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.