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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.