impatience, fretfulness, boisterous laughter and giddy mirth.
+They will see the holy Sabbath made a day of business, or at best a day
+of lounging and idleness. They will be likely on the one hand to
+receive<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> such caresses as to make them vain and self-important; or, on
+the other hand, to be so treated as to chafe their tempers and injure
+their dispositions. In short, for six or seven months, they must be
+thrown into a strange family; into a family confined to the narrow
+limits of a ship's cabin and deck; into a family over which the parent
+of the children has no control; into a family, too, composed of the
+variety of character and disposition of those who sail on the ocean.
+Thus circumstanced, children inevitably suffer much, even under the
+vigilant eye of a parent, and still more would they suffer under any eye
+less careful and attentive. This moral danger to which children are
+exposed at sea, though not an objection of the strongest kind, is yet an
+item worthy of being noticed. Missionaries think of it when sending away
+their children, and dread it far more than tempests and tornadoes.</p>
+
+<p>Another objection is, that <i>no adequate provision is made for the
+support and education of missionaries' children</i>, if sent to a Christian
+land. The provision that is made by the American Board of Commissioners
+is $60 a year for a boy till he is eighteen years of age,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> and $50 a
+year for a girl during the same period. Now, every one sees that this is
+a sum scarcely sufficient to furnish them with food and clothing,
+without provision for sickness or means of education. It may be said,
+that they must be thrown much upon the spontaneous charities of
+Christians and of friends. But such a dependence must be uncertain,
+especially as few Christians appreciate the reasons and feelings of
+missionaries in sending home their children. Who of my readers in
+Christian lands would be willing to throw his own child on such a
+precarious subsistence?</p>
+
+<p>But the strongest objection, in my opinion is this: <i>If no other course
+can be adopted than that of sending the children home, it is to be
+feared that the number of missionaries will never be so increased as to
+afford a rational prospect of the world's conversion.</i> While the plan of
+sending children home is cherished, it will seem so incompatible with a
+large number of laborers, that it will tend to perpetuate the
+destructive notion, that the nations are to be saved by the labors of
+merely a few hundred men. But if means are to be employed in any measure
+commensurate with the end<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> in view, a few men cannot put forth the
+instrumentality needed to elevate all nations. To commit the work to a
+few is in truth to relinquish it. If, then, the measure of sending
+children home should tend in the least to favor this destructive notion,
+it must, if possible, be avoided. This tendency is disastrous; and is,
+of course, an objection of immense force.</p>
+
+<p>It is clear that there are, on the one hand, very strong reasons for
+sending children home, and on the other hand, very strong objections to
+such a course. Missionaries, then, are reduced to a very trying dilemma.
+Whichever course they choose, it is equally distressing. Whichever way
+they turn, they find enough to rend their hearts with anguish. There are
+two cups, mixed indeed with different ingredients, but equally bitter,
+one of which they must drink. Their only comfort is to look upward, pour
+their sorrows into the ear of God, and cast their cares on him who
+careth for them. This is a trial, the sting of which cannot be
+appreciated except by those who have felt it. It is by far the greatest
+trial of the missionary, and probably greater than all his other trials
+combined.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> The pain of leaving one's kindred and country is nothing
+compared with it.</p>
+
+<p>But if the cup be of such a mixture, can there be found those whose
+hearts are so insensible as to throw in other ingredients to make the
+draught more bitter? If missionaries keep their children, and ask for
+the requisite means of education, shall they be called extravagant? If
+they send them home, shall they be regarded as possessing but a small
+share of natural affection?</p>
+
+<p>Here, then, are trials; but however great, they are to be met, not
+evaded&mdash;met by the churches, met by missionaries; and however severe and
+agonizing such trials, they are nothing in the balance against the dying
+condition of the heathen. The situation of our children, trying as it
+is, is unspeakably better than that of three hundred millions of heathen
+children and youth. The Saviour commands&mdash;the world is dying&mdash;and he
+that loveth son or daughter more than Christ is not worthy of him.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The inquiry is worth notice, Whether the situation of missionaries
+cannot be so altered as to change very materially the state of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span>
+question, in regard to their children? Would not such a change be
+effected by the going forth of laymen in great numbers, and of all the
+useful professions, arts and employments, so as to form little circles
+here and there over the earth?</p>
+
+<p>A great part of the heathen world is open for such classes of men.
+Appeals for such men have been sent from Africa, Asia Minor, Siam, the
+Sandwich Islands, and in short from almost every mission. They would of
+course labor under greater or less disadvantages; but these
+disadvantages should only have the effect to call forth the more energy,
+patience and perseverance.</p>
+
+<p>But it will be asked, How would the going forth of such classes of men
+better the condition of missionaries' children?</p>
+
+<p>1. They would afford society, form a public sentiment, and thus serve in
+a measure to keep children from the influence of a heathen population.
+It is already found on heathen ground, that where there are several
+families of missionaries, the children form a society among themselves;
+but where there is but one family, the children are more inclined to
+seek society among the degraded objects about them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>2. Again, if men of various useful employments should be located with
+the missionary, there would be held up before the children examples of
+Christian industry and enterprise; whereas, in their present isolated
+condition, the children suffer from an atmosphere of indolence and
+stagnation.</p>
+
+<p>3. The going forth of such men to introduce the different arts and
+occupations, would afford suitable employment for the children and youth
+of missionaries, and furnish them to some extent with permanent
+situations in mature life.</p>
+
+<p>4. If there were such little circles of laymen as we suppose, they would
+have at whatever sacrifice, as the Pilgrims of New England did,
+institutions of learning among themselves, where children and youth
+might receive a suitable education.</p>
+
+<p>Unless some arrangement of this kind can be made, the trials of
+missionaries must remain unrelieved and unmitigated. And even with such
+an arrangement, the trial would be only in part removed. Even then the
+children of foreign laborers would by no means receive all the
+advantages of a Christian land, neither would they be shielded from all
+the evils of a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> heathen community. But it is worthy of thought, whether
+by such an arrangement they would not be so far shielded, and possess
+advantages to such an amount, as to change the preponderance of
+argument.</p>
+
+<p>Then, in addition to this or some similar arrangement, should not
+Christians <i>be more liberal in affording means and facilities for
+education, and expect of missionaries to devote to their children more
+of their time</i>?</p>
+
+<p>I have now brought before your minds the greatest of all missionary
+trials; and yet I urge many of you, ministers and laymen, and urge you
+considerately and solemnly too, to enter the work. I have not hesitated
+to state freely the whole difficulty, for I am in no wise unwilling that
+you should count the cost. And I would say with Gideon, "Whosoever is
+fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early." God desires no
+faint-hearted men in his service. He desires men that shrink from no
+self-denial for his sake. For after their trials are over&mdash;and they will
+be but short[1]&mdash;he wishes to crown them with glory, and place them at
+his own right hand as partners<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> of his throne. He will place no
+unbelieving, faint-hearted men there. He will place none there who are
+not "worthy of him." And remember that he said, "He that loveth son or
+daughter more than me, is not worthy of me."</p>
+
+<p>[1: The author, soon after writing this appeal, was called to
+enter into the joy of his Lord.]</p>
+
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>In looking at the embarrassment of missionaries in regard to their
+children, a thought something like this is apt to arise: missionaries
+are by profession a class of self-denying persons, and this trial is
+only in consistency with the life they have chosen. Now, where in the
+Bible do you find, that a spirit of self-denial and of consecration is
+enjoined peculiarly upon missionaries more than upon others? Where do
+you find it intimated, that a missionary spirit is a thing superadded to
+Christian character? An entire consecration of our children to Christ is
+not a test of missionary spirit, but a test of discipleship. Not the
+missionary, but "<i>He</i>, that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not
+worthy of me."</p>
+
+<p>The spirit of this injunction requires <i>all</i> parents to train up their
+children in that way in which they may be of the greatest service<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> to
+Christ; and not only to be willing&mdash;that would be but a small measure of
+Christian feeling&mdash;but earnestly and constantly to pray, that they may
+be employed in that part of his vineyard, and in that kind of work,
+where they can be instrumental of the most good, even though it be on
+some distant shore, teaching the alphabet to the ignorant and degraded.</p>
+
+<p>But is this the spirit which prevails in the churches? I have seen it
+stated that, of twenty or more young men in a theological institution,
+who were at the same time agitating the question of their duty to become
+missionaries, <i>all but two were discouraged by their parents, and these
+two were the sons of widows</i>. Many other facts of a similar kind might
+be added, if it were best to name them. Many parents give their children
+to the Lord when young, and talk of locating them on the shores of
+Japan, or New Guinea; but the very manner of educating them&mdash;in
+softness, delicacy and helplessness&mdash;shows at once the inefficacy of
+such a profession. Many parents are quite ready to consecrate their
+children before they become pious. "O, if the Saviour would only convert
+my child, I would readily<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> yield him to go to any part of the world, and
+to perform any service for which he might be fitted." The child becomes
+a Christian, and proposes to go to the heathen. The parents cling,
+dissuade, and throw every consideration in the way to keep him at home.</p>
+
+<p>At the judgment day, if I mistake not, we shall see a great deal of our
+conduct in a different light from what we do now.</p>
+
+<p>The spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of self-denial for the sake of
+Christ. The Saviour is worthy of our highest love, and no earthly
+attachment can be allowed to come in competition with the supreme
+affection which we owe to him. This love to Christ must be manifested by
+obeying his commandments. To yield strict obedience to Christ in this
+world, disordered and confused by sin, it is frequently necessary to
+sunder some of the tenderest ties on earth. Keen as is the sensation, it
+must be endured. A child must not cling unduly to a parent, nor a parent
+to a child, but each cling with more ardent feelings and firmer grasp to
+Jesus Christ and his cause. This world is not our rest. Neither is it a
+place to give much indulgence to many of the fond affections of the
+soul. There is no time<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> for it. We live in a world of sin&mdash;a confused,
+disordered and chaotic world&mdash;in a revolted territory, among a crowd of
+sinners dying an eternal death. The main point then is, to save our own
+souls and the souls of as many as possible of our fellow men, before the
+grave shall close upon us. The indulgence of many of our tenderer
+feelings of love and fondness must be postponed to a more peaceful
+abode. While in a world of dying souls, self-denial and laborious effort
+are most in place. Parental and filial affection should be deep and
+ardent indeed, but under the control of judgment. Love to Christ and to
+souls must predominate and govern our conduct.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS***</p>
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Thoughts on Missions, by Sheldon Dibble
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Thoughts on Missions
+
+
+Author: Sheldon Dibble
+
+
+
+Release Date: July 15, 2008  [eBook #26062]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Anne Folland, Juliet Sutherland, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)
+
+
+
+THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS.
+
+by the Late
+
+REV. SHELDON DIBBLE,
+
+Missionary in the Sandwich Islands.
+
+
+     Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every
+     creature.--MARK 16:15.
+
+     Go--teach all nations.--MATT. 28:19.
+
+     Prove all things--hold fast that which is good.--1 THES. 5:21.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Published by the
+American Tract Society,
+150 Nassau-Street, New-York.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE TRUE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS.
+                                                            PAGE.
+
+Lowliness and condescension, like our Saviour's, essential
+to missionary character,                                     18
+
+The true Missionary is ready, like Christ, to endure
+suffering for the good of others,                            21
+
+The true Missionary, like his Master, waits not to be
+urged and entreated,                                         24
+
+The true Missionary, like the Saviour, feels no less
+compassion and love to the heathen on account
+of their ingratitude and enmity towards him,                 26
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP.
+
+All we have belongs to God,                                  32
+
+To occupy all our powers for God, we must equal
+the engagedness and enterprise of worldly men,               34
+
+How much faithful stewards may consume on themselves
+and children,                                                40
+
+The best use of a large capital,                             46
+
+Money not the main thing needed,                             50
+
+The luxury and honor of being God's stewards,                56
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+GUILT OF NEGLECTING THE HEATHEN.
+
+Prospects of the heathen for eternity,                       64
+
+Peculiar advantages of the American churches to
+carry abroad the Gospel of Christ,                           69
+
+Do we pray for the heathen as much as we ought?              73
+
+Do we give as much as we ought to evangelize the
+heathen?                                                     75
+
+Do we go and instruct the heathen as we ought?               81
+
+Why are the heathen lost?                                    85
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE SAVIOUR'S LAST COMMAND.
+
+Excuses of Christians for not doing more to evangelize
+the heathen,                                                102
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+LAYMEN CALLED TO THE FIELD OF MISSIONS.
+
+Labors of the first disciples, dispersed from Jerusalem
+by persecution,                                             111
+
+To elevate all nations requires a great variety of
+laborers,                                                   116
+
+Feasibility,                                                126
+
+Reasons why laymen should engage in the work of
+Missions,                                                   130
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+CLAIMS OF MISSIONS ON MINISTERS OF INFLUENCE.
+
+Separation of Barnabas and Saul for the Missionary
+work,                                                        134
+
+The present distribution of ministers anti-apostolic,        141
+
+Insufficient excuses of pastors for remaining at
+home,                                                        147
+
+Other excuses of pastors that have weight, but are
+not sufficient,                                              155
+
+Necessity that some pastors of influence and talent
+should become Missionaries,                                  161
+
+Some excuses common to pastors and to candidates
+for the ministry,                                            169
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+IMPORT OF THE GREAT COMMISSION.
+
+Responsibility not peculiar to Missionaries,                178
+
+The fallacy of endeavoring to convert the world by
+proxy,                                                      181
+
+No cheap or easy way of converting the world,               191
+
+Some rules that may be of use in agitating the question
+of becoming Missionaries,                                   194
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+TRIALS TO BE MET.
+
+Difficulties in the way of training children on heathen
+ground,                                                     201
+
+Reasons in the minds of Missionaries for not sending
+their children home,                                        210
+
+Other thoughts about Missionaries' children,                218
+
+Entire consecration of children, not a duty peculiar
+to Missionaries,                                            222
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTORY LETTER.
+
+TO MY CLASSMATES IN THEOLOGY.
+
+DEAR BRETHREN IN CHRIST:--Few periods of our lives can be called to mind
+with so much ease and distinctness, as the years which we spent together
+in theological studies. The events of that short season, and the
+sentiments we then indulged, are clothed with a freshness and interest
+which the lapse of time cannot efface.
+
+Among the questions that occupied our thoughts, no one perhaps was so
+absorbing, or attended with such deep and anxious feeling, as that which
+respected the field of labor to which each should devote his life. And
+many of us then, I remember, made a mutual engagement, that if spared
+and permitted for years to labor in different portions of the vineyard
+of the Lord, we would communicate to each other our _mature_ views in
+regard to the claims of different fields.
+
+Thirteen years have elapsed; and I propose to fulfil my engagement, by
+expressing, in the form of the present little volume, the views which I
+now entertain in regard to the claims of foreign lands. To you, my
+beloved classmates, the book is specially addressed; and if I use a
+frankness and freedom, which might possibly be construed into presumption,
+if I were addressing strangers and elder brethren, I am sure that I
+shall fall under no such imputation when communicating my thoughts to
+you. I wish to express my thoughts familiarly, as we used to do to each
+other, and at the same time with the earnestness and solemnity which one
+ought always to feel when pleading for the perishing heathen.
+
+A free, full, and earnest discussion of such sentiments as those
+contained in this book, had no small influence, under God, in preparing
+the way for that extensive work of grace at these islands, which has
+been denominated the Great Revival. At the General meetings of the
+mission in the month of May of 1836 and 1837, the main doctrines of this
+volume were thoroughly canvassed, and with deep effect upon every member
+present. Our feelings were enlisted, our hearts were warmed, and our
+thoughts were absorbed by the great topic of the world's conversion. The
+theme, in all its amazing import and solemn aspects, was allowed to take
+possession of our souls. It gave importunity to prayer, earnestness and
+unction to our conversation and sermons, and zeal, energy, and
+perseverance to every department of our work; and the result was soon
+apparent in the wide-spread and glorious revival.
+
+It can almost be said, therefore, that the main sentiments of this
+volume have received the impress of the Divine approbation.
+
+In the fall of 1837, I was constrained by family afflictions and the
+failure of my own health, to embark for the United States. As I began to
+breathe the bracing air of Cape Horn, my strength in a measure revived,
+and having no other employment on board ship, I sketched the outlines of
+most of the chapters of this little volume. My heart was full of the
+theme in the discussion of which I had taken part before my embarkation,
+and I penned my thoughts freely, amidst the tossings of the ship and the
+care of two motherless children.
+
+On my arrival in the United States, I revised and filled up the outlines
+I had sketched, and delivered them, in connection with various historical
+lectures, at several places, as Providence gave me opportunity. Now,
+having returned to these islands, I have thought best to give the
+chapters a second revision, to dedicate the whole to you, and with the
+help of the press to send you each a copy, accompanying it with my
+prayers and my most affectionate salutations. And may I not expect,
+beloved classmates, that you will read the book with candor, weigh well
+its arguments, admit its entreaties to your hearts, as those of your
+former associate, and act in accordance with the convictions of duty?
+
+Among the considerations that have prompted me to the train of thought
+contained in this book, as well as to the views interwoven in my history
+of the Sandwich Islands, I may mention, as not the least weighty and
+prominent, a dutiful respect and filial obedience to the instructions
+delivered to me, in connection with others, by the wise and devoted
+EVARTS, on the eve of our embarkation for the foreign field. The
+delivery of those instructions was his last effort of the kind, and they
+may therefore be regarded as the parental accents of his departing
+spirit. On that occasion of interest, to which memory can never be
+treacherous, a part of the charge to us was in the following words:
+
+"From the very commencement of your missionary life, cultivate a spirit
+of enterprise. Without such a spirit, nothing great will be achieved in
+any human pursuit; and this is an age of enterprise, to a remarkable and
+unprecedented extent. In manufactures, in the mechanic arts, in
+agriculture, in education, in the science of government, men are awake
+and active; their minds are all on the alert; their ingenuity is tasked;
+and they are making improvements with the greatest zeal. Shall not the
+same enterprise be seen in moral and religious things? Shall not
+missionaries, especially, aim at making discoveries and improvements in
+the noblest of all practical sciences--that of applying the means which
+God has provided, for the moral renovation of the world?
+
+"There are many problems yet to be solved before it can be said, that the
+best mode of administering missionary concerns has been discovered.
+What degree of expense shall be incurred in the support of missionary
+families, so as to secure the greatest possible efficiency with a given
+amount of money; how to dispose of the children of missionaries, in a
+manner most grateful to their parents, and most creditable to the cause;
+in what proportion to spend money and time upon the education of the
+heathen, as a distinct thing from preaching the Gospel; how far the
+press should be employed; by what means the attention of the heathen can
+be best gained at the beginning; how their wayward practices and habits
+can be best restrained and corrected; how the intercourse between
+missionaries and the Christian world can be conducted in the best
+manner, so as to secure the highest responsibility, and the most entire
+confidence; and how the suitable proportion between ministers of the
+Gospel retained at home, and missionaries sent abroad, is to be fixed in
+practice, as well as in principle: all these things present questions
+yet to be solved. There is room for boundless enterprise, therefore, in
+the great missionary field, which is the world."
+
+I have not attempted to discuss all the topics here named, but have
+endeavored to cultivate in some degree, as enjoined in the paragraph, a
+spirit of _enterprising inquiry_.
+
+If this book shall impart any light on the interesting topic of
+Christian duty to the heathen, and be owned by the Saviour, in the
+great day, as having contributed, though but in a small degree, towards
+that glorious consummation of which the prophets speak, and to which we
+all look forward, I shall be richly rewarded.
+
+Your affectionate classmate,
+
+SHELDON DIBBLE.
+
+LAHAINALUNA, _Feb. 17, 1844_.
+
+
+
+
+THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE TRUE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS.
+
+
+The apostles, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, uniformly enforce
+their exhortations by tender appeals to the example, sufferings, and
+death of their ascended Lord. Is humility inculcated? the argument is,
+Christ "humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death
+of the cross." Is purity of life enjoined? the plea is, Christ "gave
+himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify
+unto himself a peculiar people." Is liberality required? we are pointed
+to Christ, who, "though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that
+we through his poverty might be rich." Is entire consecration to Christ
+enjoined? the appeal is, "he died for all, that they who live should
+not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and
+rose again."
+
+In like manner, in gaining a true idea of the spirit of missions, the
+proper course evidently is, to look at once at the missionary character
+of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was indeed a missionary. He came to save
+the lost. He was a missionary to _us_. He came to save _us_.
+
+We had wandered and were lost. We were guilty and condemned. We were in a
+state of despair. Nothing within the compass of human means could avail
+in the least to avert the impending wrath of God. All wisdom became
+foolishness. All resource was futile. Not a ray of hope remained--not
+the least flickering gleam. Whichever way the eye turned, there was
+darkness--horror--despair. But Christ came, and hope again visited the
+earth. It was when we were helpless--hopeless--justly exposed to the
+horrors and agonies of the world of woe, that Jesus undertook his
+mission, and appeared for our relief.
+
+This truth cannot be too deeply impressed upon us, here, at the very
+threshold of our inquiries in regard to the spirit of missions; and to
+spread it out distinctly before our minds, let us take a simple
+illustration.
+
+You are a captive in a foreign land, and have long been immured in a
+deep, damp, and gloomy dungeon. Sorrow, sighing, and tears have been
+your meat day and night. Anguish, gloom, and a fearful looking for of
+death, combined with hunger, cold, and a bed of straw, have induced
+disease, wasted your flesh, destroyed every energy, and entirely drank
+up your spirits. Sentence of death is pronounced against you, and the
+day fixed for your execution. The massive walls and iron grating look
+down sternly upon you, and rebuke at once all hope of escape.
+Entreaties, tears, and the offer of gold and silver have been tried, but
+in vain. Effort and means have given place to horror and despair. The
+prospect before you is the scaffold, the block, a yawning grave, and a
+dread eternity. In this extremity a friend appears, and offers to be
+substituted in your place. The offer is accepted. You, pale, emaciated,
+and horror-stricken, are brought from your dungeon to behold once more
+the light of day. The irons are knocked off from your hands and
+feet--your tattered garments exchanged for cleanly apparel--and a ship
+is in readiness to convey you to the land of your birth and the bosom
+of your friends. The vital current of your soul, so long chilled and
+wasted, now flows again with warmth and vigor; your eyes are lighted up,
+and tears of joy burst forth like a flood. But, in the midst of your
+joy, you are told of your deliverer. You turn, and behold! the irons
+that were upon you are fastened upon him--he is clothed in your tattered
+garments--is about to be led to your gloomy dungeon--lie on your bed of
+straw, and thence to be taken in your stead to the scaffold or the
+block. You throw yourself at his feet, and entreat him to desist; but
+when you find his purpose fixed, you finally wish you had a thousand
+hearts to feel the gratitude you owe, and ten thousand tongues to give
+it utterance.
+
+The Lord Jesus Christ has done for us all this, and unspeakably _more_.
+We were under condemnation. The sentence of God's righteous law was
+against us. The flaming sword of Divine vengeance was unsheathed. All
+above and around us were the dark frowns of the Almighty and the red
+lightnings of his wrath. Beneath us was not merely a damp dungeon, but
+the bottomless pit yawning to receive us, and its flames ascending to
+envelope our guilty souls. There was no escape. The prospect was
+weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth--the agony of Jehovah's frown
+forever. In this extremity the Saviour appeared--substituted himself in
+our stead--bare our sins in his own body on the tree--received upon his
+own agonized soul what was our due, and thus delivered us from the
+untold horrors of eternal death, and opened before us the gate of
+heaven.
+
+To save the lost, then, was the spirit of Christ. The apostles imbibed
+this spirit. _It is the spirit of missions._ The heathen are in a lost
+condition. If we have the spirit of Christ we shall do what we can to
+save them. The spirit of missions is not something different from, or
+superadded to, the Christian spirit, but is simply, essentially, and
+emphatically _the_ spirit of Christ. It is compassion for the perishing;
+and such compassion as leads the possessor to put forth strenuous
+efforts, and to undergo, if need be, the severest sufferings.
+
+As we shall look somewhat in detail at the manifestations of the spirit
+of Christ, we shall see very evidently the great outlines of what alone
+is worthy to be called the true spirit of missions.
+
+Look at the _condescension_ of Christ, and learn a lesson of duty
+towards the destitute and degraded of our race. The Son of God, by whom
+were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth,
+whether they be thrones or dominions, principalities or powers; who
+upholdeth all things by the word of his power; before whom ten thousand
+times ten thousand and thousands of thousands prostrate themselves,
+ascribing power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and
+glory, and blessing; of whom it is said, "Every knee shall bow to him,
+of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
+earth"--the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God: this
+Infinite Being empties himself of his glory, and comes down to toil,
+suffer and die--and for whom? For us worms of the dust, insects that are
+crushed before the moth.
+
+If the Saviour had come to our relief, clothed with the glory of heaven
+and surrounded by his holy angels, even that would have been a stoop of
+amazing condescension. But look at the babe of Bethlehem, born in a
+stable, and cradled in a manger; follow him to Egypt, and then back to
+Nazareth. What humility, lowliness, and condescension! Look at the
+Saviour in his public ministry. You find him oftenest among the _poor_,
+and always so demeaning himself as to be the one that was "meek and
+lowly in heart." His chosen walk was such, that it could be said with
+emphasis, "to the poor the Gospel is preached."
+
+Such was the spirit of Christ and such his condescension! Such was the
+spirit of the apostles. They took much notice of the poor, and charged
+Paul and Barnabas, when going forth on their mission, especially to
+remember them. What else, I ask, is a missionary spirit, but to be
+willing to labor with self-denial and perseverance to elevate and save
+the low and the vile? Natural men, in the pride of their hearts, are
+inclined to look down upon the wretched--to regard them with that kind
+of loathing and disgust which disinclines them to make sacrifices in
+their behalf. This dislike is such that I have often thought it to be a
+favor to the heathen, that they are far off and out of sight; for if
+they were near and directly around many professed Christians, with all
+their defilement and ugliness in full view, much of the apparent
+sympathy for them which now exists, would be turned into contempt and
+cold neglect. But if such had been the superficial and ill-founded
+character of Christ's compassion, where should we have been at this
+present hour? There is not a wretch now wallowing in the deepest mire of
+sin, who is so vile and low in our eyes, as we all were in the eyes of
+infinite purity. Yet the more wretched we were, the more deeply did
+Christ feel for us. _This spirit of Christ is the only true spirit of
+missions_--the only spirit that will make self-denying, continued, and
+persevering efforts to save the heathen.
+
+There is no romance in the practical and every-day duties of a
+missionary. The work is of a humble form, and emphatically _toilsome_.
+There is but little true missionary spirit in the world. It is not the
+sympathy of an hour, nor an enthusiasm awakened by romance, but the pure
+love of Christ in the soul, constraining the possessor to pray earnestly,
+and to labor cheerfully without notice or applause, for the lowest human
+objects; and which finds a rich and sufficient reward for a life of toil
+in leading one ignorant slave, one degraded outcast, or one vile heathen,
+to accept the offers of salvation. My observation in the field for
+thirteen years testifies to the fact, that no sympathy or enthusiasm
+will come down to the arduous details of missionary work, and persevere
+in it for years, that does not flow from such genuine and permanent love
+as our Saviour manifested when here upon earth. The more we become like
+Christ, the more shall we possess of the true missionary character.
+
+How slow we are to make _real sacrifices_ for the good of others! It was
+not so with Christ. He chose, for our good, to become a man of sorrows
+and acquainted with grief--to be rejected, despised and hated--to become
+a mark for the bitterest rage and the finger of scorn.
+
+Go to the garden of Gethsemane. There behold, what even the pencil of
+the angel Gabriel cannot fully portray. There, in the stillness of the
+night, the Saviour retires to give vent to the bursting emotions of his
+soul. Deep sorrow, keen anguish, and excruciating agony roll in, like
+continuous surges, upon his tender spirit. His strength fails. Low he
+lies on the cold earth, and the drops from his pale and agonized
+features, like the clammy sweat of death--no, "like drops of
+blood"--fall to the ground.
+
+But the agony of his spirit does not perturb the submission of his soul,
+nor shake the steadfastness of his purpose. The furious mob arrive, and he
+calmly yields himself to their disposal. See him in the judgment-hall
+--meek under insults, forgiving under buffetings and abuse, submissive
+and quiet under the agonizing scourge. Then behold him, as faint from
+his gashes and his pains, and sinking under a heavy cross, he slowly
+moves towards Calvary. Look on, if your eyes can bear the sight. The
+rough spikes are driven through his feet and his hands--the cross is
+erected--the Lord of glory hangs between two thieves:--there, his torn,
+bleeding, writhing and excruciated body is to wear out its vitality in
+protracted agony. But all this suffering was as a drop in his cup of
+anguish. O the deep--fathomless, untold agony of his soul, when under
+the hidings of his Father's face he exclaimed, "My God, my God, why hast
+thou forsaken me!"
+
+All this suffering and agony the Infinite Son of God endured, that we
+might be saved. He had a vivid and perfect view of all this, and yet
+voluntarily assumed it that we might live.
+
+In view of such an example, what shall we say? If the Lord of glory
+shrunk not from ignominy and scorn, untold agony, exquisite torture and
+the most cruel death, can any one possess much of his spirit, and yet
+consider it too much to forego some of the comforts and delights of this
+fleeting life, and to labor and toil with perseverance and self-denial
+on a foreign shore, to instruct the destitute and the dying--to
+enlighten the millions and hundreds of millions of heathen, who have
+never heard the precious name of Jesus, and are entirely ignorant of the
+consolations of his grace? Is it too much, even to expose one's self to
+an early grave in a sultry clime, if necessary, that some ray of hope
+may break in upon the gloom of the benighted and perishing nations? God
+be praised, that the prospect of death did not daunt the spirit of the
+self-denying Jesus!
+
+O, how has a feeling of shame and deep humiliation come over my spirit,
+as I have heard the objection, that "Missionaries and missionaries'
+wives especially go forth to die!" Thanks to the continued grace of God,
+that some of this spirit of Jesus--the self-sacrificing spirit, the
+spirit of devotement, even unto death--still exists on earth. Let the
+objector inquire seriously, whether much of it reigns in his own bosom;
+and whether in proportion as he is destitute of it, he be not lacking
+not only in the spirit of missions, but in the spirit of Christ, without
+which it is impossible to be a disciple. For it is true not only of
+missionaries, but equally of all Christians, that they are not their
+own--that they are bought with a price; and are under obligations of
+_entire consecration_, each in his appropriate sphere, that are as high
+as heaven and as affecting as the scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary. And
+we are bound, equally with the early disciples, to count it not only a
+duty, but "all joy" to labor, suffer and die, if necessary, for Christ's
+sake, and in the good work which he has given us to do.
+
+Did we become sensible of our lost condition? Did we with one accord
+lift up our penitent and broken-hearted cries to the God of mercy, that
+he would provide a way for our salvation? Did the angels intercede in
+our behalf that the Saviour would come? No: _self-moved_ he appeared for
+our relief. He beheld us wedded to our sinful courses; unwilling to be
+taken from the pit into which we had plunged ourselves, and clinging
+with unyielding grasp to the very instruments of our ruin--strangely
+enamored with the very vampires that were preying upon our souls. The
+more disinclined we were to sue for mercy, the more the Saviour pitied
+us; for our very unwillingness to supplicate showed the depth of our
+ruin.
+
+In like manner, the more indisposed any heathen nation may be to receive
+us to their shores, admit the light of the Gospel and partake of its
+blessings, the more deeply should we feel for them, and the more
+zealously labor for their salvation. That a nation has not called for
+our aid, but is resolutely determined to keep us at a distance, is a
+strong argument for being deeply interested in their behalf. Their very
+blindness and maniac disposition should call forth the deep
+commiseration of our souls. Such was the spirit of Christ. Such is the
+true spirit of missions. It is but a small measure of compassion to aid
+those who supplicate our assistance. The very blindness, guilt, madness
+and vile degradation of a people, should be to us a sufficient voice of
+entreaty. They were so to the heart of the precious Saviour, or he never
+would have undertaken the work of our redemption. O, when shall it be,
+that Christians and ministers of the Gospel shall arise _self-moved_, or
+rather moved by the spirit of Christ within them, and exert all their
+powers for the good of the perishing? when they shall not need appeal
+upon appeal, entreaty upon entreaty, and the visit of one agent after
+another, to remind them of duty, and to persuade them to do it?
+
+It was not a world of penitents that the Saviour pitied, but a world of
+_rebels_--proud and stubborn rebels, ready to spurn every offer of
+reconciliation. He saw us, not on our knees pleading for mercy, but
+scorning the humble attitude of suppliants, and raising our puny arms
+against the authority of Heaven. He beheld us, not as the Ninevites once
+were, in sackcloth and ashes, but recklessly violating all his holy
+laws. It was in view of all the deformity, bitterness, rage and
+heaven-daring impiety of our naked hearts, that Christ left his throne
+of glory and died on the cross. It was for such beings that he
+voluntarily endured humiliation, toil, self-denial and death. He toiled
+and died for the ungodly. He came, though men despised his aid. He died
+even for his crucifiers.
+
+Are the heathen guilty--covered with blood and black with crime? Do they
+exhibit many traits that are repulsive and horrid? Would our visit to
+them fill them with rage and bitterness, and tempt them to crucify us?
+What then? are we to relax our efforts for them, because they are
+ungodly? So did _not_ Jesus Christ. Let us learn from his example, and
+imbibe his spirit. That man, who may be called a missionary, and yet is
+capable of being alienated in his feelings by ill-treatment, contempt,
+abuse and rage from the heathen, is not worthy of the name. That
+professed Christian, in whatever land he may reside, who loves a sinner
+less on account of the personal abuse he may suffer from him, has not
+the true missionary spirit, or, in other words, the spirit of Christ.
+
+And here I would repeat the remark with emphasis, in accordance with all
+that I have said, that _there is nothing peculiar_ in the spirit of
+missions, except what peculiarity there may be in the spirit of
+Christ--that it is what all must possess to be disciples, and without
+which no one can enter heaven. It is a spirit humble yet elevating,
+self-sacrificing yet joyful, intensely fervent yet reasonable, meek and
+yet resolute. It is all this indeed, but yet nothing more than what is
+required of every Christian; and therefore no excuse can be more absurd
+and contradictory in terms, than that sometimes made, "It is not my duty
+to go to the heathen, for I never had a missionary spirit;" for one
+professes to be a Christian, and yet excuses himself, on the ground of
+not having a missionary spirit, or in other words, of not being a
+Christian--of not being in possession of a fair title to heaven. O,
+remember, Christian reader, that the least desire to be excused shows a
+deplorable lack of the spirit of Christ.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP.
+
+
+On account of heavy domestic afflictions, and the failure of my own
+health, I was induced, a few years since, to visit the United States.
+Full well I remember my feelings when returning to my native land. I had
+been laboring among a heathen people, and impressions by the eye are
+deep and affecting. I had seen degradation and vileness, destitution and
+woe. I had a vivid impression of the urgent claim of the destitute and
+the dying; and I had formed some conception of the greatness of the
+work, if we would put forth the instrumentality needed to elevate and
+save them. And during a long voyage, I had time, not only to think of
+the Sandwich Islanders, but to cast my thoughts abroad over the wide
+world. The millions and hundreds of millions of our race often came up
+fresh before me, sunk in untold vileness, covered with abominations, and
+dropping one after another, as fast as the beating of my pulse--twenty
+millions a year--into the world of woe. Painful as it was, I could not
+avoid the deep and certain conviction, that such was their end.
+
+Then I thought of the greatness of the task, if we would be the means,
+under God, of saving them from perdition: that we have idol gods without
+number to destroy--a veil of superstition forty centuries thick to
+rend--a horrible darkness to dispel--hearts of stone to break--a gulf of
+pollution to purify--nations, in God's strength, to reform and
+regenerate. With such thoughts the conviction forced itself upon me,
+that the work could not be done without an immense amount of means, and
+a host of laborers.
+
+Think, then, how chilling and soul-sickening the intelligence that met
+me as I landed on my native shores, (in the spring of 1838,) that
+Christians were disheartened by the pressure of the times, and were
+receding from ground already taken: that the bread of life must not
+issue from the press, though millions were famishing for lack of it;
+that thirty heralds of salvation then standing on our shores must not
+embark, though the woes and agonies of dying souls were coming peal
+after peal on every wave of the ocean; that they must be turned aside
+from the perilous yet fond enterprise to which the love of Christ had
+constrained them, and that future applicants must be thereby
+discouraged--that missionaries abroad must be trammelled in their
+operations for want of means; and that multitudes of children and youth,
+the hope of the missions, gathered with much care, and partially
+instructed and trained with much expense of time, strength and money;
+the centre of solicitude, love, and interest; the adopted sons and
+daughters of the missionaries, must be sent back--in Ceylon three
+thousand in a day--to wallow again in pollution, bow down to gods of
+wood and stone, and wander, stumble and fall on the dark mountains of
+heathen superstition; a prey to the prowling monsters that lie thick and
+ready to devour in all the territory of Satan. Surely, thought I, (and
+had I not grounds for the thought?) Christians in America must be
+destitute of the common comforts of life: nothing but the direst
+necessity can induce them thus to surrender back to Satan the ground
+already taken and the trophies already gathered, and to put far off the
+hope of the latter day glory.
+
+I looked abroad and made inquiries. I found indeed a derangement of
+currency and a stagnation of business. But did I find, think you, that
+Christians were destitute of the ordinary comforts of life? that they
+were in a distressing emergency for food and clothing? that their
+retrenchments had been made _first_ in personal expenditures, and last
+in efforts to save souls? Alas! it was evident that the principal cause
+of the retraced movement was not found in the reverse of the times. It
+was found to lie deeper; and to consist in wrong views and wrong
+practice on the great subject of Christian stewardship. To this subject,
+then, my thoughts for a time were much directed, and I tried to look at
+it in view of a dying world, and a coming judgment. The subject, I
+perceived, lay at the foundation of all missionary effort; and my
+position and circumstances were perhaps advantageous for contemplating
+it in a just and proper light. Be entreated, therefore, Christian
+reader, to look at the subject in the spirit of candor and
+self-application.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A little heathen child was inquired of by her teacher, if there was
+anything which she could call her own. She hesitated a moment, and
+looking up, very humbly replied, "I think there is." "What is it?" asked
+the teacher. "I think," said she, "that my sins are my own."
+
+Yes, we may claim our sins--they are our own; but everything else
+belongs to God. We are stewards; and a steward is one who is employed to
+manage the concerns of another--his household, money or estate. We are
+God's stewards. God has intrusted to each one of us a charge of greater
+or less importance. To some he has intrusted five talents, to others
+two, and to others one. The talents are physical strength, property,
+intellect, learning, influence--all the means in our possession for
+doing good and glorifying God. We can lay claim to nothing as strictly
+our own. Even the angel Gabriel cannot claim the smallest particle of
+dust as strictly his own. The rightful owner of all things, great and
+small, is God.
+
+To be faithful stewards, then, we must _fully occupy_ for God all the
+talents in our possession. A surrender, however, of all to God--of time,
+strength, mind and property, does not imply a neglect of our own real
+wants. A proper care of ourselves and families enters into God's
+arrangement. This is not only allowed, it is required of us; and if done
+properly and with a right spirit, it is a service acceptable to God.
+This is understood then, when we say, that all our talents must be
+occupied for God. With this understanding, there must be no reserve.
+Reserve is robbery. No less than all the heart and all our powers can be
+required of us--no less can be required of angels.
+
+It is our reasonable service. We require the same of the agents we
+employ. Suppose a steward, agent or clerk, in the management of your
+money, your estate or your goods, devotes only a part to your benefit
+and uses the rest for himself, how long would you retain him in your
+employment? Let us beware, then, that we rob not God. Let us be faithful
+in his business, and _fully occupy_ for him the talents intrusted to us.
+God has an indisputable right to everything in our possession; to all
+our strength, all our influence, every moment of our time, and demands
+that everything be held loosely by us, in perfect obedience to him. For
+us or for angels to deny this right, would be downright rebellion. For
+God to require anything less, would be admitting a principle that would
+demolish his throne.
+
+No less engagedness certainly can be required of God's stewards, than
+_worldly men exhibit in the pursuit of wealth and honor_. Let us, then,
+look at their conduct and learn a lesson. They are intent upon their
+object. They rise early and sit up late. Constant toil and vigorous
+exertion fill up the day, and on their beds at night they meditate plans
+for the morrow. Their hearts are set on their object, and entirely
+engrossed in it. They show a determination to attain it, if it be within
+the compass of human means. Enter a Merchants' Exchange, and see with
+what fixed application they study the best plans of conducting their
+business. They keep their eyes and ears open, and their thoughts active.
+Such, too, must be the wakefulness of an agent, or they will not employ
+him. Notice also the physician who aspires to eminence. He tries the
+utmost of his skill. Look in, too, upon the ambitious attorney. He
+applies his mind closely to his cause that he may manage it in the best
+possible way.
+
+Now, I ask, shall not the same intense and active state of mind be
+required of us, as God's agents or stewards? Can we be faithful
+stewards, and not contrive, study, and devise the best ways of using the
+talents that God has intrusted to us, so that they may turn to the
+greatest account in his service? Is not the glory of God and the eternal
+salvation of our ruined race, an object _worthy_ of as much engagedness,
+as much engrossment of soul and determination of purpose, as a little
+property which must soon be wrapped in flames, or the flickering breath
+of empty fame? Be assured, we cannot satisfy our Maker by offering a
+sluggish service, or by putting forth a little effort, and pretending
+that it is the extent of our ability. We have shown what we are capable
+of doing, by our engagedness in seeking wealth and honor. God has seen,
+angels have seen, and we ourselves know, that our ability is not small,
+when brought fully into exercise. It is now too late to indulge the
+thought of deceiving either our Maker or our fellow men on this point.
+We can lay claim to the character of faithful stewards, only as we
+_embark all our powers_ in serving God, as worldly men do in seeking
+riches, or a name.
+
+Then, too, to be faithful, we must be as _enterprising_ in the work that
+God has given us to do, as worldly men are in their affairs. By
+enterprising, I mean, bold, adventurous, resolute to undertake. Worldly
+men exhibit enterprise in their readiness to engage in large
+projects--in digging canals, in laying railroads, and in sending their
+ships around the globe. No port seems too distant, no depth too deep, no
+height too high, no difficulty too great, and no obstacle too
+formidable. They scarcely shrink from any business on account of its
+magnitude, its arduousness, or its hazard. A man is no longer famous for
+circumnavigating the globe. To sail round the world is a common trading
+voyage, and ships now visit almost every port of the whole earth. A
+business is no longer called great, where merely thousands of dollars
+are adventured; but in great undertakings, money is counted by millions.
+Such is the spirit of enterprise in worldly matters.
+
+Now, I ask, are we not capable of as much enterprise in using the means
+ordained by Christ for rescuing souls from eternal burnings, and raising
+them to a seat at his right hand? Had the same enterprise been required
+of men in some former century, they might have plead incapacity. But it
+is too late now to plead incapacity. Unless we choose to keep back from
+God a very important talent, we must put forth this enterprise to its
+full extent in the great work of the world's conversion.
+
+Such enterprise is needed. If the latter day glory is to take place
+through human instrumentality, can it be expected without some mighty
+movement on the part of the church? Can a work of such inconceivable
+magnitude be effected, till every redeemed sinner shall lay himself out
+in the enterprise, as worldly men do in their projects? If the promises
+of God are to be fulfilled through the efforts of men, what hope can
+there be of the glorious day, till men are resolute to undertake great
+things--not for themselves merely, but for God, their Maker and
+Redeemer.
+
+Is it not a fact that will strike us dumb in the judgment, that it is
+the love of money, and not zeal for God, that digs canals, lays
+railroads, runs steamboats and packets, and, in short, is the main
+spring of every great undertaking? The love of money has explored the
+land and the seas, traced rivers in all their windings, found an
+entrance to almost every port, Christian or heathen, studied the
+character of almost every people, ascertained the products of every
+clime and the treasures of the deep, stationed agents in all the
+principal places, and in not a few ports, a hemisphere distant, erected
+shops, factories, and even sumptuous palaces.
+
+Men exhibit no such enterprise in serving God. How many ships sail the
+ocean to carry the Gospel of Christ? And in ports where one magnificent
+Exchange after another is reared, stretching out its capacious arms,
+and towering towards heaven, how difficult it is to sustain a few humble
+boarding-houses for wandering seamen. Worldly enterprise is bold and
+active, and presses onward with railroad speed. Shall, then, Christian
+enterprise be dull and sluggish, deal in cents and mills, and move along
+at a very slow pace? The thought is too humiliating to be endured.
+
+Suppose angels to be placed in our stead, would they, think you, be
+outdone by the seekers of wealth in deeds of enterprise? No: their cars
+would be the first in motion, and their ships the first on the wing.
+They would be the first to announce new islands, and the first to
+project improvements, and _for what?_ that the Gospel might have free
+course and be glorified. Enterprise and action would then be exhibited,
+worthy of our gaze and admiration. "O! if the ransom of those who fell
+from heaven like stars to eternal night, could only be paid, and the
+inquiry of the Lord were heard among the unfallen, 'Whom shall we send,
+and who will go for us?' hold they back? No: they fly like lightning to
+every province of hell; the echo of salvation rolls in the outskirts as
+in the centre; a light shines in the darkest dungeon; the heaviest
+chains are knocked off, and they rest not till all is done that angels
+can do, to restore them to their former vacated seats in the realms of
+the blest."
+
+But if angels would act thus, we too, as the stewards of God, ought to
+be the first in enterprise. God's work is infinitely more important than
+wealth or honor. And how shall we, in the judgment, be found faithful,
+if the seekers of wealth or the aspirants for renown are suffered to
+outstrip us on every side.
+
+It is not faithfulness for any one to consume _on himself or his
+children_ more of God's property than he really needs. Suppose you hold
+in your hand an amount of property. It is not yours you remember, for
+you are merely a steward. God requires that it be used to produce the
+greatest possible good. The greatest possible good, is the promotion of
+holiness in yourself and in others. Luxury, pride and vanity can lay no
+claim. Speculative knowledge, taste, and refinement must receive a due
+share of attention, but be kept in their place. Our real wants, of
+course, must be supplied. But what are our real wants--our _wants_, not
+our _desires_--our _real_ wants, not those that are artificial and
+imaginary?
+
+We really need for ourselves and families what is necessary to preserve
+life and health; we need a mental cultivation answerable to our
+profession or employment; need the means of maintaining a neat, sober
+and just taste; and we need too, proper advantages of spiritual
+improvement. Things of mere habit, fashion, and fancy may be dispensed
+with. Luxuries may be denied. Many things, which are called
+conveniences, we do not really need. If provision is to be made for all
+things that are convenient and pleasant, what room will remain for
+self-denial? Things deemed comfortable and convenient may be multiplied
+without limit--consume all of God's wealth, and leave the world in
+ruins. If the world were _not_ in ruins, then it might be proper to seek
+not only the comforts, but even the elegancies of life.
+
+Take a simple illustration: In the midst of the wide ocean I fall in
+with a crew floating on the few shattered planks of a hopeless wreck. I
+have a supply of water and a cask of bread, but the poor wrecked
+mariners are entirely destitute. Shall I keep my provisions for my own
+comfort, and leave these sufferers to pine away with hunger and thirst?
+But suppose I have not only bread and water, but many luxuries, while
+the men on the wreck are perishing for the want of a morsel of bread and
+a drop of water? And then, suppose I have casks of bread and other
+provisions to dispose of, and intend with the proceeds to furnish myself
+with certain of the conveniences and elegancies of life; and my mind is
+so fixed upon obtaining them, that I refuse to relieve the poor tenants
+of the wreck, and leave them to the lingering death of hunger and
+thirst. O, who of you would not shudder at the hardness of my heart and
+the blackness of my crime!
+
+But the world dead in sin is surely a wreck. Millions upon millions are
+famishing for the bread and water of life. Their cry--their dying cry
+has come to our ears. Shall we then take that which might relieve them,
+and expend it in procuring conveniences, elegancies, and luxuries for
+ourselves? Can we do it, and be guiltless of blood?
+
+But, perhaps here, some one may have the coolness to thrust in the
+common objection, that a man's style of living must correspond with his
+station in society. It is wonderful to what an extent this principle is
+applied. A man, it is said, cannot be a governor of a state, a mayor of
+a city, a member of Congress, or hold any high office, unless his house,
+his equipage, his dress and his table, exhibit some appearance of
+elegance and wealth; and if a man live in a large and opulent city, he
+must be somewhat expensive in his style of living, that he may exert an
+influence in the higher walks of society. Then, country towns, and small
+villages, take pattern of the large cities, and the plea goes down
+through every rank and every grade. Scarcely a Christian can be found,
+who is not familiar with the doctrine. It is a very convenient doctrine.
+In a _qualified_ sense it may be true, but in its unlimited
+interpretation it may be made to justify almost every article of luxury
+and extravagance.
+
+It seems to be conformity to the world, and the world has always been
+_wrong_. The principles of the Gospel have always been at variance with
+the maxims and customs of the world. _Conformity is always suspicious._
+
+Again, the doctrine cannot be applied to all places. Suppose a
+missionary conform to the society around him. Instead of raising up the
+heathen from their degradation, he would become a heathen himself. The
+descent to heathenism is easy. The influence of comparing ourselves with
+ourselves, and measuring ourselves by ourselves, is felt by those living
+among barbarians as well as at home, though the insidious influence
+leads in another direction. If there is a man on earth, who, more than
+any other, needs to cultivate neatness, taste and refinement, both in
+his mind and in his whole style of living, it is the man who is
+surrounded by a heathen population. Here, then, the rule contended for
+fails. Travel round the world, and how often will it fail?
+
+Let us turn away, then, from this fickle standard, and look to reason
+enlightened by the Word of God. Shall we not then find, that
+substantially the same style of living that is proper in one latitude
+and longitude, is proper in another; _substantially_ the same, paying
+only so much regard to the eyes of the world, as to avoid unnecessary
+singularity and remark; and that this rule, founded on the principles of
+the Gospel, makes a proper provision for health, mental cultivation, and
+a neat, sober and just taste? Are not these the real wants of men
+allowed by the Gospel, whether they live in London or in Ethiopia?
+
+But the ground on which I choose to rest this inquiry more than any
+other, is the perishing condition of our dying race. Is fashion,
+splendor and parade, appropriate in a grave-yard, or in the chamber of
+the dead and dying? But the whole world is a grave-yard. Countless
+millions lie beneath our feet. Most of our earth, too, is at this moment
+a chamber of dying souls. Can we have _any relish_ for luxuries, folly
+and needless expense, amidst the teeming millions commencing the agonies
+of eternal death?
+
+I erect a splendid mansion; extend about it a beautiful enclosure;
+furnish it with every elegance; make sumptuous entertainments, and live
+in luxury and ease. In the midst of it, the woes and miseries of my
+ruined race are brought vividly before me--their present wretchedness
+and eternal agonies. And it is whispered in my ear, that these woes
+might have been relieved by the expense I have so profusely lavished. O!
+how like Belshazzar must I feel, and almost imagine that the groans of
+lost souls are echoed in every chamber of my mansion, and their blood
+seen on every ornament!
+
+Let us have the love of Christ in our hearts, and then spread distinctly
+before us _the world as it is_--calculate the sum total of its present
+wretchedness and eternal woes. In such a world and as God's stewards,
+who can be at a loss in regard to the course of duty? When twenty
+millions of men every year are entering upon the untold horrors of the
+second death, and we are stewards to employ all means in our power for
+their salvation, O, away with that coldness that can suggest the
+necessity of _conforming_ to the expensive customs of the world. May we,
+in heaven, find one of these souls saved through our instrumentality,
+and we can afford to forego all we shall lose by a want of conformity.
+There is a nobleness in taking an independent stand on the side of
+economy, and saving something to benefit dying souls. There is a
+heavenly dignity in such a course, infinitely superior to the slavish
+conformity so much contended for. It is an independence induced by the
+sublimest motives; a stand which even the world must respect, and which
+God will not fail to honor.
+
+But how shall those possessing _large capitals_ best employ them as
+stewards of God? I speak not of the hoarding of the miser; that would be
+a waste of breath. I speak not of property invested in stock that
+habitually violates the Sabbath. No remark is necessary in so plain a
+case. But I speak of large capitals, professedly kept to bring in an
+income for the service of the Redeemer. The subject is involved in many
+practical difficulties; and they who are business men have some
+advantages of judging in the case which I have not. I will therefore
+merely make one or two inquiries.
+
+Is not the practice in many cases an _unwise investment_ of God's funds?
+Is there not a reasonable prospect that one dollar used now, in doing
+good, will turn to more account than twenty dollars ten years hence? A
+Bible given now may be the means of a soul's conversion; and this
+convert may be instrumental in converting other souls, and may
+consecrate all his powers and property to God; so that when years shall
+have passed away, the one dollar given to buy the Bible may have become
+hundreds of dollars, and, with God's blessing, saved many precious
+souls. One pious young man trained for the ministry _now_, may be
+instrumental, before ten years shall expire, in bringing into the Lord's
+kingdom many immortal souls, with all their wealth and influence; and so
+the small sum expended now, become ten years hence entirely inestimable.
+The same may be said of a minister sent now to the heathen, instead of
+ten years hence; and the same, too, may be said of every department of
+doing good. It would appear then, that, in all ordinary cases, to make
+an immediate use of funds in doing good is to lay them out to the
+greatest possible interest; that by such a course we can be the means of
+peopling heaven faster than in any other way. We can hardly appreciate
+how much we save by saving _time_, and how much we lose by losing it.
+Worldly men, in their railroad and steam-packet spirit of the present
+day, seem to have caught some just sense of the importance of time, and
+we, in our enterprises to do good, must not be unmindful of it.
+
+Again, is not the expenditure of property in the work of doing good, not
+only the most advantageous, but also the _safest_ possible investment of
+God's funds? Whilst kept in capital, it is always exposed to greater or
+less risk. Fire may consume it. Floods may sweep it away. Dishonest men
+may purloin it. A gale at sea may bury it. A reverse of times may ingulf
+it. But when used in doing good, it is sent up to the safe-keeping of
+the bank of God; it is commuted into the precious currency of heaven; it
+is exchanged for souls made happy, and harps and crowns of gold.
+
+Again, A. keeps a large property in capital, and therefore B. resolves
+to _accumulate_ a large property, and then give the income. But whilst
+accumulating it, he not only leaves the world to perish, but also runs
+the risk of ruining his own soul--the awful hazard which always attends
+the project of becoming rich. And the result is, in ninety-nine cases
+out of a hundred, that the summons of death arrives before the promised
+beneficence is paid in.
+
+In view of such considerations, would it not be _wiser, safer, and very
+much better_, in most instances at least, that the greater part of large
+capitals should be made use of at once in the service of the Redeemer?
+
+It is said of Normand Smith, that "he dared not be rich;" and that "it
+became an established rule with him, to use for benevolent distribution
+_all the means_ which he could take from his business, and still
+prosecute it successfully;" and that he charged a brother on his dying
+bed, to do good with his substance while living, and not suffer it to
+accumulate to be disposed of, at the last extremity, by will. Sound
+advice. A few other such men there have been in the world, and they are
+the SHINING LIGHTS. Their example is brilliant all over with true
+wisdom.
+
+It is not acting always as faithful stewards, merely to accumulate
+wealth to promote the cause of Christ; for there may be more need of our
+_personal service_ in disseminating the Gospel, than of any pecuniary
+means we can contribute. Christians are not faithful stewards, merely
+when they labor for Christ, but when they do _that_ by which they may
+most promote the cause of Christ. The dissemination of Gospel truth is
+the great end to be aimed at, either directly or indirectly. Now, it is
+evident that many must further this object by accumulating the pecuniary
+means; but the danger is, that too many, far too many prefer this
+course. Many conclude, with perfect safety and justness, that in
+practising law or medicine, or in selling goods, in tilling a farm, or
+in laboring in a shop, they are doing as much to further the object as
+in any other way; but some, it is believed, come to such a conclusion
+either from mistaken views or mistaken motives. The fact that so large a
+proportion of God's stewards resort to the notion of operating by proxy,
+and that so few choose to engage in the direct work, shows that there is
+danger existing. Not only the fathers, but a vast majority of the middle
+aged and the young, prefer to advance the cause of Christ by
+accumulating the pecuniary means. Now, why is there such a rushing after
+this department of the great work?
+
+The Saviour calls for a great army of preachers, to carry his Gospel
+everywhere, and to proclaim it to all nations, kindreds and people. In
+truth, you need not go beyond the limits of the United States to feel
+the force of this remark. Look at the destitutions in the more newly
+settled states and territories, and see if there is not need of men to
+preach the Gospel. But notwithstanding this need, only a small number,
+comparatively, offer themselves to the work. Almost all young men, even
+the professedly pious, slide easily into lucrative occupations; but to
+bring them into the direct work of making known Christ, they must be
+urged and persuaded by a score of arguments.
+
+It is needed, too, of lay members of the church, to do much in searching
+out the destitute and the dying, who exist in multitudes, even about
+their own dwellings; to give here a word of warning, and there a word of
+consolation; to add here a helping hand, and impart there the restoring
+effect of sympathy and kindness; in short, to employ some hours in the
+day in going everywhere, as the early disciples did, from house to house
+and street to street, and in communicating, in an appropriate way, the
+simple truths of Jesus. Laymen, too, are needed in great numbers in
+the foreign service. There are reasons numerous and urgent, which I
+cannot here name, why lay members in the church should go abroad.
+
+But notwithstanding this call for personal effort, it is too often that
+we meet with church members who are completely engrossed, from early
+dawn to the close of day, in accumulating wealth; and who deny
+themselves the luxury of spending either hour of the twenty-four, in
+conversing with souls, and leading them to Jesus. Such persons will give
+somewhat of their substance, when called upon; and press on, almost out
+of breath apparently, in the cares of the world, not thinking to say to
+this man or that, on the right hand and the left, that there is a heaven
+above and a hell beneath, and death is at the door. You would almost
+imagine, from the conduct of some, that they would like to commit to
+proxy even their own faith and repentance. Now this entire engrossment
+in worldly cares, even though professedly for Christ's sake, will never
+illumine the dark recesses of the earth--will never usher in the
+millenial day.
+
+It is not so much, after all, an accumulation of wealth that is needed,
+as the personal engagement of Christians in making known everywhere, at
+home and abroad, the precious news of Jesus. The disposition to go
+everywhere, regardless of wealth, and with Jesus on our lips, must be
+the spirit of the church, before we can expect much good either at home
+or abroad. The world will not be covered with the knowledge of the Lord
+as the waters cover the sea, till men to make known that word are
+scattered like rain on all the earth--not only in heathen lands, but in
+the streets and lanes of large cities, and throughout the Western
+desolations. "So long as we remain together, like water in a lake, so
+long the moral world will be desolate. We must go everywhere, and if the
+expansive warmth of benevolence will not separate us, so that we arise
+and go on the wings of the wind, God, be assured, will break up the
+fountains of the great deep of society, and dashing the parts together,
+like ocean in his turmoil or Niagara in its fall, cover the heavens with
+showers, and set the bow of hope for the nations, and the desert shall
+rejoice and blossom as the rose. God is too good to suffer either Amazon
+or Superior to lie still, and become corrupt, and the heavens in
+consequence to be brass and the earth iron." God is too benevolent also,
+in the arrangements of the moral world, to allow his people to be
+inactive--to have here a continuing city, and be immersed in the cares
+of the world as though here were their treasure, while thousands about
+them are dying for lack of instruction, and the heathen abroad are going
+down to death in one unbroken phalanx. The church must take more
+exercise, and the proper kind, too, or she will become frail and sickly,
+too weak in prayer, and too ignorant in effort to usher in the millenial
+day.
+
+It is a possible thing to seek wealth _honestly_ for God; but he that is
+called to such a work, has more occasion to mourn than to rejoice: he
+has occasion to tremble, watch, and pray; for to be a faithful steward
+of God's property, requires perhaps more grace than to be a faithful
+steward of God's truth. We find many a faithful preacher of the Gospel
+where we find one Normand Smith, or Nathaniel R. Cobb, or one firm of
+Homes & Homer. The grace needed is so great, and the temptations to err
+so many, that almost all prove defaulters, and therefore it is that the
+world lies in ruins: not because the church has not wealth enough, but
+because God's stewards claim to be owners.
+
+How small the sum appropriated by a million and a half of God's stewards
+to save a sinking world! The price of earthly ambition, convenience and
+pleasure, is counted by millions. Navies and armies have their millions;
+railroads and canals have their millions; colleges and schools have
+their millions; silks, carpets and mirrors, have their millions; parties
+of pleasure and licentiousness in high life and in low life have their
+millions; and what has the treasury of God and the Lamb, to redeem a
+world of souls from the pains of eternal damnation, and to fill them
+with joys unspeakable? The sum is so small in comparison that one's
+tongue refuses to utter it.
+
+There must be a different scale of giving; and the only way to effect it
+is, to induce a different style of personal consecration. Let a man give
+himself, or rather let him have a heart that cannot _refrain_ from
+telling of Jesus to those who are near, or from going to those who are
+more remote, and the mere item of property you will find appended, as a
+matter of course, and on the plain principle that the greater always
+includes the less. We must learn to devote, according to our vows, time,
+talents, body, soul and spirit. Bodies and minds are wanted; the bones
+and sinews of men are required: these more substantial things are
+needed, as well as property, in arduous services at home and still more
+self-denying labor abroad; and no redeemed sinner can refuse either the
+one or the other, and continue to be regarded as a faithful steward of
+Jesus. _Money, though needed, is by no means all that is required of
+us._
+
+Though God has devolved upon us, as stewards, a responsible work, the
+weight of which is fearful, and sufficient to crush us unless aided
+from on high, yet the employment is one of _indescribable delight_. It
+is a pleasant work. Angels would rejoice to be so employed.
+
+Is there any professed Christian who does not relish the idea? To such
+an one I would say, Your condition is by no means enviable. You deny
+yourself all true happiness. If you do not delight in the thought of
+being God's steward; of holding not only property, but body, soul and
+spirit at God's control, then you know not what true luxury is. There is
+pleasure in doing good; there is a luxury in entire consecration to God.
+The pleasures of this earth are empty, vain and fleeting; but the
+pleasure of doing good is real, substantial and enduring. The pleasure
+of doing good is the joy of angels; it is the thrill of delight which
+pervades the soul of Jesus; it is the happiness of the eternal God. In
+not wishing to be God's steward, you deny yourself this luxury; you
+refuse angels' food and feed on husks. O, there is a richness of holy
+joy in yielding up all to God, and holding ourselves as waiting servants
+to do his will. This fullness of bliss you foolishly spurn from you,
+and turn away to the "beggarly elements of the world." Do you feel that
+the principles of stewardship contained in the Bible are too
+strict--that too entire a devotement is required of you? Angels do not
+think so. Redeemed saints do not think so. The more entire the
+consecration, the more perfect the bliss. In heaven devotement is
+perfect, and joy of course unalloyed. Blot out this spirit of
+consecration, you blot out all true happiness on earth; you annihilate
+heaven.
+
+But it is not only a luxury, but _an honor_ to be the stewards of God.
+What honor greater than that of continuing the work which Jesus
+commenced; of being employed in the immense business of saving a ruined
+race? What work more glorious than that of being the instruments of
+peopling heaven? What employment more noble than to rescue immortal
+souls from endless agonies, and to raise them to eternal joys; to take
+their feet from the sides of the burning lake, and to plant them on the
+firm pavement of heaven; to rescue victims from eternal burnings, and to
+place them as gems in the diadem of God? Would not Gabriel feel himself
+honored with a work so noble and glorious? Were a presidency or a
+kingdom offered you, spurn it and be wise; but contemn not the glory of
+being God's stewards.
+
+Remember, too, whether these are your views or not, the work of God will
+go on. The world will be converted. The glorious event is promised.
+Almighty power and infinite wisdom are engaged to accomplish it: all the
+resources of heaven are pledged. The God of heaven, he will prosper his
+true servants, and they shall arise and build; but those who do not
+relish the idea of being God's stewards, can have no portion, nor right,
+nor memorial in Jerusalem. The wheels of God's providence are rolling
+onward: those wheels are high and dreadful. Will you, being a professed
+Christian, dare to oppose the march of God? "Ah! we do not _oppose_,"
+say you. But I reply, There can be no neutrality; you must either help
+onward his car of victory, or you do really stand in the way--will be
+crushed by his power, and ground into the earth by the weight of his
+chariot. Take then, I entreat you, this warning, which is given you in
+earnestness, but in the spirit of love.
+
+Joy, glory and immortality, to all who will cordially assent to be
+co-workers with Jesus. They shall ride with him in his chariot from
+conquering to conquer, and shall sit with him on his throne in the day
+of triumph.
+
+Be entreated, then, professed Christian, first to give your own soul to
+the Lord, and with your soul all you have, all you are, and all you hope
+to be. Make an entire consecration. You will never regret having done
+so, in time or in eternity.
+
+May God give us all grace to imbibe wholly the true principles of
+stewardship. Not the principles popular in the world, but the principles
+of the Bible; those principles which hold out the only hope of the
+latter day glory--of means commensurate with so great an end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+GUILT OF NEGLECTING THE HEATHEN.
+
+
+During all the years that I have been allowed to labor for the heathen,
+my mind has been led to contemplate, constantly and intensely, the
+obligations of Christian nations towards those who sit in darkness;
+obligations arising from the command of Christ, and the principles of
+the Gospel. And I shall, therefore, in this chapter, freely, fully, and
+solemnly express the sentiments which have been maturing in my mind, on
+the _great guilt_ which Christians incur in _neglecting the heathen_.
+
+The heathen world, as a mass, has been left to perish. And by whom? Not
+by the Father of mercies; he gave his Son to redeem it: not by the
+Saviour of sinners; look at Calvary: not by the Holy Spirit; his
+influences have been ever ready: not by angels; their wings have never
+tired when sent on errands of mercy. All that Heaven could do has been
+done, consistently with the all-wise arrangement of committing an
+important agency to the church. The church has been slothful and
+negligent. Each generation of Christians has in turn received the vast
+responsibility, neglected it in a great measure, and transmitted it to
+the next. The _guilt_ of this neglect who can estimate?
+
+That such neglect is highly criminal, the Bible everywhere testifies. It
+says, "If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and
+those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it
+not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that
+keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it?" And shall not he "render to
+every man according to his works?" This solemn interrogation needs no
+comment. The obvious import is, _If our fellow men are perishing, and we
+neglect to do what we can to save them, we are guilty of their blood_.
+But this testimony does not stand alone. What does God say to the
+prophet, who should see the peril of the wicked, and neglect to save him
+by giving him warning? "His blood will I require at thy hand." What does
+God say of the watchman of a city who should see the sword come, and
+blow not the trumpet? "If the sword come and take any person from among
+them, his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."
+
+But this is not only the sentiment of the Bible, but the voice of common
+sense.
+
+A neighbor of mine is drowning in the river. With a little exertion I
+can save his life, but neglect to do it. Shall I escape the goadings of
+conscience and the charge of blood-guiltiness?
+
+A house is in flames. The perishing occupants, looking from a window,
+implore of me to reach them a ladder. I have some little affairs of my
+own to attend to, and turn a deaf ear to their cry. The flames gather
+around them: they throw themselves from the window, and are dashed in
+pieces on the pavement. Who will not charge me with the loss of those
+lives?
+
+To-day, a raging malady is spreading through the streets of a large
+city. The people are dying by hundreds. I know the cause; the fountains
+of the city are poisoned. From indolence, or some other cause, I neglect
+to give the information, and merely attend to my own safety. Who would
+not load me with the deepest guilt, and stamp me as the basest of
+murderers?
+
+Both Scripture and common sense, then, concur in establishing the
+sentiment, that if our fellow men are perishing, and we neglect to do
+what we can to save them, we are guilty of their blood. But if this
+doctrine be true, its application to Christians, in the relation which
+they sustain to the heathen world, is irresistibly conclusive and
+awfully momentous. The soul shudders, and shrinks back from the fearful
+thought: If six hundred millions of our race are sinking to perdition,
+and we neglect to do what we can to save them, we shall be found
+accountable for their eternal agonies.
+
+If such a charge is standing against us, we shall soon meet it. The day
+of judgment will soon burst upon us. Let us look, then, at the subject
+candidly, prayerfully, and with a desire to do our duty.
+
+The conditions on which the charge impends are simply two: that the
+heathen world are sinking to perdition, and that we are neglecting to do
+what we can to save them. If these two points are substantiated, the
+overwhelming conclusion is inevitable. It becomes us, then, to look well
+at these points--to examine them with faithfulness and with honesty.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Is it true, that _the heathen world are sinking to perdition_? As fast
+as the beating of my pulse, they are passing into the world of
+retribution, and the inquiry is, What is the doom they meet? Do they
+rise to unite with angels in the songs of heaven? or sink in ceaseless
+and untold misery?
+
+Certain it is, that they are not saved through faith in Christ; for
+"how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" It is also
+clear that God, in his usual method, does not bestow the gift of
+repentance and eternal life where a Saviour is not known. "It pleases
+God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." Those
+who are saved, are said to be "begotten by the word of truth"--"born of
+the word of God." As the heathen nations, therefore, are not furnished
+with the appointed means of salvation, it follows inevitably that, as a
+mass at least, they are sinking to perdition. They are the "nations
+which have forgotten God," and "shall be turned into hell."
+
+It is unnecessary to enter into the inquiry, whether it is possible, in
+the nature of the case, for a heathen unacquainted with the Gospel to be
+saved. It is sufficient to know the FACT, that God has ordained the
+preaching of the Gospel as the means of saving the nations; and that
+there is probably no instance on record, which may not be called in
+question, of a heathen being converted without a knowledge of the true
+God and of his Son Jesus Christ.
+
+But the consideration, solemn and conclusive, which needs no other to
+corroborate it or render it overwhelming, is the _character_ of the
+heathen. Look at their character, as portrayed by the Apostle Paul in
+the first chapter to the Romans. Read the whole chapter, but especially
+the conclusion, where he describes the heathen as "being filled with all
+unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
+full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, back-biters,
+haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
+disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers,
+without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful." This description is
+not understood in Christian lands, neither can it be; but missionaries
+to the heathen, who are eye-witnesses of what is here described, place
+an emphasis on every epithet, and would clothe every word in capitals.
+
+The character of the heathen is no better now than in the days of Paul.
+It is _worse_. It is impossible that such a state of society should
+remain stationary. A mortal disease becomes more and more malignant,
+till a remedy is applied; a sinking weight hastens downwards with
+continually accumulating force; and mind, thrown from its balance,
+wanders farther and farther from reason. It is thus with the disease of
+sin, the downward propensities of a depraved nature, and a soul revolted
+from God. Besides, Satan has not been inactive in heathen lands. He has
+been aware that efforts would be made to save them. And night and day,
+year after year, and age after age, he has sought, with ceaseless toil
+and consummate skill, to perfect the heathen in every species of
+iniquity, harden their hearts to every deed of cruelty, sink them to the
+lowest depths of pollution and degradation, and place them at the
+farthest remove from the possibility of salvation. It is impossible to
+describe the state of degradation and unblushing sin to which the
+nations, for ages sinking, have sunk, and to which Satan in his
+undisturbed exertions for centuries has succeeded in reducing them. It
+is impossible to give a representation of their unrestrained passions,
+the abominations connected with their idol worship, or the scenes of
+discord, cruelty and blood, which everywhere abound. I speak of those
+lands where the Gospel has not been extended. Truly darkness covers such
+lands, and gross darkness the people. Deceit, oppression and cruelty
+fill every hut with woe; and impurity deluges the land like an
+overflowing stream. Neither can it be said, that the conduct of the
+heathen becomes sinless through ignorance. From observation for many
+years, I can assert that they have consciences--that they feel
+accountable for what they do.
+
+Will, then, God transplant the vine of Sodom, unchanged in its nature,
+to overrun his paradise above? Will he open the gates of his holy city,
+and expose the streets of its peaceful inhabitants to those whose heart
+is cruelty, whose visage is scarred with fightings, and whose hands are
+red with blood? "KNOW YE NOT, THAT THE UNRIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT ENTER INTO
+THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?" Where, then, is the hope of the unconverted
+heathen? If there were _innocent_ heathen, as some men are ready to
+imagine in the face of God's word, and in the face of a flood of facts,
+then indeed they might be saved without the Gospel. But this mass of
+pollution, under which the earth groans, must disgorge itself into the
+pit of woe. We cannot evade the conclusion, painful as it is, that the
+millions of this world of sin are sinking to perdition.
+
+_The American churches have peculiar advantages_ to carry abroad the
+Gospel of Christ; and ability in such an enterprise is the measure of
+our duty. "If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to
+that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not." "To whom much
+is given of him will much be required." And to determine whether
+Christians in the United States are _doing what they can_ to save the
+heathen from their awful doom, the second point of inquiry proposed, it
+is necessary to look at their unparalleled advantages.
+
+It may be said then, that Christians in America are not trammeled in
+their efforts to do good by any governmental restrictions, or
+ecclesiastical establishment. The remark is trite, but no less true,
+that the genius of our free constitution is eminently propitious to call
+forth energy and enterprise. And the remark applies with no more force
+to worldly matters, than to the business of doing good. The religion of
+Christ courts no extraneous influence, and is dependent for its power on
+no earthly aid. Under our free government, uncontrolled, unrestrained
+and unsupported, it is left to exert its own free and native energy. We
+can plead, therefore, no arbitrary hindrance of any kind in the work of
+propagating the Gospel. And we can carry the Gospel, too, disconnected
+from any prejudicial alliance with political interests. This is the
+free, disencumbered, and unshackled condition in which the Gospel is
+permitted to have free course in our beloved land; and it is a talent
+put into our hands to be improved.
+
+Again, no country possesses such advantages of education as the United
+States. In no land is knowledge so generally diffused throughout the
+different grades of society, and in no land do such facilities exist for
+acquiring a thorough education. Schools, colleges and seminaries, are
+open equally to the high and to the low, to the rich and to the poor;
+and only a good share of energy is required, to rise from any grade or
+condition of society, to eminence in general learning or professional
+study. The general intelligence of the community is such, that nothing
+but _disinclination_ can prevent men from being acquainted with the
+wants of the world, and their duty to evangelize it; and the facilities
+for fitting themselves for the work are such, that nothing but criminal
+delinquency can hold back a very large army from entering the field.
+This is an immense advantage committed to the American churches, for
+propagating the religion of Christ. It is another very precious talent
+committed to their trust, which if they fail to improve, they treasure
+up guilt.
+
+Again, the American churches possess a great advantage in the facilities
+so generally enjoyed for accumulating wealth. The road to comfort and to
+affluence is open to all; and notwithstanding all reverses, the remark,
+as a general one, is still true, that the prosperity of the United
+States--of the whole mass of the people--is altogether unexampled, and
+that enterprise is vigorous and successful. In the greatest strait, how
+much retrenchment has there been in the style of living? And as we look
+into the future we see, (God's providence favoring,) that wealth is
+destined to flow in upon the land like a broad and deep river. Look at
+the extent of territory, bounded only by two rolling oceans; and at the
+resources which from year to year are developed--varied, unnumbered, and
+inexhaustible. If then unto whom much is given, of them will much be
+required, what may not God justly demand of American Christians?
+
+Another advantage which the American church possesses, is the Spirit which
+has been poured out upon her from on high. God has been pleased to bless
+her with precious revivals. The Holy Ghost has come down frequently and
+with power, and gathered in multitudes of souls. What God has wrought
+for the American Zion has been told in all lands, and every one applies
+the Saviour's injunction, "Freely ye have received--freely give." One
+great reason, perhaps, why the blessings of the Spirit are not now more
+richly enjoyed, is the neglect of Christians to make this return, and to
+labor gratefully for the destitute and the dying. It _was expected_, and
+justly too, that the land of apostolic revivals would be the first to
+imitate the apostles in the work of saving the heathen. A failure to do
+this may bring a blight upon the churches, if it has not brought it upon
+them already.
+
+Surely, if there is a nation on earth to whom are intrusted many talents,
+ours is that nation. Our ability is not small. We must come up to a high
+measure of Christian action, before it can be said with truth, that we
+are _doing what we can_ to save our ruined race. The United States, a
+nation planted by God, enriched by his providence, nourished by his Holy
+Spirit, and brought to the strength of manhood in this solemnly momentous
+time of the nineteenth century, seems to have committed to her in a
+special manner the work of the world's conversion. Who knoweth but that
+she is brought to her preeminent advantages for such a time as this--for
+the interesting period preceding the latter day glory; and now if she
+prove herself unworthy of so lofty and responsible a trust, and neglect
+to put forth her strength to usher in the glorious day, deliverance will
+break out from some other quarter, but she, like a third Babylon, may
+sink in the bottomless abyss. An immense responsibility rests upon us. O
+that God would give us grace to act worthy of our trust--_to do what we
+can_ for a dying world!
+
+Let us inquire, then, Do we _pray_ for the heathen as much as we ought?
+Were one duly impressed with the condition of perishing millions,
+certainly no less could be expected of him, than to fall on his knees
+many times a day, and to lift up his cry of earnest entreaty on their
+behalf. Filled with the love of Christ, and having distinctly and
+constantly before his mind the image of millions of immortal souls
+dropping into perdition, surely he could not refrain from an agony of
+prayer. Under such a sense of the wants and woes of our perishing race,
+a sense true to facts, he would have no rest.
+
+But what prayer has actually been offered to the Lord for benighted
+nations? Is it not a fact, that many professed Christians do not remember
+the heathen once a day, and some not even once a month? Let the closet,
+the family altar, and the monthly concert testify. Prayer-meetings for
+the heathen--how thinly attended! what spectacles of grief to Jesus, and
+to angels! And if that prayer only is honest which is proved to be so by
+a readiness to labor, give, and go, there is reason to fear that few
+prayers for the heathen have been such that Christ could accept them,
+place them in his golden censer, and present them before the throne.
+
+Since such is the case, what wonder is it that a million and a half of
+Christians in the United States should be so inefficient? Inefficient, I
+say, for what do this million and a half of professed Christians
+accomplish? By their vows they are bound to be as self-denying, as
+spiritual and devoted, as though they were missionaries to foreign
+lands. If we should send abroad a million and a half of missionaries, we
+should expect that, under God, they would soon be the instruments of
+converting all nations. But what, in fact, does this vast number of
+professed Christians--or in other words, of the _professedly missionary
+band_ of Jesus Christ, accomplish in the narrow limits of the United
+States? O, there is a deplorable lack in the churches, of the deep
+devotion and missionary character of our ascended Saviour.
+
+Again, Do we _give_ as much as we ought to evangelize the heathen? It
+would perhaps be a liberal estimate to say, that a million and a half of
+professed Christians in the United States give, on an average, year by
+year, to save the heathen, about twenty-four cents each, or two cents a
+month. There are other objects, it is true, that call for contributions;
+but put all contributions together, and how small the amount?
+
+The Jews were required to give to religious objects at least one-fifth
+of their income. One-fifth of the income of a million and a half of
+Christians at seven per cent., supposing them to be worth on an average
+five hundred dollars each, would be ten and a half millions of dollars.
+This is merely the income of capital of which we now speak. A fifth of
+the income from trade and industry would probably double the amount, and
+make it twenty-one millions. Is anything like this sum given by American
+Christians to support and propagate the religion of Jesus? What
+Christians have done, therefore, is by no means a measure of their
+ability.
+
+To see what men can do, it is necessary to look away from Christians, to
+those whose ruling principle is a thirst for pleasure, for honor, and
+for gain. How vast a sum is expended at theatres--on fashionable
+amusements and splendid decorations--not to mention the hundreds of
+millions sunk by intemperance, and swallowed up in the deep dark vortex
+of infamous dissipation! Men are lavish of money on objects on which
+their hearts are set. And if the hearts of Christians _were set_ on
+saving the heathen, as much as wicked men are set on their pleasures,
+would they, think you, be content with the present measure of their
+contributions?
+
+Look, too, at what men can do who are eager in the pursuit of wealth.
+Under the influence of such an incentive, railroads, canals, and
+fortresses spring into being, and fleets bedeck the seas like the stars
+of the firmament. Money is not wanting when lucrative investment is the
+end in view. Even professed Christians can collect together heavy sums,
+when some great enterprise promises a profitable income. They profess,
+perhaps, to be accumulating money for Christ; but, alas, to what a
+painful extent does it fail of reaching the benevolent end proposed!
+Worldly men accomplish much, for their hearts are enlisted. Professed
+Christians, too, accomplish much in worldly projects, for their minds
+become engrossed. What then could they not accomplish for Christ, if
+their feelings were equally enlisted in his cause? They might have, in
+serving Christ, intellects as vigorous, muscles as strong, and this
+advantage in addition, a God on high who has vouchsafed to help them.
+
+Take another view of the case. The child that is now sitting by your
+side in perfect health, is suddenly taken sick. Its blooming cheeks turn
+pale, and it lifts its languid and imploring eyes for help. You call a
+physician, the most skillful one you can obtain. Do you think of expense?
+A protracted illness swells the bill of the physician and apothecary to
+a heavy amount. Do you dismiss the physician, or withhold any comfort
+for fear of expense?
+
+Your child recovers, and becomes a promising youth. He takes a voyage to
+a foreign country. The ship is driven from her course, and wrecked on
+some barbarous coast. Your son becomes a captive, and after long anxiety
+you hear that he is alive, and learn his suffering condition; and you
+are told that fifty dollars will procure his ransom. I will suppose you
+are poor, have not a dollar at command, and that the sum can be raised
+in no other way than by your own industry and toil. Now, I ask, how many
+months would expire before you would save the sum from your hard
+earnings, and liberate your son? But what is an Algerine dungeon? It is
+a heaven, compared with the condition of the heathen. In the one case,
+there are bodily sufferings; in the other, present wretchedness and
+eternal agonies.
+
+I once fell in company with a man of moderate circumstances, with whom I
+used the above argument. He promptly replied, "It is true. Three years
+ago I thought I could barely support my family by my utmost exertions.
+Two years since, my darling son became deranged, and the support of him
+at the asylum costs me four hundred dollars a year. I find that with
+strict economy and vigorous exertion I can meet the expense. But if any
+one had said to me three years ago, that I could raise four hundred
+dollars a year to save a lost world, I should have regarded the remark
+as the height of extravagance."
+
+Now, I ask, ought not men to feel as much in view of the eternal and
+unspeakable agony of a world of souls, as a parent feels for a suffering
+child? God felt MORE. He loved his only Son with a most tender
+affection--inconceivably more tender than any earthly parent can
+exercise towards a beloved child. And yet, when the Father placed before
+him, on the one hand the eternal ruin of men, and on the other the
+sufferings and death of his beloved Son, which did he choose? Let
+Gethsemane and Calvary answer. Can Christians then have much of the
+spirit of God, and not feel for the eternal agonies of untold millions,
+more than for the temporal sufferings of a beloved child? But if
+Christians felt thus, what exertion would they make--how immense the
+sum they would cheerfully raise, this present year, to evangelize the
+heathen! Feeling thus, a few of the wealthy churches might sustain the
+present expenditures of all foreign operations. Yet all the American
+churches combined, _feeling as they do now_, fail to send forth a few
+waiting missionaries, and suffer the schools abroad to be disbanded. The
+truth is, in the scale of giving, the church as a body (I say nothing of
+individuals or of particular churches) has scarcely risen in its feeling
+above the freezing point. What they now contribute is a mere fraction
+compared with their ability.
+
+Millions are squandered by professed Christians on a pampered appetite,
+in obedience to fashion, a taste for expensive building, a love of
+parade, and on newly-invented comforts and conveniences, of which the
+hardy soldiers of Jesus Christ ought ever to be ignorant.
+
+Then, again, some who are economical in their expenditures, have little
+conception of what is meant by total consecration to God. There must be
+an entire reform in this matter. Every Christian must feel that his
+employment, whether it be agriculture, merchandise, medicine, law, or
+anything else, is of no value any farther than it is connected with the
+Redeemer's kingdom; that wealth is trash, and life a trifle, _except_ as
+they may be used to advance the cause of Christ; and that so far as they
+may be used for this purpose, they are of immense value. Let every
+Christian feel this sentiment--let it be deeply engraven on his heart,
+and how long, think you, would pecuniary means be wanting in the work of
+the world's salvation?
+
+And do we _go and instruct_ the heathen as we ought? This is indeed the
+main point. To pray, formally at least, is quite easy; to give, is a
+little more difficult; but to go, in the minds of most persons, is
+entirely out of the question. Satan understood human nature when he
+said, "All that a man hath will he give for his life." Speak of going,
+and you touch the man, his skin and his bones. To go, requires that a
+man have such feelings as to begin to act in earnest, as men do in other
+matters. Men act in person, when they are deeply in earnest. In the case
+supposed of a sick child, does the mother simply express a desire that
+the child may recover? does she merely give money, and hire a nurse to
+take little or no care of it? No: in her _own person_ she anticipates
+its every want, with the utmost attention and watchfulness. When a son
+is in bondage on a barbarous coast, does the father merely _pray_ that
+his son may be redeemed? does he merely send _money_ for his ransom? No:
+he chooses, if possible, _to go in person_ and carry the sum, that no
+means may be left untried to accomplish the object he has so much at
+heart. Men who are deeply interested in an important matter, where there
+is much at stake, cannot be satisfied with sending; they choose to _go
+themselves._ This remark is true in all the enterprises and transactions
+of life the world over.
+
+If then, after all, the measure of going is the true measure of
+interest, to what extent, I inquire, have Christians of America gone to
+the heathen? Alas! the number is few, very few.
+
+Look at the proportion of _ministers_ who go abroad. In the United
+States the number of preachers, of all denominations, is perhaps not far
+from one to a thousand souls. This is in a land already intelligent and
+Christian; in a land of universities, colleges, and schools; in a land
+of enterprise, of industry, and of free institutions, where the arts
+flourish, and where improvements are various and unnumbered; and more
+than all, in a land where more than a million and a half of the people
+are professed Christians, and ready to aid the ministers of Christ in
+various ways. On the other hand, even if missionaries from all
+Christendom be taken into the account, there is not more than one
+minister to a million of pagan souls, with almost no intelligent
+Christians to assist as teachers, elders, catechists, and tract
+distributers; no physicians, artists, and judicious legislators, to
+improve society and afford the means of civilized habits; no literature
+worthy of the name; no colleges, or even common schools of any value; no
+industry and enterprise, and every motive for it crushed by arbitrary
+and tyrannical institutions: the mind degraded and besotted,
+inconceivably so, and preoccupied also with the vilest superstition, the
+most inveterate prejudices, and the most arrogant bigotry. Who can
+measure the vast disproportion? What mind sufficient to balance extremes
+so inconceivably immense? On the one hand a minister to a thousand
+souls, with many helpers and a thousand auxiliary influences in his
+favor; on the other, one minister to a million of souls, with no helpers
+and no auxiliary influences, finding out an untrodden track amidst
+unnumbered obstacles, and penetrating with his single lamp into the dark
+and boundless chaos of heathenism. This is the manner in which
+Christendom shows that she loves her neighbor as herself; and in view of
+it, judge ye, whether American Christians go as much as they ought to
+instruct and save the benighted nations.
+
+We said, that the number of missionaries to the heathen population is
+about one to a million of souls; but let not the conclusion be drawn,
+that every million of heathen souls has a missionary. By no means. The
+few hundred missionaries preach to a few hundred thousand souls. The
+millions and hundreds of millions of heathen, are as destitute of
+preaching as though a missionary had never sailed, as destitute of the
+Scriptures as though a Bible were never printed, and as far from
+salvation, I was about to say, as though Jesus Christ had never died.
+Men speak of operating upon the _world_. Such language is delusive. The
+present style of effort, or anything like it, can only operate on some
+small portions of the earth. To influence materially the _wide world_,
+Christians must awake to a style of praying, giving, and _going_ too, of
+which they have as yet scarcely dreamed. The work of going into all the
+world and preaching the Gospel to every creature, has scarcely been
+undertaken in earnest. And how vain it would be to expect to make any
+material impression on the world, as a whole, when so small a company
+from all the ministers in the United States go abroad, and a less number
+even of lay members from the vast body of a million and a half.
+
+The heathen are not lost because a Saviour is not provided for them.
+"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." The
+preaching of the cross is "the power of God and the wisdom of God" both
+to the Jew and the Greek. Facts show, that in every nation, however
+barbarous and degraded, the Gospel of Jesus has power to convert,
+purify, elevate and save. These facts are irresistible.
+
+Neither are the heathen lost, because the ocean separating them is
+rarely passed. For the sake of gain, men can visit the most distant and
+sultry climes. To solve a question of science or merely to gratify
+curiosity, they can circumnavigate the globe, or penetrate far into the
+icy regions of the poles. The improvements in navigation and the
+extension of commerce have united the two continents in one. The
+Atlantic ocean no longer separates you from Africa, nor the Pacific from
+China. The amount of intercourse between the seekers of wealth from
+Christian lands and almost every heathen country, is absolutely immense.
+
+Why then are the heathen left to perish? There is a lack of earnestness
+in the church in the work of the world's conversion. What does the
+present earnestness of the church amount to? They contribute on an
+average two cents a month each, and they find that the pittance of money
+will more than suffice for the small number of men: and then the cry is
+"More money than men." A few men are obtained and then the pittance of
+money fails, and "More men than money" is the cry. A year or two
+afterwards the supply of men is gone, and the cry again is reversed. As
+if, in repairing the wastes of the New-York fire, the citizens collect
+together a small quantity of brick, and then find they have more brick
+than workmen. So they employ a few more men, and then find they have
+more men than brick. Was this the rate at which the ravages of the great
+fire were so soon repaired? Was this the measure of their engagedness in
+rebuilding the city?
+
+Some derangement takes place in the Erie Canal: a lock fails, an
+aqueduct gives way, or a bank caves in. Is business stopped on the canal
+till the next season, because the times are hard, and it is difficult to
+obtain money to make repairs? Some derangement takes place in a
+railroad: is travelling postponed till next year? But in the work of
+doing good, the reverse of times is regarded as a sufficient excuse to
+detain missionaries, disband schools, and take other retrograde steps.
+We coolly block our wheels, lie still, and postpone our efforts for the
+world's conversion till more favorable times. Men are earnest in worldly
+matters: in digging a canal, in laying a railroad, or in repairing a
+city; but in God's work--the work of saving the nations--their efforts
+are so weak that one is at loss to know which is most prominent, the
+folly, or the enormous guilt.
+
+Is it not a fact, that in our efforts for the heathen we come so far
+short of our ability, that God cannot consistently add his blessing.
+Can it be that the service rendered by the church as a body is
+acceptable to God? It is not according to that she hath--it forms an
+immense and inconceivable contrast to that measure of effort which lies
+fully within her power. Is it not, then, as though an imperfect
+sacrifice were offered to the Lord--a lamb full of blemish? If the
+church were weak, and it were really beyond her ability to do more than
+she does at present, then God would accomplish great victories by the
+feeble means. He can save by few as well as by many. He would make the
+"worm Jacob to thresh mountains." But since God has blessed the American
+church with numbers, and with great and peculiar advantages, he requires
+of her efforts that accord with her ability. The poor widow's mites
+accomplish much; but the wealthy man's mites, or the wealthy nation's
+thousands, when she is fully able to give millions; and her very few
+sons, when it would even benefit her to spare a host of her ablest men;
+what shall we say of such an offering? The reason why God blesses the
+efforts of the American church may be, that there are _some widows_, and
+some others too who do what they can--who honestly come up to the
+measure of their ability. For the sake of these God may add his
+blessing, just as for the sake of ten righteous men he would have spared
+Sodom. But no very great and conspicuous blessing can be expected to
+attend the labors of missionaries, such as the conversion of China, or
+of Africa, till the church begins to _pray_, _give_ and _go_, according
+to her _ability_; till she begins to come up to the extent of her powers
+in her efforts to save the heathen. Then, when she renders according to
+that she hath, her service will be accepted; it will be a sweet savor
+before God; his throne of love will come near the tabernacle of his
+saints, and the noise of his chariot soon be heard among the ranks of
+the enemy. The church then, with Christ at their head, shall go on
+rapidly from conquering to conquer, till all nations, tongues and
+people, shall bow the knee before him. As soon as the church shall put
+forth all her strength so as to render an acceptable service to God, it
+is of little consequence whether she be weak or strong, few or many, the
+blessing will descend; the mountains will break forth into singing, and
+the trees shall clap their hands for joy; God will come, take up his
+abode with the saints, and verify all that is expressed by "the latter
+day glory."
+
+It is plain, then, not only that Christians come far short of doing what
+they can to save the heathen, but that if they would come up to the
+measure of their duty they might, under God, rescue the dying nations
+from their impending doom. If they would engage in earnest, pray with
+fervency and faith, and prove their zeal by giving and by going, then
+the providence of God would not leave a bolt or a bar in their way,
+except what might be necessary to test their perseverance. Let every
+ambassador of Christ, and _every Christian too_, possess the unreserved
+consecration of Paul, and manifest that burning zeal which carried him,
+as on the wings of an angel, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable
+riches of Christ; let every redeemed sinner, minister or layman, stand
+ready, not merely to contribute of his substance, but to traverse with
+cheerful step the burning plains of Africa or the icy mountains of
+Greenland: then the darkness that now envelopes the earth would soon be
+dispelled, the torch of Revelation be carried to the most distant lands,
+and its light be made to penetrate the most gloomy abodes of men; the
+radiance of heavenly truth would be poured around the dying bed of every
+pagan, intelligence now in to us from every quarter, not only of
+individuals, but of nations converted to God, and the shout of triumph
+would soon be heard, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom
+of our Lord."
+
+It seems to be true, therefore, that the heathen are sinking to
+perdition; and true, also, that we might, under God, be the means of
+saving them. Shall we not then be found _accountable_ for their eternal
+agonies? O Christian, pause and look at this thought! Look at it
+deliberately, for we shall be obliged to do so at the judgment day. No
+one can plead exemption from it, unless he does _what he can_ to save
+the heathen. O my soul, how much blood, how much weeping, wailing and
+gnashing of teeth, will stand at thy account in the day of judgment!
+
+I appeal to each one of you, examine yourselves in the light of this
+truth. Call up your prayers, your contributions, and your personal
+efforts. Compare what you have done with what Jesus did for you. I
+entreat you, open your ears, and hearts too, to the groans of a dying
+world. Listen to the notes which, like the noise of seven thunders, peal
+after peal, are rolling in upon your shores.
+
+"Hark! what mean those lamentations,
+  Rolling sadly through the sky?
+'Tis the cry of heathen nations,
+  'Come and help us, or we die!'
+
+"Hear the heathen's sad complaining,
+  Christians! hear their dying cry;
+And, the love of Christ constraining,
+  Haste to help them, ere they die!"
+
+Yes, reader, haste to help them. Confer not with flesh and blood. Meet
+all vain excuses with a deaf ear and a determined spirit. Let pity move
+you, the love of Christ constrain you, and a sense of responsibility
+urge you, to take that precious Gospel on which your hopes rely, and to
+carry it, without delay, to the perishing nations.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE SAVIOUR'S LAST COMMAND.
+
+
+Let us suppose that all kindreds and people of the earth are assembled,
+and that the inhabitants of Africa, Asia, the Isles of the Pacific and
+the wilds of America, are called upon to speak, and to give in their
+testimony _how far the Saviour's last command has been obeyed_.
+
+The inquiry is first put to Africa:
+
+"Africa, to what extent and for what purpose have people from Christian
+lands visited thee, and thine adjacent islands? What have they carried
+to thy shores? And what is the treatment thou hast received from them?
+Tell the whole truth: let it be known to what extent the Saviour's last
+command has been obeyed in respect to thee."
+
+To this inquiry Africa replies:
+
+"The truth I can tell, but the _whole_ truth cannot be told. I have
+indeed been visited by people from Christian lands. Thousands and
+hundreds of thousands from those lands have visited my shores. Some
+have come to measure the pyramids, and to gather relics of ancient
+literature and decayed magnificence; some to search out the sources of
+the Nile and the course of the Niger; some to possess the best of the
+soil; and a vast multitude have come, with a cruelty that knows no
+mercy, to tear the husband from his wife and the wife from her husband,
+parents from their children and children from their parents, brother
+from sister and sister from brother--to crowd them together without
+distinction of age or sex in the suffocating holds of their ships, where
+a large proportion of them die, and to convey the remainder far away to
+spend their lives in degrading servitude. They have brought beads and
+trinkets; they have brought _instruments of death_, such as muskets,
+powder, knives and swords; and they have brought, too, full cargoes of
+_liquid poison_. The navies of Christian, lands have fought in my
+harbors, and their armies upon my shores. Their money by millions has
+been lavished, and their blood has run in torrents.
+
+"A few individuals, however, of a different character, have found their
+way hither. They have come in the spirit of benevolence and of peace,
+and have brought in their hands the precious treasure of the Gospel of
+Christ. But their number is so small as to be almost lost among the
+multitude. For one who has taught righteousness, purity, truth and
+mercy, thousands have taught, by their example, rapacity, drunkenness,
+lewdness and cruelty. For one who has led us in the path of life,
+thousands have led us in the paths of destruction. For one who has
+brought the Bible, thousands have brought rum. For one whose example has
+been salutary, the intercourse of thousands has left a loathsome
+disease, which with sure and rapid progress is depopulating the land.
+Such is the sum of my testimony. Days and nights would be required to
+give the detail."
+
+This testimony of Africa being finished, the same inquiry is put to
+Asia:
+
+"Asia, to what extent have the nations of Christendom visited thee, and
+thy numerous islands? What have they carried to thy shores? and what has
+been their deportment towards thee?"
+
+To which Asia replies:
+
+"The vast number, either of men or of ships from Christian lands, that
+have visited my shores, cannot be told. I know full well the
+enterprise, the energy, and the perseverance of Christian lands; yes,
+verily, and traits too of less honorable name. Large portions of my
+territory acknowledge the control of their armies. Their thundering
+navies lie in my harbors and sail along my coasts. Ships without
+number--mighty ships whose masts pierce the clouds, have come for my
+teas, my crapes, my silks, my spices and other precious merchandise.
+Their consuls, superintendents, officers of various kinds, and merchants
+in great numbers, dwell in almost every port, and have erected in those
+ports stores, shops, offices and sumptuous dwellings. Many things
+pleasant and useful have been brought hither, but many things also that
+are ruinous: full cargoes of ardent spirits; and immense quantities of
+opium too, a means of destruction no less sure.
+
+"Among the multitudes who have come to my shores, some few, indeed, have
+brought the Gospel of Christ, made known its truths and exemplified its
+spirit; but the thousands and tens of thousands have inculcated by their
+example, worldliness, drunkenness, lewdness, war, violence and
+treachery. If needful, a volume of details might be given; but this is
+the sum."
+
+Next, the inquiry is put to the Isles of the Ocean:
+
+"Great Pacific, to what extent has the last command of Christ been
+obeyed by Christian lands, in respect to thy numerous islands?"
+
+The reply is as follows:
+
+"Thousands of ships from Christian lands continually cruise upon my wide
+waters, and visit my numerous groups of islands. They have exchanged
+with my ignorant and destitute inhabitants, beads, trinkets, and a few
+inches of rusty iron hoop, for the best produce of the islands. They
+have sold to them guns, powder and rum. Many of their ships have been
+floating grog-shops--floating exhibitions too of Sodom and Gomorrah.
+From some, on slight provocation, broadsides of cannon have been fired
+on my heedless inhabitants, strewing the deep with the dead and the
+dying. Rum and disease have been introduced. The one has slain its
+thousands, and the other has slain, and is still slaying its tens of
+thousands. Many useful things indeed have been introduced, but in
+connection with a host of evils! A few individuals too, bearing the
+Gospel of Jesus Christ, have visited some of my numerous islands; but
+what are they among the multitude?"
+
+After this testimony of the Isles of the Ocean, the inquiry is last
+addressed to America:
+
+"America, what is thy testimony? From Bhering's Straits to Cape Horn,
+what treatment have thy native inhabitants received from Christian
+nations?"
+
+America replies:
+
+"Alas! scarcely enough remain of my miserable inhabitants to return an
+answer. They have been swept away by the same causes which are now
+sweeping away the inhabitants of the Pacific. The rapacity of those
+called Christians, which has not scrupled at any means of conquest and
+extirpation, and the rum and diseases introduced, have laid my numerous
+population in the grave. Have I been visited by those who bear the
+Christian name? Yes, verily, they now possess the best portions of my
+territory, and have grown into vast nations on my soil. Even my veriest
+wilds have been repeatedly traversed by them in search of furs; and the
+tracks they have made been too often marked with drunkenness, lewdness,
+and treachery. Few, very few indeed of all that have come to this vast
+continent, have come to instruct my ignorant inhabitants in the precious
+Gospel of Jesus Christ, and lead them in the paths of righteousness and
+peace. Few who explore my wilds, explore them for this purpose. Alas! a
+far different object prompts their enterprise, their energy, and their
+perseverance. This is the sum of my testimony."
+
+Now, reader, let us look well at this testimony of Africa, of Asia, of
+the Isles of the Ocean, and of America. Is it not overwhelming? Take,
+the Encyclopedia of Geography, or McCulloch's Dictionary of Commerce, or
+Howitt's Colonization and Christianity, and carefully examine the facts.
+Are they not enough to strike us dumb? To what a vast extent heathen
+nations have been visited by those who bear the Christian name. What
+obscure island, or what obscure nook or corner of the earth has not been
+visited? What immense multitudes have gone forth. AND, ALAS! FOR WHAT
+PURPOSES. How few, how very few have gone forth to make known the
+Gospel! What a powerful motive among men is the love of earthly gain,
+and how weak a motive is love to Christ and regard to his last command.
+The command reads, "GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO
+EVERY CREATURE." Christian nations, ye have not failed in great
+multitudes to "GO INTO ALL THE WORLD;" scarcely have ye failed to visit
+"EVERY CREATURE;" but for what purpose have ye gone forth? Has it been
+mainly to make known the precious name of Jesus? Be entreated to look at
+the case as it is, for a day of impartial retribution is at hand.
+
+Many of you indeed, who go forth to heathen shores, do not profess to be
+the disciples of Jesus; but imagine not, that on that account your guilt
+is diminished. Ye who reject the Saviour, and disobey his commands--who
+throw away your own souls as worthless, and are reckless of the souls of
+your fellow men, what can you say in the day of Christ's appearing? If
+ye had only destroyed your own souls, then your case would be more
+tolerable; but since you withhold from the millions of ignorant heathen
+the knowledge of salvation, which has been imparted to you--not only
+refusing to enter the kingdom of heaven yourselves, but denying the key
+to those who might be disposed to enter;--and not only do this, but in
+your intercourse with the heathen, which has been very abundant, confirm
+them in their evil practices by a pernicious example, and hurry them by
+thousands to the grave by means of _deadly poison_ and _deadly
+disease_--Oh! how will you endure the keen remorse and fearful looking
+for of judgment, which may ere long overtake you? When the impartial
+Judge shall appear, and your eyes shall meet his eye, what agonies must
+rend your souls!
+
+But some of you have the vows of God upon you. To such I would say, Be
+entreated to look at the case as it is. As ye have gone forth on voyages
+of just and honorable traffic, and on voyages of discovery, have you
+manifested in all the heathen ports where you touched, that to make
+known the Saviour was the great and absorbing desire of your hearts?
+Alas! are there not some among you who, either as owners, masters or
+agents, are connected with ships that sail from port on the Sabbath, or
+do other unnecessary work on that day, and who thereby teach the
+heathen, wherever those ships go, to disobey God when their gain or
+convenience require it? Are there not also some among you, who, in one
+way or another, are connected with ships whose outfits are wholly or in
+part, beads, trinkets, guns, powder, rum and opium? and who thereby
+teach the heathen injustice, cheating, drunkenness, lewdness, and
+recklessness of life? Why is it that ye bear the name of the peaceful
+disciples of the benevolent Jesus, whilst ye are concerned in scattering
+among the heathen "fire-brands, arrows and death"--in teaching them
+every species of iniquity, and in rearing a wall of prejudice strong and
+high to the progress of the Gospel?
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+But most of my readers stand pure from all this crime; and of such I
+simply inquire, with deep concern and affectionate earnestness, Why,
+dear brethren, have ye not obeyed the Saviour's last command? Why have
+ye not made known the Gospel of Christ to every creature? Each one of
+you has doubtless some excuse at hand, or he could not escape the
+goadings of conscience. Let us then, in the spirit of candor and
+honesty, look at some EXCUSES.
+
+Perhaps some one may be inclined to say, "The work enjoined by the
+Saviour's last command is a very great work, and there has not been
+time enough to perform it."
+
+True, I reply, the work is great; but how does it appear that there has
+not been sufficient time to accomplish it? _Not sufficient time!_ What
+has been accomplished in the pursuit of wealth and honor during the same
+period of time? What has been done at home in railroads, canals,
+steamboats, manufactures, and in other departments of enterprise and
+industry? What has been done abroad? Look at the testimony of Africa,
+Asia, the Isles of the Pacific, and the wilds of America. There has been
+time to carry rum to every shore. There has been time to introduce
+diseases among every barbarous people, which are hurrying them to the
+grave by thousands. There has been time to kidnap thousands and hundreds
+of thousands of the degraded Africans. There has been time to extirpate
+most of the native population of North and South America. There has been
+time to wage war, till the blood of human beings has flowed in torrents.
+And then, in regard to just and honorable traffic, compute, if human
+arithmetic be competent to the task, the amount of merchandise brought
+from India, and from other distant lands. There has been time for all
+this. Now I ask with great plainness, for it is a solemn and practical
+subject, Had you exhibited the same enterprise, energy and perseverance,
+in making known the Gospel to all nations, as has been exhibited in
+worldly pursuits, would not every human being, long ere this, have heard
+the word of life? Will you not, Christian reader, look at this question,
+weigh it well, and deal honestly with your own soul?
+
+Here, I am suspicious that some may be inclined to excuse themselves
+with a vague thought secretly entertained, which, if expressed, would be
+somewhat as follows:
+
+"True, we have not exhibited as much zeal in teaching all nations as has
+been exhibited by the worldly, and by many of ourselves even, in the
+pursuit of wealth. But we claim not the praise of a holy, self-denying
+and apostolic life. We are content with an _humble_ walk in the
+Christian course, and a _low_ seat in heaven. Entire consecration, in
+the sense urged, is what we never _professed_."
+
+Your standard, then, it appears is very low--too low, it may be, to
+admit you even to that humble seat in the courts above which you
+anticipate. You claim not the praise of an apostolic life, and I
+seriously fear that you will not obtain even the testimony of being a
+true Christian. But how does it appear, that you never professed an
+entire consecration to Christ of all your powers of body and soul? It is
+true, the conduct of some would seem to say, that they put on a form of
+religion to silence their fears, to cheat themselves with a delusive
+hope, and to enjoy a comfortable state of mind on earth. But what,
+really, are the vows that rest upon you? What else than to seek by
+prayer and effort, as your supreme aim, chief desire, and all-engrossing
+object, the promotion of Christ's kingdom--the salvation of souls for
+whom he died?
+
+Besides, what is the great purpose for which the church was instituted?
+Certainly, not to promote in its members a delusive comfort and quietude
+of mind; neither mainly nor chiefly to secure their own ultimate
+salvation; but _to take advantage of union of strength to convert the
+world._ The church--the whole church, without the exception of any of
+its members, is by profession, not merely a missionary society, but a
+_missionary band:_ the minute-men of the Lord Jesus, ready to do his
+will, at home or abroad, with singleness of aim, and with a spirit of
+entire devotion.
+
+"But," you say, "were we thus to live, the world would verily believe we
+were deranged."
+
+_Deranged!_ it would be the right kind of derangement. Were not the
+apostles thought to be deranged? And the Reformers--Luther, Melancthon,
+Calvin, Knox and others--were not they thought to be enthusiasts and
+zealots? Why? Because they were somewhat in earnest in the cause of
+Christ. Worldly men toil and strive night and day, in collecting
+together a little of the pelf and dust of the earth, and think
+themselves wise in doing so; but if the disciples of Christ show zeal or
+earnestness, in pursuits as much higher than theirs as heaven is higher
+than the earth, and as much more important as the immortal soul is more
+valuable than corruption and vanity, they call them enthusiasts and
+fanatics! But, alas! how few of us who profess to be the disciples of
+Christ, have manifested such zeal in his service as to be called by such
+epithets. Such persons alone God calls wise; and those worldly men, who
+are mad in the pursuit of wealth, God calls "fools." The wisdom of God
+and the wisdom of the world are utterly at variance. O that all who
+profess to love Christ, manifested such zeal in obeying him as to be
+strange and singular men! How soon would every human being hear his
+Gospel! But since such zeal is not manifested, the heathen are left to
+perish; and where, I ask affectionately and solemnly, where rests the
+guilt?
+
+But, here it may perhaps be replied, "Our sin is a sin of ignorance. We
+have not been acquainted with the full import of the Saviour's last
+command, nor with the extent of our obligations to Christ. Neither have
+we been acquainted with the wretched and guilty condition of the heathen
+world, nor with the exertions necessary to turn it from darkness to
+light, from the power of Satan unto God. God will wink at our sin, if we
+be indeed guilty, for we have not been enlightened on this subject."
+
+I answer. Does ignorance of the laws of any nation excuse those who
+transgress those laws; or is it not considered to be the duty of all
+subjects to inform themselves in respect to the laws of their country?
+And should it not be so in the kingdom of Christ? The requirements of
+Christ in their full extent are contained in the New Testament, and are
+expressed in language that need not be misunderstood. If any one has
+mistaken their import, is it not on account of a self-seeking,
+money-getting, or slothful disposition? Let such a one search his own
+heart, and inquire with concern, "Did I desire to know my duty? Was not
+my blindness a matter of choice; no infirmity, no misfortune, but my
+guilt? If there had been a desire, nay, even a willingness to be
+instructed, could I have mistaken such plain and unequivocal precepts of
+the Gospel?"
+
+The condition too of the heathen, their guilty and wretched condition,
+is fully made known in the New Testament, especially in the first
+chapter of Paul's epistle to the Romans. Besides, accounts of their
+guilt and wretchedness have been presented before the Christian
+community in Heralds, Chronicles, reports and newspapers, till they have
+become too familiar to make an impression. Can ignorance at this day be
+any other than a criminal ignorance--an ignorance of fearful
+responsibility?
+
+And, I ask again, Can it be an excuse to many Christians that they are
+laymen and not preachers of the Gospel? Can they make it appear that
+many of their number were not called to the office of preaching the
+Gospel? Did they take the proper means to ascertain that point? How, I
+anxiously inquire, did such persons determine so readily, when a world
+was sinking to perdition for want of preachers of the Gospel, that they
+were called to be lawyers, physicians, statesmen, merchants, farmers and
+manufacturers? Can it be fairly shown that hundreds of laymen have not
+rejected an office to which they were _called_--SOLEMNLY CALLED, by the
+woes and dying groans of six hundred millions of their fellow men? Is
+there not reason to fear, that it was from a carnal choice and selfish
+inclination, rather than a sense of duty, that so great a majority slid
+so easily into their present occupations?
+
+Besides, how does it appear that only preachers of the Gospel are
+required to labor directly for the destitute at home, and to go forth to
+the heathen abroad? It was far otherwise in the days of the apostles.
+Then the whole church--driven out, indeed, by persecution--went
+everywhere making known the Saviour. And at the present hour, not only
+are ministers needed in propagating the Gospel in destitute places at
+home, and in raising up heathen nations from their deep degradation, but
+there are needed also, in their appropriate spheres, teachers,
+physicians, mechanics, farmers--in short, men of every useful profession
+and employment.
+
+Besides, much is to be done at home in sustaining those who go abroad.
+Has there been no lack in this part of the work? Alas! there are facts
+to meet such an inquiry, facts too well known to be named: disbanded
+schools, detained missionaries, and deserted monthly concerts: facts
+that stand registered on a book that shall hereafter be opened. Dear
+brethren, I speak earnestly and boldly of your obligations, not
+forgetting my own; and I would entreat you, by all that is affecting in
+the death of souls, and by all that is constraining in the love of
+Christ, to admit freely to your hearts, without subterfuge or excuse,
+the full import of the Saviour's last command, and to commence at once a
+life of sincere obedience. O! let us deal _honestly_ with ourselves, in
+a matter of such immense moment.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+LAYMEN CALLED TO THE FIELD OF MISSIONS.
+
+
+In Acts, 8:4, it is said, _Therefore they that were scattered abroad,
+went everywhere preaching the word_. And from the previous verses it
+seems that these persons, who were scattered abroad, were lay members of
+the church. The history is instructive.
+
+After the day of Pentecost, the number of converts to Christianity
+amounted to several thousands. They were Jews, and had strong feelings
+of attachment to the city of Jerusalem, to the temple, and to the land
+of their fathers. They therefore clung to Jerusalem, and seemed inclined
+to remain together as one large church. But it was the design of the
+Lord Jesus, that the Gospel should be preached _everywhere_: such was
+his last and most solemn command. As, therefore, the disciples seemed in
+a measure unmindful of this command, the Saviour permitted a persecution
+to rage, which scattered them abroad, and they went "everywhere
+preaching the word." The term _preaching_, in this place, means simply
+announcing or making known the news of salvation. This must be the
+meaning, for they that were scattered abroad were laymen. As they went,
+they told everywhere of Jesus Christ, and of the life and immortality
+which he had brought to light. This subject engrossed their thoughts;
+their hearts were full of it, and out of the abundance of their hearts
+their mouths spake. It is clear from this history, that in early times
+lay members of the church, in great numbers, were led, in the providence
+of God, to go forth and engage personally in the work of propagating the
+Gospel. And the more closely we look at the history, the more we shall
+be impressed with this fact.
+
+Notice the _time_ chosen by God for the first remarkable outpouring of
+his Holy Spirit. It was on the day of Pentecost, when multitudes were
+present, not only from all parts of Palestine, but from the surrounding
+nations. There were present, "Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and
+the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus and
+Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Lybia about
+Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and
+Arabians." Upon this multitude, assembled from all the nations round
+about, the Holy Ghost was poured out with such power, that three
+thousand souls were converted in one day; and on succeeding days many
+were added to the church. Many of these converts would naturally return
+to the different nations and places from which they came, and make known
+the Saviour far and wide. It was by the return of these converts to
+their places of residence, that the Gospel was early introduced into
+many places quite remote from Jerusalem, among which may be reckoned, in
+all probability, the distant city of Rome. The first propagation of the
+Gospel in that metropolis of the world, can be traced to no other source
+with so much probability, as to the strangers from Rome who were present
+at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. It seems evident, therefore, that
+in the time chosen by God for this remarkable outpouring of his Spirit,
+he had an eye to an extensive and rapid propagation of the Gospel by lay
+members of the church.
+
+Again, as hinted before, when the great body of the first converts chose
+to remain at Jerusalem, God saw best to _drive them thence by
+persecution_. This persecution began with the stoning of Stephen, and
+raged with such violence, that it is said that all the church at
+Jerusalem were scattered abroad, except the apostles. They were not only
+a few individuals who were driven out, but so many as to justify the
+expression, "all the church." By thus dispersing the great body of the
+church, the Saviour propagated rapidly and extensively his precious
+Gospel. For this multitude of lay members--and there were several
+thousands of them--went everywhere preaching the word; announcing in all
+places, in a way appropriate to their station, the news of salvation
+through a crucified Redeemer. They propagated the Gospel throughout
+Judea and Samaria; and some of them travelled as far as Phoenice and
+Cyprus, and laid the foundation of the church at Antioch. It was not
+till the apostles had heard of the success of these lay members at
+Antioch, that they sent thither Barnabas to help in the work. It
+appears, then, that the rapid and extensive propagation of the Gospel,
+in early times, was accomplished in a great measure by the spreading
+abroad of the great body of the church; by an actual going forth and
+personal engagement of a great multitude of lay members.
+
+Again, the treasurer of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia, seems to have been
+converted on his return home, not simply out of regard to his own
+personal salvation, but as a means of making known the Gospel in the
+distant place of his residence; for soon after, we find in that region a
+flourishing church of Christ.
+
+Again, look at the example of Aquila and Priscilla, who labored
+zealously at Corinth and at Ephesus. Look, too, at the whole list of
+Paul's fellow travellers, and those whom he salutes in his letters as
+helpers in the Gospel.
+
+From all these facts it is evident, that in early times God made use of
+common Christians in propagating the Gospel. Did he not so overrule
+events in his providence, as to show it to be his design that lay
+members of the church should go forth in great numbers, and engage
+personally, in ways appropriate and proper for them, in the work of
+making known Christ? We have then the force of primitive example--of
+primitive example, too, brought about by the manifest overrulings of
+God's providence. This example is not equivalent, indeed, to a "Thus
+saith the Lord;" yet does it not strongly favor the sentiment, that lay
+members of the church in great numbers are called to go forth and assist
+in evangelizing the heathen?
+
+_To elevate all nations requires a great variety of laborers._ In
+illustrating this point, I cannot expect to present it with all the
+clearness and force which are due to it. To appreciate fully its truth
+and its weighty import, it is necessary to live in the midst of a
+heathen people, and actually to witness the great variety and amount of
+labor which must be put forth, in order to elevate and improve them. The
+work of raising up a people from barbarism to Christianity is not only
+an immense work, but emphatically a _various_ work--a work which
+requires a great diversity both of means and of laborers. The minister
+of the Gospel must perform a prominent part, but he must not be expected
+to labor alone. His unaided efforts are altogether insufficient for the
+task.
+
+There is special need of other laborers, since the number of ministers
+among the heathen is likely to be so small; but the need would exist,
+even though the number of ministers were very much increased. Labors
+analogous, both in respect to measure and variety, to those bestowed
+upon a Christian congregation, must be expended on a congregation of
+heathen. In Christian countries, a thousand important labors are
+performed by intelligent and praying men and women in the church, as
+direct aid to the minister in his arduous work; and a thousand offices
+are performed by schoolmasters, physicians, lawyers, merchants, farmers,
+mechanics and artisans, which, though in most cases not aimed directly
+at the salvation of men, are, notwithstanding, most intimately connected
+with the world's improvement and renovation. But while ministers at home
+are assisted in their work, shall the missionary abroad receive little
+or no help in his direct labors? And in respect to all improvements in
+society indirectly connected with his main work, must the task of
+introducing them and of urging them on, devolve entirely on him alone?
+Why should not the various means of civilizing and improving society at
+home, be brought to exert their influence upon the heathen abroad? Why
+should not the aid enjoyed by the minister in Christian lands, from
+intelligent members of his church, be afforded to the missionary among
+the heathen? How, indeed, shall the world be converted, unless there be
+a going forth to heathen lands from among all classes of Christians?
+
+But I fear that these remarks are too general to be distinctly
+understood. To make my meaning, then, a little more clear, I will
+suppose a case.
+
+A missionary goes forth to a barbarous nation, and locates himself in a
+village of four thousand souls. He learns the language of the people,
+and soon succeeds in giving them a superficial knowledge of the great
+truths of the Gospel. God blesses his labors. The people throw away
+their idols; many sincerely embrace the Lord Jesus; and the community at
+large acknowledge Christianity as the religion of the land.
+
+Now, a superficial thinker might imagine that the work of elevating the
+people was almost done; but, in truth, it is but just commenced. The
+missionary looks upon his people, and wishes them not only to be
+Christians in name, but to exhibit also intelligence and good order,
+purity and loveliness, industry and enterprise; in a word, a deportment
+in all respects consistent with the religion of Jesus. But what is
+their state? The government is despotic, and the principles of its
+administration at variance with Scripture and reason. This takes away
+all motives to industry and thrift. Then again, the people are ignorant;
+have no mental discipline, no store of useful knowledge, but their minds
+are marked with torpor, imbecility, and poverty of thought: while at the
+same time they are full of grovelling ideas, false opinions, and
+superstitious notions, imbibed in childhood and confirmed by age. The
+children, too, are growing up in ignorance of all that is useful and
+praiseworthy. Entirely uninstructed and ungoverned by their parents;
+they range at large like the wild goats of the field. The people know
+not the simple business of making cloth, of working iron, or of framing
+wood; and have but a very imperfect knowledge of agriculture.
+
+Of course, men, women and children, are almost houseless and
+naked--destitute of everything but the rudest structures, the rudest
+fabrications, and the rudest tools and implements of husbandry. A large
+family herd together, of all ages and both sexes, in one little hut,
+sleep on one mat, and eat from one dish. From irregularity of habits and
+frequent exposure, they are often sick; and with the aid of a
+superstitious quackery, sink rapidly and in great numbers to the grave.
+
+The missionary looks upon his four thousand villagers, though nominally
+Christian perhaps, yet still in this state of destitution, degradation
+and ignorance. He sees, that to elevate them requires the labors not
+only of a preacher of the Gospel, but the labors of the civilian, the
+physician, the teacher, the agriculturist, the manufacturer, the
+mechanic and the artist. Can all these professions and employments be
+united in one man? Can one missionary sustain all this variety of labor?
+Yet all these departments of labor are absolutely indispensable to the
+improvement and elevation of society. They are necessary in a land
+already Christian. Still more indispensable are they in the work of
+raising up a people from barbarism.
+
+_Teachers_ are needed. To raise a people from barbarism, the simple but
+efficient means of common schools must be everywhere diffused; and
+higher schools too must be established, and vigorously conducted. To
+teach the hundreds of millions of adult heathen in week-day schools and
+in Sabbath-schools, and more especially to instruct and train the
+hundreds of millions of heathen children and youth, cannot be done by a
+few hands. We forbear to make a numerical estimate: any one may estimate
+for himself. The number must be great, even though we look upon them
+rather as a commencing capital than as an adequate supply, and expect
+that by far the greater part of laborers are to be trained up from among
+the heathen themselves. It is preposterous to think of imposing all this
+labor on a few ministers of the Gospel.
+
+_Physicians_ are needed. They are needed to benefit the bodies of the
+heathen; for disease, the fruit of sin, is depopulating with amazing
+speed a large portion of the heathen world. The nations, many of them at
+least, are melting away. Let physicians go forth, and while they seek to
+stay the tide of desolation which is sweeping away the bodies of the
+heathen, let them improve the numerous and very favorable opportunities
+afforded them of benefiting their souls. The benevolent, sympathizing,
+and compassionate spirit of Christ, led him to relieve the temporal
+sufferings of men, while his main aim was to secure their eternal
+salvation. Unless we show, by our exertions, a desire to mitigate the
+present woes and miseries of men, how shall we convince them that we
+truly seek their eternal welfare? Physicians must throw their skill in
+the healing art at the feet of the Saviour, and be ready to use it when
+and where he shall direct. The number who should go to the heathen
+cannot, and need not, be named.
+
+It is unnecessary to remark that _printers_, _book-binders_, and
+_book-distributers_ are needed to carry on the work of the world's
+conversion.
+
+_Civilians_ too are needed: men skilled in laying the foundation of
+nations and guiding their political economy. Should such men go forth,
+and evince by a prayerful, godly, and disinterested deportment and
+course of procedure, that their sole aim was to promote the happiness of
+the people, both temporal and eternal; there are many barbarous
+countries where they would readily acquire much influence, and be able
+in a gradual manner, by friendly and prudent suggestions to the rulers,
+and in other ways, to effect changes that would be productive of
+incalculable good. Many changes, with pains-taking and care, could be
+made to appear to the rulers to be really for their interest, as well as
+for the interest of the people; and more light and knowledge, without
+the intervention of any new motive, would soon introduce them.
+
+A few years since, the king and chiefs of the Sandwich Islands sent a
+united appeal to the United States for such an instructor, to guide them
+in the government of their kingdom, and offered him a competent support.
+While the nation had improved in religion and morals, the government had
+remained much as it was--keeping the people in the condition of serfs.
+The system was wrong throughout: of the very worst kind, both for the
+interests of the rulers and of the subjects. The chiefs began to see
+this, and asked for an instructor. Such an instructor was not obtained;
+and one of the missionaries was constrained, by the urgent necessity, to
+leave the service of the mission board, and to become a political
+teacher to the king and chiefs. His efforts have been crowned with great
+success.
+
+Civilians might do good also, not only in the way of their profession,
+but by a Christian example, and by instructing the people, as
+opportunity should offer, in the knowledge of Christ.
+
+_Commercial men_ also, actuated by the same benevolent and disinterested
+spirit, might develope the resources of heathen lands, and apply them in
+a wise manner for the benefit of those lands; promote industry, and
+afford the means of civilized habits; increase knowledge, by expediting
+communication; and in this way, indirectly, though efficiently, aid the
+progress of the Gospel. By exhibiting also in their dealings an example
+of honesty, uprightness, and a conscientious regard to justice and
+truth; by showing practically the only proper use of wealth, the good of
+men and the glory of God; by conversing daily with individuals, as did
+Harlan Page and Normand Smith, at their houses and by the wayside, on
+the great subject of the soul's salvation; and by presenting in
+themselves and in their families examples of a prayerful and godly life,
+they might exert a powerful influence, and perform a very important part
+in Christianizing the world.
+
+There is also much need of farmers, mechanics, manufacturers and
+artisans. They should go forth like other laborers in the field, _not
+with the selfish design of enriching themselves_, but with the
+disinterested intention of benefiting the nations. Private gain must be
+kept strictly, carefully, and absolutely _subordinate_, or immense evil
+will be wrought and no good be done. They should be men who cheerfully
+throw themselves and their property on the altar of _entire
+consecration_, and go forth to labor and toil so long as the Saviour
+pleases to employ them, with the _lofty design_ of doing good to the
+bodies and souls of their perishing fellow men. Going forth with such a
+spirit, and with emphasis I repeat, allowing _no other_ to intrude, they
+could do much in raising up the nations from their deep degradation. In
+the first place, they could do much good by communicating a knowledge of
+their several employments. Not only is a reform in government necessary,
+but an introduction of the useful arts also, to raise up the people from
+their indolence and filthy habits, and to promote thrift, order,
+neatness and consistency. Look at a heathen family as above described.
+How can you expect from them refinement or elevation of soul? How can
+you expect from them the proprieties and consistencies of a Christian
+life? Even though they may attend the sanctuary, and be instructed in
+schools; and even though the government be reformed, and hold out
+motives to industry; yet will not something else be wanting? Unless the
+various useful arts and occupations be introduced, how is the land to be
+filled with fruitful fields, pleasant dwellings, and neatly clad
+inhabitants? And to introduce these improvements, _men must go forth for
+the purpose_. Such men too might do good, by exhibiting in themselves
+and in their families habits of industry, domestic peace and strict
+economy; by holding up the hands of Christ's ministers, and by
+scattering the word of life in their appropriate spheres.
+
+That laymen of every useful occupation are needed in heathen lands, is
+by no means the opinion of one alone. In looking over the periodicals
+and papers of the last few years, I find that such is the sober and
+deliberate opinion of many foreign laborers. I find urgent appeals for
+such helpers from at least five important missionary fields. Would such
+appeals be made if the enterprise were not a feasible one?
+
+Look too at the fact, that _there is scarcely a nation on the globe
+where men do not go, and permanently reside for the purpose of making
+money_. It is absolutely amazing to what an extent this is the truth.
+Why then cannot men go forth, and while they obtain a livelihood, make
+it their ultimate and chief aim to do good?
+
+But the inquiry arises, In what way should laymen go forth? It may not
+be desirable that they should go forth, to any great extent, under the
+care of missionary boards at present existing, lest the objects of those
+boards should become too numerous and complicated. And it may not
+perhaps be desirable, or necessary, to have any other organization for
+the purpose. I am not wise enough to give an opinion; but would suggest,
+that men of some pecuniary means take those means, and emigrate to
+heathen lands, just as some good men have gone to the far West. May
+there not also be small combinations of men, not to help others, but
+_each other_ into the field, just as there is in worldly enterprise?
+When once established in the field, it is supposed that their trades and
+occupations will afford them, with trials, hardships and reverses, an
+adequate subsistence, and open before them a wide door of usefulness.
+
+Some have suggested, that ministers of the Gospel should go forth and
+sustain themselves abroad. That is a far different question. If
+ministers of the Gospel ought not to sustain themselves in Christian
+countries by laboring with their hands, still less should they attempt
+such a course in foreign fields. They have _other work_ to do--enough to
+occupy all their time.
+
+But for laymen to go forth, and sustain themselves in this way, is it
+not both proper and appropriate? and have not such enterprises, to some
+extent, been already entered upon with success? Different fields, of
+course, present greater or less obstacles; but what undertaking is
+without its difficulties? Perplexities, embarrassments and sufferings,
+would be a matter of course; but no greater and perhaps far less than
+those Christians endured, who, being scattered abroad from their beloved
+Jerusalem, went everywhere preaching the word.
+
+It may perhaps be objected, that should many from all classes of
+Christians thus go forth, to live and labor abroad, they would soon
+possess the land, while the heathen would melt away before them. Let us
+look at this point. And first, where is the evidence of such a result?
+When and where has the experiment been tried to justify such a
+supposition? When and where have individuals or companies gone forth
+with the sole design of benefiting the heathen, and yet proved their
+extermination? The settlers of New England are not an example in point,
+for the improvement and salvation of the heathen was not their main aim.
+It was indeed an idea in mind, but not fully and prominently carried
+out. It is _yet to be proved_ that a company of persons, however
+numerous, of disinterested views, aiming solely to save the nations, and
+directing all their energies of body and of mind to that end, would
+prove the extermination of the heathen, instead of their salvation.
+
+Neither can it be presumed that the descendants of such persons,
+trained, as ought to be supposed, with faith and prayer, would possess a
+spirit so selfish and different from that of their fathers, as to prove
+the extermination of the heathen. And if such is the necessary event,
+what is the conclusion at which we must arrive? It seems certain, that a
+mere handful of missionaries cannot put forth the instrumentality which,
+according to God's usual providence, is necessary to save them: that a
+great number and variety of laborers are needed to do the work. Let us
+be slow, therefore, to trust in the objection; for if it must be
+admitted, the lawful inference will not necessarily be, that Christians
+of all classes and in great numbers should not go forth to the heathen;
+but the inquiry will arise, whether heathen nations as nations must not
+cease to exist, and remnants of them only be saved--a painful and dread
+alternative, from which every benevolent heart must instinctively
+recoil.
+
+_There are other reasons why laymen should engage in the work of
+missions._ The work of the world's conversion is too great, too
+momentous and too pressing, to admit of exemption simply on the ground
+of profession or employment. When the liberties of a people are at
+stake, how few are excused from the field of battle? But now the
+question is not one of temporal liberty: it is whether six hundred
+millions of the human race shall be won to the company of the redeemed
+on high, or left to sink in the untold agonies of the world of woe. In
+this unparalleled emergency, when the question is, whether the destiny
+of a world shall be heaven or hell, who can be excused on so slight a
+ground as that of profession or employment? A few ministers cannot do
+the work. It is too great. It is presumptuous to expect, that a speedy
+and complete triumph is to be effected by a few missionaries of the
+right stamp going through the length and breadth of Satan's extensive
+and dark empire, and sounding as they go the trumpet of the Gospel
+around his strong fortifications and deep intrenchments. Such an
+expectation places an immeasurable disparity between the means and the
+end. It supposes it to be so easy to effect a transformation of heathen
+society, heathen habits, heathen minds, and heathen character, and to
+raise them up from a degradation many ages deep, that a few sounds only
+from the herald of salvation, as he passes on his way, are sufficient.
+"Leviathan is not thus tamed." The prince of the power of the air is not
+thus vanquished.
+
+Neither can the work be effected by a small number of preachers,
+stationed at different posts, in the midst of the wide domains of
+darkness and death. Like specks of light, few and far between, how can
+they illumine the broad canopy of darkness? To commit the work of the
+world's conversion to a few missionaries is, in effect, to leave the
+heathen to perish. A large company of preachers must go forth, and a
+large company too of other laborers. There must be among the whole body
+of Christians, not only an interest in the work, but to a greater extent
+than is imagined, _a personal enlistment_--an actual going forth to
+foreign lands.
+
+Again, laymen must go abroad; for no less a movement than this will
+convince them that the work of saving the heathen presses upon them
+individually, and with all its weight and responsibility. Mere giving
+does not seem to answer the purpose. Very few laymen at home seem to
+imagine that they, individually, are as responsible for the life and
+death of the heathen, as the laborers abroad. Many seem to act only as
+they are acted upon. This _passive_ state will not answer: there must be
+a more general feeling of personal responsibility. And how is such a
+feeling of equal and individual responsibility to be induced, till
+laymen in great numbers begin to go abroad? Till then, there will be a
+spirit of luxury in the church; a spirit of worldly-mindedness, and a
+spirit of committing the world's conversion to other hands. To destroy
+this spirit, which is evidently eating out the piety of the churches,
+laymen must be urged to arise; to break off their luxuries, to bury
+their covetousness--to make an entire devotement of body, soul and
+spirit, to the _direct_ and arduous work of saving the heathen.
+
+Once, I remember, after urging laymen to go forth, and to assist in
+evangelizing the heathen, a father in the church said to me, "Your
+reasons are just and weighty, but it is of no use to present them before
+the churches: they have not _piety_ enough to act upon them. If you can
+clearly show that men can accumulate wealth, that they can really make
+fortunes by going to heathen lands, then your appeals will succeed.
+Bring this selfish principle to operate, and colonies will quickly
+scatter over the world. But to go forth with a spirit of self-denial,
+running the risk of trials and straitened circumstances, and with merely
+the prospect at best of obtaining a comfortable livelihood and doing
+good, is a measure not adapted to the present standard of piety in the
+churches. Until the spirit of devotedness shall rise many degrees in the
+churches, the course you urge will be looked upon as entirely
+visionary."
+
+Alas! can the church be so low in grace? If it be a fact, it is painful
+and humiliating. If it be true, then the church is lacking in the most
+essential qualification required of it--is unfitted for the main design
+of its organization; and is there not reason to fear that God may cast
+it away, as he has the Roman church, and raise up another after his own
+heart, that shall do all his pleasure? Christian reader, can you calmly
+entertain the thought of being set aside by the Lord as unworthy of his
+employment--of being rejected on the ground of not fulfilling the
+purpose for which you were called?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+CLAIM OF MISSIONS ON MINISTERS OF INFLUENCE.
+
+
+In early days, ministers of the greatest influence were called to the
+work of missions. To prove this assertion, let us read the first verse
+of the 13th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. "Now there were in the
+church that was at Antioch, certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas,
+and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen,
+which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they
+ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me
+Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them." Paul had
+been at Antioch a whole year, and Barnabas a still longer time. Their
+labors there had been blessed. The word had been attended with the
+demonstration of the Spirit and with power, and many people had turned
+to the Lord, so that a large church had been gathered in that great and
+opulent city. Believers there became so conspicuous for their numbers,
+as to be designated by a particular name: "The disciples were called
+Christians first in Antioch."
+
+There were laboring in that city, besides Paul and Barnabas, three other
+ministers; "Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and
+Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch." The Holy Ghost
+saw that this city, though very important for its numbers, wealth and
+enterprise, could not claim the labors of five ministers, while the
+world at large was entirely destitute of the Gospel. Therefore, on a
+certain occasion, when the church were worshipping before the Lord and
+fasting, the Holy Ghost said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the
+work whereunto I have called them."
+
+The Holy Ghost did not say, "Separate me Simeon, and Lucius, and
+Manaen," but, "Separate me BARNABAS and SAUL"--the spiritual fathers,
+and main pillars of the church. Had the church been allowed to vote, it
+doubtless would have spared its sons, rather than its fathers: they
+would have stated their fond attachment to their first instructors;
+would have plead the great influence of these two fathers in the church,
+and the irreparable injury which would be sustained by their leaving it;
+and would have said, If we must part with some of our teachers, take
+Simeon, and Lucius, and Manaen, but bereave us not of our spiritual
+fathers. The question however was not left to their decision. The demand
+is stern and solemn from the Holy Spirit, with whom there is no selfish
+bias, "Separate me BARNABAS and SAUL."
+
+In reflecting on this narration, do we not come to the conclusion, that
+MEN OF TALENTS AND INFLUENCE ARE CALLED TO THE WORK OF MISSIONS?
+
+If this sentiment be true, it is one of immense and practical
+importance; one that not only ministers, but churches also ought fully
+to understand. Let us, then, dwell a moment longer on the practice of
+early times.
+
+The instance to which we have alluded is a striking one; it contains,
+distinctly and impressively uttered, the mind of the Holy Spirit. It is
+infallible authority that speaks, and what does it declare? The
+paramount claim of missions to the ablest, holiest, and most experienced
+men. If Antioch was required to spare her two ablest men, what may not
+be required of such cities as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and
+Baltimore? And judging too from this case of Antioch, what is the mind
+of the Holy Ghost in regard to the twelve thousand or more evangelical
+ministers in the United States? Can it be his will that they should all
+quietly remain where they are?
+
+Again, God in early times made known his mind on this point, not only by
+the express admonition of the Holy Ghost, but also by the _overrulings
+of his Providence_. Take the account of the first dispersion. The
+Saviour ascended from the Mount of Olives, and the disciples returned to
+Jerusalem. The day of Pentecost arrived, and three thousand converts
+were added to their number. This multitude of believers was daily and
+rapidly increased. Here, then, was a very large city, the capital and
+pride of the nation, and a place of immense resort from all the nations
+round about. And in this city were many thousands of Christians, who
+were in peculiar need of constant care and faithful instruction, and had
+they been divided out to the pastoral care of the twelve apostles, would
+have made perhaps as large churches as any twelve in the city of
+New-York. Jerusalem then presented to the apostles a vast amount of
+pastoral care, and a field of labor unequalled perhaps in religious
+influence, considering the world as it then was, by any city that can be
+named within the limits of Christendom. The apostles were inclined to
+remain in Jerusalem, and considering the call for labor there, it is not
+wonderful that they were thus inclined. They seemed for a time to have
+forgotten the last command of their ascended Lord, and to have chosen a
+work more resembling that of settled pastors. But the Saviour allowed a
+persecution to rage in the city, till first the great body of the
+church, and afterwards all the apostles, except James, were scattered
+abroad. So the great Jerusalem was left with but one apostle. Eleven of
+the twelve, who had become in a measure settled there, were driven
+abroad; and not from Jerusalem only, but without the limits of
+Palestine. Such is evidently the _fact_. Let every one draw from it the
+instruction it affords. To my mind it clashes irreconcilably with the
+present distribution of ministers.
+
+Take another case. Paul had been laboring at Ephesus two whole years,
+and had collected a very large church in that city. This city was the
+emporium of Asia Minor; a place of much resort, and greatly celebrated
+throughout the known world. The large number of disciples there, who
+needed a pastor to warn them day and night with tears, and the wide door
+which was there opened for preaching the Gospel, presented such strong
+claims to the mind of Paul, as seemed likely to fix there his permanent
+abode. What pastor of the present day can urge stronger reasons for
+continuing his charge, than Paul might have urged for continuing his
+relation to the large church at Ephesus? For in addition to a large city
+and a large church, the converts had been but lately gathered from
+heathenism--were but babes in Christ--and needed constant instruction
+and unwearied care. Yet God was pleased to allow Demetrius to excite an
+uproar, and thus to sever Paul from his church and congregation, and
+send him abroad into Macedonia. This is another _fact_--a STUBBORN FACT,
+which we ought to bear in mind, and weigh well. If God saw best thus to
+break tender ties, separate Paul from a large city and a large body of
+such converts as, above all others, needed special care, and to leave
+the important post almost destitute, _can it be_ his will that all the
+pastors of the present day should stay in their places, and that none of
+them should go forth to the heathen? If the city had been Boston, with
+its thousand means of grace, the case would have been comparatively
+weak; but it was Ephesus, a heathen city, and depending almost entirely
+on the living voice of Paul, and yet this one preacher must become a
+missionary. Let us look at this fact, and each one for himself draw
+conclusions; not those that are wild and extravagant, but such as are
+_true and sober_.
+
+We have here a commentary on the last command of Jesus. It was commented
+upon by the providence of God, separating the apostles from Jerusalem,
+Antioch, and Ephesus. It was commented upon by the direct admonition of
+the Holy Ghost in a particular case. It was commented upon by the
+practice of the apostles. Let us beware that we substitute not, for this
+correct commentary, any worldly-wise interpretation of our own. Let us
+admit it just as it comes to us from early days, fresh and unmodified,
+and allow it to govern our lives.
+
+There are but few who do not admit, that the present distribution of
+ministers is anti-apostolic--that many, who are now pastors, ought to
+have become missionaries before they were settled. And can the mere fact
+of being settled have produced such a vast change in the question of
+duty, as to place it forever at rest? If the clustering together of
+twelve thousand ministers within the bounds of the United States, where
+a thousand means of grace and improvement exist besides the voice of
+the living teacher, is a very different thing from going into all the
+world, and preaching the Gospel to every creature--an egregious
+disproportion to the wants of the world--must we stifle all emotion and
+all inquiry, in taking it for granted that it is now too late for
+change? And yet there seems to be a tacit understanding, that any other
+distribution than that now existing, of the _present generation_ of
+ministers, is a point not to be agitated. At least, many a pastor quiets
+himself with the thought, that no change is to be contemplated in his
+particular case, for the care of a church is on his hands. Almost by
+common consent, pastors are excused; and missionaries are looked for
+from the young men and the children; and the hope of the heathen amounts
+to this, that some young men may be kept from imitating the example of
+their fathers and elder brethren, and be prevailed upon to enter the
+missionary work before they _become pastors_. For if the mere fact of
+being a pastor places the question at rest, young men will feel
+themselves relieved as soon as they enter that office.
+
+I have known young men whose minds were goaded on the question of going
+to the heathen, like the conscience of a convicted sinner, till a call
+was presented to some important church; and then they succeeded in
+laying the subject at once and entirely aside. Like the pursued ostrich,
+who thrusts her head into the sand, and vainly imagines that she is
+concealed from her pursuers, so, I fear, some endeavor to elude the
+convictions of conscience. I put the question to your own good sense,
+your candor, and your pious feelings: Can the mere fact of being a
+pastor excuse a man from going to the heathen, when perhaps he became a
+pastor in violation of the Saviour's command?
+
+It is acknowledged, that many pastors ought to have become missionaries
+before they were settled--that the present amazing disproportion between
+settled ministers at home, and missionaries abroad, ought never to have
+existed. To argue so plain a case would be a waste of breath. How then
+can the fact of having wandered from duty excuse one from the
+performance of it? To-day, it is the duty of Jonah to go to Nineveh.
+To-morrow, he has engaged his passage to Tarshish, has paid his fare,
+has gone down into the sides of the ship, and is quietly at rest. Is he
+therefore excused? To-day, the command of Christ presses upon me the
+obligation to go to the heathen. To-morrow, leaving out of mind this
+command, which still applies in all its force, I enter into an
+obligation with a particular church to take upon me its pastoral care:
+which obligation is binding? The last, do you say? Can I then thus
+easily thrust aside the Saviour's last and most impressive command? Can
+I, by such a course, shield myself effectually from its further
+application? I have yet to learn, that by any change of place or
+circumstances we can free ourselves from the weight of the Saviour's
+injunction. I mean not to assert, that all who ought to have become
+missionaries before they were settled, ought to become so now. Some have
+entirely hedged up their way; and though they may have been disobedient
+in doing so, yet deep regret and sincere repentance is all the
+reparation they can now make. But those who ought to have gone to the
+heathen, and before whom the door is still open for going, _such_ should
+still become missionaries, and on the obvious principle, that it is
+better to do our duty late than not to do it all. The mere plea of being
+a pastor is not a sufficient excuse; and it is losing too, continually,
+more and more of its force. It is a wonder that it should be relied upon
+so much as a _quietus_, since, in the present age, the residence of a
+pastor is very transient and uncertain.
+
+Again let me say, it is a great thing, a good thing, and a rare thing,
+to be entirely honest in the sight of God. Let us endeavor to be so. It
+is to be feared, that there may be some who exempt themselves from
+becoming missionaries on the ground of being pastors, who are not
+altogether honest in their excuse. Are there not some individuals, who
+make it, who would manifest but little hesitation in leaving the
+pastoral office to take the oversight of a college, to become a
+professor in a theological seminary, or to take charge of some prominent
+religious periodical? When urged to become a missionary, the pastor
+pleads his attachment to his people; their affection for him, which
+gives him great influence; and his acquaintance with their prejudices,
+opinions, habits, and whole character, so as to adapt his instructions
+to their particular case. He mentions these, and the like
+considerations, and concludes very readily that he can be more useful in
+his present situation than in any other. But when a presidency, a
+professorship, or a more influential church is offered, the reasons
+before urged seem to lose something of their force; and through the
+intervention of some new light, which I shall not account for, the
+conclusion is formed that another situation would be more _useful_. The
+motive for a change is a good one; but it is to be remembered that this
+same motive, that of being more useful, could not prevail upon them to
+become missionaries.
+
+Facts of this kind could be collected, I think to a considerable extent;
+and they lead me, however unwilling, to suspect that, in some cases, the
+honest reason why ministers do not become missionaries is not that they
+are pastors, but something quite different.
+
+Another fact, too, makes me suspicious that there is some lack of entire
+honesty. A pastor says he cannot become a missionary, for he has the
+care of a church. In a few months, for some cause or other, he is
+dismissed from his church and people. What does he do? become a
+missionary? I have one in my eye who was a pastor of a church in a large
+city. He told me, that nothing but his relation as pastor in that city
+could keep him a moment from the missionary work. Soon after, he was
+dismissed from his church and people; and think you he became a
+missionary? You would betray a very limited knowledge of human nature to
+think so.
+
+"But," says one, "I am opposed to fickleness and change." Ah! indeed;
+does it betray fickleness to leave a church to become a missionary? Did
+God favor fickleness and change when he prevented the permanent location
+of the apostles in Palestine, by a voice from heaven, and by violent
+persecutions? Did the Saviour favor fickleness in his last command? When
+a presidency, a professorship, or a more prominent and influential
+church is offered you, then speak of fickleness--the excuse may possibly
+be in place; but never, never in place, while untold millions of our
+race are dying for lack of vision, and our commission reads, "GO YE INTO
+ALL THE WORLD, AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+One pastor excuses himself, by saying, "The attachment between me and my
+people is very dear, and this attachment gives me great influence with
+them." I reply, Was not the attachment very dear between the apostles
+and the disciples at Jerusalem, and also between Paul and the converts
+at Antioch, and at Ephesus? What language of affection and solicitude
+can equal that of Paul for his converts? He calls them his "joy and
+crown"--the "little children for whom he travails in birth, till Christ
+be formed in them." He says to them, "I live, if ye stand fast in the
+Lord."
+
+And had not the apostles great influence in the churches in which they
+labored? Had not Paul and Barnabas great influence in the church at
+Antioch? Did not the church love and respect them, and hang in
+breathless silence upon their lips, and look upon their departure as an
+irreparable loss? Yet, though entwined into the hearts of the people,
+and possessing every advantage to instruct them which intimate
+acquaintance and unbounded influence could give, the Holy Ghost,
+notwithstanding, said, "Separate me BARNABAS and SAUL."
+
+Attachment is your plea; but the spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of
+self-denial, and requires us not only to forsake church and people, but
+also father and mother, brother and sister, son and daughter, and to
+hold our own lives loosely. Those persons to whom attachment is
+strongest, and who _can't be spared_ on that account, are the best
+fitted for missions.
+
+You plead the _influence_ which you possess with your church and people.
+This, instead of being a reason for remaining at home, is a powerful
+argument for going abroad. In that very influence you possess an
+advantage and qualification for the missionary work, which very few
+missionaries enjoy. It is greatly to be lamented that the church has but
+little acquaintance with her missionaries. It was not so in primitive
+times. On this account there is room for the question to arise, Whether
+there ought not to be less of the home minister for life, and the exile
+for life; a narrower gulf between the two, and more passing and
+repassing, as the apostles were wont to do; a breaking up of caste,
+grade and condition among ministers, as regards various fields--a more
+literal compliance with the precept of "going into all the world, and
+preaching the Gospel to every creature." Be this however as it may--for
+there is much that can be said on either side of the question--it is
+most certainly true, that the pastor possesses one very great advantage:
+that by going to the heathen he can wake up, in one church at least,
+the spirit of doing good--the enterprising and benevolent spirit of
+Christ and his apostles. He may take with him, as helpers, some of its
+most intelligent and active members, and call forth the contributions
+and enlist the prayers of those who may remain.
+
+It seems, that nothing less than such means as the separation of pastors
+for the work of missions, can avail to awake the slumbering churches,
+and to lead them to begin in earnest to seek the salvation of the
+heathen; to feel that the work presses upon them individually, and
+demands all their energies and their personal enlistment. For it is a
+sober and humiliating fact, as I have had some opportunity of judging,
+that there are few churches comparatively, in our land, who seem to have
+drunk deeply into the missionary spirit. There is need, therefore, of a
+movement on the part of pastors, to arouse the churches from their
+guilty slumbers.
+
+A pastor possesses much influence with his church and congregation. The
+Lord then has given him five talents, and he can easily make them ten:
+by going abroad he can benefit his church perhaps as much as by
+remaining their pastor, and, at the same time, be the instrument of
+saving many heathen souls. "There is that scattereth, and yet
+increaseth;" and "he that watereth shall be watered also himself." God's
+blessing distils upon the liberal soul, and the liberal church. The
+performance of duty is attended with the Saviour's smiles and a rich
+reward. Who does not see, that a pastor could in no way so effectually
+awaken in his church a spirit of benevolent feeling and action, as by
+exhibiting it in his own person; by rising up, and going forth to the
+heathen, urging a part of his flock to accompany him, and the rest to
+sustain him in the field? Who doubts, that by such a course he would do
+more to arouse the pure and active religion of Jesus Christ and his
+apostles, than he could possibly do in any other way; that he would give
+an impulse to his church in favor of primitive piety and practice, that
+should add vastly to its strength, its glory and its numbers, and be
+felt in all time to come. Let not the pastor, then, excuse himself from
+the missionary work, because he has acquired influence in his church and
+congregation; for that very fact is a powerful argument for going
+abroad.
+
+For the same reason, no one can excuse himself because he fills a _post
+of vast importance_. He is the pastor of an influential church, a
+president of a college, a professor in a theological seminary, the
+editor of a religious paper of immense circulation, or the secretary of
+some society: his station is one of vast responsibility, and he imagines
+that he is therefore excused from becoming a missionary. But was not
+Jerusalem an important place? more prominent, compared with other cities
+of that time, than any city in the United States? And yet all the
+apostles, except one, were required not only to leave that city, but to
+go without the limits of Palestine. Was not Antioch as important as
+Boston or Philadelphia? Yet Paul and Barnabas were not suffered to
+remain there.
+
+Besides, is not the work of a missionary a difficult, important, and
+responsible work? The Holy Spirit thought so in apostolic times. When a
+man was needed to preach to Cornelius and his household, a man of no
+less ability and influence than Peter was chosen. When a man was called
+to go to Antioch, Barnabas was sent, a man of great piety and influence.
+And when two of the five preachers at Antioch were called to go to the
+heathen, the Holy Ghost did not choose Simeon, or Lucius, or Manaen, but
+said, "Separate me BARNABAS and SAUL;" the men of the greatest ability,
+experience, piety and wisdom. Thus the Holy Spirit seemed to declare
+that the work of a missionary required greater talents, more mature
+wisdom, and deeper piety, than the work of a pastor in the largest and
+most influential churches.
+
+And is not this doctrine, while it accords with the instructions of the
+Holy Ghost and the practice of primitive times, also a dictate of common
+sense? Would you choose weak men to penetrate into the very midst of the
+enemy, and to grapple with the Anaks of the land, and keep those who are
+strong in a garrison at home? Would you select indifferent statesmen to
+settle the affairs of revolutionary France, or to reduce to order the
+chaotic mass of the South American states; and employ the able, the wise
+and talented, in governing a country already quiet and peaceful? Did it
+require less wisdom to lay the foundation and form the constitution of
+our good government, than it requires to manage the state on principles
+already established? Does it require less skill to draft the plan of a
+capitol, than to work at the building when the plan is mature? Does it
+require less wisdom to govern a camp in a state of mutiny, than when in
+subjection and at peace? Look, then, at the work of missions. Does it
+require less talent to deal with minds clouded by ignorance, perverted
+by superstition, and barred by arrogance, bigotry, and pride, than to
+instruct the unbiassed, the willing, and intelligent? Does it require
+less wisdom to tear up the foundations of heathen society, and lay it
+anew on the principles of the Gospel--to change society morally,
+religiously, and socially, than to preserve in a good condition a people
+already intelligent, industrious, and Christian? Surely, if talent is
+needed anywhere in the kingdom of Christ, it is in the missionary work.
+That minister, whose talents and piety make him so useful at home that
+he _cannot be spared_, that is the minister who is needed abroad. The
+foreign field calls for no laborers who can be conveniently spared.
+
+Then, is the church of a pastor wealthy and influential? It is the very
+church that needs to be aroused by his leaving it. Or is he connected
+with a literary, or theological institution? Some thus connected are
+needed to go, to produce the best impression on the young men who are in
+training. The more important and influential then one's place is, the
+more like a rushing flood do reasons crowd upon him to arise and go.
+
+It is very common for men to excuse themselves from the work of
+missions, on the ground, that they are somewhat _advanced in years_.
+There is weight in this excuse. That person would exhibit the want of a
+proper balance of mind, who should urge all indiscriminately, whatever
+their age and however circumstanced in life, to go forth to the heathen.
+But still the excuse of age ought to be looked at cautiously.
+
+Age implies experience, authority, dignity, and wisdom--the very
+qualities most wanted in the difficult work of missions. The work of
+tearing up and laying anew the foundations of society, moral, religious,
+and social, is a task that ought by no means to be committed to the
+young and inexperienced. It is preposterous to commit altogether to
+novices in the ministry a work so new, so complicated, so beset with
+difficulties, on the right hand and on the left, and so momentous, too,
+in its responsibilities. Can Satan be driven so easily from his own
+territory, that none but raw troops are needed for the contest? Can the
+broad and deep intrenchments of Paganism, Mohammedism, and Romanism be
+so easily taken, as not to need men of age, experience and skill, to
+direct the assault? Can the snares in which the heathen are held; which
+are laid with all the subtlety of the arch-fiend, be so easily divested
+of their specious character, and traced into their thousand windings, as
+not to require the wisdom and experience of age? A minister has age: he
+has then one great qualification for the work. "Paul the aged" had none
+too much experience, dignity and wisdom, for the work of a missionary to
+heathen lands.
+
+But age, it is said, is a great barrier in acquiring a foreign language.
+There is force in this remark; but let us be cautious, that we do not
+trust too much to it. A great amount of labor may be performed on
+heathen ground without a knowledge of the language. Much can be done in
+the English language, and much, too, can be done through interpreters.
+All that David Brainerd accomplished was in this way.
+
+But how certain is it, that persons somewhat advanced cannot acquire a
+foreign language? This plea is not peculiar to those who have been some
+time in the ministry. No excuse is more frequently offered, and with
+more appearance of honesty, even in the college and the theological
+seminary. It is difficult to place the mark of age where this excuse may
+be properly offered, and where it may not. Shall we place it at
+thirty-five? Some missionaries now in the field entered on the work at
+that age, and acquired the language without much difficulty. It may be
+remarked, too, that men of traffic abroad, from youth to gray hairs,
+usually learn so much of a foreign language as to answer their purpose.
+Let us beware, then, _how much_ we depend on the excuse of age; and be
+cautious, too, _how far up_ the scale of years we place the mark.
+
+Another excuse which has some weight is this: "I must remain at home _to
+take care of my aged parents_." So said one to Christ: "Lord, I will
+follow thee, but suffer me first to go and bury my father." Jesus
+answered, "Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the
+Gospel." I leave to the reader to determine the precise meaning and
+force of this reply of our Saviour. This much it certainly means, that
+some _may_ excuse themselves from preaching to take care of their
+parents, when the excuse is not valid. I will not say, that the excuse
+is not sufficient in some cases; but I am inclined to think that such
+cases are rare. A parent must be _very_ dependent upon a son, to be
+liable to such inconvenience and suffering from his absence, as can
+reasonably weigh in the balance against the claims of the hundreds of
+millions of dying heathen.
+
+But the excuse which seems to be the most valid, is this: "My going to
+the heathen is out of the question, for _I have a family of children_."
+This is indeed a tender point. God has given me some experience on this
+subject, and I know how to appreciate the excuse. But the Saviour says,
+"He that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me." This
+declaration means nothing, unless it requires us to make great
+sacrifices in regard to our children. So far as we can at present see,
+the world cannot be converted without great self-denial on this point.
+Precisely what sacrifices are to be made in regard to children, is a
+question which is not, as yet, fully determined.
+
+But let us look at the excuse. If a minister may _stay_ at home because
+he has children, may not the missionary who has children _return_ home?
+A pastor has one child, and cannot go. Then may not the missionary who
+has one child, come back? A pastor has six children, and cannot go. Many
+missionaries have six children, shall not they return? The mere
+circumstance of being already abroad cannot have much weight; and the
+sacrifice of a voyage in such a question, and among a multitude of other
+weighty reasons, is scarcely worth being named. If children then are an
+excuse, let missionaries return. No, you say; missionaries who have
+children must not return on that account. What then shall they do with
+their children? Keep them, and train them up to be helpers in the work?
+Let pastors then take their children into the field, and train them up
+for that purpose. You certainly have hearts too noble to impose a burden
+on the shoulders of others which you would not bear yourselves. Your
+children would have the advantage of the children of missionaries,
+having been thus far trained in a Christian land. As to future
+advantages of education, they will have the same with the children now
+abroad. You certainly cannot complain of equality.
+
+But, you say, let missionaries send their children home. Then let
+pastors leave their children at home and go abroad. Ah, you say, pastors
+cannot endure the thought; it would be a shock to their parental
+feelings that they cannot sustain. But, I ask, have missionaries no
+feelings? have their hearts become hard, like blocks of wood and pieces
+of rock? Does love to Christ, and compassion for the heathen, tend to
+make men and women obtuse in their feelings, so that a father or mother
+on heathen ground does not feel as intensely for the present and eternal
+welfare of a child, as a parent who has never gone to the heathen? Ah!
+had you seen what my eyes have witnessed, facts then should speak and I
+would be silent. Missionaries, indeed, are trained to cast their care
+upon God; their feelings are chastened and disciplined, but at the same
+time deep and intense. To a thousand dangers, toils and hardships, they
+may be inured; but when the separation of children is thought of, they
+show full well that they are no proof against an agony of feeling.
+Certainly, then, you will not plead for exemption. You would not place
+upon others this burden, and pull away your own shoulders from it. You
+have souls too generous and benevolent to do that. You cannot find it in
+your hearts to offer to the lips of others a cup more bitter than you
+would drink yourselves. You can choose guardians for your children far
+better than the missionaries can who are abroad, and your children shall
+have the same provision for their support and education as theirs have.
+
+We have glanced at some excuses. Many others there are in this
+excuse-making age. Be entreated to look at them with the command of
+Christ, a sinking world and a coming judgment, in your eye, and as far
+as they have weight and _no farther_ be influenced by them. Where
+exemption cannot honestly be pleaded, the command in all its force is
+binding.
+
+That some pastors of influence and talent should become missionaries,
+seems necessary; for _how otherwise can the means be raised to sustain
+missions abroad, and to send forth young men who may offer themselves_?
+It is well known, that operations abroad have been and are still
+exceedingly crippled. It is well known, too, that quite a company of
+young men have at different times been waiting, for want of requisite
+funds to send them forth to the heathen.
+
+Now this is the state of things, not because there is not money enough
+in the hands of Christians--no one imagines that such is the fact--but
+because Christians, as a body, are not aroused to duty. What means shall
+be taken to arouse them? I, for one, am inclined to think that there
+would be hope, if some influential and prominent pastors would enter the
+missionary work. In such a case, I should indeed have strong hope that
+the impulse, falling in with the spirit of primitive practice and the
+will of the Holy Ghost, would be such as to bring forth the funds needed
+to sustain the operations now begun, send forth waiting young men, and
+carry themselves also into the field. I feel quite confident, that the
+measure would soon clear the seaboard of all who might be detained, and
+place their joyful feet on foreign soil.
+
+The great body of professed Christians are becoming luxurious in their
+modes of life. One cannot go through the churches, after the absence of
+several years, without being forcibly impressed with this fact. They
+press forward after wealth, and profess to be accumulating it for
+Christ; but in the end, spend it on themselves and on their children.
+Now what, under God, shall break up this covetousness, and luxurious
+manner of life? What shall bring them back to the pure and unadulterated
+principles of the Gospel--to live, labor, and die for Christ, as did the
+primitive disciples? Let pastors, like the apostles, go into all the
+world and preach the Gospel to every creature. There is reason to hope
+that the church members would likewise imbibe the right spirit, and act
+on right principles. Then we should hear no more of schools disbanded
+and missionaries detained, but troops of heralds would be carrying out
+the news of salvation and sending back tidings of success. There is much
+philosophical and Bible truth in the proverb, "Like people like priest."
+O, what responsibility rests on the ministers of Christ!
+
+Again, if all settled ministers of talent and influence remain at home,
+how can such a number of missionaries be secured as seem needed for the
+world's conversion? If many of those already in the sacred office do
+not go, it is absolutely certain, that the present generation of heathen
+must die without the Gospel. The angel of death continues hovering over
+the dying nations, mowing down his twenty millions a year; and before
+ministers can be raised up from among the youth and children, will be
+drawing a stroke at the last man of all that are now heathen. The
+present generation of ministers must preach the Gospel to the present
+generation of mankind. It will be the duty of the next generation of
+ministers to preach to the inhabitants that shall be then on the globe.
+To look for missionaries from among the young alone, is making no
+provision for the present generation of heathen. If the heathen are to
+be left till missionaries can be trained up, they are to be left--the
+soul shudders at the thought--till they shall be in hell! By making this
+postponement, the churches, in effect, though certainly without
+intending it, sign the death warrant of a great portion of the present
+six hundred millions of perishing heathen; relinquish all effort for
+this vast multitude, and only dream of saving the next generation--of
+whom it would be a mercy never to be born, unless there shall be more
+hope of their salvation than can be seen at present--_dream_, I say, of
+saving the next generation; for to think much of raising up the young to
+be missionaries, without going ourselves, is little better than
+dreaming.
+
+To induce young men, to any great extent, to become missionaries, when
+their fathers and elder brethren do not, is hopeless. Precept must
+become more powerful than example, before such a result can take place.
+How can you so blindfold the young, stop their ears, and wall them off
+from surrounding influences, as to expect such a result? If their eyes
+are left open, what do they see? They see their fathers and elder
+brethren settled at home, and some of them in quiet, comfort and honor.
+If their ears are left open, what do they hear? They hear various
+excuses for remaining at home, and among others, the specious idea of
+training up children to be missionaries. And what will they do? They
+will dream of training your grandchildren for missions, and your
+grandchildren dream of training the next generation, and so on, as the
+sixty generations past have done, from the time of the Saviour down. But
+the fire of God's Spirit shall burn up this chaff. The world shall not
+be cheated out of its millenium. The judgment trumpet shall not sound
+before the arrival of the latter day glory.
+
+To become a missionary, in the present state of things, is sailing
+against wind and tide; so that those who find their way to the heathen,
+compared with the number who ought to go, are very few indeed. To urge a
+large number into the field is hopeless. Bonaparte might as well have
+urged his soldiers over the Alps without leading them. We cannot expect
+the nature of things to change, and precept to become more powerful than
+example. A portion of the more talented of the settled ministry must
+lead the way. Then there shall be found a resuscitating principle; our
+eyes shall beam with joy, and we shall fondly cherish a rational hope of
+the world's renovation.
+
+Again, many pastors should become missionaries, for all things await
+their personal enlistment in the service. God, in his providence, is
+causing a state of preparation in the world which calls for some mighty
+movement on the part of the church. A door is opened into almost every
+nation on the earth, and ships are ready to carry us to almost every
+port. Now is the time for a great effort. All the elements are ready for
+action, and need only to be brought to bear on the glorious cause of the
+world's conversion. To effect this, there must be a high stand of
+prayerful enterprise on the part of the present generation of ministers.
+The Lord has brought us to the ministry for such a time as this; and
+surely my brethren will not prove themselves unworthy of so vast a
+responsibility, but come up joyfully to the work, and reap the harvest
+of the world.
+
+And here let me say, that the millions of souls already lost are
+immense; and it would be awfully presumptuous in Christians to neglect
+the millions and hundreds of millions of the present generation. Century
+after century has rolled along, ingulfing generation after generation,
+till one would think that Satan himself would be satisfied with the
+enormous havoc. Eighteen centuries have passed away, and sixty
+generations, five hundred millions each--thirty billions of immortal
+souls left to perish since Christ gave command to evangelize them. Are
+not thirty billions enough? Shall we, by any guilty neglect, suffer the
+present generation, six hundred millions more, to be added? O, let the
+billions of souls already lost suffice. O, let us arise, and go and
+preach the Gospel to the nations, that the generations that remain
+between this and the judgment may be saved.
+
+Let me suggest, too, that nothing would so readily produce _union among
+ministers at home_, as to divert all their powers of body and mind into
+some all-absorbing and self-denying enterprise. Now, what angel of
+heaven has not wept over the contentions and jealousies that cloud the
+glory of the American churches. How has the heart of Jesus bled over the
+dissensions and strife of his own ministers! And is there no remedy? Let
+pastors become so engrossed in fulfilling their commission as to obey
+its literal import, and arise and go; and I mistake much, if the
+movement would not make a material impression on their contentions and
+jealousies. They would feel that they were doing a great work, and could
+not come down. For contention they would find neither time nor
+inclination. It would be difficult to state, in a foreign tongue, their
+metaphysical distinctions, so as to make a difference. Higher and nobler
+objects would engross the soul. Be entreated to try this course. Then
+the recording angel shall not be compelled, with aching heart and
+streaming eyes, to inscribe "ICHABOD" on our American Zion; but, with
+willing soul and ready hands, shall write in fairer lines, "BEAUTIFUL
+FOR SITUATION, THE JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+But it is often said, "I never _felt_ it to be my duty to go to the
+heathen: I never had any such impression."
+
+_No such impression!_ Did then the command of our ascended Lord, his
+_last_ command, delivered under the most solemn circumstances, make no
+impression upon you? Did the temporal and eternal miseries of six
+hundred millions of your fellow men make no impression upon you? Did
+their groans and sighs, which came over the waters like the voice of
+seven thunders, peal after peal, make no impression upon you? And could
+you remain at home with comfort and peace of mind, with the weeping and
+wailing of millions of dying souls in your ears, backed up with the
+command of Christ to go and seek their salvation? While Jesus plead,
+"Lo, I died for them, go, preach my Gospel to them, that they may
+live;" could you remain unimpressed and unmoved? And have all these
+considerations, and a hundred more, been urged upon you for years, and
+yet failed to make an _impression_? Alas! of what is your heart made,
+that it does not feel? Look for no _supernatural_ impression.
+Missionaries have none. There is no need of any. He that can live and
+not be impressed, may well tremble for his own salvation. It appears
+that you are easily impressed that it is your duty to remain at home.
+The motives, I fear, that come before your mind are well suited to make
+an impression. You quickly perceive a _call_, when country, home,
+friends, the endearments of society, and the like considerations crowd
+upon your mind. O, dear brethren, let us be _entirely honest_, as we
+expect soon to meet the Saviour and the world of perishing souls for
+whom he died.
+
+Another similar excuse is often made: "Did I possess the requisite
+attainments in holiness, I should delight to go abroad. But as the case
+is, I cannot become a missionary: I have not piety enough."
+
+_Not piety enough!_ Then be entreated to become more pious without
+delay. As you value the souls of dying men, defer not to become more
+holy. Through your want of piety the heathen may be left to perish. But
+what is holiness? Is it not obedience to the commands of Christ? Obey,
+then, his last command: _that will be becoming more holy_. Go forth to
+the heathen from love to Christ: that will be becoming more pious. "NOT
+PIETY ENOUGH!" Will you presume to offer that excuse to the Lord Jesus,
+when you shall stand before him to render account for the blood of the
+heathen? And when you shall see multitudes of the heathen sinking into
+hell, whom, under the blessing of the Spirit, you might have saved; and
+hear their weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth; will it ease your
+mind, and quiet your conscience, that you had not piety enough to go and
+make known to them the way of life? This is a solemn subject. Let us
+try, dear brethren, to look at it as we ought.
+
+Allied to this excuse is the following: "I have never thought myself
+qualified for the work of missions. It is a work which in my view
+requires rare endowments. Did I possess the requisite qualifications, I
+should delight to engage in so glorious a work."
+
+To this excuse I would say, There is room in the wide field of missions
+for every grade and variety of talent. Such is the universal testimony
+of those who have gone forth. Neither could it be otherwise in so
+various and vast a work as that of converting all nations, many of whom
+need to be instructed in the simplest arts of civilized life, and in the
+very alphabet of knowledge. But the excuse you render is entirely at
+variance with the facts in the case. If the work of missions be deemed
+worthy of the greatest talents, why is it that a large number do not go
+forth from among the more prominent and influential in the sacred
+office? The plea of disqualification is a popular one. There is in it
+much appearance of humility and self-depreciation. But facts testify,
+that many who plead their want of talent do not hesitate, if invited, to
+take upon them the care of a college, or of a large and opulent church.
+If the conduct of men is to be regarded as a just interpreter of their
+sentiments, then the great body of the Christian ministry, instead of
+regarding themselves unfit for the work of missions, consider themselves
+too well qualified to enter it. They really think, that those of
+inferior qualifications will do for missions; while those of superior
+minds and brilliant talents must be reserved for important stations at
+home.
+
+It is said again, "_All_ cannot go abroad."
+
+I reply, Do not use the word "all" till there shall be some need of it.
+There is no danger _yet_ that the home company will be comparatively too
+small.
+
+There is another excuse which is worthy of more notice. One says, "My
+own country claims my first attention. It presents a field of vast
+extent, and demands a vast amount of labor. Its schools, colleges and
+seminaries, must be sustained. Its religious periodicals must be edited.
+The churches must be watched over, and brought up to a higher standard
+of piety. Revivals must be promoted. But passing by these claims for
+labor, look at the wide-spreading desolations of the West, where
+ignorance, infidelity, and Romanism prevail, and threaten, at no very
+future day, to be the overthrow of our government--the extinguishment of
+our dearly-bought and precious inheritance. All our exertions must be
+put forth to save our country; for the progress of light and knowledge
+throughout the world depends on its existence. The overthrow of our
+government would put back the dial of the moral world ten centuries. Our
+own nation lost, and what would become of the heathen? when would the
+millenium arrive? Our present attention must be directed to the
+salvation of our own country, and our missionary exertions must be
+concentrated on the West."
+
+The excuse does not stop here; but a citizen from Great Britain would
+say, "I too must speak in behalf of my country--a country whose
+possessions encircle the globe. The existence and religious prosperity
+of a nation whose commerce is so great, and whose dominions embrace a
+large portion of the heathen world, cannot but be intimately connected
+with the universal prevalence of light and peace. It is of the first
+importance, that the _heart_ of such a nation should beat with a healthy
+pulse; that much effort should be made to promote a high standard of
+vital godliness in the universities and churches at home. But more than
+this, look at the vast body of laboring men in England and Ireland, who
+are living in ignorance and in sin. They call loudly for teachers and
+for preachers of the Gospel, and ought to receive, for the present at
+least, all we can educate and all we can support."
+
+In reply to this excuse I would first say, Let us look a moment at the
+conclusion to which we are reduced. "The United States cannot furnish
+missionaries, for the present at least; far less can Great Britain; and
+still less the Continent of Europe." The inevitable conclusion is, that
+the present generation of heathen must be left to perish. Six hundred
+millions of our race must be deliberately relinquished to endure the
+agonies of eternal death. But what is the plea that so readily leaves
+the millions of ignorant heathen to hopelessness and despair? "We must
+go to the West." "We must direct our efforts to the laboring class of
+England and Ireland." Then, I say, be consistent, and actually _do_ what
+you profess. As yet, how many of the learned, the eloquent and
+influential of the ministry, have become missionaries at the West? Some
+have gone to the West, to be presidents of colleges there; but how many
+have gone to engage in the more appropriate duties of the _missionary_?
+And in Great Britain, how many have left their professorships in the
+universities, and their wealthy churches, to labor as _missionaries_
+among the ignorant class of society in England and Ireland? O! the West,
+and the ignorant class in England and Ireland, would lift up their
+hearts to God in gratitude if you would go forth to the heathen: for the
+reflex influence of such a course would scatter among them the means of
+grace as thick as the stars of heaven, and as bright as the sun in his
+glory. I could almost assert, from personal observation, that every
+missionary to the heathen sends ten to the West. If men are pressed to
+go to China, they cannot stop short of the West. Besides, have you
+forgotten the nature of benevolence? If you wish to strengthen it, to
+increase it and expand it, so as to be the means of saving the United
+States, and of saving Great Britain, then bring it into exercise. Let
+the church impart liberally of what she has, both of men and money. She
+will have the more left, paradoxical as the assertion may at first seem.
+Let the principle of benevolence be aroused in the churches, and it is
+literally inexhaustible in its resources, both of money and of men; for
+the more it exhausts the more it still possesses. This is not mere
+missionary philosophy, but Bible doctrine; and so plainly inculcated,
+that he that doubts it is a novice in the Scriptures, and a babe in the
+school of Christ. There is a backwardness, an apathy and deadness in the
+ministry, and in the churches; and it is THEREFORE that infidelity and
+Romanism prevail at the West, and that the ignorant class in England and
+Ireland remain in wretchedness. The great thing needed is that the
+spirit of benevolence, the spirit of Christ, or in other words true
+religion, be aroused in the churches. And in no way can you so
+effectually do it as by giving yourself to the missionary work. God's
+wisdom is very much at variance with the cold, calculating,
+short-sighted and sin-blinded wisdom of man. Let us follow heavenly
+wisdom, as laid down in the Bible: "GIVE," "GO," and thereby save
+ourselves, our country, and the world. _That nation that obeys God_
+shall prosper. Let us try the Bible philosophy of saving the United
+States and Great Britain, BY OBEYING GOD--by going forth and teaching
+all nations.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+IMPORT OF THE GREAT COMMISSION.
+
+
+The Founder of the church was a missionary. The church is a _missionary
+band_, professedly aiming to carry out the design of its Founder, in the
+wide field of the WORLD. The commission to the apostles is the
+commission to Christ's ministers in every age. This commission, it is to
+be feared, is losing much of its force from misinterpretation.
+
+That a construction somewhat incorrect is placed by some ministers on
+the commission which they hold, seems to be evident; for how otherwise
+should an impression obtain, that there is something _peculiar_ about
+the office of the missionary--that his commission is quite different
+from that of other ministers of Christ.
+
+Let the commission of both the minister at home and missionary abroad be
+exhibited and read. The terms, word for word, are the same. It is
+unhappy, extremely so, that a _peculiarity_ is thrown about the word
+_missionary_, since the New Testament authorizes no such distinction.
+Both ministers at home and those abroad claim to be successors of the
+apostles or first missionaries, whose letter of instructions, short but
+explicit, reads thus: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel
+to every creature." This is the commission of every ambassador, and no
+one, at home or abroad, can consistently hold his office any longer than
+he continues to act in accordance with its import.
+
+The Saviour is all-wise, and knew precisely what commission to give. He
+carefully chose every word in which it is expressed. The apostles showed
+by their conduct how they understood it--that they knew what was meant
+by "all the world" and "every creature." Now, I ask, how can such a
+construction be placed on these obvious phrases, as to make it
+consistent for about eleven thousand eight hundred ministers out of
+twelve thousand to stay in the United States, and about the same
+proportion in Great Britain? The apostles showed by their conduct what
+they understood by the word "Go." By what reasoning, I ask, has it been
+made to mean, in fifty-nine cases out of sixty, _send, contribute_,
+_and educate young men_? If an inhabitant of another planet should visit
+this earth, and see ministers clustered together in a few favored spots,
+could you make him believe that they hold in their hands the commission
+first delivered to the apostles?
+
+Would it be thought dutiful, in military officers, to treat the orders
+of their commander-in-chief as we do the command of our Master; or in
+mercantile agents, to interpret thus loosely the instructions of their
+employers? The perversion, however, has become so familiar to us, that
+we are insensible of it; and the fact may be numbered among other
+wonders of a like kind, which the experience of a few past years has
+exhibited. A few years since, good men were in the use of intoxicating
+drinks without dreaming it a sin; and so now we may be shaping our
+course very wide from the command of our Saviour, and yet think not of
+the guilt we incur.
+
+The misconstruction has become so universal, and so firmly
+established--the true and obvious interpretation buried so deep in the
+rubbish of things gone by--that all books written on ministerial duty,
+which I have seen, take it for granted that the persons addressed, for
+the most part at least, are to preach and labor among a people who have
+long had the Gospel. And may I not inquire--and I would do it with due
+deference and respect--Do not lectures on pastoral theology in the
+schools of the prophets take it too much for granted, that the hearers
+are to labor in Christian lands? Is not the business of going into all
+the world, and preaching the Gospel to every creature, regarded,
+practically at least, as an _exception_, for which there need be no
+provision in books or lectures? If Paul were to write or lecture on
+pastoral theology, would he not give more prominence to the duties that
+might devolve upon his students in foreign lands? Would he not, indeed,
+make the work of missions stand forth as _the_ work, and not as an
+exception or a peculiarity?
+
+Few men, in these last days, can quiet their consciences, and yet live
+in entire neglect of the heathen. Almost all professed Christians feel
+that they must have some interest in the great enterprise. To begin to
+act just as the last command of Christ requires, in its plain literal
+import, as the apostles understood it, would be a hard and self-denying
+service. What then shall they do? Will they operate _by proxy_? This is
+the charming suggestion, by which often conscience is lulled to sleep
+and the heathen are left to perish.
+
+It is true that many, and perhaps most, must aid in the work by
+proxy--by training up others, by sending them forth, by encouraging
+them, and by furnishing the necessary means. But the error is, that all,
+with the exception of perhaps one minister out of sixty, and one layman
+out of three thousand, are inclined so to act. It is wonderful with what
+electrical rapidity the soothing suggestion has spread abroad. It is so
+insidious and speciously good, that it has found its way, like an angel
+of light, to the best hearts and holiest places. Indeed, it is a point
+very difficult to be determined; and many judge no doubt with perfect
+correctness, when they decide to act in this way. The danger consists in
+the eager rush and universal resort. To be sensible that there is such a
+rush, begin and enumerate. Directors and officers of various
+societies--and they are not few--of theological seminaries too, and of
+colleges, think they are employed in furnishing the requisite men, the
+requisite means, and the requisite instrumentalities, and so are
+preaching to the heathen by proxy. Among ministers, the talented and
+eloquent, the learned and the influential, think they must labor in the
+important field at home; keep the churches in a state to operate upon
+the world, and so preach to the heathen by proxy. Ministers generally,
+about eleven thousand eight hundred out of twelve thousand, are zealous
+for training up young men, and think in that way of preaching to the
+heathen by proxy. Pious men of wealth, and those who are in
+circumstances to acquire wealth, or imagine that they have a talent to
+acquire it, profess to be accumulating the necessary means, and to be
+thus preaching to the heathen by proxy. Sabbath-school teachers, fathers
+and mothers, are fond of the notion of raising up children to be
+missionaries, and of thus preaching by proxy. Proxy is the universal
+resort. Now _some_ proxy effort, and much indeed, is proper and
+indispensable; but must it not strike every mind, that such a universal
+and indiscriminate resort to it is utterly unreasonable?
+
+How often do we hear the exhortation, "Let mothers consecrate their
+children to the missionary work in their earliest infancy. Let them be
+taught, as they grow up, that to labor among the heathen is the most
+glorious work on earth. Let teachers in Sabbath-schools impart such
+instructions, and ministers in their pulpits. Let ministers and elders
+search out young men, urge them to engage in the work of missions, and
+let the churches educate them for that end, and pray for them that their
+zeal fail not. Let no pains be spared and no efforts be wanting, to
+raise up and send forth a large body of young men to labor for the
+heathen."
+
+Now in regard to such an effort, every reflecting mind can see that it
+must be insufficient, if not hopeless. To succeed thus, as I have
+already said, precept must become more powerful than example. Commit the
+work of converting the world to your children, and they will commit it
+to your grandchildren. Try instruction in the nursery, try instruction
+in the Sabbath-school, try instruction from the pulpit: it will fall
+powerless as a ray of moonlight on a lake of ice, while contradicted by
+the _example_ of mothers, of Sabbath-school teachers, and of ministers.
+Urge young men into the missionary field without going yourselves? A
+general might as well urge his army over the Alps without leading them.
+Consecrate them to the work? Would it not be an unholy consecration--a
+consecration at the hands of those who were not themselves consecrated?
+The command does not say, _send_, but "Go." Let us then go, and urge
+others to _come_. We shall find this mode of persuasion the most
+effectual.
+
+Let us commit to proxy that work which is pleasant and easy, and betake
+ourselves in person to those kinds of labor that are more self-denying,
+and to those posts that are likely to be deserted. This is the only
+principle of action that will secure success in any enterprise within
+the range of human efforts. Suppose the opposite principle is acted
+upon--that every one seeks for himself the most easy and pleasant work,
+and the most delightful and honorable station, and leaves for others the
+most obscure, the most self-denying, and the most perilous. Discover
+such a spirit in any enterprise, secular or religious, and it requires
+not the gift of prophecy to predict a failure. Practical and business
+men understand full well the truth and force of this remark. The true
+method is this: if there is a work that is likely to be neglected on
+account of its obscurity or self-denial, let every one, first of all,
+see that _that_ service is attended to. And if there is a post likely to
+be left deserted on account of its hardships or its perils, let every
+one be sure, first of all, that _that_ post is occupied. Let there be an
+emulation among all to do the drudgery of the service, and to man the
+Thermopylae of danger. Then you shall read in the vigor and nerve of the
+action the certainty of success.
+
+In this way Bonaparte conquered Europe. If a portion of his army was
+likely to fall back, there the general pressed forward in person,
+inspiring courage and firmness. If all others shrunk from the deadly
+breach, thither he rushed, at once, with the flower of his army.
+
+This principle of action is not more indispensable in the conquests of
+war, than in the great enterprise of the world's conversion. And how
+truly glorious, how sublime by contrast, to exhibit this principle of
+action, not in destroying mankind, but in laboring for their salvation!
+Let all Christians be filled with this spirit, let every redeemed sinner
+adopt in practice this rule of action, _to do the most self-denying, the
+most difficult and perilous work in person, and to commit the easiest to
+proxy_, then there would be a sight of moral sublimity that earth has
+not seen--all the elements in action that are needed, under God, to
+usher in the millenial day.
+
+O, if to angels were committed the instrumentality of the world's
+conversion, where would Gabriel speed his way if not to the post of
+peril, and to the post of self-denying and toilsome drudgery? I mistake
+his character much, if he would not betake himself at once to the most
+arduous service. O, how he would delight to come down and labor with the
+lowest being on New Holland or New Guinea, and be the instrument of
+raising him up to the throne of Jesus! But to angels is not committed
+the stewardship of propagating that precious Gospel, which God has
+ordained for the world's renovation. The infinite treasure is placed in
+our hands, the immense responsibility is thrown upon us. O, let us prove
+ourselves worthy of such a trust, and not become traitorous to the
+cause, by falling into the general spirit of operating by proxy.
+
+But, in truth, how far do we act on the principle named, that of
+performing in person the most arduous service, and of leaving the most
+pleasant work for others? Look over the desolate and secluded parts of
+the United States; look over the heathen world, and make out an answer.
+Let facts speak. Is a residence in Arkansas preferred to a residence in
+New-York, or a voyage to New Guinea before one to Europe?
+
+Our blessed Saviour and his apostles did not feel inclined to shrink
+from the more self-denying service, and to shift it upon others. If they
+had felt so, then we should have continued in a state of darkness, and
+have known full well the import of present wretchedness and eternal woe.
+
+Let us suppose, for a moment, that the apostles had made the discovery
+of obeying by proxy the Saviour's last command. But I hesitate to make
+such a supposition, lest the force of such an immense contrast should
+make it to be regarded as a caricature upon the operations of the
+present age. In other words, our efforts to convert the world become so
+clumsy, slow and inefficient, from a lack of the right spirit and enough
+of it, in ministers and in the churches, that to impute the same kind
+and degree of effort to the apostles and primitive Christians, might
+excite a smile, rather than a sigh; and be deemed an attempt to
+ridicule what is at present done, rather than an earnest, serious, and
+solemn expostulation. Such a result I should deplore. But if my readers
+will believe me to be aiming simply, with weeping eyes and an aching
+heart, to illustrate with force my own defects and their short-comings
+in duty, by detecting and tracing out a wrong principle of action, I
+will venture cautiously to make the supposition.
+
+The words of the last command have fallen from the lips of the ascended
+Saviour, and the apostles assemble to deliberate how they shall carry
+them into execution. In the first place, Peter delivers an address. It
+is an able and thrilling discourse. He seems impatient to wing his way
+to foreign lands. After the discourse, they form themselves into a
+society. Arrangements being made, and the machinery being complete, they
+send forth John to solicit funds. He finds the disciples willing to
+contribute on an average, after much urging, about twenty-four cents
+each. A pittance of money is obtained, and then they search for a man.
+They thought Peter would be ready to go, from the speech he delivered,
+but he wishes to be excused: he has a family to support. They then fall
+upon various plans: some think of training up young men to go forth,
+and others exhort parents to infuse a missionary spirit into their
+children. At length, however, it is found that one of the twelve begins
+to feel that he has a call to go--but this would be at the rate of one
+thousand from the twelve thousand ministers in the United States. This
+one man is sent forth to "go into all the world, and to preach the
+Gospel to every creature." The rest of the apostles sustain the various
+offices of the society, and have charge of important posts in Jerusalem,
+and in the cities and villages round about. They meet yearly, to
+deliberate upon the missionary enterprise. Some feel much, and humbly
+pray, and some say eloquent things about the glorious cause, and tell
+how they have found a fulcrum, where to place the lever of Archimides to
+elevate the world.
+
+Now I ask most solemnly, and in a spirit of grief and humiliation, how
+such a course of conduct would have appeared in the apostles? Would it
+have evinced a spirit of obedience? Believe me, in early times, a
+readiness to obey supplied a great deal of machinery. Bring back into
+the ministers of the present day the spirit of the apostles, and into
+the churches the spirit of the early disciples, and operations at once
+would be more simple and more efficient. A backwardness in duty--a
+disposition, if we do anything for the heathen, to do it by proxy,
+_this_ is it that makes the wheels so ponderous and encumbered. "The
+letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." Give us the spirit, and
+annihilate the notion of operating so much by proxy, and we shall soon
+see a multitude of angels flying in the midst of heaven, having the
+everlasting Gospel to preach to the nations.
+
+There is _no cheap or easy way of converting the world_. It is to be
+feared that some fall into the contrary notion, because they do not wish
+to believe that _all_ they possess is needed in the work of the Lord,
+and that there is absolute necessity that they themselves go to the
+heathen. It is to be feared, that it is for this reason that so many are
+ready to imagine that the work is to be done by a few men, and a small
+amount of means. It would seem they expect to form lines of these few
+men, and encircle the globe in various directions; to place them on
+prominent points, like light-houses, and leave each with his single lamp
+to dispel the darkness of a wide circumference. They seem to imagine
+that nations can be elevated from a degradation many ages deep, and
+thoroughly transformed, religiously, morally, mentally and socially, by
+the influence of a few missionaries, scattered here and there on some
+high eminences of the earth: that a single missionary, under a withering
+atmosphere, is to be preacher, physician, teacher, lawyer, mechanic, and
+everything that is necessary in raising a whole community from the
+inconceivable degradation of heathenism, up to the elevation of an
+industrious, intelligent, and Christian people.
+
+Neither are the expectations formed by many, of mission seminaries, less
+visionary. A school, with two or three teachers, limited accommodations
+and small funds, with all its school-books to make, and the whole
+literature to form, is expected to accomplish all the work of the
+academy, college, and theological seminary, and speedily to transform
+untutored savages into able preachers of the Gospel.
+
+And it is expected, by not a few, of the wife of the missionary--though
+living under a burning sun, in a house of poor accommodations, with
+unfaithful domestics, or none at all; that notwithstanding, she will
+not only attend to the arduous duties of the household and educate her
+own children, but teach a school among the people, and superintend the
+female portion of the congregation--a task which a minister's wife in a
+Christian land, and under a bracing air, does not often attempt.
+
+Now, would it be really a benefit to the church thus to flatter her
+indolence and her avarice, and convert the heathen with a fraction of
+wealth and a handful of men? Be assured, God loves the church too well
+thus to pamper a luxurious and self-indulgent spirit: he will allow no
+cheap and easy way of accomplishing the work. The object is worth more:
+worthy not only of the combined wealth of Christendom, but worthy also
+of the energies, the toil, and the blood if necessary, of the greatest
+and holiest men. It will not be in consistence with God's usual
+providence that a victory so noble should be achieved, till the
+treasures of the church shall be literally emptied in the contest, and
+the precious blood of thousands and tens of thousands of her ablest and
+best men poured out on the field. The work has already cost the blood
+of God's only Son; and the prosecution and finishing of it shall be
+through toil, self-denial, entire devotement, and obedience even unto
+death.
+
+_Some rules that may be of use in agitating the question of becoming
+missionaries._
+
+1. Guard against an _excuse-making_ spirit. This is an age of excuses.
+There is no need of seeking for them; they are already at hand, and of
+every variety, size and shape. They are kept ready for every occasion.
+If one will not suit, another may be tried. Be admonished then, that a
+disposition to be excused is not much different from a disposition to
+disobey.
+
+2. Guard against _antinomianism_ on the subject of missions. There is a
+great tendency in these days to _say and do not_. The thrill of the
+missionary theme, like an exhilarating gas, is pleasant to many; but the
+sober and humble business of engaging in the work is not so welcome. A
+disposition to say much and do little is a feature of the most alarming
+kind. It shows an obtuseness of conscience.
+
+3. Remember that Divine direction is better than human wisdom. We are
+very much inclined to argue the question, "Where can I do the most
+good?" Be assured we can do the most good by _obeying_ the Saviour: by
+carrying out the spirit of his last command. Let us keep _close_ to that
+command: it is safer than to determine by our own dark and biased
+reasoning, and by our very limited foresight, where we can be the most
+useful.
+
+4. The nearer you live to Jesus, the more hope will there be of your
+coming to a right decision. There is a process of conviction and
+conversion before a man becomes a missionary--a serious conflict.
+Nothing but nearness to the Saviour will prepare a man to pass through
+such a conflict, and keep safely on the side of truth and duty.
+
+5. If, after examining thoroughly and prayerfully the question of
+becoming a missionary, the mind waver between conflicting reasons, it
+will be safest to lean to the side of the greatest self-denial.
+
+6. In selecting the place of the greatest usefulness in the wide field
+of the world, the best rule is, to fly to the post most likely to be
+deserted.
+
+7. A kindred principle is, to do in person the more difficult and
+unpleasant work, and to commit the more easy and delightful to proxy.
+
+8. Remember the time is short. A few days more, and we shall meet our
+Saviour in the presence of a world of souls.
+
+9. Keep in mind the conduct of our blessed Saviour, and be imbued with
+his spirit. Feel as he felt, and do as he did, when he beheld us in
+misery and in sin.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+TRIALS TO BE MET.
+
+
+Common trials need not be named: we allude only to a few of those that
+are most severe. Take then first, the trial of leaving friends. The
+Saviour says, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not
+worthy of me, and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not
+worthy of me." The plain meaning is, to be Christians, our love to
+Christ must be supreme. Now, if it is supreme, it will show itself to be
+so in our conduct. There is full room, even at the present day, for a
+practical test of this condition of discipleship. Not only is the
+_spirit_ of this passage required, but in many cases, a _literal
+compliance_ with the identical things named in it. This saying of our
+Saviour has been too much forgotten. Like some other important sayings
+of our Lord, it has been virtually expunged. It has been regarded as
+applying only to apostolic times--to times of persecution. This is a
+wide mistake. If all nations are to be enlightened by the use of means,
+there must be a practical exhibition among Christians at the present
+time, and in all time to come, of a love to Christ superior to the love
+which we owe to father, mother, son or daughter. And this love is not
+spoken of as a high attainment in piety, but as an indispensable
+condition of discipleship. The missionary enterprise presents many
+instances of stern necessity to test and exhibit this principle.
+
+The occasion most familiar to the general reader, and the one best
+appreciated by him, is the time when missionaries go forth to the
+heathen. They are compelled to break away from almost every tie. The
+strength of attachment to all that is dear on earth, is a feeling that
+may be experienced, and can be imagined too, in part, but can never be
+described. There are a thousand ties, and tender ties too, that must be
+sundered. The loved scenes of childhood and youth, and scenes of sacred
+peace and pleasure that cluster about the sanctuary, the conference-room
+and the praying circle, must all receive a parting thought.
+Friends--dear friends and connections, must receive a last adieu and a
+lingering look. But O how keen the sensation when the last sigh, the
+last tear, and the last embrace is to be exchanged with father and
+mother, brother and sister--when all the touching associations of
+kindred and home are for once revived to be dismissed forever!
+
+Imagine not that the sensibilities of missionaries are less exquisite
+than those of other persons. The pangs they endure are indeed alleviated
+by soothing considerations drawn from the Gospel; but they are,
+notwithstanding, deep--deeper than the looker-on may at first suppose.
+
+There may be some persons--I have heard of such--who misrepresent the
+feelings and motives of missionaries in leaving their friends; who
+impute to them cold hearts and a bluntness of sensibility; who say that
+they are wanting in filial devotion, and can therefore leave aged
+parents to droop and die: that they have a small share of fraternal
+affection, and that it is therefore they can break away from the embrace
+of brothers and sisters, and leave them in anguish and in tears. All
+these remarks are sometimes made, and perhaps oftener secretly indulged,
+than openly expressed. It is often that the missionary is not allowed to
+take his leave merely with a bleeding heart and a soul gushing with
+emotion, but is compelled to endure a keener anguish: that of knowing
+that the course he is taking, agonizing as it is, is imputed by some to
+a want of sensibility; to a destitution of the finer, tenderer, and more
+delicate feelings, that adorn society, and that make families lovely and
+happy. Here then are trials: such, however, as he must cheerfully meet
+for Christ's sake.
+
+But the separation from home, with its numerous and nameless
+endearments, and at the risk of misrepresentation, is but the first
+lesson of obedience. That person whose love to Christ is so weak as to
+fail here on the threshold, would give but poor evidence of being
+prepared for similar and severer trials in prospect. The _main_ occasion
+for exemplifying the spirit of the Saviour's words to which we have
+alluded, is on heathen ground, when stern necessity calls upon parents
+to make the best disposition in their power in regard to their own
+children. This is an occasion not so well understood by the Christian
+community as the one I have noticed. The difficulties in the way of
+properly training children on heathen ground are not clearly seen;
+neither are all the objections appreciated which attend the usual
+alternative, that of sending them to a Christian land. These are the
+occasions of trial, compared with which all other sufferings of the
+missionary are scarcely worthy of being named. They are trials, however,
+that must be met, not evaded; for the Saviour says, "He that loveth son
+or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." They must be cheerfully
+met, and counted "all joy," or we cannot claim the spirit of the first
+disciples.
+
+There are those, I know, who would relieve this subject at once by
+proposing the celibacy of missionaries; but the argument of such persons
+can hardly be deemed worth considering, till they shall know a little
+more "what they say, and whereof they affirm." Celibacy for ministers
+at home would be a much more proper and expedient arrangement, than for
+missionaries in most foreign fields. And one would think that the
+experience of the church, from the days of the apostles till now, had
+taught us enough to silence at once any such proposition, and to place
+it forever at rest. Were it in place for me, I could give reasons here
+to the heart's content: but I deem it more prudent to forbear.
+
+The DIFFICULTIES in the way of training children on heathen ground,
+cannot all be named; and fewer still can be justly appreciated by those
+who have never made the attempt. What I shall say will apply
+particularly to barbarous and degraded nations, such as the Sandwich
+Islanders once were; for it is to such nations that the missionary's eye
+should be specially directed.
+
+I shall mention first, _the difficulty of keeping children from the
+pollutions and vices of the heathen_. Children have eyes, and among the
+heathen what do they see? I need only refer you to the knowledge you
+already possess of the naked condition, vile habits, and gross vices of
+a barbarous people. There is much in heathen society which cannot be
+described, but which children must more or less witness. The state of
+things, in this respect, is very much improved at the Sandwich Islands;
+but I refer to that condition in which they once were--to that condition
+in which all barbarous nations are, without the light of the Gospel.
+Imagine then to yourself this feature of heathen society, and then
+repeat the inquiry, What do children see?
+
+Again, children have ears, and they cannot be so effectually closed as
+to be kept from learning in some measure the language of the heathen.
+And if they become acquainted with the language of the heathen, what do
+they hear day after day? In many a pagan country they are liable to hear
+disputes, contentions, revilings, execration and blasphemy; but what is
+more, they are liable to hear in familiar, unblushing and open
+conversation, words and phrases which are not so much as to be named.
+The heathen have no forbidden words in their language. Every term is
+liable to be brought into public and frequent use without the least
+sense of impropriety.
+
+On account of this pernicious example and vile conversation, many
+missionaries, where it is practicable, make walls about their houses,
+and endeavor by strict inclosures to prevent their children from having
+intercourse with the natives. This can be done in some places, and to
+some degree, while children are young; but when they are somewhat grown
+up, it is preposterous to think of keeping them within inclosures. And
+as soon as they are out of their inclosures, there are a thousand
+pitfalls ready for their feet, on the right hand and on the left. How
+much solicitude was felt by Abraham and Isaac for their children, on
+account of the heathen population which surrounded them. This pernicious
+influence, better imagined than described, and still better seen than
+imagined, is one of the reasons which lead missionaries to undergo the
+agony of separation, and to send their children to a Christian land.
+This evil at the Sandwich Islands is much diminished, but not so much so
+as may at first glance be supposed from the progress in Christianity
+which has been made, and from the powerful revivals which have here been
+experienced.
+
+Again it must be remarked, that children trained up on heathen shores
+are in danger of _contracting habits of indolence_. The heathen, as a
+general remark, exert themselves no oftener and no longer than they
+feel the pressure of present want. They are far from being industrious,
+and farther still from anything like enterprise. Those nations that are
+partly civilized exhibit more or less industry, and are acquainted with
+some of the arts; but barbarous nations are acquainted with none of the
+improvements that elevate society, and exhibit a state of lounging
+indolence and torpid inactivity. If there be noise, it is not the rattle
+and whirl of business, or the hum of industry; but the noise of giddy
+mirth, boisterous and unmeaning laughter, or fierce and angry
+contention. If there be stillness, it is not the peace and quiet of
+well-ordered society, but the gloomy and deathlike stillness of
+indolence, sensuality, and beastly degradation. Now, who does not know
+that children are likely to be much influenced by the aspect and
+character of the society by which they are surrounded? Who does not know
+that they are likely to imbibe the spirit of the nation in which they
+live, whether on the one hand it be that of industry and enterprise, or
+on the other, that of sensual ease and torpid indolence? Let a youth be
+trained up in a village of intelligence, active industry and stirring
+enterprise; let his ears be filled with the noise of business from
+morning till night; let him travel in stages, in steamboats and on
+railroads, and it will be next to impossible for him to be indolent and
+sluggish. But in heathen society, the whole atmosphere is entirely
+different; it is a choke-damp to all activity, and it falls on the
+senses with a benumbing and deadening influence.
+
+But more than this, missionaries have no business in which to employ
+their children; and if it were possible to devise business in which to
+employ them, there is no one to superintend their labor. Missionaries
+have no time for the purpose, and no other persons, among most pagan
+nations, can be found who are trusty and competent. This is a stubborn
+fact, and stands in the way as a very great obstacle. Neither, in most
+cases, can the children of missionaries be kept industrious in the
+acquisition of knowledge. Their fathers and mothers cannot devote so
+much of their time to their children, as to keep their minds
+industriously employed in the pursuit of knowledge; and as to schools,
+most missions are not thus favored. Missionaries then, if they keep
+their children on heathen ground, run the risk of seeing them grow up
+in habits of inactivity and indolence. This, if a risk, is a fearful
+one; for missionaries ardently wish their children to be useful when
+they themselves shall be dead. But indolence and usefulness are the
+opposites of each other; whereas indolence and vice are closely allied.
+To prevent then this deadly evil, of having their children grow up in
+indolent habits, is one of the strong reasons why missionaries resort to
+the heart-rending alternative of parting with their children, with but
+little probability of seeing them again this side the grave.
+
+Again, as the state of things now is, the children of missionaries, if
+kept on heathen ground, can possess but _very limited advantages for
+mental improvement_. Their mothers cannot be depended upon to instruct
+them much in literature and the sciences. Under the influence of a
+withering atmosphere, often sick, with no help in many countries in
+their domestic affairs but untrusty domestics, and often with none at
+all, and obliged to attend to many calls from the people, or run the
+risk of giving offence, how can they be expected to find much time and
+strength for disciplining the minds of their children, and storing them
+with useful knowledge? They may succeed in giving them an acquaintance
+with the branches of common education, but to carry them into the higher
+branches is, as a general remark, entirely out of the question. Such a
+task is by no means expected of a minister's wife at home, much less can
+it be expected of the wife of a missionary.
+
+Neither can their fathers be depended upon to give a thorough education.
+Ministers at home would find it a great encroachment upon their time to
+spend several hours each day in instructing their own children; but they
+have _vastly_ more leisure to do so than the foreign missionary. To
+instruct a class of three or four requires the same apparatus, the same
+preparation in the teacher, and the same number of hours each day, as
+would be required for a class of thirty or forty. But should a
+missionary devote such an amount of time and means to his own family, it
+must be to the neglect of other labor. The most economical, and the most
+efficient course by far, evidently is, to collect together a sufficient
+number of missionaries' children to form a school, and devote a
+competent number of teachers entirely to that work.
+
+But even where such schools can be enjoyed, they must be attended with
+many risks and privations, and be only preparatory in their nature.
+Those scholars, who may need a thorough education, must be still under
+the necessity of visiting a Christian land. It is too of great, and
+perhaps indispensable importance, that youth who are trained for active
+life should see the industry, enterprise, and intelligence of a
+Christian land, and so far, at least, partake of its character and
+imbibe its spirit.
+
+Missionaries, then, must either suffer their children to grow up with a
+very limited education, or submit to the alternative sooner or later of
+sending them to a Christian land. But missionaries see the want of
+laborers in the great field of the world, and ardently desire that their
+children may be qualified to take part in the work. They choose
+therefore the present anguish of separation, bitter as it may be, that
+there may exist a reasonable prospect that their children, at some
+future day, may be eminently useful in the vineyard of the Lord.
+
+One other difficulty I must name, and that is, that missionaries'
+children, if kept on heathen ground, will have _no prospect of suitable
+employment when old enough to settle in life_. They will have no trades.
+To be merchants they will not have means. They will not be acquainted
+with agriculture, and in many countries will not be able to obtain land
+to cultivate. Some, who are fit for the work, may become preachers and
+teachers, but will not command the influence that they would if they
+were educated in a Christian land. Thus the prospect of suitable
+employment is very dark, and is a fact in the case of much weight.
+
+These reasons and others that might be named, possess in the minds of
+missionaries immense force--force enough, in many instances, to induce
+them to tear from their embrace the dear objects of their love, and to
+send them over a wide ocean to the care of friends, and often to the
+care of strangers. They do not lead all parents to this result; for on
+the other hand, there are strong, very strong objections to such a
+course. The trial in either case is great; but it is one that must be
+met, not evaded. It is wise to count the cost, but it is treason to be
+faint-hearted; for the trial, after all, cannot weigh much in the
+balance against the eternal interests of the dying heathen. HOW MUCH
+WORSE IS THE CONDITION OF MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF HEATHEN CHILDREN!
+
+The first OBJECTION in the minds of missionaries against sending their
+children home, is, that _such a measure seems unnatural_. That it is a
+violation of nature, all parents not only admit, but most deeply _feel_.
+God has implanted feelings in the breast of natural parents, which
+peculiarly fit them to take care of their own children. No other persons
+can precisely take their place, and feel the same interest, the same
+unwearied concern--the same unprovoked temper and unchangeable love
+through good report and through evil report. In a word, no other
+persons, however good and worthy, can be _natural parents_. Guardians
+can be found, who will feel a warm interest in those children who are
+bright, interesting, well-behaved and pious. But to feel properly for
+children that are dull, uninteresting and wayward, requires a _parent's
+heart_.
+
+That this is the state of the case, is too true to be denied. For
+parents, then, to violate this provision of nature, is causing a sword
+to pierce through their own bosoms, and the bosoms of their children: to
+do it without sufficient reasons, is to act at variance with the God who
+made them. In the feelings implanted in the breasts of parents towards
+their children, God has established a general rule: has made known his
+will, his law, and indelibly inscribed it on the parent's heart.
+Missionaries must be able to plead an _exception_ to this general law,
+or they will be found to be opposing the will of their Maker. That the
+very strong reasons they can urge really justify an exception, is plain
+to the minds of many, but not to the minds of all.
+
+Another objection arises from the command binding upon parents to train
+up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It is clear
+to the minds of some missionaries, that the spirit of this and similar
+commands is complied with when they make provision, according to the
+best of their judgment, for the religious education of their children.
+By others it is thought, that these explicit commands of God cannot be
+obeyed by any arrangement which commits the work to proxy; that there is
+risk in committing the work to others; that fully to obey God, parents,
+if not removed by death, must _in person_ pray with their children and
+instruct them in the truths of the Gospel; and that they must do this,
+not only through the period of childhood, but also through the season of
+youth, or till their children are old enough to think and act for
+themselves. It is admitted by all, that it is _desirable_ that parents
+should do this interesting and responsible work in person. No one else
+can do it with the feeling and unction natural to parents. All not only
+admit this to be true, but _feel_ it, too, to the very centre of their
+souls. But some think that it is not only very desirable, but altogether
+indispensable--that any other course is an unwarrantable substitution of
+human wisdom for the explicit direction of the all-wise God. The reader
+must judge whether this position is tenable or not.
+
+There is another objection: If missionaries' children are sent home,
+then one very important _influence of a missionary's family upon the
+heathen_ is in a great measure lost. Among the heathen, the family
+constitution is in ruins. The state of society is almost a perfect
+chaos. It is of immense importance, therefore, not only to inculcate the
+principles of domestic peace, but actually to bring before their eyes
+living examples of well-ordered and happy families. They need to see,
+not only young children well governed, but also the mutual interchanges
+of love, affection and duty, between young people and their aged
+parents. But this they cannot see if children are sent home. A
+missionary's family, who sends his older children home, and keeps with
+him only those that are quite young, is not like a tree adorned with its
+natural and well-proportioned branches, but presents the aspect of a
+tree closely trimmed, and with only a few twigs left at the very top.
+And when all his children are sent away, his family presents the aspect
+of a trunk without branch, shoot, twig or foliage, standing alone in an
+open field. This is unnatural, blighting to much of the comfort and
+cheerfulness of the parental abode, and is not the example which it is
+desirable to hold up before the eyes of the heathen. One important
+reason, then, why a missionary should have a family, is lost in sending
+his children home.
+
+I mention as another objection, the dangerous influence to which
+children are more or less exposed on a _long voyage at sea_. From some
+of the missionary fields, the voyage must be five, six, or seven months.
+I speak not of what are called the dangers of the deep, or the hardships
+of a sea life for six or seven months. These are of little account. The
+danger of which I speak is, the pernicious influence to which for that
+length of time they are exposed. This is an objection which, though not
+of sufficient weight in itself to determine one's course, may yet come
+in as an item in making up the account.
+
+On the supposition that children are sent, they go of course without
+their parents. In some cases the protector to whom they are to be
+intrusted may not be altogether such as could be desired. Even in case a
+parent accompanies the children, he will find it a great task to keep
+them from many pernicious influences during a long voyage. In very many
+ships they will hear more or less profane, low, vulgar and infamous
+language, both in conversation and in song. They will see exhibitions of
+anger, impatience, fretfulness, boisterous laughter and giddy mirth.
+They will see the holy Sabbath made a day of business, or at best a day
+of lounging and idleness. They will be likely on the one hand to
+receive such caresses as to make them vain and self-important; or, on
+the other hand, to be so treated as to chafe their tempers and injure
+their dispositions. In short, for six or seven months, they must be
+thrown into a strange family; into a family confined to the narrow
+limits of a ship's cabin and deck; into a family over which the parent
+of the children has no control; into a family, too, composed of the
+variety of character and disposition of those who sail on the ocean.
+Thus circumstanced, children inevitably suffer much, even under the
+vigilant eye of a parent, and still more would they suffer under any eye
+less careful and attentive. This moral danger to which children are
+exposed at sea, though not an objection of the strongest kind, is yet an
+item worthy of being noticed. Missionaries think of it when sending away
+their children, and dread it far more than tempests and tornadoes.
+
+Another objection is, that _no adequate provision is made for the
+support and education of missionaries' children_, if sent to a Christian
+land. The provision that is made by the American Board of Commissioners
+is $60 a year for a boy till he is eighteen years of age, and $50 a
+year for a girl during the same period. Now, every one sees that this is
+a sum scarcely sufficient to furnish them with food and clothing,
+without provision for sickness or means of education. It may be said,
+that they must be thrown much upon the spontaneous charities of
+Christians and of friends. But such a dependence must be uncertain,
+especially as few Christians appreciate the reasons and feelings of
+missionaries in sending home their children. Who of my readers in
+Christian lands would be willing to throw his own child on such a
+precarious subsistence?
+
+But the strongest objection, in my opinion is this: _If no other course
+can be adopted than that of sending the children home, it is to be
+feared that the number of missionaries will never be so increased as to
+afford a rational prospect of the world's conversion._ While the plan of
+sending children home is cherished, it will seem so incompatible with a
+large number of laborers, that it will tend to perpetuate the
+destructive notion, that the nations are to be saved by the labors of
+merely a few hundred men. But if means are to be employed in any measure
+commensurate with the end in view, a few men cannot put forth the
+instrumentality needed to elevate all nations. To commit the work to a
+few is in truth to relinquish it. If, then, the measure of sending
+children home should tend in the least to favor this destructive notion,
+it must, if possible, be avoided. This tendency is disastrous; and is,
+of course, an objection of immense force.
+
+It is clear that there are, on the one hand, very strong reasons for
+sending children home, and on the other hand, very strong objections to
+such a course. Missionaries, then, are reduced to a very trying dilemma.
+Whichever course they choose, it is equally distressing. Whichever way
+they turn, they find enough to rend their hearts with anguish. There are
+two cups, mixed indeed with different ingredients, but equally bitter,
+one of which they must drink. Their only comfort is to look upward, pour
+their sorrows into the ear of God, and cast their cares on him who
+careth for them. This is a trial, the sting of which cannot be
+appreciated except by those who have felt it. It is by far the greatest
+trial of the missionary, and probably greater than all his other trials
+combined. The pain of leaving one's kindred and country is nothing
+compared with it.
+
+But if the cup be of such a mixture, can there be found those whose
+hearts are so insensible as to throw in other ingredients to make the
+draught more bitter? If missionaries keep their children, and ask for
+the requisite means of education, shall they be called extravagant? If
+they send them home, shall they be regarded as possessing but a small
+share of natural affection?
+
+Here, then, are trials; but however great, they are to be met, not
+evaded--met by the churches, met by missionaries; and however severe and
+agonizing such trials, they are nothing in the balance against the dying
+condition of the heathen. The situation of our children, trying as it
+is, is unspeakably better than that of three hundred millions of heathen
+children and youth. The Saviour commands--the world is dying--and he
+that loveth son or daughter more than Christ is not worthy of him.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The inquiry is worth notice, Whether the situation of missionaries
+cannot be so altered as to change very materially the state of the
+question, in regard to their children? Would not such a change be
+effected by the going forth of laymen in great numbers, and of all the
+useful professions, arts and employments, so as to form little circles
+here and there over the earth?
+
+A great part of the heathen world is open for such classes of men.
+Appeals for such men have been sent from Africa, Asia Minor, Siam, the
+Sandwich Islands, and in short from almost every mission. They would of
+course labor under greater or less disadvantages; but these
+disadvantages should only have the effect to call forth the more energy,
+patience and perseverance.
+
+But it will be asked, How would the going forth of such classes of men
+better the condition of missionaries' children?
+
+1. They would afford society, form a public sentiment, and thus serve in
+a measure to keep children from the influence of a heathen population.
+It is already found on heathen ground, that where there are several
+families of missionaries, the children form a society among themselves;
+but where there is but one family, the children are more inclined to
+seek society among the degraded objects about them.
+
+2. Again, if men of various useful employments should be located with
+the missionary, there would be held up before the children examples of
+Christian industry and enterprise; whereas, in their present isolated
+condition, the children suffer from an atmosphere of indolence and
+stagnation.
+
+3. The going forth of such men to introduce the different arts and
+occupations, would afford suitable employment for the children and youth
+of missionaries, and furnish them to some extent with permanent
+situations in mature life.
+
+4. If there were such little circles of laymen as we suppose, they would
+have at whatever sacrifice, as the Pilgrims of New England did,
+institutions of learning among themselves, where children and youth
+might receive a suitable education.
+
+Unless some arrangement of this kind can be made, the trials of
+missionaries must remain unrelieved and unmitigated. And even with such
+an arrangement, the trial would be only in part removed. Even then the
+children of foreign laborers would by no means receive all the
+advantages of a Christian land, neither would they be shielded from all
+the evils of a heathen community. But it is worthy of thought, whether
+by such an arrangement they would not be so far shielded, and possess
+advantages to such an amount, as to change the preponderance of
+argument.
+
+Then, in addition to this or some similar arrangement, should not
+Christians _be more liberal in affording means and facilities for
+education, and expect of missionaries to devote to their children more
+of their time_?
+
+I have now brought before your minds the greatest of all missionary
+trials; and yet I urge many of you, ministers and laymen, and urge you
+considerately and solemnly too, to enter the work. I have not hesitated
+to state freely the whole difficulty, for I am in no wise unwilling that
+you should count the cost. And I would say with Gideon, "Whosoever is
+fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early." God desires no
+faint-hearted men in his service. He desires men that shrink from no
+self-denial for his sake. For after their trials are over--and they will
+be but short[*]--he wishes to crown them with glory, and place them at
+his own right hand as partners of his throne. He will place no
+unbelieving, faint-hearted men there. He will place none there who are
+not "worthy of him." And remember that he said, "He that loveth son or
+daughter more than me, is not worthy of me."
+
+[Footnote *: The author, soon after writing this appeal, was called to
+enter into the joy of his Lord.]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In looking at the embarrassment of missionaries in regard to their
+children, a thought something like this is apt to arise: missionaries
+are by profession a class of self-denying persons, and this trial is
+only in consistency with the life they have chosen. Now, where in the
+Bible do you find, that a spirit of self-denial and of consecration is
+enjoined peculiarly upon missionaries more than upon others? Where do
+you find it intimated, that a missionary spirit is a thing superadded to
+Christian character? An entire consecration of our children to Christ is
+not a test of missionary spirit, but a test of discipleship. Not the
+missionary, but "_He_, that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not
+worthy of me."
+
+The spirit of this injunction requires _all_ parents to train up their
+children in that way in which they may be of the greatest service to
+Christ; and not only to be willing--that would be but a small measure of
+Christian feeling--but earnestly and constantly to pray, that they may
+be employed in that part of his vineyard, and in that kind of work,
+where they can be instrumental of the most good, even though it be on
+some distant shore, teaching the alphabet to the ignorant and degraded.
+
+But is this the spirit which prevails in the churches? I have seen it
+stated that, of twenty or more young men in a theological institution,
+who were at the same time agitating the question of their duty to become
+missionaries, _all but two were discouraged by their parents, and these
+two were the sons of widows_. Many other facts of a similar kind might
+be added, if it were best to name them. Many parents give their children
+to the Lord when young, and talk of locating them on the shores of
+Japan, or New Guinea; but the very manner of educating them--in
+softness, delicacy and helplessness--shows at once the inefficacy of
+such a profession. Many parents are quite ready to consecrate their
+children before they become pious. "O, if the Saviour would only convert
+my child, I would readily yield him to go to any part of the world, and
+to perform any service for which he might be fitted." The child becomes
+a Christian, and proposes to go to the heathen. The parents cling,
+dissuade, and throw every consideration in the way to keep him at home.
+
+At the judgment day, if I mistake not, we shall see a great deal of our
+conduct in a different light from what we do now.
+
+The spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of self-denial for the sake of
+Christ. The Saviour is worthy of our highest love, and no earthly
+attachment can be allowed to come in competition with the supreme
+affection which we owe to him. This love to Christ must be manifested by
+obeying his commandments. To yield strict obedience to Christ in this
+world, disordered and confused by sin, it is frequently necessary to
+sunder some of the tenderest ties on earth. Keen as is the sensation, it
+must be endured. A child must not cling unduly to a parent, nor a parent
+to a child, but each cling with more ardent feelings and firmer grasp to
+Jesus Christ and his cause. This world is not our rest. Neither is it a
+place to give much indulgence to many of the fond affections of the
+soul. There is no time for it. We live in a world of sin--a confused,
+disordered and chaotic world--in a revolted territory, among a crowd of
+sinners dying an eternal death. The main point then is, to save our own
+souls and the souls of as many as possible of our fellow men, before the
+grave shall close upon us. The indulgence of many of our tenderer
+feelings of love and fondness must be postponed to a more peaceful
+abode. While in a world of dying souls, self-denial and laborious effort
+are most in place. Parental and filial affection should be deep and
+ardent indeed, but under the control of judgment. Love to Christ and to
+souls must predominate and govern our conduct.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THOUGHTS ON MISSIONS***
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