l^^L. ■^"^ Shelf..... PRINCETON, N. J. % 'k i^jf-'Jii i^ BV 2063 .S7 1874 Somerville, Andrew. Lectures on missions and evangelism ,l.u? . LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. MDRRAT AKD GIBB, EDINBURGH, PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE. LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM, DELIVERED TO THE STUDENTS OF THE SENIOR HALL OF THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. BY ANDKEW SOMEEVILLE, D.D. EX-FOREIGN MISSION SECRETARY. GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD, AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE. 'freely YE HAVE RECEIVED, FREELY GIVE.' THE BIBLE, EDINBURGH: WILLIAM OLIPHANT AND CO. 187 4. -y rxiilIG3T0:.I *i^HHo logic:::. .• PREFACE. ^TTHEN, in May 1868, I resigned the Secretaryship of Foreign Missions, being unable from advanced age and declining strength to discharge the full duties of that important office, the Synod was pleased to appoint me to deliver to the students of the Theological Hall 'a series of Lectures on Missions and Evangelism, not to exceed seven in one session.' The following Lectures are the result of this appointment. The eighteen fully written Lectures, and the three oral Lectures, the outlines of which are given in the Appendix, formed a course which ex- tended to three sessions, the period during which the students attend the Senior HaU. I now submit them to the church, in the hope and with the prayer that they may, by the divine blessing, help to strengthen the mis- sionary spirit which happily exists both among ministers and members, and especially that they may lead those young men who are aspiring to the office of the holy VI PIIEFACE. ministry to recognise the claims of the perishing heathen, and induce them, whether they are called to labour at home or abroad, to do what they can, in fulfilment of Christ's charge, to have ' the gospel preached to every creature.* CONTENTS. LECTURE I. PAGK The Gospel as preached to Abraham, and expanded by THE Prophets in the Old Testament, was a Gospel for the World, . ... 1-19 Introduction — Scheme of Lectures. The promise, that in Abraham's seed all the nations of the earth were to be blessed, called by the apostle the gospel — it has three elements, Christ, blessing, all nations, the junction of which makes the promise glad news for the world — the importance which God attached to the connection which the promise established between Christ and all nations — the prophets preserve this connection, and invariably speak of Christ as bringing blessing to all classes of men — this union is shown also by the diffu- sive character that is given of Christ's coming kingdom — the missionary spirit of Old Testament prophecy. LECTURE II. Notices given in the Life of Christ, as recorded in the FOUR Evangelists, which show that the Gospel WAS intended for the World, . . . 20-38 Christ, while acting as * a minister of the circumcision, ' * did a work which had reference to all classes of men. This was proved by the message which the angel delivered to the shepherds at the birth of Christ — by the visit of the wise men — by the words of aged Simeon — by five explicit declar- ations of Christ himself— and by two remarkable incidents which made Christ speak of the calling of the Gentiles. Vlll CONTENTS. PAGE /^ LECTURE III. The Geand Commission to Evangelize the World, . 39-67 All power given to Christ in heaven — all power given to Christ on earth — the commission, Go ye into all the world — the authority with which Christ's sent servants are invested — the work which they are to do — the promise of Christ's gracious presence to the end of the world. LECTURE IV. The Manner in which the Holy Ghost qualified the Apostles for preaching the Gospel to all Nations, and the steps by which he led them TO go to the Gentiles, 58-81 Three things which prepared the way for the spread of the gospel in the apostolic age. The effusion of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost fitted the disciples for speaking all needed languages — gave them the power of working miracles — im- parted a clear and full knowledge of divine truth, and endowed them with strengthening gracious influence. Four steps by which the apostles were led to go to the Gentiles : The com- mand to preach the gospel to Cornelius — the signal success which attended the first public preaching to the Gentiles in Antioch — the call to set apart Paul and Barnabas for a mission to the heathen — and the actual going forth of that mission. LECTURE Y. The Missionary Principles which the recorded Labours of the Apostle Paul suggest for the Guidance OF the Church in conducting the Missionary Enterprise, 82-101 Paul preached the truths respecting Christ as the divine, the only, and the all-sufficient Saviour — he formed central stations, leaving it to the converts to evangelize the surround- ing districts — his journeys show the progressive character of the missionary enterprise — apostolic missions show the self- extending character of the missionary enterprise — the apostle's CONTENTS. IX PACK trials helped forwards the cause of Christ — he ascribes all his success to divine and gracious influence. LECTURE VI. The Obligations which lie on the Church to seek the Evangelization OF THE WHOLE World, . 102-119 The positive command of Christ — the nature and the design of the New Testament church — regard to the spiritual pros- perity of the church. LECTURE VII. The same subject continued, ..... 120-137 The obligation arising from the claim which the church has to all nations as her property. LECTURE VIIL . The Obligations which rest on Individuals to seek the Evangelization of the World, . . . 138-158 The Lectures intended for the benefit of those who are to labour at home as well as of those who are to go abroad. The command of Christ comes with a distinct voice to each member of the church — the active and outgoing nature of divine grace — the nature of true devotedness to Christ — the great encoui'agements which are held out to those who faith- fully perform public service for Christ — origin of the American Board of Missions. LECTURE IX. The Work to be done among the Heathen, . . 159-177 Scriptural views of the state of the heathen. The first part of the work is the imparting of scriptural instruction — the second part of the work is the conversion of the heathen — the third thing is the formation of a native church — the fourth thing is the training of a native ministry — and the fifth thing is to give to the native church a form of govern- ment. X CONTENTS. PAGE LECTURE X. The Qualifications of Missionaries, .... 178-197 Sound health — deep and influential piety — good mental abilities — respectable scholarship and aptitude for acquiring languages — great prudence — good temper. LECTURE XL The same subject continued, 198-215 Self-reliance — vigilance, or the faculty of observation — mis- sionary zeal — and affectionateness. It is also desirable that the missionary have the gift of music. LECTURE XTL The Manner in which the Work among the Heathen is to BE done, 216-234 Sources of information on this subject. The selection of a proper field of labour — choice of central positions and the erection of proper mission buildings — the acquisition of the native tongue. LECTURE XIII. The SAME subject continued, 235-256 The preaching of the gospel — 'the Scottish Missions in India ' — five things which seem necessary for conveying the truth eff'ectually to the minds of the hearers — schools for the instruction of the young— orphanages. LECTURE XIV. The same subject continued, 257-279 Native agents. The training of native agents at the outset of the mission, first, where the people are all of one class ; and secondly, where there is a mixture of Europeans — the training requisite for prej)aring native agents for transmitting the gospel to succeeding generations — the training necessary to qualify the native ministers of a missionary church for CONTENTS. XI PAGE extending the gospel. The salaries that should be given to native agents, native churches and native pastors — views of the American Board as to native pastors. LECTURE XV. The Relation in which the Missionary stands to the Home Church, and the Duties which the Home Church owes to him, 280-299 The relations in which the missionary stands to the pres- bytery that ordained him, and to the Synod — the relation in which the missionary stands to the Committee on Foreign Missions, The home church owes to the missionary sympa- thizing interest in his work — importunate and continued prayer — adequate support — aid in the education of his children * — support when he becomes unfit for labour. Kindness, the rule of the Foreign Committee. Two rules which the Synod has adopted for working out missions in the home church. LECTURE XVI. The Principles of Scriptural Liberality, . . . 300-319 The beneficence of the church in Jerusalem — the Christian liberality of the church of Antioch in Syria — the orders which Paul sent to the churches of Galatia and of Greece — the re- markable liberality of the poor and the afliicted churches of Macedonia^the poor as well as the rich are to be asked and encouraged to give. LECTURE XVII. The same subject continued, 320-339 The wisdom shown in the selection of scriptural examples — the principles which are to guide the contributions of the wealthy, as evinced by the instructions given to the opulent church of Corinth. Donations are to be given willingly — are to bear a just proportion to our ability or our proj^erty — are to be granted just as a steward dispenses his master's property — and are to be given in faith, and in the hope of their being literally repaid. The motives by which the donors were to be actuated. Xll CONTENTS. PAGE LECTURE XVIII. The Missionary Period of the Church the Period of Labour, Trial, Expenditure, and Conquest, where great Graces are displayed and great Characters are formed, .... 340-359 APPENDIX. Outline of Oral Lecture on our African Missions, in- cluding Jamaica, Trinidad, Old Calabar, and Caffraria, 363-369 Outline of Oral Lecture on our Missions in Rajpootana in India, 370-376 Outline of Oral Lecture on a large Missionary Map show- ing THE State of the World as to Religion, 377-383 Summary of the Agencies, the Statistics, and the Funds OF THE Foreign Missions of the United Presby- terian Church for 1873-4, . . . . . 384 ]v[0TE. — In p. 60, line 13, erase the words *with the exception of Athens,' and in p. 176, line 2, for ' Timothy' read * Titus.' ./''riiiiTCETca \tiisologig:.:^,/ LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EYANGELISM, LECTUEE I. THE GOSPEL, AS PREACHED TO ABRAHAM AND EXPANDED BY THE PROPHETS IN THE OLD TESTAj^IENT, WAS A GOSPEL FOR THE WORLD. TH E Synod has enacted that the subject of missions form a part of the systematic teaching of " the Theological Hall, and that the attention of the students be directed to ' the claims of foreign missions, the qualifica- tions for missionary labour, and the best mode of dis- charging the duties of the missionary office.' It has been pleased to appoint him who now ventures to address you to perform this service, and to deliver a series of lectures, not exceeding seven in one session, on ' Missions and Evangelism.' I enter on this important service with much diffidence. I do so because it respects the rights and the glories of the divine Redeemer, the claims which perishing millions of our fellow-men have on the sympathy and the help of Christ's people, and the prosperity and the exten- sion of the church. And feeling deeply my insufficiency for this great work, I, at the outset, first devoutly invoke the aid of the Holy Spirit, from whom all fitting guidance. 2 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. strength, and blessing come, to enable me to speak of the things touching Christ and his kingdom in a manner that shall be honouring to the blessed Saviour and beneficial to those that may hear me. And secondly, I humbly but earnestly invite you to assist me, by yielding that con- tinued and prayerful attention which the importance of the subject calls for, and which your position as students aspiring to the sacred ministry induces me to hope that you will not be backward to afford. Depending on such help, I shall call your attention to the seven following topics, the full consideration of which will occupy us for three sessions, — namely, the scriptural principles of missions, or the place which missions occupy in the word of God ; the obligations arising out of these scriptural principles which lie on the church to seek the evangelization of the whole world ; the work to be done among the heathen ; the qualifications of missionaries ; the mode in which the work is to be done among the heathen ; the relations in which the missionary stands to the home church, and the duties which the home church owes to him, — a topic which embraces the principles of Christian liberality; and the missionary period of the church the period of labour, trial, expenditure, and conquest, where great graces are displayed, and great characters are formed. It is to the first of these topics that our attention will be confined during the present session, — namely, the scrip- tural principles of missions, or the place which missions occupy in the word of God. Just scriptural views form the basis and the rule of all acceptable Christian conduct. God alone is Lord of the conscience, and it is his voice speaking in his word to which it becomes us to give heed ; and on no measure or line of action are we warranted to expect that his blessing will rest for which we have not LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 3 the authority of holy Scripture. ' If any speak ' or walk *not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them' (Isa. viii. 20). But if we act in accordance with God's revealed will, we go forward with cheerfulness, undismayed by difficulties or trials, as we are certain that in that case we have the gracious presence of God, and that faith, prayer, and perseverance will in due time be crowned with success ; for the divine Saviour has said, ' If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God' (John vii. 17). The subject of the present lecture is, The gospel, as preached to Abraham and expanded by the prophets in the Old Testament, was a gospel for the world. This is a theme at once interesting and encouraging. It is usual to look to the New Testament for that gospel which is to be ' preached to every creature ; ' but, in reality, the New Testament dispensation is but the full develop- ment of the promise that was made to Abraham, the father of believers. The Lord said to that patriarch, who had the singular honour of being called ' the friend of God,' * In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed ' (Gen. xii. 3); and more specially, in chapter xxii. verse 18 of that book, it is declared that God said to him, ' In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.' This is the great root promise, of which missions are the trunk and the branches, or rather, we may say, the full fruit ; for the apostle, in Galatians iii. 8, declares that this promise was the gospel : * And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying. In thee shall all nations be blessed.' And in the IGth verse of that chapter he teaches the great truth, that the seed spoken of, with whom the promised blessing was connected, was the Lord Jesus Christ : ' Now 4: LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many ; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.' The word seed, being in the singular number, shows, according to the testimony of the apostle, that the reference was not to Abraham's natural descendants in the line of Isaac, that were to be numerous as the stars of heaven, but to one that was to spring from him according to the flesh, and that one was Christ. The first great promise, that given in Eden, which held out hope to guilty and perishing men, spoke of ' the seed of the woman,' — a general expression, — and said that he would bruise the serpent's head, and in some way, not there explained, counteract his evil work. But the promise made to Abraham, which may be viewed as the second great promise, is more distinct and consoling, for it in- dicates that the person called in the first promise the seed of the woman, the coming deliverer, was to be a descendant of Abraham, and it connected with him bless- ing for all nations. Or, as Jonathan Edwards, in his History of liedemption, expresses it, ' Not only that Christ was to be of Abraham's seed, but also the calling of the Gentiles, and the bringing of all nations into the church, was made known' (p. 56). And hence Milton represents the archangel Michael, Avhen speaking to our first father of Abraham, as saying : ' This ponder, that all nations of the earth Shall in his seed be blessed ; by that seed Is meant thy great deliverer, who shall bruise The serpent's head.' — Book xii. There are three elements in that promise, — Christ, blessing, all nations, — and the junction of these three things makes the promise the gospel, or glad news for the world. LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 5 Christ is the centre and the sum of the promise, for it is through liim only, as the one mediator, that God can deal graciously with men. * Blessing ' means, in the language of l^rophecy, the privileges and the opportunities of salvation, — the enjoyment of all the divinely prescribed ordinances through which God conveys saving benefits to men ; and hence the apostle says that the blessing of Abraham is to come on the Gentiles, when the gospel is preached to them. And the expression 'all nations' designates mankind in general, — what our forefathers were wont to call ' mankind sinners,' — men of every colour, language, and clime. But when it is said that ' all nations are to be blessed in Christ,' we are not entitled to regard the statement as assuring the personal salvation of every individual in these * all nations -, ' for, as corresponding phrases intimate, it signifies only that Christ is to be offered to men in every region of the world ; that all, without exception, to whom the gospel invita- tion comes, are to be authorized by God to accept and claim Christ as their Saviour ; and that multitudes in every land will, through him, attain everlasting life. Now these three things, — Christ, blessing, all nations, — are joined to- gether by God in this all-important promise ; and we shall find that the Holy Spirit, in all the utterances of the prophets, never separates them. Wherever Christ is intro- duced, he is represented as bringing blessing to all nations. This promise, therefore, is, as we have said, the germ of the gospel dispensation. It speaks, when properly understood, the same language as that wondrous verse, ' God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoso- ever believeth on him should not perish, but have ever- lasting life.' It looks on all nations lying under guilt and curse, helpless and miserable, and it says Christ is coming, and he will give blessing in the place of curse ; and this 6 LECTURES OX MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. Saviour, with blessing in his hand, is to be freely offered to all men. One's heart grows warm while meditating on this promise. It embodies God's unspeakable gift. It is the Sun of Righteousness rising over the mountains of the East, with healing in his beams. It preaches the gospel to every creature, for it proclaims light, blessing, and joy to all classes and kindreds of men. This is the view of it which is found in all subsequent intimations : these invariably declare that the blessing which is con- nected with Christ is for men of every race. The pre- dictions and the representations of the prophets, in so far as these related to the Messiah, are just the expansion of these three things, — Christ, blessing, all nations. So much did God himself value the connection which that promise established between Christ and all nations, and so careful was he to preserve it unbroken, that when he found it necessary for the best interests of mankind to form the seed of Abraham in the line of Isaac into a church, and to give them a code of religious statutes, he kept this Abrahamic promise separate from that dispensa- tion. This is a very striking consideration. We have just said that it was necessary for the best interests of mankind that God should give to the descendants of Isaac a special economy of religious ordinances, which should keep them from mingling with and being absorbed by other peoples. It was not the divine purpose that Christ should come till four thousand years had elapsed. How, then, was the saving knowledge of God to be preserved in the earth ? The great promise granted to our first parents was all but buried under that mass of wickedness which it required the Deluge to sweep away. It is said that the ancestors of Abraham worshipped idols beyond the Euphrates; and there is every probability that, had it not been for the LECTUllES OX HUSSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 7 gracious conduct of God in forming the Jews into a distinct people, watching over them constantly, and making them * the keepers of his oracles,' the depositaries of his suc- cessive revelations, the invaluable promise of the Messiah made to Abraham would have been utterly lost and for- gotten amid the thickening darkness of a universal idolatry. Now, as we have stated, it is very remarkable that when God, at Sinai, gave to the chosen people, redeemed from bondage in Egypt and brought into covenant with him- self, a system of laws which was to regulate their religious worship and services, he, with one special exception, said not a word to them about the Messiah. We know from the teaching of the apostles that the victims and services of that dispensation had reference typically to Christ, and could be rightly presented by the worshippers, and accept- ably regarded by God, only when offered through faith in him ; and as this was the case, we would have expected that God in his graciousness would have said to them in distinct terms, ' These animal victims which you are to offer prefigure Christ, and all these services which I enjoin can be acceptably rendered only when they are seen to refer to him ; and therefore, in all your acts of worship, you are, as was the manner of your father Abraham, to look by faith to the Messiah, and through the medium of these carnal symbols to see his coming day and work.' But there is nothing of the sort. No direction is given ; no reference is made to Christ as the medium of acceptance, or as the way to the Father. It is true, indeed, that no new kinds of animal offerings were prescribed at Sinai, that all the sorts of victims there specified were offered by Abraham, as stated in Gen. xv. 9, and that the people, therefore, still retained the views which had been handed down to them with regard to presentation and acceptance ; but what we 8 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. assert is, that nothing was said by God at Sinai regarding the relationship which these victims and services had to Christ as the promised Lamb of God, who should take away the sin of the world. What was the reason of this silence 1 .It was God's regard for the Gentile world. It was that the connection which he had established between these three things— Christ, blessing, all nations — might not be severed. He would not permit a promise which had refer- ence to all nations to be limited by an economy which belonged to a particular people, and which was to be ■ but of temporary duration. This is in reality the explanation which the apostle Paul gives of the silence which God kept at Sinai in regard to Christ. For, after stating in the third chapter of Galatians that God preacl»ed the gospel to Abraham, and that that was a gospel for the world, he supposes a Jew, filled with amazement at the declaration, putting the question, * Wherefore, then, serveth the law 1 ' What was the need of the Mosaic system of laws if the gospel preached to Abraham was intended for all nations ^ The reply is, ^ It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come' — till Christ should appear — 'to whom the promise was made.' It is as if he had said, God foresaw that transgressions would abound, and that men, sunk in the deepest superstitions, would lose all trace of the promise of Christ ; and therefore, to preserve that promise till Christ should come, and bring forth blessing to all nations, that Sinaitic law was enacted. * It was added because of transgressions.' It was a casket designed to preserve the precious jewel, a chest to keep the treasure in safety that was to enrich and bless all nations, till the proper time for distribution should arrive. And what proves still more clearly that that dispensation was tem- porary and provisional, that it was conservative of the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 9 promise, is the fact tliat there was, as we have hinted, one reference to Christ. But tliat reference was very peculiar. It implied that he would abolish the Mosaic economy, and set up another in its place ; for he was to be a lawgiver like Moses, that being the ofRce which distinguished Moses from all the prophets. ' The Lord thy God,' said Moses, * will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thy brethren, like unto me,' — a lawgiver like me : ' unto him ye shall hearken ' (Deut. xviii. 15). He will be the great authority in the church ; for it is added by God, * I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto thee all that I command him ; and it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he will speak in my name, I will require it of him ' — a passage which, in the third chapter of the Acts, is expressly said to refer to Christ. The Jews were disposed to claim God, the promises, and all the means of salvation, as their special portion, and to deny that the Gentiles were to have any share in them, — to regard the expected Deliverer as coming for their benefit alone ; and had the Abrahamic promise of which we are speaking been identified with their peculiar economy, it would not have been easy to show that they were ^vrong. The apostle's argument in favour of the claim of the Gentiles to the gospel, contained in the third chapter of Galatians, could not have been constructed. They would have appro- priated all to themselves, and so far as scriptural reasoning from the Old Testament was concerned, the Gentiles would have been left out, and could not in that case have used the language which Isaiah puts into their mouths : ' Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not : thou, Lord, art our Father, our Eedeemer ; thy name is from everlasting.' But God ordered the matter otherwise ; and we can scarcely 10 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. conceive anything that more impressively shows the great importance which he attached to the universal or missionary asj^ect of the Abrahamic promise, than the care which he took that there should be nothing in all the arrangements of the Mosaic dispensation which would contradict or limit that view. Yes, we may say, that when he descended in terrible majesty on Mount Sinai, took a people for himself, and spoke from amidst the thick darkness the words of his law, he then thought of all nations, and, remembering his promise to Abraham, and through him to the world, uttered not a word that could restrict that promise, and thus weaken the hopes of the Gentiles. We have said that this view — namely, that the gospel l^reached to Abraham in that most precious promise, ' In thy seed shall all nations be blessed ' — is a gospel for the world, and that the predictions and representations of the prophets are but the expansion of this view. We shall now briefly illustrate this point. But before doing so, it deserves notice that the Holy Spirit, who is love and grace, and whose peculiar glory it was to be that, as the Spirit of Christ, he was to preside over and to minister the gospel dispensa- tion, seems to have taken a special delight in overlooking the narrow limits of the Jewish church, and in anticipating the period when the gospel should be preached to all nations. He narrated with peculiar fulness the cases of Rahab, of Enth, and of Naaman, which, as side lights, showed that mercy was in store for those that were outside the commonwealth of Israel. But it was when the time of prophetic disclosures came that the love of the Spirit was signally displayed; for the grandest passages — those that seem bright with the glory of heaven — are those which respect all mankind, and describe the universal church. It is when the inbringing of the Gentile nations is spoken of LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 11 that the language of Scripture becomes especially fervent and glowing. It is then that the most expressive figures and the loftiest terms are used, just as if the eye of God rested with pre-eminent satisfaction on the period when his love, grace, and mercy would gloriously flow forth through Christ to all kindreds and all lands. Wherever Christ is spoken of by the prophets, he is invariably represented as bringing blessing to all nations. There is scarcely a passage where this connection is not kept up. It is so in the Psalms. The 2 2d Psalm describes, in most graphic and aff'ecting terms, Christ's suff'erings and death as the Crucified One, and then it declares that the blessing that will spring from him will be for all nations. * The meek shall eat and be satisfied ; they shall praise the Lord that seek him : your heart shall live for ever. All ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord ; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him. For the kingdom is the Lord's ; and he is the governor among the nations.' The 2d Psalm exhibits the raised and glorified Saviour as crowned by his divine Father King in Sion ; and then the heavenly voice says, ' Ask of me, and I Avill give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.' And the 7 2d Psalm delineates the benignant and glorious administration of this divine King, and it afiirms that, unlike the restricted boundaries of the Jewish church, he ' shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth ; yea, all kings shall fall down before him. His name shall endure for ever ; his name shall be continued as long as the sun ; and men shall be blessed in him : all nations shall call him blessed;' — statements which are identical with the declaration made to Abraham, that in Christ, his seed, all nations were to be blessed. Such 12 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. is the strain of all the Messianic Psalms. There is nothing in them which limits Christ as God's gift to the Jews only. It is everywhere said that he is to have a universal empire, and that he is to rule over and to bless all nations. The apostle tells us that the gifts and the callings of God are without repentance on his part ; and so they are, for, having promised to Abraham a seed in whom all nations should be blessed, he never takes back nor modifies the wide promise. All his "revelations just go to unfold it, till, fully disclosed, we see it wrapping in its ample embrace all kindreds of men. The same broad and gracious view — the missionary aspect of Christ's work — is strikingly presented in the writ- ings of Isaiah, of whose prophecies it may be said, that as in a mirror they show us the New Testament church. It is but a specimen of his predictions that we can now give. Is the Messiah represented as being wounded for our trans- gressions, and bruised for our iniquities ; as having his visage so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men 1 it is said, * So shall he sprinkle many nations ; ' and there being divided to him a portion with the great, and the spoil with the strong, the announcement is immediately made to the church, ' Thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be in- habited.' The cross is the centre here ; but it yields bless- ing, and that blessing is for all nations. And thus the view of the prophet is the same as that which was afterwards given by the apostle, who said, * Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us ; for it is WTitten, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree : that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.' Is Christ lifted up on that cross, LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 13 or is he so presented in the preaching of the gospel 1 then he ' stands for an ensign of the people, to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious ; ' and the call that comes from the cross is, * Look unto me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth ; for I am God, and there is none else' (xlv. 22). Is Christ spoken of as a divine teacher] his doctrines are to be made known to all nations. ' Be- hold my servant, whom I uphold ; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth : I have put my Spirit upon him ; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth ; and the isles shall wait for his law. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles ; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house ' (Isa. xlii. 1-4, 6, 7) ; — words which the evangelist Matthew tells us — chap. xii. 18-21 — were fulfilled in Christ's personal teaching, and which showed that in his name the Gentiles were to trust. But specially would we direct attention to the 49th chapter of this prophet, which we have been accustomed to call the great missionary chapter of the Old Testament Scriptures. It opens abruptly, and as if with the sound of a trumpet ; but it is not like that which was heard at Sinai, which made even Moses exceedingly fear and quake. It is the voice of divine mercy speaking so that all the earth may hear : * Listen, isles, unto me ; and hearken, ye people from far.' And what is it that the divine speaker has to utter '? The most delightful intelligence that the perishing nations ever heard. It is that God had said of Christ, ' It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel ; I 1-i LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Thus saith the Lord, the Kedeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faith- ful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in' a day of salvation have I helped thee : and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the peojDle, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the deso- late heritages : that thou mayest say to the prisoners. Go forth ; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves ' (xlix. 6-9). No words could more clearly set forth Christ as a blessing to all nations. He is to be a ' light to the Gentiles,' * a covenant of the people,' bringing them into a gracious relationship with God; he is to repair the ruin which sin and death have made in our world, ' to establish the earth, and to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;' and he is to liberate the wretched victims of Satan, to say to the prisoners, * Go forth ; and to them that are in dark- ness, Show yourselves.' And what renders these words still more consolatary to the Gentiles is, that they are given for the purpose of encouraging Christ himself in relation to the little success that his personal ministry would have among the Jews. He complains that he had * laboured in vain, and spent his strength for nought ; ' and his divine father says to him, Thy work among the Jews is but a light thing ; I spake of thee to Abraham as a blessing to all nations ; and now, in accordance with that promise, I give thee to be the light, the salvation, the covenant of the Gentiles. This sustained Christ. He saw that as a blessing to all nations he was indeed to ' be glorious in the eyes of LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 15 the Lord.' This view was no small part of that joy that was set before liim, and which made him endure the cross, despising its shame. And surely we, who are by nature sinners of the Gentiles, cannot look on these grand and glorious declarations without feeling our hearts going out in warmest thanksgivings to our God, and in deepest ad- miration of the blessed Saviour, nor view those divinely drawn characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ without exclaiming, ' The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear ? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid ? ' (Ps. xxvii. 1). That the gospel preached to Abraham was a gospel for the world is proved also by the diffusive character that is given of the coming church over which Messiah was to reign. It was not to be local or stationary. It was, in its very nature, to be outgoing or diffusive, — a light to lighten the world. The law was to go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and the Lord was to judge or rule among the nations ; and the result would be, ' nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.' This prediction began to be fulfilled when the apostles, in obedience to Christ's command, left Jerusalem in order that they might preach the gospel to every creature; and its latter part, the cessation of war, will be realized when Christ shall reign as acknowledged King 'over all the earth.' The church, favoured with gospel privileges, and enjoying the richest blessings, is to extend its attractive influence, and to draw all classes of men into its communion. ' Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not; and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee' (Isa. Iv. 5). This idea of attractive power is invariably asso- 16 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. ciated with divine manifestation. When the church gets from Christ, it hastens to give. When enriched by divine bounties, it seeks to benefit the poor and the needy. The gospel feast which God has provided is made for ' all people ' (Isa. xxv. 6) ; and his servants, having the spirit of him who is ' God's salvation to the end of the earth,' go out into the highways and the bye-roads of the heathen world, and entreat men to come in, that God's house and table may be filled. And the more brightly that God shines forth, and the larger the measures of grace are that his people personally attain, just the more solicitous are they to bring in those that are perishing without. This drawing process is, in the 60th chapter of Isaiah, painted by the Holy Spirit in the most splendid colours. The divine voice says, ' Arise, shine ; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.' The church obeys. It arises and shines, and then 'the Gentiles come to its light, and kings to the brightness of its rising.' The light spreads and spreads, filling all lands and reaching a seven- fold radiance ; and then all nations are described as crowding in, bringing their treasures with them. Their approach is seen with gladness, and in the 62d chapter a proclamation is issued to the citizens of Zion to prepare for their recep- tion : ' Go through, go through the gates ; prepare ye the way of the people ; cast up, cast up the highway ; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.' What heart does not throb and burn at the sight of such a scene as this ] and who would not desire to take a part in preparing for if? When that period arrives, when this spirit is . manifested by those that bear Christ's name, then shall the church be justly called ' the holy people, the re- deemed of the Lord, a city not forsaken.' This view of the church, as an outgoing or missionary institution, is also LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 1 7 very vividly portrayed by the prophet DanieL After pointing out the rise, progress, and decHne of the four great heathen empires that preceded the coming of Christ, he says : * And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall not be destroyed ; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people ; but it shall break in pieces and destroy all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever' (ii. 41). And presenting this kingdom under the figure of a stone cut out of the mountain without hands, as being divine and heavenly in its origin, he declares that this stone expands from within, increases in magnitude as it rolls onward, crushes and destroys all that stands in its way, becomes ultimately a great mountain, and fills the whole earth (ii. 34, 35). These passages show that the church is God's kingdom ; that it is God who has set it up in the world ; that it has within itself all requisite materials and means for growth, expansion, and permanence ; that it is destined for universal diffusion ; and that it will never come to an end. Earthly kingdoms rise, flourish, and disappear. They have on them the stamp of mortality, because they are the workmanship of human hands. But the church is God's new creation, which embodies the blessings and the glories of the covenant of grace, and it will stand for ever. The prophet Zechariah, too, describes Jesus, the King of the church, as just, and having salvation ; and says that he is to be ' King over all the earth,' and that in the period when * there shall be one Lord, and his name one,' all nations are to keep ' the feast of tabernacles,' the glad festival of an evangelized and happy world. And as the voice of Old Testament prophecy becomes silent, God, speaking by Malachi, the last of the prophets, represents himself as being wearied with the iniquities of the Jews, as turning his eyes away from their impure services, and as anticipat- 18 LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. ing the glory that should accrue to him from the spiritual worship of a fully instructed world. ' I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering from your hand; for from the rising of the sun, even to the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering ; for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of Hosts.' And then he closes the prophetic record with the declaration that the Lord, the Messiah, 'would suddenly come to his temple,' and that he would be heralded by John the Baptist, whose teaching would be the first accents of the ' still small voice ' which Elijah heard at Horeb, and who would introduce a dispensation that would prevent * the curse ' from falling on the earth ; and when that dis- pensation was fully inaugurated on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God brought forth the great promise, of which we have been speaking, seeing that the time for its com- plete disclosure had arrived, and reminded the thousands then assembled that God had said to Abraham, ' In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed ' (Acts iii. 25). Thus it is obvious that the predictions of the prophets respecting the Messiah, and the representations given by them of the coming church or kingdom, are just the expan- sion of the promise made to Abraham, ' In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.' Whether Christ is described as teaching, as suffering, or as reigning, it is uniformly said that he is acting for the benefit of all nations. He is to bring with him blessing, and that is to be offered alike to Jew and to Gentile. The great root promise, of which we have been speaking, puts forth, we may say, under the culture of the prophets, branches, leaves, and LECTURES OX MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 19 fruit ; so that, when Christ appeared, all nations were invited to come, and pluck, and eat, and to rejoice in its life-giving power. Or, as Jonathan Edwards expresses it, 'It is the same tree that flourishes from that small beginning that was in Abraham's time, and has in those days of the gospel spread its branches over a great part of the earth, and will fill the whole world in due time, and at the end of the world shall be transplanted from an earthly soil into the paradise of God' {Hist, of Eedemptiony p. 55). It is indeed a delightful thought that Christ is set forth in the Old Testament, from Abraham to the last of the pro- phets, not only as the desire of all nations, but as the divine Saviour and King, in whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed. It is obvious from this that the man who understands the prophecies will be marked by a mission- ary spirit. It is such a man who sees the character of Christ in its glory as the Saviour in whom all nations are to be blessed ; has the mind of the divine Spirit, who throughout the whole Old Testament Scriptures spake of Jesus as bringing blessing to all nations ; and has a disposition like that of Abraham, the model believer, who drew his glad- ness not from the promise which held out Canaan as the inheritance of his natural seed, but from the promise which said that in Christ, liis one seed, all the nations of the earth were to be blessed. Oh that the Holy Spirit, who dictated the promises, may shine into all our hearts, giving us the light of the knowledge of the glory of Christ as a blessing to all nations ! and then shall we with one voice present the invocation, ' God be merciful unto us, and bless US ; and cause his face to shine upon upon us : that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations' (Ps. Ixvii. 1, 2). LECTUEE II. NOTICES GIVEN IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST, AS RECORDED IN THE FOUR EVANGELISTS, WHICH SHOW THAT THE GOSPEL WAS INTENDED FOR THE WORLD. JESUS CHRIST, the apostle informs us, in Eomans XV. 8, was ' a minister of the circumcision,' or of the Mosaic dispensation. He was made under the law, as the substitute of his people, for the purpose of obeying that law, which man had broken and dishonoured, and bearing its penalty on the cross, and thus of working out a perfect righteousness, on the ground of which God might be just in pardoning and accepting the sinner believing on Jesus Christ. But God can be acceptably worshipped only through the observance of his own enjoined ordinances. None can look for the divine favour who sets aside the public worship of the church. It was requisite, then, that Christ should be a member of the Jewish church, — the only visible church then on earth, — and take a part in all its ordinances and religious services. And this he did. He was publicly in infancy presented to God in the temple as Mary's first-born son ; he attended the synagogue worship and the annual festivals that were celebrated in his Father's house at Jeru- salem ; and when John the Baptist was sent forth by God as the harbinger of the new dispensation, he applied to him for baptism, assigning as his reason for doing so, * It becomes us to fulfil all righteousness.' Whatever was divinely appointed, he considered himself, as a member of the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 21 church and a servant of God, under obligation to observe. But whilst he did so, — whilst he acted personally for the good of all his fellow church members, and said that in this respect Mie was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,' — his obedience as God-man had a higher aim and a wider reference. He was then acquiring the 'common salvation.' This, accordingly, is what the apostle declares ; for, in the passage in the Romans to which we have referred, he goes on to say that on his personal ministry the gaining of blessing for the Gentiles was dependent. * Now I say, that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circum- cision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers : and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy ; as it is written. For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people ; and again. Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles ; and laud him all ye people. Again, Esaias saith. There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles ; in him shall the Gentiles trust.' In reality, the apostle quotes a number of those predictions, to which we called your atten- tion in our first Lecture, as having connected with them the promise of Christ's being a blessing to all nations, and makes the very interesting statement that, in order that he might be so, — that he might be qualified to go to the heathen, and accomplish a work among them that would promote their faith and joy, and bring praise and glory to God, — he had to become a minister of the circumcision, or a member of the Jewish church, to obey and honour the divine law, to observe all the public ordinances of God, and to complete the work which the Father had given him to do. He could not bestow saving benefits till he had gained them ; and there- fore it was in the way of obedience, or personal service 22 LECTURES OX MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. alone, that he could 'confirm the promises,' or, as Dr. Owen expresses it, in his work on the Spirit, book ii. chap. 1, sec. 5, ' make them all good unto the church,' and in this way realize the blessings that they held out to the Gentiles. His personal ministry was the season of proba- tion, the time when he was acquiring the treasures that were to enrich the world. The gifts which the gospel offers alike to Jew and to Gentile were then all won by him. And during this period, accordingly, when Christ was a member of the Jewish church, and was working out redemption as to purchase, we shall find distinct notices that his work had reference to all classes of men. We now advert to these. 1. The first is the message and the song of the angels, recorded in Luke ii. 10-14. You are doubtless all acquainted with the intensely interesting scene which these verses de- scribe. Whilst a number of shepherds were keeping midnight watch over their flocks, in the fields near the city of Bethle- hem, — the fields once trodden by the youthful David, — the glory of the Lord, that bright light which had rested above the mercy-seat and between the cherubim in the taber- nacle and in the first temple, suddenly shone round about them, and an angel of the Lord presented himself unto them, who said, ' Fear not, for behold I bring to you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people,' or to every people ; ' for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.' This was indeed a blessed and joyful message. The world had waited for it for four thousand years, and now the celestial visitant announces the glad tidings that Emmanuel has come. But this intelligence — so very precious — was not meant for these few shepherds only, nor even for the whole Jewish nation merely ; for this heavenly preacher, with that true benevolence which seems LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 23 to characterize unfallen spirits, was authorized to declare that the joy which those tidings would produce would be shared by ' every people.' And no sooner was this wondrous announcement made than the midnight air was filled with a burst of celestial minstrelsy. ' And suddenly,' it is said, * there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will towards men.' We know but little, comparatively, of the holy angels. 'They excel in strength, and do God's commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.' They are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them that are heirs of salvation, and the Bible seems to hint that they are at last to be gathered up under Christ, the Head, along with redeemed men, into one inexpressibly blessed and happy society (Eph. i. 10). They dwell in the presence of God and amid the light of heaven ; and those who now hovered over the favoured fields of Beth- lehem had talked with patriarchs and prophets, and learned much of the promises of God respecting the coming Messiah. They had traversed our earth, and seen its wars and its woes, the desolations which sin and death had caused, and they longed for the time when the true worship of God, whom they so lovingly served, would be established in the world. Hundreds of years before this, Isaiah had heard them praising God in the temple, and saying, * The whole earth is full of his glory.' We may, then, imagine the rapture which these pure and benevolent spirits felt when, thinking of what God, now incarnate, would do for men, they sung in accents so sublime, ' Glory to God in the highest,' — glory to God in the first place and in the highest degree, or glory to God in the highest places, as if they summoned unfallen intelligences in all worlds to join with them in this song, — and ' on earth peace,' — on earth, the scene of 24 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. revolt, the habitation of guilty and wretched men, peace with God and peace with one another ; and all this proceed- ing from that good-will of God towards men of every name which has prompted him to send his only-begotten and well-beloved Son to seek and to save the lost. Never but then were the praises of heaven heard by men on earth : * Such music (as 'tis said) Before was never made, But when of old the sons of morning sung, "While the Creator great His constellations set. And the well-balanced world on hinges hung.' — Milton. And this angelic song now swelled, and deepened, and rose up in grateful acceptance even to the throne of God, because an event had occurred which was to bring great joy to all peoples. 2. The second notice to which we refer is the visit of the magi or the wise men to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. This unique and very remarkable event is recorded in the second chapter of Matthew's Gospel. Whether these learned men came from Chaldea, where astronomy was carefully studied, or, as some suppose, from Arabia Felix, the land of spices ; whether they had got their views of the expected Messiah, as ' the King of the Jews,' from the Jews that were scattered abroad in those eastern countries, — the de- scendants of those that long before had been carried into captivity ; or whether they had received them by tradition from the teaching of Daniel, the chief of the wise men of Babylon, cannot be determined. But whatever was the country whence they came, or the source of their informa- tion, it is obvious that they were men of intelligence and piety, and that their conduct was approved by God. He led them by a supernatural star, guiding them to the very place where the infant Jesus was to be found ; he favoured LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 25 tliem with a divine revelation, and directed them not to go back to Herod at Jerusalem, but to return to their own country by another way than that which they had intended to take. They were not Jews ; they were Gentiles ; and thus we may regard them as the representatives of the heathen world. They worshipped the infant Saviour, and pledged to Him the homage of all nations. As we see those eastern sages at one time, and the simple shepherds of Bethlehem at another, adoring with equal acceptance ' the Child born and the Son given,' we have an emblem of that dispensation which was near, w^hen, by the death of Christ, the separating wall should be thrown down, and when * the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs with the Jews, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.' It is said that 'when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts : gold, frankincense, and myrrh.' The value of these gifts is not specified, but it is likely that this present, which they had carried so far, and which, according to the customs of the East, they offered to the new-born King, was consider- able ; and it was, we apprehend, wisely ordered in provi- dence for the support of Christ, and of Joseph and Mary, when they should be obliged to flee into Egypt to escape the bloody search of Herod. And in this fact w^e recognise an indication that Christ and his cause would be accepted and sustained by the Gentiles, when rejected and cast out by the Jews. Surely no one can contemplate these interesting travellers from a distant heathen land worshipping Christ, and then, after enjoying a revelation from God in token of the accei:)tance of their worship, going back to their owti country and telling that they had seen ' the Sa^-iour of the world,' without being persuaded that Christ was to be a blessing to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. 26 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 3. The third notice to which we refer is the words which old Simeon uttered at the presentation of Christ in the temple. The law required that every first-born male child should be presented to God, and redeemed by a piece of money. Joseph and Mary brought the infant Jesus, in compliance with this law, into the temple, ' to present him to the Lord,' and, for the purification of the mother, ' to ofier a sacrifice, according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons.' And whilst they were so occupied, a man of great age, named Simeon, entered ; * and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel ; and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death till he had seen the Lord's Christ.' This venerable person approached Mary, took the child into his arms, and blessed God, and said, * Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word ; for mine eyes have seen thy salva- tion, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.' These are striking words. The spirit of prophecy has been silent for four hundred years ; and now, when the Holy Ghost again speaks of Christ, as he does by the mouth of this just and devout man, we find that he employs the same language as we saw in our first Lecture he uttered by all the prophets. For this saying of Simeon, ' thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles,' corresponds exactly to the words of God recorded in the 49tli chapter of Isaiah : ' I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.' It may be that this good man did not himself understand the full import of this utterance of the Holy Ghost ; but it seems to LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 27 US that there was at that period in the Jewish church a number of pious persons who had more just and scriptural views with respect to the character and work of Christ than were found a generation afterwards. For whilst Simeon was speaking, there came in a very old woman, a prophetess called Anna, who also seeing Jesus, and recognising him as the long-expected Messiah, * gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for re- demption in Israel.' There is no notice here of those ideas of a worldly kingdom which, when wickedness had increased in the land, came thirty years subsequently everywhere to prevail. These godly persons were looking in connection with the Messiah for ' redemption ' and ' consolation,' and therefore the humble appearance of Joseph and Mary and the little child did not conceal from their view God's great gift. And it may be said, wherever right spiritual views of Clirist obtain, it will be found that those cherishing them are willing to share with others the blessings of his salvation. It is selfish and worldly interests which darken the mind and narrow and sear the feelings of the heart. Tliis was the case with the carnally minded Jews in the time of Christ, and it has been so with all bigoted sects. Those who have enjoyed the teaching of the Holy Ghost, and feel the love of Christ, have a benevolence broad as the earth, and rejoice that Christ is God's ' salvation, prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles.' And truly it does become us to thank God that in that Jewish temple, to which ' the Lord had come,' and whose presence was to make the glory of that second house greater than that of the first, an inspired witness was raised up to testify that Emmanuel had appeared, not for the sake of the Jews only, but to be light and salvation to all classes and kindreds of men. 28 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 4. The fourth notice to which we refer is Christ's own explicit declarations. We have said that Christ's personal ministry was intended for the Jews ; but there is nothing national in his teaching. Its great truths are not restricted to the seed of Abraham. They are world-wide in their aspect and bearing. In what is called his ' Sermon on the Mount,' he said to the people, * Ye are the light of the world ; ' he illustrated the great law of love to our neighbour by the conduct of a stranger ; and when James and John wished to invoke fire on the heads of the Samaritans, he told them that they did not know of what spirit they were, for that ' the Son of man had not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.' But under this head we allude to five distinct testimonies which Christ gave, showing that his religion was designed for the world. (1.) The first of these is the words used in the model prayer which Christ taught his disciples : * Hallowed be thy name ; thy kingdom come ; thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven' (Matt. vi. 9, 10). It has been said that this is a missionary prayer. And so it is ; for, though it is very brief, it contains three petitions, the granting of any one of which would secure the triumph, in airlands, of the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is by the spread of the gospel alone that God's name can be hallowed, his kingdom extended, and his will done on earth. There is nothing in these petitions that can be limited to the Jewish church, for we must interpret them in accordance with the teaching of other parts of the Scriptures. Now, the apostle says, Eom. ii. 24, that * the Scripture saith that through the wickedness of the Jews the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles ; ' and when Christ, therefore, prays that his Father's name may be hallowed, he asks that this state of things may be changed, that he may be LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 29 known and praised in all lands, and that even from the uttermost part of the earth ' songs may be heard, glory to the righteous ' one. Then the kingdom of God, as is every- where represented by the prophets, is destined to fill the world, and the petition for its coming is equivalent to the request that the church may be everywhere established, that Christ may be King over all the earth, ' and that the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, may be given to the people of the saints of the Most High' (Dan. vii. 27). And when the petition is breathed forth that the will of God may be done on earth, — the whole earth, as opposed to heaven, — every one must see that this is just asking that the gospel may be everywhere enjoyed, — that gospel which 'teaches men to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.' It is thus a most interesting consideration that this prayer — that which the child is first taught to lisp at his pious mother's knee — that which is to be our guide and rule in all our subse- quent devotional exercises — has of its seven petitions three that are for the spreading of the gospel, and those three the first that occur in the prayer, as if they were the chief and the most important. Does not this show that the spirit of prayer and the missionary spirit are the same '? and that every one who is taught of God, and has the spirit of grace and of supplication, will earnestly long for and seek the evangelization of the world? Whenever we come into the gracious presence of God, stand amid his light, and feel the warm beams of his manifested favour, our hearts become enlarged, and knowing that he is no respecter of persons, and that he mshes all men to be saved, we desire that his name may everywhere be glorified, his gospel kingdom everywhere set up, and his will per- 30 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. fectly done in all lands. The glory of God, the honour of the Saviour, and the good of all men, should be con- joined in acceptable prayer. But the man who has not ex- perienced these emotions overlooks, in so far as real desire is concerned, these three petitions, and begins with, ' Give us this day our daily bread ; ' thus bringing his own per- sonality before God, as if his individual interests were alone of importance, and as if, should these be made to prosper, he cares little what becomes of other men. Such selfish prayers never come up before God as incense, and meet no favour- able response, because the great High Priest who ministers in the upper sanctuary, the light of the Gentiles, refuses to put them into his golden censer. One wonders that this prayer, uttered millions of times daily down through all the dark ages of the church, and uttered millions of times every day now, both in the Popish and Episcopal churches, should have been so little understood, and should have failed for 1600 years to excite and mature a genuinely missionary spirit. (2.) The second declaration is the words which Christ uttered when explaining the parable of the tares. He said : ' The field is the world ; the good seed are the children of the kingdom ; but the tares are the children of the wicked one' (Matt. xiii. 38). These words, ' the field is the world,' are the text of Dr. Wayland's, of America, celebrated sermon ' on the moral dignity of the missionary enterprise.' It is a vast, a sublime sajdng, — a saying which corresponds to the great love of him who is the divinely appointed blessing for all nations. It exhibits, not the land of Judea, the seat of the ancient church, but the whole world as the field for cultivation. Very grand operations are going on in this field. The divine husbandman, who has got from his Father the grant of the entire earth, is planting in this extensive LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 31 field ' good seed.' These are the children of the universal kingdom, — persons born, reared, educated, and fitted for the service and the enjoyment of God. This process is being conducted in all lands ; and if we wish for a commentary on these words, we find it in the celestial song, ' Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests ; and we shall reign on the earth.' When Christ uttered the words of which we are speaking, doubtless he rejoiced in spirit as he saw the time when men everywhere would embrace his gospel and confide in him as their Saviour. The field of his ministry, as the raised and glorified Eedeemer, was to be the world. But Christ says that there is another actor in this field, — the evil one, the adversary of God and man. He too is sowing seed, and that seed is tares — his children, persons Avicked like himself. These two great powers — Christ and Satan — are engaged in the same world-field in conducting opposite processes ; the aim of the one being the promotion of truth and holiness, and the salvation of men, and the aim of the other being the promotion of error and vice, and the ruin of men ; and the contest which they are waging dwarfs all the conflicts of the kings of the earth. It began in Eden, when God said, ' I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed ;' it occupies and embodies all the resources of good and of evil ; and it will last till the close of time, when the good seed, gathered by the angels, ' shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father,' and when the tares — the children of the wicked one — ' shall be cast into a furnace of fire, where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.' Tliis conflict is waxing very violent in our day, is extending its range of operation, and Christ is calling for more men to 32 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. aid in the struggle. He expects especially that those who aspire to the office of the ministry will be prepared to go into any part of the field, and to work there along with himself. Brethren, what a noble vocation is yours ! You occupy a position which in its bearings respects the whole world. What are the aims and the contests of statesmen, of warriors, and of local rulers, in comparison with yours 1 The interests which engage these men's energies are tem- porary and earthly, but you are called to take part with God in an enterprise that has for its objects the overthrow of evil, the discomfiture of Satan, the rescue of men from ignorance and sin, and the bringing home to glory of the children and heirs of God. One's soul is expanded at the view of such a work. It is stamped with the greatness of heaven. God said of Christ, ' I will make him, my first- born, higher than the kings of the earth ; ' and the true preachers of the gospel, who work beside Christ in this field, occupy a place which, in dignity and benevolence, overtops and outshines all other works and designs of men. (3.) The third declaration is the words of Christ, who, when speaking of himself as the Good Shepherd, that was to lay down his life for the sheep, said : ' And other sheep I have which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice ; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd' (John x. 16). There can be no doubt as to the meaning of these words. The *this fold ' is the Jewish church. Christ had sheep there ; for, notwithstanding growing iniquity, there were tens of thousands among the Jews that were to believe on him and obey his voice. But he had other sheep — sheep in all parts of the earth ; for God had said to him (Isa. xhii. 5, 6), * I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west ; I will say to the north. Give up ; and to the south, LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 33 Keep not back : bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.' These are the other sheep which Christ had, the chosen among the Gentiles given to him by his Father ; and the language which he employs in regard to them is very extraordinary — so extraordinary, that if he himself had not uttered it, no creature durst have applied it to the Omnipotent One. He says, * I must bring them' — fjte 8et dyayelv. The words import the strongest possible obligation — amoral necessity : * I must bring them.' It is the same word as that which our Lord employed when he said, ' I must work the work of him that sent me : the night cometh, when no man can work.' It occurs also in the following passages : — Luke ix. 22, * The Son of man must suffer many things ; ' xiii. 33, ' I must walk to-day, and to- morrow, and the day following;' xxiv. 26, * Ought not Christ to have suffered these things 1 ' and 46, * Thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead,' The circumstance that Christ applies the same phraseology to the inbringing of the Gentiles that he does to liis o^vn sufferings, shows that in his estimation the obligation which lies on him to evangelize the world is just as great as that which lay on him to finish the work which the Father had sent liim into the world to do. Christ, as the exalted Saviour, is occupied now in bringing those other sheep into the com- munion of the church. This is the great purpose of his administration. And the means which he employs is the preaching of the gospel, — for that is his voice, which they are to hear and follow ; as he himself elsewhere said, * The houi "s coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God : and they that hear shall live.' And the result of this inbringing by the gospel will be, that there shall be one fold and one shepherd — one church, composed of Jews and Gentiles, presided over by the Lord Jesus Christ. C 34 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. This passage presents the missionary enterprise in a very- impressive aspect. It is Christ's great work. The most urgent reasons bind him to perform it : ' I must bring them.' And assuredly, with these words before us, we may say, that if any church, or the ministers of any church, enter into the spirit of Christ, they will find that these two things ever go together, — the seeking of their own salvation in the day- light of time, and the bringing near to Christ of those that are far off. But there is an affecting tenderness about those words of the blessed Saviour which it is well for us to realize and to feel. His whole heart is flowing forth here. He calls himself the Good Shepherd, and speaks of his laying down his life for the sheep ; and as he thinks of the price — * all price beyond ' — which he was to give for them, his eye goes into all lands, east, west, north, and south, and he sees sheep that he has in Scotland, in India, in Calabar, in Jamaica, in Caffraria, and in all parts of the world, and he says, * For all these I am going to die, and all of them I must bring to hear my voice.' loving Jesus, we praise thee for thus thinking of our fathers and of us in this distant land, and for causing us in due time to hear thy voice, and for bringing us into the one fold ! grant that we may be enabled and made willing to follow thee, whithersoever thou goest, in quest of thy sheep not yet brought in ! (4.) The fourth declaration was uttered by our Lord, when, as it is recorded in Matt. xxvi. 7-1 3 and Mark xiv. 3-9, a woman poured on his head a box of very precious ointment. ' Verily, verily, I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world,' or, as Mark has it, * throughout the whole world,' ' there also shall this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.' (5.) And the fifth declaration is the words which Christ uttered when describing the signs that would precede LECTUKES OX MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 35 the destruction of Jerusalem. He said, 'And the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations ; and then shall the end come ' (Matt. xxiv. 14). The end predicted is the termination of the Jewish church and state. But before that comes, Christ says that his gospel was to be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations; and history attests, that in the thirty years that elapsed from the death of Christ to the fall of Jerusalem, the gospel was carried into the greater part of the then known earth. It was preached as a witness to all nations, for God by that gospel told men everywhere that the times of ignorance were past, that a Saviour was provided for men of every name, and that now the duty of all classes was to repent of their sins, believe on Christ, and prepare for the day of final judgment. When our Lord spoke these words, he was approaching the end of his course, and, as his manner was, his teaching with regard to the gracious purposes of God became more distinct and full, and therefore it was that he said, without any figure or hesitation, ' This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations.' When we consider, then, that Christ embodied in his short model prayer three missionary petitions — that he said that his field of action, as the great cultivator, is the world — that he had other sheep besides those who belonged to the Jewish church that he must bring in and cause to hear his voice — and that his gospel was to be preached in all the world, we see very clearly that Christ, even at the period whe? he was ministering personally to the Jews, yet viewed the work in which he was engaged as having gracious aspects towards all nations, and, in entire harmony with Old Testa- ment predictions, looked upon himself as being appointed to be * God's salvation to the end of the earth.' 36 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. And 5. Two incidents in the life of Christ which led him to speak with peculiar satisfaction of the conversion of all nations. The first of these was the great faith manifested by the Eoman centurion. It is stated in Matt. viii. 6, that this man came to Christ when he was at Capernaum, and said, * Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, griev- ously tormented.' The reply was, ' I will come and heal him.' The centurion, believing Christ to be a divine person, whose word is equally potent everywhere, and to whom all diseases and all events are obedient, said, ' Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me ; and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth j and to another. Come, and he cometh; and to my servant. Do this, and he doeth it.' When Jesus heard these words of the Roman officer, so indicative of genuine humility and strong faith, it is said ' he marvelled,' and said to them that followed him, * Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.' It is obvious that this example of great faith in a Gentile brought before his mind the consolation promised in the 49th chapter of Isaiah : ' It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel ; I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation to the end of the earth ; ' and led him to think of the trust which it was promised the Gentiles would repos6 in his name ; and therefore he immediately added : * And I say unto you that they shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.' It was a feeling kindred to that which he now experienced which induced him at another LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 37 time, when speaking of the unbelief of the Jews, and of their consequent exclusion from the kingdom of heaven, to say, * And they shall come from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God' (Luke xiii. 28, 29). The second incident is recorded in John's Gospel, xii. 20-24. It was an application which certain Greeks, pro- selytes to the Jewish faith, who had come up to Jerusalem to observe the passover, made to Philip, one of the twelve disciples, to be admitted to a personal interview with Christ. Philip did not know what to do in regard to this matter. ^Yhen he himself first found Christ, he invited Nathanael to go to him ; but his Jewish prejudices made him to doubt if these Gentiles should be welcome. In his perplexity he consulted Andrew, and both informed Jesus. The intelligence had a striking effect upon the mind of Christ. He at once exclaimed, ' The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.' Here are Gentiles seeking for him, and that suggests the blessed effects that are to result from his death, and hence he adds, ' Yerily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone : but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.' The cross is before him, but beyond that cross he sees glory dawning, himself crowned with dignity and authority in heaven, believed on and honoured among all nations, and, as the final effect of his gracious government, a church formed, in number numberless, which, pure and spotless, he would at last present to his Father vdt^" exceeding joy ; and in the view of that scene, seen through the long vista of coming ages, and growing in splendour as years roll on, he said, with holy exultation, * The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.' This review that we have taken of notices in the life of 38 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. Christ showing that the gospel was intended for the world is full of encouragement. It proves that we Gentiles are warranted to claim a personal interest in all that Christ did, said, and suffered. It is true that for three years and a half he traversed only the land of Judea, healing all manner of sickness and disease among the people, and preaching the doctrines of the kingdom of God. But then he was acting as the substitute of sinners, and gaining that salvation which in due time was to be offered to all classes of men. His miracles were wrought for our benefit ; for as these evinced creative and irresistible power, and were done in his own name, they proved his divine commission, attested the truth of the doctrines which he taught, and showed his character as a spiritual Saviour. His doctrines were uttered for our instruction ; for as the image and the repre- sentative of the invisible God, he made known the character and the will of his Father, and his words were designed for all men and all time — the materials at once of conversion and of sanctification. And when he was nailed to the cross, we can say, * Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world 1' And as the blessings that flow from that cross are intended for men of all nations, we would regard it a high privilege to publish, as did the angel, the good tidings that Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, is now dispensing from his throne in the heavens the benefits of his free salvation, in order that the great joy which such tidings are fitted to inspire may be felt by * every people.' And devoutly do we add : * Light of them that sit in darkness, Rise and shine, thy blessings bring ; Light to lighten all the Gentiles, Rise with healing in thy wing. To thy brightness, Let all kings and nations come ! ' — American Hymn. LECTUEE III. THE GRAND COMMISSION TO EVANGELIZE THE WORLD. IN our first Lecture we called your attention to the great root promise given to Abraham, — ' In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,' — and showed that all the inspired utterances of the prophets respecting Christ were just the expansion of that promise, and that down through the whole Old Testament there runs a connected chain of passages, each of which speaks of Christ as a blessing to all classes of men. And in our second Lecture we pointed out several notices in the life of Christ, as recorded in the four evangelis^.s, which intimate that, while he was acting as * a minister of the circumcision,' he was doing a work in which all nations had an interest, and that on various occasions it was said by him that the Gentiles were to be brought under the influence of the truth and into the communion of the churcli. Indeed, the great idea of Christ being a bless- ing to mankind in general is never lost sight of; for when the divine Spirit speaks, it is invariably in terms which hold out hope :o those who were then * far off.' We come now to consider the grand commission which Christ gave to his di^iples after he was raised from the dead, and ere he ascended to his Father, — a commission on which may be said to r3st the authority of the gospel ministry and of the ordinances of a church state. The heir has come to whom * the promise was made ; ' he takes the treasure from the 40 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. casket of the Sinaitic ordinances in which it had been so long kept, and enjoins his servants to carry it into all lands, and with it to enrich the destitute in every clime. During forty days he appeared from time to time to his disciples, and 'spake of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God ; ' but just before his departure, he gave in the most solemn manner his final instructions and commands. Matthew thus records his words, chap, xxviii. 18, 19 : ' And Jesus came and spake to them, saying. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you ; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.' Mark thus gives the words, chap. xvi. 15, 16 : 'And he said unto them. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned.' And Luke says, chap. xxiv. 46, 47 : ' And he said unto them. Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead on the third day ; and that repent- ance and remission of sins should be preached among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.' 1. The first thing in these very important words that calls for notice, is the declaration of Christ that all power, — liova-ca, — all authority, is given to him in heaven. Though he has not yet been exalted nor glorified, he speaks of the event as if it had actually taken place, — ' All power ii given to me,' — because it was absolutely certain. He has finished the work that had been given him to do ; in token of his accept- ance of that work, the Father has raised him from tlie dead ; he is enjoying the smiles of the divine favour ; and he has LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 41 now before him, and in near prospect, all the authority and the honour which the Scriptures predicted he would receive. What is this power or authority in heaven of which he speaks 1 Other parts of the divine word supply the answer to this question. As the Son of God, the second person in the adorable Godhead, he was the creator and the upholder of all worlds, and he had from all everlasting an essential glory equal to that of the Father ; but, as God manifested in the flesh, he occupied an humbled position, and was the voluntary servant of the Father, appointed to do a prescribed work ; and it is in this new character of God-man, the meri- torious and accepted Saviour of sinful men, that this power has been conferred on him. It is an acquired and bestowed powder — a part of the great reward that was promised to him. Jehovah, the Father, is represented as saying to him, in the 110th Psalm, 'Sit thou at my right hand,' the place of dignity and honour. In the 21st Psalm it is said of him, ' His glory is made great in thy salvation ; honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever : thou hast made him exceeding glad with the light of thy countenance.' In 1 Tim. iii. 16, it is stated that ' God manifest in the flesh — was received up into glory.' Paul declares, in Phil. ii. 8-11, *And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross ; wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name ; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, anr"" tilings under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' In Heb. ii. 9 it is afiirmed, ' We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour.' And Peter says, 42 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. chap. iii. 22, ' Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.' These passages indicate that the predic- tion of Isaiah, Hi. 13, has been verified : ' Behold, my servant shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.' He occu- pies the throne in heaven as the active ruler, all creatures in heaven, on earth, and under the earth — holy angels, fallen spirits, and men of all classes — being put under his sway. The holy angels are placed under him as the Redeemer of men ; they worship and serve him as their Lord, obeying him in all matters relating to his administration, whether these refer to the welfare of the church or to the restraint and the overthrow of his enemies. He is the centre of the worship of heaven, receiving equal honour with the Father from the spirits of just men made perfect, and from unfallen angels ; while the spirits of darkness feel his con- trolling power, and tremble in anticipation of the doom which he is to pronounce. But this power includes also authority to dispense the acquired blessings of salvation. This is an invaluable and most consoling aspect of Christ's power in heaven. Just as Joseph in Egypt was the actual ruler, whose province it was to open the storehouses and to give out food to the destitute people, so Christ has the key of the spiritual treasury in heaven, and is empowered to distribute its saving blessings. * It has pleased the Father,' says Paul, ' that in him all fulness should dwell ; ' and hence he himself used these very remarkable words : ' What- soever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son ' (John xiv. 1 3) ; asserting distinctly the power of answering believing prayer. In- deed, the view which the Scriptures give of Christ's position in heaven is impressively grand. They represent him as seated on the divine throne, encircled with the brightest LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 43 glory ; wielding with one hand the sceptre of universal empire, and with the other dispensing * the unsearchable riches ' of the covenant of grace ; the book of the divine decrees lying open before him, with full authority to carry them into effect ; ruling all worlds and all creatures, the divine Father never interfering, looking on with ineffable complacency, satisfied with all that he does, and getting to himself from the procedure of Christ the highest glory ; ' while every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, are heard, saying. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.' Oh, it is not possible for us to speak too strongly of the delight which the divine Father has in his approved Servant, nor of the honour which he has bestowed on him ; for he has taken him into his own glory, clothed him with unlimited authority and power, and granted to him all that his lips could crave. All eyes are there directed to him. Every act of worship praises him. His glory fills the heavenly temple ; and it is through him that all intercourse is had with the invisible God, and it is from him that all good gifts descend to men. He ' hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all.' 2. The second thing which calls for notice in these words is the declaration of Christ that all power or authority is given unto him on earth. When he sat down on the divine throne, and had committed to him the rod of universal government, what the Psalmist calls * the rod of his strength,' the Father said to him, ' Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies;' and hence the apostle declares (1 Cor. XV. 25), * that he must reign till all his enemies are made his footstool,' for, in so far as authority is concerned, he 44 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. adds, ' God has put all things under him.' To him ' every knee must bow, of things on earth and things under the earth.' Isaiah spoke of him as ' Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father ' (or, the author of the coming age), and the Prince of Peace,' and said ' that the government was to be upon his shoulder.' He himself declared, in his intercessory prayer, that his Father had given to him ' authority over all flesh ; ' and the writers of the New Testament describe him as ' the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords ; ' as having the keys of death and of the invisible world ; as opening, and no man can shut ; as shutting, and no man can open. These and similar passages point him out as governing all the affairs of our world ; as the authoritative ruler in pro- vidence ; as ordering and controlling all the occurrences of time, — the matters which relate to individuals, to families, to communities, and to all nations. It is he that sends persons into this world, metes out their lot, sustains them in life, and at last calls them away; that makes poor or rich, causes prosperity or adversity ; guides the seasons, and dominates all influences, animate and inanimate. His power, ever acting, is minute, universal, and irresistible. No man and no creature can successfully withstand or counteract it. * He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth ; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou V (Dan. iv. 35). Now, this authority over all flesh, this supreme power on earth as the ruler in providence, has been granted to Christ that he may be able to accomplish the gracious designs for which he died, — to gather his people from all lands, to educate them, and to bring them to heaven. It is for the suj^port, the extension, and the prosperity of the church that all the acts of his govern- LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 45 ment are ordered ; for it is expressly stated that the 'authority over all flesh' has been granted to him that * he may give eternal life to as many as the Father has given to him ; ' and the apostle testifies that ' he has been made head over all things to the church, which is his body.' This view is magnificently shown in the Revelations of John. The Saviour, once dead, but now alive, appears to him clothed with celestial brightness ; unrolls the scheme of providence for coming ages ; makes him see all events, prosperous and adverse, and all agencies, angelic and human, controlled by himself, and so overruled as to work together for the salvation of his chosen people : and at each pause in the onward movements songs of praise are heard in heaven. How encouraging is the thought that the Lord Jesus Christ, who wears our nature on the divine throne, and has the tenderest sympathies, is the ruler in providence, and is guiding all the events and all the influences of earth ! The minister of the gospel is placed over a people in a district where there are many hostile influences with which he has to contend, and which seem to impede his success. But Jesus is there, prepared to remove obstructions, and to make all things work together for his good. The mission- ary enters a heathen country, in which Satan has for centuries had his seat, where the trophies of his power are everywhere seen, and where all seems dark and threatening. But Jesus there reigns, has the hearts of all men in his hand, and he says to him, ' Fear not ; I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand ;' ' and no man will set on thee to do thee wrong,' * for I have all power in heaven and on earth.' A special providence, dii^ected by the loving Saviour, is consolatory to all God's people ; but it is specially so to the minister of the gospel and to the missionary, for it assures them that he 46 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. who has sent them, and whose work they are doing, will render those events which are hourly occurring, and which affect mind and character, productive of results beneficial to the souls of men. How delightful is it to contemplate these two assertions of Christ, — All power is given unto me in heaven, and all power is given unto me on earth ! And how great is the contrast which they suggest between the state in which he was before his death and that in which he is now ! This is he who said, ' The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head ;' who had to beg a cup of water from a stranger ; who was despised, persecuted, condemned, and crucified ; who was put to death between two criminals ; and who was indebted for his grave to an act of charity. Oh, how changed now ! He lives after death, and lives for ever. God regards him with unspeakable favour, and places at his disposal the resources of Godhead. The holy angels gladly acknowledge him as their Lord. The saints redeemed from earth are waiting to worship him, and to cast their crowns at his feet. Devils, spoiled by him on the cross, dread his power, and stand afar ofi". On him rests the rule of all worlds. He is now the Lord of universal providence. This is the divine person, so invested and so qualified, that gives to his chosen servants this grand commission. 3. The third thing that calls for notice is the commission : ' Go ye into all the world' — into all nations. This great commission has no limit — all the world, all nations. LTp to this period the commission given to the prophets was, with the exception of that of Jonah, restricted to the land of Judea ; but now the special seed of Abraham has come, in whom it had been said that all nations were to be blessed, and he enjoins his disciples and followers to visit LECTURES OX MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 47 and instruct all tlie nations of the earth. The middle wall of partition is throAvn down ; the distinction between Jew and Gentile, in so far as the means of grace are concerned, is abolished ; the invitations of divine mercy are everywhere to be published ; and the whole earth is to be to the teachers of the gospel the scene of travel and of labour. * Go ye into all the world.' In the noblest sense view yourselves as the ministers of mankind, and as charged with messages to every race. The king of Persia sent out his couriers to the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of his great empire ; but Christ, as the King of kings, whose dominion alone is universal, commands his servants not to rest till they have reached the outskirts of the earth. They were to traverse wide plains, to cross mountains, to pass over seas, and to go from continent to continent and from island to island, till there should not be an inhabited spot unex- plored and untrodden. This command, so wide and so gracious, has about it the light and the glory which characterize the natural sun, which visits and illumines all climes. Adventurous travellers have ever been held in honour, and the records of their perils and discoveries have been read with deep interest. Such men are to be classed among benefactors ; for they have made us ac- quainted with the scenery of foreign countries, and with the customs of other peoples, and have opened up distant regions to commerce, to civilisation, and to the gospel. But no commission that any travel ler ever had^^nbe compared with that of th e missionary, for travel, in his case, is the higlie st duty. The world" is^ before liim, and the Saviour, his divin e Master, to whom it has been given, has said to him, ^ Visit it all.' But why should the com- mand take the form of mission 'i Why is the injunction, Go ? Were they not to wait till they sliould be sent for 48 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. and invited 1 No. All nations were in darkness, and under the jDower of Satan. They were sunk in the deepest suj^erstitions and moral insensibility ; they were in a state of spiritual death ; they neither knew nor felt their spiritual maladies ; and they Avould never of themselves seek after salvation. The gospel must be carried to them. Christ's servants must go into the lanes and the bye-ways, as well as into the scenes of public resort, — into all countries and places where men are perishing for lack of knowledge, — and constrain them to come in. For ' how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed 1 And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard 1 And how shall they hear without a preacher 1 And how shall they preach except they be sent?* (Eom. x. 14, 15). But observe that this is a command which left the servants of Christ no option : ' Go ye into all the world.' It lay upon the apostles, and bound them. They were to begin at Jerusalem, but they were not to tarry there. Having preached the gospel to the Jews, they were to turn to the Gentiles, and to say to every people, * Unto you is the word of this salvation sent.' And the same command rests on the church now, and is obligatory upon every one who calls Christ Master and Lord, for it is associated, as we shall see, with the promise, ' Lo, I am with you ; ' and as that promise reaches down to the close of time, so does the command. The two are linked together, and cannot be separated ; and this command will not, therefore, lose its binding force till the angel shall swear that time is no longer. But here it becomes us to notice the great good- ness of our God, — a goodness the due sense of which we, favoured as we have been with the gospel from our child- hood, are not apt to realize. For fifteen centuries the divinely appointed means of salvation were enjoyed by the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 49 people of Israel alone, whilst all other nations were per- mitted to wander on in darkness and in sin. To the Jews * pertained the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises.' Now, as God is sovereign in his working, and is under no obligation to grant saving blessings to any of the sinful children of men, he might, after the death and exaltation of Christ, have marked out certain portions of the world, and forbidden his servants to visit them, or named certain peoples that were never to be brought into the communion of the church ; surrounding these regions and peoples with a wall of awful prohibitions, and leaving them to the unmitigated dominion of sin and the curse. And though he had done this, none could have arraigned his procedure : the angels would still have sung, ' Just and righteous are thy ways, Lord God.' But instead of that, he has looked with mercy upon all nations, has made the whole world hallowed ground, and commanded his servants to visit every clime, and to carry the gospel to every people, no matter what be their outward condition, their colour, or the place of their residence. All are to be addressed and invited, for the command is. Go ye into all the world, and preach repentance and forgiveness of sins among all nations. 4. The fourth thing that calls for notice is the authority with which Christ's servants are invested. ' All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth; go ye therefore.' It is an authority founded upon the mediatorial power of the Lord Jesus Christ. In all matters connected with guiding men in divine things there must be an immediate commis- sion from God; because, as he is the governor and the iudge of all, no reliance can be placed on any statement that does not bear the seal of his authority. When the D 50 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. sinner is awakened to a sense of his spiritual danger, and becomes anxious for escape, what security could he have to rest his hopes upon the declarations of the preacher unless the latter could show him that he had been sent by Godl Accordingly, this idea of commissioned authority pervades the whole Bible. The priests and prophets were all anointed and divinely authorized to minister to men. ' No man,' says the apostle, ' taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron ; so also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest.' He was sanctified, sealed, and sent into the world by his divine Father. He was called of God to the work, and he ever spoke in the name of him that sent him. He uniformly also made his own commission the ground of sending others : ' As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world' (John xvii. 18). And it is in accordance with this great principle, that at the institution of the gospel ministry Christ here says, ' All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth : go ye therefore and disciple all nations.' Were it not for this mission, ministers would not be war- ranted to call upon sinners to repent of their sins and be saved with that authoritative tone with which they speak,' nor would it be so criminal in individuals to neglect their entreaties. Christ has provided that this authority be con- tinued in the church ; for we read in Acts xiii. 1-3, ' Now there were in the church that was in Antioch certain pro- phets and teachers. 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. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.' This is the example and the model of the manner in which a missionary is to receive authority for going to the heathen. If it was necessary for the rulers LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 51 of the church to ordain Paul for this Avork, who had been called and set apart by Jesus Christ himself to go to the Gentiles, who will say that any one who chooses may take upon himself this office ? It is competent for ordinary church members to instruct and exhort their brethren — to provoke them to love and good works ; but it does not belong to them to urge upon them salvation in the name of Christ. They cannot employ the language of the apostle : ' God hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us : we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.' Regularly ordained ministers teach in the name of Christ ; the message which they bear has come from the head of the church, and they are sent to deliver it with authority, and as that for which men must answer in the great day. For Jesus has said, ' He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me.* The authority, therefore, which the ordained missionary has is higher and greater than that which the ambassador or the general of an earthly king possesses. AATien Sir Robert Napier recently invaded Abyssinia, he had power granted to him by the Queen to liberate her subjects there, unjustly held in captivity ; but as she had no authority in that land, she could not commission him to interfere with its customs or its laws. But it is otherwise with the mis- sionary. He has full power granted to him by the King of all the earth not merely to set free everywhere his people held in bondage by Satan, but spiritually to revolutionize and improve all nations. This is a consideration fitted greatly to cheer the missionary. He reaches a country, as did our missionaries in Old Calabar and in Rajpootana, where no Christian teachers had ever been, and he tells the people there, I have been sent to you by the great God of 52 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. heaven and earth — by him that made, sustains, and governs you, and to whom you must, after you leave this world, give an account of all your deeds — to offer you the forgiveness of all your sins, and a free and full salvation. I have autho- rity for doing this, and it is at your peril that you reject my words. I speak to you in the stead of God, and I be- seech you to be reconciled to him ; and in the most earnest manner I assure you, that if you embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to his authority and laws, you will, what- ever you may have done before, be put in possession of all saving benefits and privileges, and be ' no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God.' 5. The fifth thing that calls for notice in these words is the work which Christ's disciples were to do. This work is threefold, — instruction, consecration to Christ, and obedi- ence to all Christ's laws. But as this subject — the work to be done among the heathen — will come up for full con- sideration at a future part of our course, we shall now but briefly indicate its leading features. The first part of the work is, as we have said, that of instruction. This is ex- pressed in three forms : Preach the gospel to every crea- ture J preach repentance and forgiveness of sins among all nations ; and teach, or, more literally, disciple — fxaOr)T€v- o-are — all nations. That which they were to preach was the gospel, or the glad tidings concerning the Lord Jesus Christ as the one divine and all-sufficient Saviour. This word, the gospel, may in the command, as given by Mark, be regarded as including the whole of revealed truth, — all those doctrines, statements, and laws that are intended to make men wise to salvation. But the term principally denotes the joyful intelligence with respect to pardon and life through the once crucified but now enthroned Re- LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 53 deemer, which the apostle calls ' the unsearchable riches of Christ.' They were to proclaim the scriptural truths re- garding the person, the mission, the obedience, and the death of Christ, and the effect of that death in making peace with God ; and to offer through him pardon to the guilty, life to the spiritually dead, liberty to the captive, cleansing to the polluted, healing to the diseased, strength to the weak, comfort to the sorrowing, and peace, joy, and hope. These delightful and most precious truths were to be preached in all parts of the earth, openly, publicly, and authoritatively. They were to be published in all coun- tries, towns, and villages, — in the crowded city, the solitary hamlet, and the open field. Wherever they should find human beings, whether many or few, they were to announce to them the glad news that a divine Saviour had been pro- vided, and that through him salvation as a free gift is now offered by God to all men. For the word * preach ' — Krjpvi- are — denotes the act of a public crier or herald, who is sent forth to make public proclamation or advertisement, and who, therefore, visits every place, and, lifting up his voice, cries aloud, inviting all without exception. It is the term which Homer employs in the Iliad to characterize the mode in which a proclamation which concerned all was made in the Grecian camp ; and it corresponds to the declaration of the divine Preacher himself : ' Unto you, men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men.' They were to prose- cute this glorious embassy, to circulate the news from land to land, and never to hold their peace till every creature dwelling on the surface of the globe had heard the glad tidings. There is something specially gracious and cheering in the command. Preach the gospel to every creature. None is excepted. Heaven's message is to be told not merely to the self-righteous Jew, to the proud and polished 54 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. Greek, to the civilised and learned European, to the subtle Hindoo, and to the inhabitant of China, surrounded with the traditions of four thousand years, but to the most de- graded and despised of men — to the poor Bushman, bur- rowing in the earth, who seems scarcely a step above the brutes that perish. And all this is to be done because these words establish in our world a dispensation of mercy, which, in point of privilege and of right to embrace the gospel, puts all mankind on an equality. Ever since they were uttered none has a better claim to the gospel than another, and none can say to his fellow-man pressing for- wards to Christ, Stand back, I am called, and thou art not j for these words make the gospel free to all, free as the light of the sun and the breath of the sky. The second part of the work is consecration to Christ — an act which denotes transference from one state to another, and from one master to another. This is pointed out in the words, ' baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' And the third part of the work is to inculcate obedience to all the laws of Christ : * teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you.' After they have by baptism become members of the church, they are to be called upon to regu- late their conduct by the words of Christ ; for he has pre- scribed obedience as the test of discipleship, saying, ' Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you.' The sum of what we have spoken is thus stated by Milton, when he says that Christ ' To them shall leave in charge To teach all nations what of him they learned And his salvation ; them Avho shall believe Baptizing in the profluent stream, the sign Of washing them from guilt of sin to life Pure, and in mind prepared, if so befall, LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 55 For death, like that which the Redeemer died. All nations they sliall teach ; for, from that day, Not only to the sons of Abraham's loins Salvation shall be preached, but to the sons Of Abraham's faith, wherever through the world ; So in his seed all nations shall be blessed. ' Paradise Lost, Book xii. 6. The sixth and last thing requiring notice in these words is the promise of Christ : ' And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.' The promise is introduced with a call for attention — lo ! give heed to this — because it was a matter fitted in the highest degree to encourage the missionary : I who have all power in heaven and on earth will accompany you. Now, the presence of Christ as a divine person is everywhere — he is ^\\\^?. all men and things. But there is something special in these words ; a benefit is held out which is peculiar to those who go on this embassy. It is a presence gracious and friendly, which would ensure them guidance, protection, and success. This is rendered obvious by the use of similar language in other parts of Scripture. When Moses was commanded to go down to Egypt and lead forth the tribes, and when he declared his unfitness for this great work, the Lord said to him, 'Certainly I mil be with you.' This was regarded by God as quite sufficient to overcome all his objections, and to prompt immediate obedience ; and Moses found it to be so. He had the divine presence with him in a visible and tangible form, manifested in a singular display of power ; and hence afterwards, in a very critical period, he, feeling the value and the necessity of this presence, presented the prayer, ' If thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence ;' and the response was, ' My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.' And when Joshua was ap- pointed to conduct the people into the land of promise, and 56 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. encounter and destroy the nations that then filled it, it was deemed by God enough to say : ' As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee : I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.' A like promise is associated with the public observance of religious worship. Jehovah said, in Exod. xx. 24, 'In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee;' and Jesus himself declared, ' Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them' (Matt, xviii. 20). These passages show that this great promise of Christ, which covers and hallows the New Testament dispensation, assures the disciples that when engaged in the service of the divine Saviour, he will be present with them in a specially gracious manner, will be there in his all-sufficiency, and will enable them to accomplish the work for which they are sent; for it is given by him who has just said, I have all power in heaven and on earth. And while Christ is present in all worship- ping assemblies met in his name, and with all right gospel ministers, he is particularly so with the missionary, for the language is, ' Go into all the world ; and, lo, I am with you.' And it is to remain in full force till the close of time, till the gospel has been preached to every creature, and till the work of conversion has been completed. It intimates that Christ, as the divine ruler, will break up the way of his servants, give them favour in the eyes of those to whom they go, sustain them in their labours, and make all things work together for their good. And the connection in which the words stand renders the promise singularly tender and cheer- ing. It supposes that the missionary has left country, home, and friends — has gone to a strange people, and is there ex- posed to trials, hardships, and perils ; and Jesus says, Be not discouraged, for I will be with you, and my presence will com- pensate you for all that you have left behind, will be the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 57 sunshine of your existence, the source of your spiritual joys, and a blessed foretaste of the period when you shall be ' absent from the body and present with the Lord.' And the true missionary in every age and in every clime has found Christ faithful to his promise, and experienced his realized presence to be to him everything — his all and in all. Paul did so ; for when he stood at the bar of Nero, he says, ' All men forsook me ; notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, strengthened me, and delivered me out of the mouth of the lion.' Yes, to the genuine missionary, the pledged gracious presence of Christ is a fountain of over- flowing consolation, and in times the most trying he will exclaim, ' My divine Master has said, " I will never leave thee nor forsake thee ;" so that I may boldly say. The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man can do unto me ' (Heb. xiii. 5, 6). LECTUEE lY. THE MANNER IN WHICH THE HOLY GHOST QUALIFIED THE APOSTLES FOR PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO ALL NATIONS, AND THE STEPS BY WHICH HE LED THEM TO GO TO THE GENTILES. BEFOEE entering on this subject we shall advert to three things which prepared the way for the spread of the gospel in the apostolic age. The first of these was the wide dominion which the Eomans had established. This people, whom the prophet Daniel speaks of as ' dreadful, terrible, and strong exceedingly,' had, by their warlike skill, their great carefulness in conducting their military operations, and their indomitable courage and perseverance, carried their ironclad legions nearly to the utmost limits of the then known world ; subdued all nations, from our own Caledonia in the west to India in the east, and from the Danube in the north to the Atlas range in Africa in the south ; and had set up in all these extensive regions a firm and powerful government. The Lord had thus used this people as his instruments for making a broad platform for the diffusion of the truth, and by which its teachers could go safely from country to country. At the time, too, when Christ was born, the long struggle had ceased, the nations everywhere acknowledged the sway of Eome, the temple of Janus was shut, and universal peace prevailed. There was the same government everywhere, so that persons who, LECTURES ON MSSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 59 like Paul, were Eoman citizens, enjoying social protection, could, without any impediment or difficulty, travel whither- soever they pleased. This was an advantage similar to that which British rule gives to missionaries in India, and it tended very greatly to facilitate the progress of Christ's cause. The second thing was the extensive prevalence of the Greek language. The attractive literature of Greece proper, the influence of the Greek colonies in Europe and in Asia Minor, — which at one time were very flourishing, — the conquests of Alexander the Great, and the establishment of the Greek empire in S}Tia and in the East, and the active commercial intercourse that was carried on with Alexandria in Egypt, — said to have been ' the chief seat of the later Greek culture,' — contributed to give this language currency in eastern Europe and in western Asia. This result was helped, too, especially among those Jews who resided be- yond the limits of Judea, by the circulation and the use of the Greek version of the Old Testament Scriptures. The Greek was, in fact, the language of scholars and of the middle or commercial classes ; and for this reason it was that Josephus, the Jewish historian, wrote in it. Indeed, Professor Robinson asserts, in the preface to his Greek Lexicon, that the New Testament was written in it because it was then 'the universal tongue.' Now, though the apostles had the gift of tongues, and could speak any lan- guage, yet it is easy to see that it was of the utmost conse- quence that there should be a generally spoken language, which would enable ordinary converts passing from place to place to make themselves understood, and which particu- larly would secure that the inspired writings of the New Testament, when embodied in it, should be easily and mdely read. The Lord thus, to a certain extent, repaired the dis- aster of Babel, and formed a vehicle for conveying to men 60 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. the additional revelations of his gracious will. And the third thing was the existence of bands or companies of Jews in nearly all the cities of the Eoman empire. This active people, multiplied beyond the capabilities of their small country to sustain them, had, in quest of employment, or in the prosecution of trade, gone into almost every country ; so that, as the list of the persons who were present in Jeru- salem on the day of Pentecost shows, there was scarcely a place ruled by the Eomans, in Asia, in Africa, or in Europe, that had not its small colony of Jews. The same thing appears from the narrative of Paul's travels, recorded in the Acts, where it is stated that in every city which he visited, with the exception of Athens, he met with countrymen. Now this secured for the first preachers of the gospel, who were, generally speaking, Jews, lodging and hospitality. Their distance from their own country, which they enthusi- astically loved, and their position among strangers, caused the Jews residing in those places not merely to cleave closely together, but to welcome with ready kindness any of their brethren who should visit the locality. Besides the hospit- able disposition common to all the people of the East, there was in this case the claim of kindred. It has often been remarked how glad Europeans in India are to see their countrymen, even though utter strangers, how warm is the greeting which they give them, and how cordially they welcome them to their table. The feelings of home which such visits excite fill their hearts, and cover the interview with special pleasure. It was so with these foreign Jews. Wanderers themselves, they cheerfully aided their brethren when on a journey. Another benefit was, that as these Jews had built synagogues at their places of residence, the first preachers found immediate opportunity for proclaiming the truths of the gospel. Acting on our Lord's command LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. Gl to begin at Jerusalem, they addressed themselves in the first instance to the Jews ; and it was only when they were repelled, or after they had preached in the synagogues, that they turned to the Gentiles. These things, then, — the great breadth of the Eoman empire, the prevalence of the Greek language, and the foreign locations of the Jews, — offered facilities provided by God for the safety of the missionaries, and for the more rapid spread of the gospel. They resembled what we see in our own day, — the Lord working providentially for the furtherance of his own cause. He had been leading the Eomans, the Greeks, and the Jews, in a way that they knew not, to bring about a state of things which would advance the interests of Christ's kingdom, and make it a more easy matter for the disciples of the divine Saviour to preach the gospel to every creature. And in our time we may say that he is acting in a similar manner. The discoveries of travel- lers and voyagers, which have disclosed to us nearly all parts of the habitable globe, so that our maps of the world will ere long be without a blank ; the activities of modem trade and commerce, searching for and exchanging the pro- ducts of all climes ; the numerous emigrations and the colo- nizing power of the Saxon race, who, as the possessors of energy, science, learning, and the true religion, are found- ing empires in so many parts of the earth, destined to be centres of dominion showering benefits on all around them ; the steamboat, the railroad, and the telegraph, abridging time and space, and thus lengthening human life ; and the marvellous advances of science, which, on the one hand, by the sheer power of destruction, are hastening the cessation of war, and on the other promoting social health and im- provement, are all signs that the Lord has come out of his place, and is preparing the field, which is the world, for the 62 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. reception of the seed of the word, and for the labours of those who in every land will gather fruit unto eternal Mfe. As when David heard ' the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees,' we ought, looking at these things, to bestir ourselves, assured that the Lord has gone out before us. We proceed now to consider the manner in which the Holy Ghost, sent forth by the glorified Saviour, qualified the disciples for the great work of preaching the gospel to every creature, and the steps by which he induced them to go forth to the Gentiles. 1. The manner in which, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost qualified the disciples to be witnesses for Christ and preachers of the gospel. Our Lord, as is stated in Luke xxiv. 49, said : ' And behold, I send the promise of my Father uj^on you ; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued Avith power from on high.' And in one of the interviews which he had with them after he was raised from the dead, he held out the gift of the Spirit in the form of a promise : ' But ye shall receive power — Svvafxi<; — after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you ; and ye shall be wit- nesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.' The disciples were not yet fitted for this great commission and work. They had not an education which enabled them to address in a becoming manner men of every rank and de- gree of attainments — for encountering the learned Jew, the philosophic Greek, and the superstitious barbarian ; nor had they such a knowledge of the doctrines of the new religion as would put it in their power to present them clearly to men, and guide sinners to the faith and the obedience of Christ. They must have an unction from the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 63 Holy One which should teach them all things. And they required, too, such a measure of gracious influence as, fill- ing their hearts with supreme love to Christ and the souls of men, would give them strong faith and burning zeal, and would cause them to preach the word with boldness, and to remain undismayed amidst difficulties, trials, and perils. But he in whom ^ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,' promised that he would fully endow them with power. This promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. This was the first day of the week — the Lord's day. Early in the morning the disciples, evidently in a state of expecta- tion, 'were all with one accord in one place.' It is not said how they were occupied, but there is reason to believe that they were ' waiting ' in the exercise of prayer ; for it was while Christ himself was praying at his baptism that the heaven was opened and the Holy Ghost descended and rested on him, and we are disposed to think that the descent of the Spirit on the morning of Pentecost took place in a similar manner. Wliilst they were so engaged, looking up with * one accord,' and expecting an answer, ' suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.' It was a re- markable scene, the glorious inauguration of the new economy. At once a sound is heard coming from heaven like the rush of a tempest, as if the Spirit of God, who is frequently compared to wind or breath, was in haste to endow Christ's missionaries with a power that would sweep away all opposition; this sound filled aU the apartment, indicating that this agent was adequate for all the work to 64 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. be done ; and when those present looked up, they saw tongues of flame distributing themselves as from a common centre — 8ta/i,ept^d/>tevat yXCjcrcraL uxrel Trvpos — and one of these flame tongues rested on each of the disciples. All were filled with supernatural influence, and began to speak in divers languages. We have four remarks to make on this splendid miracle. In the first place, it was a gift for the world. The voice which uttered the ten commandments, called the ten words, from amidst the fires of Sinai, spoke in the one language of the separated people ; but the tongue of flame here given is the gift of all human languages. It is not for the Jews, for those present had the speech of that country. It is pre- eminently a missionary gift, intended for the benefit of all nations. Our Lord had said, ' Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;' and here is the quali- fication for the mission, in so far as the faculty of speech is concerned. The divine Spirit, who possesses all knowledge, and who understands perfectly all the feelings and the thoughts of men, and the diversified modes in which these are expressed, conferred on these men in a moment the ability to speak all requisite tongues. Nothing is too hard for God. Philosophers, who are constantly seeking for the modus operandi, — the manner in which a thing is done, — have wondered how Adam, the first man, who had no human associate or teacher, acquired the art of speak- ing ; but surely this Pentecost miracle solves that difiiculty. Here the Lord gave to these simple and unlearned men the power of understanding and of speaking difficult languages with intelligence, with grammatical accuracy, and with fluency ; and it was easy for him who breathed into Adam a living soul to bestow on him at once the gift of speech. The modern missionary needs to attend the school and the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 65 college, to thumb well his dictionaries, and, by the dint of long labour, to acquire what are called the learned tongues, and after he reaches the foreign field to engage a pundit, and by manifold attempts learn to hold intelligent inter- course with the people. But here the work was urgent : the world was waiting for the gospel ; and the Divine Spirit who was to preside over the new dispensation supernaturally conferred this great and necessary qualification. — The second remark is, that there is reason to conclude that these men received at this time also the power of working miracles. They were to be ' endowed with power ' — Swafjus — all ability requisite for the doing of the work. They were to proclaim everywhere an extraordinary message ; to speak of the resurrection of Christ ; and to call upon men to believe on one who had been put to death on a cross, but who was now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. This doc- trine would be to all men new and strange — to the Jew a stumblingblock, and to the Greek foolishness ; and they needed, therefore, an attestation which would show that they were divinely sent, and that what they spoke was the truth of God. Just as the wonder-working rod of Moses was his divine credential, so the power of working miracles put on the message of these men the seal of divine appro- bation. And that they obtained at this time such a power is proved by the gospel narrative ; for not only do we read that John, Peter, and Paul cured the lame, raised the dead, and healed all manner of disease, but it is expressly said by the evangelist Mark, ' And they went forth and preached ever3^where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.' — Tlie third remark is, that the Spirit gave them a full and clear knowledge of divine truth. Their views concerning Christ and his work were dim and inaccurate ; for we find them, in one of the inter- E 66 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. views which they had with their risen Lord, asking if he was going to restore the kingdom to Israel. But from the morning of Pentecost onwards we read no more of such carnal views. The symbol here was flame — light and heat — intelligence and zeal. The mist was removed, and the ' Lord, who caused the light to shine out of darkness, shined into their hearts, and gave them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' It is recorded of the brother of the poet Cowper, who had long been in perplexity about divine truth, that on his deathbed he uttered a cry of joy, and that when his brother ran into the room he exclaimed, his face radiant with gladness, 'All is light now!' The way of salva- tion seemed in an instant to be held up distinctly to his view. So here, these men were made in a moment to see and to understand the meaning of the Scripture, and all about Jesus Christ as the one divine Saviour ; or rather, we should say, the Holy Spirit, promised by Christ to lead them into all the truth, took possession of their minds, and fitted them to speak with accuracy ; for, it is added, they began to speak as the Spirit gave them utterance. Thus the Holy Spirit did for these men at once what five years at the Theological Hall and a lifetime of study do for you. — And the fourth remark is, they got gracious influence fitting them to do their work in a willing, acceptable, and fearless manner. It has been well remarked by Matthew Henry, in his comment on this miracle, ' The sign was fire, accord- ing to John the Baptist's saying concerning Christ : He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. They were now, in the feast of Pentecost, celebrating the memo- rial of the giving of the law upon Mount Sinai ; and that was given by fire. The Spirit, like fire, melts the heart, separates and burns up the dross, and kindles pious and LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. G7 tlevout aiFections in the soul ; in which, as in the fire on the altar, the spiritual sacrifices are off'ered up.' Thig is the part of the Pentecostal efiusion in which we all may have a personal share, and it is that part which is gracious and saving. Persons might speak with tongues, work miracles, and teach forcibly in the name of Jesus, and have no real interest in him ; but those who received the gracious in- fluence of the Spirit were united to the divine Saviour, set apart for his service, and numbered among his true disciples. And this Spirit, in his enlightening, renewing, guiding, sanctifying, and invigorating power, is promised to all who fervently desire and seek him. The subsequent events of this extraordinary^ day confirm the remarks that have just been made. The report of the marvellous event which had occurred being spread abroad, it is not said how, a large crowd was speedily attracted ; and it would seem that the apostles went forth to the street, for no room would hold the immense numbers that were there gathered together. As they issued from the house, they were heard, under the impulse of the Spirit, speaking in diff'erent languages. It was not, however, a scene of confusion like that which modern claimants to the gift of tongues have exhibited, when in a state of high ex- citement they have uttered a jargon which no one could understand. The Lord is a God of order, and those per- sons spoke only as the Spirit directed. What they uttered was respecting the works of God; and those whose tongues they used, understood distinctly what was said. Various remarks were made, as is usual where a multitude is as- sembled. The native Jews, unacquainted with the languages spoken, thought that the speakers were intoxicated; but the foreign Jews, who had come from fourteen diff'erent places, were all amazed, and marvelled, saying one to another, 68 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans 1 and how is it that we hear them, every man in our own tongue wherein we were born, speak the wonderful works of God 1 Then Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and preached Christ, whom the rulers had crucified, but whom God had raised from the dead and glorified, delivering the first gospel sermon that ever fell on human ears, and point- ing out very clearly the way of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The sound of the blessed gospel was then heard, which is destined to fill the whole earth, and which will never cease till the last child of God is con- verted and fitted for heaven. And the effect was, that the Spirit that had fallen on the disci^^les, and granted them the gift of languages, the power of working miracles, the under- standing of revealed truth, and holy boldness in the service of Christ, now came down also in his gracious influence upon the vast multitude, quickened, converted, and drew three thousand souls to Christ, and thus showed how the simple preaching of the truth was to be made mighty for the conquest of the nations. Here then was full power from on high — adequate equipment for the work of preach- ing the gospel to every creature; and there was evidence afforded that the Spirit was ready to put his seal to their teaching. Oh, what a proof was here given of the reality of Christ's exaltation, of his power in heaven, and of his faithfulness ! for, in fulfilment of his own declaration, he had shed down that Spirit whose wondrous operations thousands on that day saw and heard, and whose blessed effects will, in the case of multitudes then born unto God, form the materials of everlasting praise. II. The steps by which the Holy Ghost led the disciples to go to the Gentiles. Considering the solemn charge that Christ had given to his disciples, and the glad news which LECTURES ON MISSIOI^S AXD EVANGELISM. 69 they had to communicate, one would have thought that the followers of the Saviour would have hastened to go forth in all directions, and to proclaim to guilty and perishing sinners the joyful tidings that salvation might now be had by men of every country and race. But it was not so. They had received their commission, and they were now fitted for the grand enterprise. They had obtained gifts which were not needed in Judea, and which it was their duty to employ for the benefit of the Gentiles. And still they lingered — lingered for years in Jerusalem. It is amazing what an amount of prejudice may exist along with genuine grace ; but there is no pre- judice so strong and so difficult to be overcome as that which is national. The new views and feelings which the disciples had realized induced them to regard with favour the Samaritans, a sort of semi-kindred, with whom pre- viously they had had no dealings ; for when they heard that they had received the gospel, they sent to them Peter and John — one of the very men that had asked Christ to bring down fire from heaven for their destruction. But they were reluctant to admit the idea that the Gentiles — the outside nations — were to be brought to share equally with them in the privileges and blessings of Christ's salva- tion. This was a thing utterly inconsistent -with all their former modes of thought and feeling. They had been accustomed to consider themselves as the special objects of divine favour, and to look upon the Gentiles as, in a spiritual point of \iew, occupying an inferior and degraded position. The contempt which many of the white men in South America showed before the late war for the negroes, and the scornful manner in which they spoke of them as placed by the ordinance of God in a lower grade of being, were moderate when compared "with the enmity which the 70 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. Jews had for the Gentiles, and the opprobrious epithets which they applied to them. To be willing, therefore, to preach to the Gentiles, implied the overthrow of inveterate national prejudice and of long-cherished contempt, and a marvellous revolution of mind. It is for this reason that the apostle Paul speaks of the inbringing of the Gentiles as a thing of which the Jews never thought — as a mystery which had ' been hidden from ages and from generations,' and as made known only by the revelation of the Holy Ghost. In 1 Tim. iii. 16, he says that Christ's being ' preached unto the Gentiles ' was one part of the great mystery of godliness ; and in the third chapter of Ephesians, when magnifying his office as the apostle of the Gentiles, he employs these remarkable words : * If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward : how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery (as I wrote afore in a few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit ; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel ; whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God, given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.' It required, therefore, peculiar dealing on the part of God, and a pointed com- mand, to persuade the disciples that the blessings of the gospel were to be offered to the Gentiles as fully and freely as to the Jews. 1. The first step was the command given to Peter to LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELIS^r. 71 go and preach Jesus Christ to Cornelius and to his friends. This event, which is recorded in the tenth chapter of the Acts, occurred about eleven years after the ascension of Christ, showing that up till that period the disciples had tarried in Jerusalem, and had neglected to obey Christ's parting charge. Cornelius was a Eoman centurion, the commander of a hundred soldiers — a high rank in the Eoman army. He was stationed in Caesarea, a city on the border of the Mediterranean Sea ; was a devout person, who feared God with all his house ; a man of prayer, anxious about the way of salvation. And whilst, at three o'clock in the afternoon, the time when the evening sacrifice in the temple was being offered, he was engaged in prayer, an angel appeared to him and said, 'Thy prayers and thine alms are come up as a memorial before God ; ' and directed him to send men to Joppa, and invite Peter to come to him, who would tell him words by which he and his house should be saved. He obeyed ; and, in the meantime, the Lord, who had sent the angel, prepared Peter for comply- ing with the call. About twelve o'clock next day, as the messengers were approaching, the apostle went up to the flat roof of the house for the purpose of prayer, and during this exercise felt an uncommon desire for food ; and as those in the house were making it ready for him, he fell into a trance, or an ecstatic state of mind, and saw a vessel, in the form of a large sheet tied at the four corners, let down from heaven, filled with all manner of four-footed beasts, creeping things, and fowls of the air, clean and unclean, and heard a voice saying to him, ' Arise, Peter, kiU and eat.' He declined, on the ground that, in compliance with the Mosaic law, he had never eaten anything common or unclean ; but the voice replied, ' What God hath cleansed, that call thou not common.' Thrice was the mandate repeated, and then 72 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. the vessel was taken up into heaven. This was a very significant vision, indicating that the Mosaic law was no longer binding — that what was typified by the classification of the animals into clean and unclean had ceased to be of any force ; that God was now no respecter of persons ; that all men were, in a spiritual sense, alike in his sight; and that in the matter of right to the gospel there was no diff'erence between Jew and Gentile. Still Peter did not understand it, and the Lord was pleased to become the interpreter of the vision. ' The Spirit said to him,' while he was meditat- ing on what he had seen and heard, ' Behold, three men seek thee. Arise, therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.' Oh, how gracious is our God, and how ready is he to meet those who seek him sincerely ! The Ethiopian eunuch, while journeying in his chariot, was reading the Word of God, and doing what he could to gain a knowledge of the truth ; but he had reached the southern limit of Judea, was passing away into Abyssinia, where he would never have heard of Christ, and the Lord saw him and sent Philip for his in- struction and conversion. And this Roman ofiicer is, ac- cording to his means, devoutly and earnestly seeking after God; he is laying up prayers and alms before him. But that cannot ensure the pardon of his sins : he must be made acquainted with Christ, the only name given under heaven among men by which any one can be saved ; and the Lord, in answer to his prayers, and in approval of his charitable deeds, employs angelic agency, the ministry of a celestial vision, and a positive command of the Holy Ghost, to bring him into contact with the gospel. It was an occasion worthy of such divine interposition, for it was the opening of the door of the New Testament church to the Gentiles. Peter, though surprised, obeyed the command which the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 73 Spirit had so plainly given ; went to the house of Cornelius, who had assembled his pious friends in order to hear what Peter should say; preached unto them Jesus Clirist, and, as he was doing so, the Holy Ghost spontaneously fell down on the whole audience, and sealed them with the stamp of God's approbation. When Peter heard them speak with tongues and magnify God — saw, in reality, Pentecost re- enacted — he turned round to the Jews who accompanied him, and asked, 'Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we ?' These men, with all their prejudices, were silent. AAHiat could they say 1 The Lord had taken the matter into his own hand and decided it. It was altogether his doing, and, no doubt, it was marvellous in their eyes. And then Peter 'commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord j' and so they were added to the church, the first-fruits of the large Gentile harvest. For tliis conduct Peter was called to account by the Jews when he returned to Jerusalem; but he detailed the circum- stances as they had occurred, and added, 'Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who beheved on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I that I could withstand God V And it is stated, ' When they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, say- ing, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repent- ance unto life.' It becomes us also to glorify God for this important event — the first instance in wliich the gospel was preached unto the Gentiles. The Lord showed that in his estimation it was something very great ; for he used, as we have said, an angelic message, a celestial vision, the positive command of the divine Spirit, and the spontaneous effusion of the Holy Ghost. We feel, then, that in preach- ing the gospel to the heathen, we are doing a work most 74 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANQELISM. acceptable to God ; and that we may look for angelic pro- tection, a gracious manifestation, and the sealing influences of the Holy Spirit. 2. The second step is the signal manner in which the first attempt at public preaching to the Gentiles was blessed, and the formation of a Christian church in Antioch — a town beyond the limits of Judea. It is said that the perse- cution which followed the death of Stephen, in which Saul of Tarsus acted a chief part, had the effect of scattering many of the followers of Christ — the Lord thus, as it were, constraining them to obey his great commission. They were unwilling to leave Jerusalem, and he permitted the sword of persecution to be unsheathed in order to drive them forth. Some of the preachers who then fled from violence went as far as Phenice, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they offered the gospel only to the Jews ; and it merits notice that the Holy Spirit does not utter a syllable with regard to the effect of their preaching. But there were others of these preachers, — foreign Jews by birth, and therefore more liberal in their views, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, a place in northern Africa, — who, ' when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus Christ.' This Antioch was a town in Syria, several hundred miles north of Jerusalem. It lay on the river Orontes, beautifully situated amid cypress groves, was the capital of the empire which the Syrian kings of the Mace- donian line had founded, and was the place where the Eoman governor of the eastern provinces resided. It had at this period a population of half a million, was a city of great wealth, importance, and splendour, and ranked in dignity and power as the third in the Roman provinces. As soon as these natives of Cyprus and Africa reached this great city, they began to preach to the Greeks the Lord LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 75 Jesus. The antithesis between their conduct and that of the men who spoke to the Jews only, proves that these Grecians — "EkXrjvas — were not, as some have supposed, Hellenistic Jews, i.e. Jews who spoke the Greek tongue, but Greeks by- birth, natives of the country, and therefore Gentiles. This event took place after the conversion of Cornelius and his friends, when it had been shown that it was the will of God that salvation through Christ should be offered to others besides the Jews ; and these men — some of them, as we have said, from Africa — were the first to avail themselves of this enlarged commission, and to preach the gospel to the heathens of Asia. And observe the signal mark of divine approbation which was given to this free preaching. They preached ' the Lord Jesus, and the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord.' It was the first public preaching of the gospel to the heathen ; for, as Witsius notes, in his life of Paul, the preaching of Peter in the house of Cornelius was rather a domestic trans- action — an address given to an invited class of men ; but this preaching was for all, without any exceptions, oj)en and public, and it met with immediate and glorious success. The Holy Ghost had waited for eleven years for the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles ; and when it was presented in the house of Cornelius, he fell down spontane- ously and converted the whole assembly ; and here again, when it is held forth to the Gentiles in Antioch, the hand of the Lord is displayed, and a great number believes. The tidings of the remarkable success which had attended the preaching of these men were carried to Jerusalem, and the apostles, knowing now that God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, sent forth ' Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch ; who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them that with purpose 76 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.' But finding the work too much for him, this great and good man went to Tarsus, in Cilicia, a city at no great distance from Antioch, and brought Paul to aid him ; when these two distinguished men laboured there a whole year and taught much people. A church, composed of Jews and Gentiles, was here formed, — the first church erected beyond the boundaries of Judea, — the parent, we may say, of the myriads of churches that have since been constituted in the heathen world. The best feelings prevailed; the prejudices and the distrust which had existed between Jews and Gentiles were laid aside ; and here all that believed on Christ, who up to that time had been designated disciples, or those that called on Christ's name, obtained, after the fashion of the schools, the blessed name of the divine Saviour, and were ' first called Christians.' Here, then, we have got a true Christian church, consisting of converted Jews and Gentiles, — for that there were Jews in its communion the contest that soon arose about circumcision, and which was appealed to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, demonstrates, — and all bearing that new and glorious name, which is destined yet to be known in all the earth, and in which all men will glory. 3. The third step is the designation by the Holy Gho&t of Barnabas and Paul as the first ordained missionaries to the heathen. This is a very important event, and it is de- scribed in exceedingly instructive terms. It is said (Acts xiii. 1, 2), 'Now there were in the church that was in Antioch certain prophets and teachers ; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said. Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the LECTURES OX MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 77 work whereunto I have called them.' It was a period with the ministers of that church of zealous labours, of intense spiritual desire, and of fervent prayers. They ministered to the Lord and fasted. It would seem that they were solicitous to obtain something higher and better than they had yet realized. They labour and they pray, and they pray and they labour. Their souls are filled to an overflow with holy desires, and they are longing for more extensive success ; and it was whilst they were so occupied that the Holy Ghost said, probably by one of the prophets. Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. The work is not mentioned, but there can be no doubt, as the result showed, that it was the missionary enterprise. The di^dne Spirit thus emphatically calls missions to the heathen his work. It is a w^ork which in its nature is spiritual and saving, which in its extent con- templates the everlasting well being of men of every age and country, and which in its duration is to reach down to the close of this world's history. It is a work wide as our world, lasting as time, and which in its issues is to fill heaven with happy inhabitants, and eternity with songs of praise. This is the grand work which the Holy Ghost, di^dne, omnipotent, and irresistible, has come down to earth to accomplish. Just as he brooded on the face of the primeval deep, evolved from the chaotic mass the earth on which we tread, and covered it with life and beauty, so he is now about to spread his life-giving influences over the heathen world, and form out of it that new creation embod}dng divine riches, which will be for the unceasing praise and glory of God. Oh, what a sight was opened to the view of this omniscient Spirit when, looking on the heathen nations and forward through all succeeding ages, he saw multitudinous agencies and operations going on — processes without number, all 78 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. conducted for the instruction, conversion, and salvation of immortal souls ; and at every step of the mighty work heard the subordinate labourers glorifying him, and exclaim- ing, ' Not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts!' For this work he now asks Barnabas and Saul — the two ablest, most gifted, and illustrious men of the time. Ah, how mistaken was the notion which long prevailed, and which is scarcely yet exploded, that any one, provided he has piety, is fit for being a missionary ! This was not the view of the divine Spirit, for he demands for this work, over which he presides, which he connects with his own honour, and in which he employs all his attributes and all his resources, the very best men that the church possesses. Are there in any church men with mental powers, scholastic attainments, and holy zeal like Paul, or full of faith and the Holy Ghost like Barnabas 1 The Spirit says. Let those men be set apart for this the grandest, the most difficult, and the most glorious work on earth. And observe the absolute claim : Separate them for me ; let them become my property and my agents. I am going forth to renovate the nations. I need their services as fellow- workers, and I will amply qualify them. They are to give up all other engagements and pursuits, all relationships and expectations, and to be wholly and constantly devoted to my service, to follow my will, depend upon my support, do my work, and look to me for companionship, social enjoyment, and ultimate reward. To all this he had called them ; for he had granted them inward fitness, all needful mental gifts and graces. This is the first time when the voice of the Spirit, as the leader in mission work, was distinctly heard ; and what a host of accomplished labourers has he since then employed — apostles, evangelists, martyrs, reformers, ministers, and missionaries ! These men have LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 79 done much, but the work is not half done, for the larger part of the world is still in darkness. The Spirit does not now, as he did in that case, issue his calls in an audible form; but when a church is prosperous, when a zealous ministry is marked by abounding prayers, when the influ- ence of the Spirit is silently but effectually moving men to desire the office of the foreign missionary, and when Provi- dence opens doors of usefulness among the heathen, it may be declared that the Spirit is saying to the church. Separate for me this man and that man for the work to which I have called them. And this blessed work which the Spirit then began will go on ; he will bring forth and endow agents for it, and will not give up working till the new creation be completed, and till Jehovah, looking forth from the glory amid which he dwells, shall pronounce it very good, and rest in the everlasting contemplation of its beauty and its excellence. And 4. The fourth step is the actual mission of Paul and Barnabas. The prophets and teachers that were in Antioch gladly obeyed the divine command, and there was no re- luctance shown either by Barnabas or by Paul. The latter of these had before this received his commission from the Lord Jesus Christ, and the former was a good man, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost ; and it would have been an extraordinary thing had they refused to go on this mission. Had they done so, their names would not have stood as they do, bright with honour, on the pages of inspiration. The Lord would have found other agents, but from them God would have turned away his face. But there was not a moment's hesitation. Their exalted ideas of the dignity of Christ's service, their love to him and the souls of men, and their full persuasion that he would be with them, caused them to consider this call a favour and a blessing ; 80 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. and therefore it was that they cheerfully submitted them- selves when the ministers ' fasted and prayed, laid their hands on them, and sent them away.' This is the model and the example which the rulers of the church are to follow in ordaining and designating foreign missionaries ; and it is a significant and expressive service, as it makes the missionaries messengers of the church as well as of Christ, and pledges to them the prayers and the support of those by whom they are thus set apart. But the narrative adds a most important statement, showing that they had not merely the authority of the church, but the sanction of the divine Spirit. The church sent them away, and so did the Holy Ghost ; for it is said, * So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia ' — a seaport on the Mediterranean. And here we may pause for a moment and exclaim, ' Arise, ye heathen nations, and rejoice. For thousands of years ye have been in darkness, serving gods many and lords many, living in misery and sin, and dying without hope ; but men are coming to tell you of Christ, the divine Saviour, who has saving blessings to bestow on all classes, and who are to begin a work which will cover the earth with light and joy. Tremble, Satan, for thy dominion, and gather thy legions now ; for servants of Christ, sent forth by the Holy Ghost, and with whom he comes, are on their way to overturn thy throne and set thy captives free. And exult, ye holy angels, and ye spirits of the blessed, for the work of conversion is about to com- mence which will extend into all lands, and bring from every people souls saved by Christ to join your happy assembly, and to unite with you in ascribing glory to God and to the Lamb.' Many, indeed, before this had gone through the gate of Antioch and down to the port of Seleucia — kings, generals, merchants, and travellers ; but LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 81 none ever went on a mission so grand, or ever carried with tiiem a treasure so precious, as did these two men, Barnabas and Paul. They are ambassadors of God; the divine Saviour and the Holy Ghost accompany them, and the holy angels keep watch around them ; for they are going to 'preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ' LECTURE V. THE MISSIONARY PRINCIPLES WHICH THE RECORDED LABOURS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL SUGGEST FOR THE GUID- ANCE OF THE CHURCH IN CONDUCTING THE MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE. THE Spirit of God records the events that were connected with the origin and the progress of the New Testa- ment church in Jerusalem, — the large numbers converted by the preaching of the gospel — the warm brotherly love and holy joy which actuated the members — the self-denial and benevolence which characterized them — the persecutions by which they were assailed — the remarkable deliverances and the accessions of grace granted in answer to united prayer — the steps by which the apostles were led to go to the Gentiles — the formation of the church in Antioch, the first church gathered beyond the land of Judea, and which was composed of Jews and Gentiles — the first formal mission to the heathen conducted by Paul and Barnabas — and the proceedings of the apostles and elders in the synod that was held in Jerusalem, to decide the appeal which came from the Gentile converts at Antioch as to whether or not the law with regard to circumcision was binding on them. The inspired narrative, as given in the Acts, then drops the names of the other apostles, and takes notice only of the missions and deeds of Paul, the great apostle of the Gentiles. This is a very instructive fact, showing the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 83 high importance which the Holy Ghost attaches to mis- sions. The labours of Paul are selected as the model which is to direct the church in all ages in working out the mis- sionary enterprise. Just as in the Old Testament the war- like exploits of Joshua and David, which had for their aim the conquest of the land of promise, are more minutely described than are the deeds of any other person who lived after the time of Moses, so the actions of Paul in extend- ing the gospel are narrated at considerable length. The object of this lecture, then, is to point out the principles which the record of his deeds seems to teach. 1. Paul preached the truths with respect to Jesus Christ as the divine, the only, and the all-sufficient Saviour. It was not science, nor philosophy, nor the elements of civi- lisation, as that word is commonly understood, which he sought to inculcate. His aim was far higher. He looked at men in relation to God and eternity, and he made known those gracious truths which, believed and blessed, would renew, sanctify, and save them, and prepare them for the service and the enjoyment of God. This great favour or ' grace,' he says, was given to him, ' that he should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.' As to the strain of his preaching, we are well informed. In the first place, we have pretty extensive outlines of two of his addresses, the one given to the Jews, and the other to the Gentiles. The first is that which he delivered in Antioch in Pisidia, during his first missionary tour, and the second is that which he spoke in Athens, ' the eye of Greece ;' and it will be seen that in both, though by different ways, he led his hearers to the claims of Jesus Christ. In the Pisidian Antioch address he spoke to Jews, who had the Old Testament Scriptures ; and his sermon bore a striking resemblance to the discourses of 84 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. Peter on the day of Pentecost and of Stephen before the Jewish Sanhedrim — yea, even to the manner in which our Lord instructed the two disciples in the journey to Emmaus. He quotes the Old Testament predictions re- specting the Messiah, and shows that these were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, whom God had raised from the dead and glorified ; and having proved the divine dignity of his person, and the reality of his resurrection, he presents to his hearers what may perhaps be regarded as the freest and the fullest offer of salvation to be found in the whole Bible. ' Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this Jesus,' — not through this mariy for there is no word for man in the original, — through this Jesus, whom I have demonstrated to be the promised and long- expected Messiah, *is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.' Thus, by a close argument drawn from the Holy Scriptures, and the testimony of credible witnesses, he shuts up his auditors to the faith of Christ. In speaking to the learned but volatile Athenians, who had not the Scriptures, he appeals to reason and to con- science. He dwells on the majesty, the spirituality, and the creative and providential power of the one living and true God ; speaks on this great theme with a clearness and a decision which all their philosophers had failed to reach, for to them he was an ' unknown God ;' states, without any hesitation, that they were in all things too superstitious ; points out the contrariety of the worship of idols to the divine nature and attributes, and asserts that such worship is a mark of ignorance ; says that the time for such things is past, and thus prepares the way for preaching to them the truth about Jesus, the raised and exalted Saviour, LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 85 whom God has appointed to be the judge of all men ; and calls upon them to repent of their sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and seek preparation for meeting him in the final judgment. Paul was always great ; but in the estima- tion of men of letters he was never more great than when he stood on Mars Hill and addressed a people who, under the fine sky of Attica, and in the use of a peculiarly rich and euphonious language, had attained a degree of mental culture unequalled in the world. The greatest painters have endeavoured to represent the grand position which he then occupied ; but art fails to do so. Even in the view of the temple of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, and of the schools and academic groves, — ' the studious walks and shades,' as Milton has it, — he stood like a pillar of light, and discoursed on the highest themes that can engage the attention of men, with a dignity and an eloquence which showed that it was from choice, and not from inability, that his usual preaching was not clothed ' in enticing words.' And in the second place, we have the expUcit declaration of Paul himself with respect to the leading topics of his teaching. It is said in Acts xvii. 2, 3 : ' And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them' (i.e. to the Jews), 'and three Sabbath-days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs have sufi'ered, and risen again from the dead ; and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ.' To the Eomans he said : ' I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth ; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek' (i. 14-16). And to the Corinthians he wrote : * The Jews require a sign, and 86 LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. the Greeks seek after wisdom ; but we preach Christ cruci- fied, unto the Jews a stumbHngblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness ; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God' (1 Cor. i. 22-24). And again he says : ' For I deter- mined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. . . . And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demon- stration of the Spirit and of power ; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God ' (1 Cor. ii. 2, 4, 5 ; see also 1 Cor. i. 17). There are some in our day, as was the case in the time of Paul, who regard the preaching of Christ crucified as foolishness ; but the records of modern missions demonstrate that it is the truths which Paul taught that give life, joy, and hope to the soul. Now, as then, Christ is the wisdom of God and the power of God in the case of every one that believes. For twenty- three years I corresponded with our missionaries, and had from them details of their labours ; and I observed that it was specially the doctrines of Christ's divinity and atonement — his being the Son of God, and his having died on the cross for guilty and helpless sinners — that wrought in the con- verts a thorough change of heart and conduct, shed light and peace around their dying beds, and enabled them in the hour of departure to triumph in Christ. ' Other foun- dation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ' (1 Cor. iii. 11). 2. Paul formed central stations, leaving it to the converts to evangelize the surrounding districts. This was the dictate of wisdom, as well as the proper economy of labour ; for, as the religion of Jesus Christ is in its very nature diffu- sive, it could not be planted in any place without shedding its fruits around it. Grace in the heart is like a fountain of LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 87 water, which, springing up, must flow forth in a fertilizing stream. It was to the principal cities that Paul invariably went. In his first mission he preached in Antioch in Pisidia, and in Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia ; in his second mission he preached in Philippi, in Thessalonica, in Berea, in Athens, and in Corinth, all in Europe; and in his subsequent journeys he preached in Ephesus, in the cities of Galatia, and in Rome. And we have notices which indicate that he instructed the disciples to circulate the truth ; for it is said, in regard to the city which we first named, Antioch in Pisidia, ' And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region' (Acts xiii. 14). In respect to the church of the Thessalonians, the apostle says : ' From you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad;' and with reference to the great city of Ephesus, where Paul disputed daily in the school of one Tyrannus, it is asserted : ' And this continued by the space of two years, so that all they who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord.' The spread of the truth was secured in two ways. The members of the city church, having found Christ themselves, and rejoicing in their deliverance from heathen darkness and bondage, hastened to make the divine Saviour known to their friends and neighbours, acting zealously everywhere the part of evan- gelists ; whilst the intelligence that a new religion had come to the city, and the excitement which it produced, attracted visitors from the country, who on their conversion returned to their homes, and helped forward the good work. Simple and reasonable as this plan of forming central stations is, I regret to say that in modern missions it has not been so frequently acted on as it should have been. When a missionary field was presented that seemed particularly 8S LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. inviting, several churches and societies have sent their agents to it; and the result has been that these have hampered each other in their operations, and to a certain extent neutralized and weakened their respective agencies. I recollect many years ago having a long conversation with the late Eev. Mr. James of Birmingham, — himself the very embodiment of gospel truth and love, — when he said that it was his conviction, that had the evangelical churches and missionary societies, instead of planting missions in the same districts, and scattering their forces over several fields, divided the heathen world among them, each selecting its own separate sphere of labour, and concentrating there all its missionary force, the results in regard to success would have been unspeakably greater than they are. I have no doubt of the truth of this statement; and it is gratifying to know that it is now generally felt to be a missionary rule or maxim that no society should invade the province of another. There are two of our missions where, having the whole countries to ourselves, we have been enabled to act on the apostle's rule. These are Rajputana and Calabar, where central stations have been formed, and where measures are being taken to evangelize the encircling regions. But in such a case it will be seen that our responsibility is much greater than it would have been had we shared the work with others. We have voluntarily entered these fields ; we keep out other bodies; we have become the evangelical teachers of the people there ; and we should accordingly employ a staff of agents sufiiciently numerous to overtake the work of instruction. We have entire freedom of labour there ; and I believe that, had we men to work out properly the schemes that have there been initiated, it would not be long ere the happiest results would appear. 3. The journeys of Paul show the progressive character LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 89 of the missionary enterprise. The field is the world ; the gospel is to be preached to every creature ; and the pre- cepts, the promises, and the representations of Scripture prove that it is the duty of Christ's people not to rest till all lands have been occupied. This was the view which Paul took of his duty. He was sent to the Gentiles to ' open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God ; ' and he made it a point to select unoccupied fields, and to go to those that were destitute. * Yea,' says he, when writing to the Eomans, ' so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's founda- tion : but, as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see ; and they that have not heard shall under- stand' (Rom. XV. 20, 21). And, in writing to the Corin- tliians, he states that this was the rule which he invariably followed : ' Not boasting of things beyond our measure, that is, of other men's labours ; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand' (2 Cor. x. 15, 16). This was a noble, a sanctified ambition ; it filled the energetic mind of Paul, and steadily and resolutely did he carry it out. In trac- ing his missionary tours, we find that he always enlarged the circle of his labours, taking each time a wider sweep. How he acted when, after his conversion, he went into Arabia, and then to Tarsus in Cilicia, we have not any information except what he himself supplies, when, referring to those times, he tells the Galatians that 'the churches in Judea which were in Christ heard that he preached the faith which once he destroyed.' But his labours after he went to Antioch with Barnabas are detailed in the Acts with considerable 90 LECTUKES OK MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. minuteness ; and it deserves notice that, with the exception of his Arabian tour, all his journeys were westward. His first mission, which occupied nearly two years, was, after leaving Cyprus, confined to a small district to the west of Mount Taurus, including Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe ; and in his second tour, accompanied by Silas, he, after visiting Syria and Cilicia, and confirming the churches there, stretched towards the north and the west, passing through Phrygia and Galatia, and preaching as he went. And as he advanced onwards, a statement is made which from its peculiarity merits attention. It is said that he was forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, that district to the south-west of which Ephesus was the chief city ; and that when they essayed to go into Bithynia, which lay to the north, the Spirit of God suffered them not. Being thus prohibited from turning either to the south or to the north, there was no course left for him but to proceed straight forward. No doubt Paul was surprised at this restriction — that the divine Spirit should keep him back from preaching the gospel in these parts ; but when he reached Troas, not far from the Hellespont, the farthest west point in Asia, the matter was explained. The Lord had urgent work for him to do in Europe ; there were souls there waiting for the gospel that must be imme- diately brought in, and there was no time for delay. A man of Macedonia was seen by him in a vision, standing and crying, * Come over and help us ; ' from which the apostle gathered that the Lord had called him to preach the gospel there. That this was the reason of the Spirit's interposition is, we think, obvious, from the fact that Paul was afterwards allowed freely and fully to evangelize those very countries that were at this time shut against him ; and this incident, in itself very striking, finds, we apprehend. LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 91 an exemplification in those providential events which, in answer to prayer, lead a church now to send the gospel to one country rather than to another. This vision of the man of Macedonia was a matter in which we all have an interest : he was a petitioner for our fathers and for us, for it was that which brought the gospel into Europe. You have all read of the famous expedition of Xerxes, the proud king of Persia, when, by a bridge of boats, he, accom- panied by his armed millions, crossed the narrow sea which separates Europe from Asia ; but, great and pompous as that military array was, it could not be compared in im- portance with the small vessel that now went from Troas to Samothracia, and thence to Neapolis. The former came to subdue and enslave the free Greeks, and it terminated in disaster and disgrace ; but Paul brought to Europe the glorious gospel of the grace of God, and began those opera- tions which have saved eternally many millions of souls, and have produced the civilisation, the learning, the science, and the marvellous social industries of the western nations. When Paul set his foot on the shore of Macedonia, it might justly be said, ' The people which sat in darkness saw great light ; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up' (Matt. iv. 16). In this journey Paul preached in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth ; and in liis next great tour, besides revisiting all the churches which he had planted in Asia and in Europe, he went to Ephesus, the region from which the Holy Ghost had formerly excluded him, and continued there for more than two years, till, it is said, ' all in Asia heard the gospel;' and ere he went thither it is stated that he ' passed through the upper coasts,' which include Bithynia, the other interdicted place. Paul has now tra- versed and evangelized Syria, Asia Minor, and Greece ; or, 92 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. as he himself expresses it, 'From Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ' (Rom. xv. 19). But he is not satisfied. There are many peoples that have not yet heard the gospel, and to these he wishes to go -, and hence, in writing to the Romans, he states that it was his desire to visit ^Rome and Spain, and to carry the glad tidings to the western limits of the continent. 'But now,' says he, 'having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you, whensoever I take my journey into Spain I will come to you ; for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you ' (vers. 22-24). His motto was ' onwards.' No matter what were the difliculties which lay in the way, or the trials which he had to bear, he had got a ministry for the Gen- tiles, and he could not rest whilst there was a ' region be- yond ' that had not received the truth. This was one of the noblest features in the character of Paul. He was debtor, he says, to the Gentiles, and therefore he de- clared, * Necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.' 4. The aj)ostolic missions show the self-extending charac- ter of the missionary enterprise. This is a most interesting aspect of Christ's cause, and it stands out to our view in the Scriptures as if with embossed letters. It comes from heaven, it has divine life in it, and it is by its vital force self-expanding. Strangers, possessing the gospel, enter a heathen country, preach the gospel there, make converts, form these into congregations, and carry on the work till a church be fully organized and be independent of external aid. When this stage is reached, that church becomes mis- sionary, sends out preachers to the regions beyond, widens the field of spiritual labour, and thus the process of enlarge- LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 93 ment is continued till the whole world has been brought under the influence of the truth. But in order to this it is necessary that native converts be trained to act as teachers, preachers, and ministers ; that regular government be estab- lished in congregations and in churches ; and that the members be instructed to do what they can for the support and the diffusion of the gospel. Now these three things, on which the self-propagating character of Christ's cause depends, seem to us to be very distinctly taught in the apostolic missions. In the first place, the case of Timothy, whom Paul found at Lystra, and whom he took with him as an evangelist, and who served with him as a son in the gospel, directs us to seek after native agents ; and hence all missionary societies have made it their aim to educate and to employ pious natives, as the most valuable and efiicient instrumentality in the work of conversion. In obedience to apostolic command, then, we endeavour to commit gospel truths ' to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also' (2 Tim. ii. 2). Alexander the Great crossed the Granicus for the overthrow of the vast empire of Persia with only thirty thousand men, but he accomplished his purpose by incorporating into his army the soldiers of the subjugated provinces ; and in like manner the missionaries find the materials for conquest just as they advance. In the second place, the conduct of Paul in directing that ' elders be ordained in every city,' and in delivering to the churches ' the decrees for to keep that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were in Jerusalem,' indicates that a proper system of ecclesiastical government should be set up in all the mission stations ; for, besides preaching the gospel and baptizing converts, we are to * teach them to observe all things whatsoever Clirist has commanded.' This is requisite at once for stability and permanence. And 94 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. in the third place, the duty which lies on converts to aid by worldly means in maintaining and in propagating the cause of Christ, is proved in various ways. It is proved by the warm commendation which Paul bestows on the Philip- pians, who sent once and again sums of money to relieve his necessities, and whose benevolence he calls 'an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.' It is proved by the instructions which he gave to the churches of Galatia, of Macedonia, and of Achaia re- specting the collection which they were to make for the poor saints in Judea, — which inculcate principles which are applicable to all times and modes of society, and which enjoin frequent, systematic, proportionate, conscientious, and willing giving. It is proved by the assertion of Paul, that it is the duty of those who have been made partakers of spiritual things to minister unto those that teach them in carnal things (Rom. xv. 27, and Gal. vi. 6). It is proved by the hospitality which the converts exercised towards the preachers, of which we have fine examples; first in Lydia, who, when the Lord had opened her heart, besought Paul and his associates to come to her house ; and then in Gains, Paul's host, ' the host of the whole church,' of whom John says that his charity was everywhere proclaimed by the brethren and by strangers. And it was further proved by the aid that was given to persons in travelling from place to place. We read frequently of persons being helped forward on their journey; and this expression seems to intimate not merely that the churches made arrangements for sending the preachers safely on their way, and granting them letters of commendation to friends at a distance, but also that they contributed the means for defraying their expenses. Thus Paul writes to the church at Rome that he expected to be brought by them on his way to Spain. To LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 95 the church at Corinth he says : ' Now I will come unto you Avhen I shall pass through Macedonia, and it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go ;' and John states that Gains would do well should he bring persons on their journey after a godly sort. This view of the self-acting and self-spreading character of the missionary enterprise is fitted greatly to cheer us. When we think of the six hundred millions of the heathen world, and of the com2)ara- tive fewness of evangelical teachers, we are apt to exclaim, as did the disciples when Christ bade them distribute the five small loaves among the five thousand, ' What are these among so many 1 ' But like the bread wliich Christ blessed, which increased in size as it was used, the mission- ary enterprise grows as it is wrought. It is like the river of living waters which Ezekiel saw, which, unfed by tribu- taries, deepened and widened as it flowed ; or like the stone of which Daniel speaks, which expanded from within, and became greater and greater as it rolled onwards. Yes, the church is a vital thing. It has been touched by the Spirit of God, and it has within itself the material and the means of enlargement. Set it in motion, and ' the little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a great nation.' 5. Paul says that his trials helped forward the cause of Christ. There is reason to fear that some are kej^t back from the mission field by the thought of the perils and the suff"erings which must there be encountered. Now, with the rapid and easy modes of transport which modern civi- lisation has provided, the frequent and sure postal communi- cation that exists between distant places, and the appliances for health and comfort which science has supplied, we are not aware of any trials which are peculiar to the foreign missionary except those arising from the climate, and these 96 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. he shares in common with thousands of his countrymen. But though these trials were greater than they really are, this forms no valid reason for any truly spiritually minded man standing back from the work of Christ in heathen lands; for the great law of the New Testament — that which receives special illustration in the history and the writings of Paul — is, that if we undertake any service for Christ, and if in that service trials come upon us, these will be made to promote our spiritual advantage and the benefit of the church. No man ever endured greater sufferings in the cause of Christ than did the Apostle Paul. The graphic account which he gives of them (2 Cor. xi. 2-28) has no parallel in history; and to the elders of the church of Ephesus he said that the Holy Ghost witnessed in every city that bonds and afflictions awaited him. But none of these things, he said, moved him ; and he had three reasons for saying so. He knew that these things were appointed by his gracious Lord, and that they were sent in loving- kindness. When he was called to the apostleship he was informed that Christ would * show him how great things he must suffer for his name's sake ;' and therefore he looked for these things. They were in his case the tokens of Christ's favour ; and hence it was that he said to the Colos- sians (i. 24), 'I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.' And it was for the same reason that he wrote to the Thessalonians — a church much persecuted and tried — ' that no man should be moved by these afflictions ; for yourselves know that we are appointed thereto' (1 Thess. iii. 3). Again, these trials gave occasion for illustrating the rich grace and power of Christ. Paul loved the divine Saviour — he scarcely ever mentions his name without some mark of LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 97 commendation ; and it was to him, therefore, a source of delight that, ' as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ ' (2 Cor. i. 5). This consolation in reality overflowed the suff"erings. Christ said to him, ' My grace is sufficient for thee, and my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Wlien this devoted man heard this, he exclaimed, ' Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake ; for when I am weak, then am I strong ' (2 Cor. xii. 9, 10; see also 2 Cor. iv. 8-12). And, once more, these things proved the sincerity of Paul and the sustaining nature of divine grace; and thus Paul's expe- rience and example encouraged others to cleave to the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ. * I would,' says he to the Philippians, ' ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel ; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places ; and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear' (i. 12-14). He says elsewhere that he was made a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. The ungodly tried to crush him — he was everywhere persecuted, spoken against, and afflicted, and yet he every- where triumphed. He was upheld by the arm of the living and exalted Saviour; and thus a cause, which in a way so wondrous grew amid perils, was proved to be divine. If the suff'e rings of Christ's servants now — that befall them in doing his work — are for their own good and the well- being of the church, what shall we say of the future ] When by faith we look up to heaven, and witness the G 98 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. scene which John describes, we perceive that those who stand nearest the throne, and who are clothed in white robes, and that have palms in their hands, are ' they which have come out of great tribulation ; therefore are they before the throne.' And 6. Paul ascribes all his missionary success to divine and gracious influence. This important truth stands out very prominently both in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Epistles. The apostles were instruments, but God himself was the efficient cause. It was grace that wrought in Paul : it was Christ that lived in him. The power which energized in him mightily was equal to that which was put forth in creating the world, and in raising Christ from the dead. The weapons of warfare which he wielded were not carnal, and they were mighty through God. ' I have planted,' he said, ' ApoUos watered, but God gave the increase : so neither is he that planteth anything, neither is he that watereth ; but God that giveth the increase ' (1 Cor. iii. 6, 7). ' My speech and my preaching,' said he to the Corin- thians, ' was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit ' — a very remarkable phrase — 'and of power' (1 Cor. ii. 4, 5); and of the Thessalonians he says, ' For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance ; and ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost ' (1 Thess. i. 5, 6). And his whole experience is summed up in this declaration : ' Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place ' (2 Cor. ii. 14). How encouraging is it for us, knowing that the same gracious influence can be realized by us in the exercise of faith and prayer, thus to find that missionary LECTURES O:^ MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 99 success, as delineated in the New Testament, is just the exemplification of the divine oracle, long since uttered, — * Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts ' (Zech. iv. 6). Thus I have concluded what I have to say on the first of the seven topics that were mentioned at the outset as forming my scheme of Lectures on Missions and Evangelism ; namely, the scriptural principles of missions, or the place which missions occupy in the Word of God. We have seen that they pervade the entire Bible, for the dispensation of divine mercy and grace which the Scrij)tures disclose is intended for men of all classes and climes, — that to Abraham, the model believer, in all the .writings of the prophets, in the four evangelists, and down to the close of the New Testament, Christ is spoken of as that divine Saviour in whom all the nations of the earth are to be blessed, — that the church is God's kingdom, which he has set up in our world, which in its very nature is aggressive and outgoing, and which is destined to fill and occupy all lands, — and that Jesus Christ, raised from the dead and about to ascend to the divine throne, commanded his followers to go into all the world and disciple all nations, and by doing so abolished the limited dispensation of Judaism, and erected in its place an economy which, in point of privilege and of right to embrace the gospel, puts all mankind on an equality. This gospel is now, therefore, ' according to the commandment of the everlasting God, to be made known to all nations for the obedience of faith ' (Rom. xvi. 26). And this stupendous enterprise — an enterprise which in dignity and grandeur ineffably exceeds all that man ever conceived — it has been committed to the church to accomplish. And vast though the difficulties are, there are adequate means for effecting it. The Lord Jesus Christ, Avho has enjoined it, has all power 100 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. in heaven and on earth. He rules providence, can open the way before his servants, sweep aside all obstacles, and make all occurrences contribute to their success. He has at his disposal the treasures of heaven, and can shower down those gracious influences which change the hearts of men. He has but to speak, and the heirs of salvation shall come from every clime, and crowd into the communion of the church. And the divine Spirit, sent by Christ, and who now dwells in the church, and whose province it is to take of the things of Christ and apply them to men, calls missions his * work,' presides over them, and is pledged for their success. His power is creative and life-giving. No matter how dark and besotted the heathen nations may be, — though they resemble the dry bones which the prophet saw in the valley of vision, yet, when Christ's servants teach, and the Spirit breathes on them, they shall live, be asso- ciated together, and become God's host. All the things in heaven and all the things on earth — ^the power of God, the grace of Christ, the energy of the divine Spirit, the ministry of holy angels, and the favour of providence — are all on the side of this work ; and nothing is more certain than its final triumph. The oath and the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will secure this ; for Jehovah has sworn that to him every knee shall bow, and that every tongue shall confess that Christ is Lord. Oh, what an honour and a privilege is it to be fellow-workers with God in this highest and noblest of all his works ! Blessed indeed are those who labour in his name, whether at home or abroad. He sees all, and will render to every man according to his own work. And if we now through grace shall do what we can, either as mini- sters of home churches, stirring them up to pray, labour, and give, that Christ's name may everywhere be known ; or in the high places of the mission field — where I trust several of LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 101 you will yet be — forming there Christian churches, and in both cases be found faithful unto death, — then how joyfully shall we unite with all the redeemed in heaven, when, the world being evangelized, ' a voice shall come out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great;' and when, in response to the invitation, there shall be heard ' the voice of a great multitude,' loud ' as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia ; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth ! ' LECTURE VI. THE OBLIGATIONS WHICH LIE ON THE CHURCH TO SEEK THE EVANGELIZATION OF THE WHOLE WORLD. LAST session I called your attention, in five lectures, to the scriptural principles of missions, or the place which missions occupy in the Word of Grod. In discussing this important subject, I showed that the gospel, as the apostle calls it, which was preached to Abraham, in the promise that in his seed all the nations of the earth were to be blessed, and which was expanded by the prophets in the Old Testament, was a gospel for the world ; explained several interesting notices in the life of Christ, as recorded by the four evangelists, which prove that the gospel is intended for men of all classes and climes ; unfolded the import of the grand commission given by Christ to his disciples when he enjoined them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, to disciple all nations ; pointed out the manner in which the Holy Ghost qualified the disciples for preaching the gospel, and the steps by which he led them to go to the Gentiles; and stated the missionary principles which the recorded labours of the apostle Paul suggest for the guidance of the church in conducting the missionary enterprise. We come now to the second topic in the scheme of lectures that was sketched at the outset — namely, the obligations which lie on the church to seek the evangelization of the whole world. These obligations spring out of the commands and the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVAxNGELISM. 103 principles that have been explained and illustrated ; and as they involve matters of positive duty, they merit very special attention. They will be considered in three lectures. Two will be devoted to the elucidation and the enforcement of the obligations to spread the gospel which lie on the church as a whole, and one to the obligations which rest on individuals. And I trust that you will unite with me in invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who calls missions his work, that we may be enabled to speak of them, and to feel with regard to them, in a manner corresponding to the divine authority wuth which they are invested. I. The obligations to spread the gospel which lie on the church as a whole. — We shall present these under four particulars, — three in this lecture, and one in the next. And 1. The positive command of Christ. This is conveyed in the clearest and the most stringent form : * Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature ; go and disciple all nations.' It seems to be with reference to this precept that, in the close of the Epistle to the Romans, Paul speaks of ' the commandment of the everlasting God* as enjoining the gospel's being ' made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.' It has been happily said by James Montgomery, the Moravian poet, that ' the commandment of our ascending Sa^dour is the Magna Charta of salvation to all the fallen race of man. It has never been restricted or repealed, and it never will be till all things are fulfilled which were Avritten in the law of Moses and in the Psalms concerning Christ ; whom it behoved to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day ; and that repentance and re- mission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.'^ And as it is the great charter of the church's * Introduction to A Voice from the Sanctuary on the Missionai'y Enterprise, p. 19. 104 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. privileges, the terms, as becomes such a royal document, are very plain, and can admit of no doubt as to the duty which they inculcate. This command of Christ was given in circumstances that were peculiarly interesting and im- pressive. His work on earth is finished ; he has died on the cross, the just one in the room of the unjust ; he has risen from the dead, the conqueror of Satan, death, and the grave ; and he is about to ascend to heaven, there to appear in the presence of God for his people, occupy the divine throne as the head of the church and the ruler in provi- dence, and carry into full effect the gracious designs for which he had become incarnate. But the great and wondrous love which had prompted him to undertake the work of human redemption burns in his heart, and causes him, ere he leave the world, to make provision for the instruction and the salvation of those, in all lands and in all times, that had been given to him by the Father. And that it may make the deeper and the more enduring impression upon the minds of his followers, he keeps this great command to the last, associating it with the tender feelings which his departure occasioned. Attached and obedient children re- gard with warm and sacred interest the dying injunction of a beloved father, consider it as laying them under a strong responsibility, and cordially do what they can to have it accomplished ; and if this be the case with respect to our best earthly friends, how much more is it incumbent on the followers of Christ, who owe to him the salvation of their immortal souls, to bear in mind and faithfully to perform his parting words ! A command so given excites and gathers around it our holiest and most grateful feelings. Again, it was given in the most solemn and authoritative manner, * All power,' said he, ' has been given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, into all the world. LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 105 and disciple all nations.' It is as if he had said : The resources of the Godhead, the treasures of the covenant of grace, the dominion of all worlds, and a claim to the homage of all nations, have been granted to me by my Father ; the heathen are my inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth are my possession. I have full authority to apply to all classes the saving blessings which I have gained by my obedience unto death ; and I appoint and authorize you, as my delegates and representatives, to go into all countries and subject men everywhere to my sway. Carry on this work till every human being has heard the gospel, and till the scheme of God with regard to the personal salvation of men has been completed. And, lo, I will be with you, and with all your successors, down to the last moment of allotted time. Viewed thus, it is a most gracious command, rich with divine benignity. It speaks of glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and goodwill towards men. It embodies and presents gospel privileges for all the Gentiles. It is the source of hope and joy to the guilty and the perishing in all regions and in all generations. It is the most important and delightful charge, the most precious and honourable mission, with which men were ever in- vested. It constitutes those to whom it was addressed ambassadors for God — yea, workers together with him in the great matter of human salvation. Realize the grand scene. There stands the living Saviour, with his back on the cross and on the grave, the one hand pointing up to his Father, who is waiting to receive him into glory, the other pointing to the benighted and wretched heathen nations ; and he says, while ineffable affection beams in his face, I have won for men of every class all needed blessings. Go and offer these freely to all persons without exception, and cease not till all the children of God, gathered from all 106 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. peoples and from all ages, have, through faith in me, been fitted for the heavenly inheritance. Who is there that calls Christ Master and Lord that will not hasten to fulfil this commission 1 Surely gratitude and love to the divine Saviour, as well as regard for his authority, will constrain us to obedience here. It lays on the church a duty, which is seen to be not a burden, but a privilege ; not a task, but ■ an 'easy yoke ;' not a self-denying labour, but a work which is godlike, blessing alike the worker and those for whom he works. And then, as we have said, it has connected with it the promise of Christ's gracious presence : * Go ; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world,' — words which intimate that as his glory is deeply concerned in this work, he will himself accompany his messengers, sustain them in every step of their journey, and crown their labours with the requisite success. How different is this message from that which the prophet Isaiah had to deliver ! He was sent to announce destruction and ruin, ' until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the lands be utterly desolate.' But the preacher of the gospel proclaims everywhere ' glad tidings of great joy,' and offers to all to whom he comes forgiveness of sins, acceptance with God, and a title to life eternal. The ' live coal' from the altar which touched Isaiah's lips, purged his iniquity, and kindled in his heart the warmest love, made him willing to undertake for God any service, and to deliver any message. And if a beam from the cross shall enter the souls of the members of the church, they too will at once and cheerfully address themselves to the doing of Christ's work. Even the angel that John saw standing in the sun, encircled with all its brightness, is not to be compared in dignity and benevolence of office with the angel which he beheld flying through the midst of heaven, there denoting LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 107 the New Testament cliurch : for the former swore that the reign of mercy had ceased — that time, with all its privileges, had come to an end ; but the latter had the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and people, and tongue. It is sad to think that this great command, which the dis- ciples of the first century so energetically obeyed, which has bound the church in every age, and which will continue to bind it down to the latest hour — for its incidence is co-equal with the promised presence of Christ — was for more than a thousand years nearly utterly neglected. Error, ritualistic superstitions, wealth, and imperial favour deadened the church, and crushed out its vital energies. It had scarcely a name to live during the long period of what has been called ' the dark ages.' And when the Reformation took place, and drew the Bible from underneath the mass of rubbish where it had been buried out of sight, and held it up again as a light to the nations ; and when it asserted the doctrines of free grace, — of that grace which 'reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord,' — the churches which were then formed unhappily wasted their strength in doctrinal conflicts with one another, or in dialectic controversies with the adherents of Rome, and thought little of, and did little for, the nations perishing outside and afar off. The flame of vital piety declined, spiritual energies shrank and withered, and the power of aggression and conquest ceased; so that for three hundred years these churches, so far from extending their boundaries, were scarcely able to maintain their original limits. The practical neglect of Christ's command to evangelize the world was at once their sin and their weakness. A non-missionary church is a dying church. But a better state of things has come. The most encouraging and hopeful feature of our 108 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. times — that which gives us reason, in the midst of abound- ing scepticism, infidehty, and latitudinarian doctrines, to expect the continued gracious presence of Christ — is the revival and the development of the missionary spirit, the obedience which in a greater or less degree is now being paid to this command by all evangelical churches. There is not a church holding the doctrines of free grace, either in this country, on the Continent of Europe, or in America, that is not occupied in the work of home and foreign mis- sions. This is specially the case with our own church. It embodied in the Basis of Union — framed in 1847 at the happy union of the Secession and Relief Churches — the obligation of which we are speaking, declaring ' that this church solemnly recognises the obligation to hold forth, as well as to hold fast, the doctrine and the law of Christ, and to make exertions for the universal diffusion of the bless- ings of the gospel at home and abroad.' It thus formally constituted itself a missionary church, emblazoning on its banner, 'We preach a gospel for the world.' The first Confession of the Reformers in Scotland — made in August 1560 — defined the true Kirk of Christ as consisting in three things, — the faithful preaching of the Word, the proper exercise of discipline, and the right administration of the sacraments ; but we have added a fourth, equally necessary as a mark of the true church, — the recognised obligation to propagate the gospel in the world. And it is a cheering and most gratifying consideration that the duty of taking a part in missions is being widely felt by the members of the church j and should the Holy Spirit, in answer to importu- nate prayer, come down in fuller measure, the time will not be distant when every person whose name is on the roll of membership will feel himself or herself as much bound to obey Christ's command to spread the gospel as to obey the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 109 command to show forth his death. Both were given by the divine Saviour, both are equally obligatory, and both will be obeyed with equal willingness and zeal by every one who remembers that Christ said, * Ye are m.y friends if ye do whatsoever I command you.' 2. The nature and the design of the New Testament church. The church is an institution or a kingdom set up by God in this world. It is heavenly in its origin, made and fashioned by God himself. This idea was shadowed forth by the tabernacle that was formed at the foot of Sinai. It was put down on the earth, resting on its silver sockets, no part being inserted in the ground; and it had no light from without. The golden candlestick, fed by its pure olive oil, gave light to the priests who ministered in the holy place ; and the glory which shone above the mercy-seat and between the cherubim — the emblem of the divine presence — was the light of the most holy place. All this was intended not merely to show that the tabernacle was migratory, but that it was a gift from God, and in no respect a product of earth ; for the plan and the arrangement of the temple, drawn for David by the Holy Spirit, when God was pleased to dwell in a fixed habitation, were the same. It is so with the New Testament church. 'And in the days of these kings,' said Daniel, ' shall the God of heaven set up a king- dom.' It was to be erected by God and called his kingdom — the kingdom of God. Its plan was framed by him, and all its laws, immunities, and blessings are heavenly and spiritual. The truth, which is its light and its strength, was given by divine revelation ; the atonement and the righteousness, which are the life-blood of its subjects, are the results of divine work ; its ordinances have all been estabhshed by divine authority ; and the blessings, which are its riches and its joys, come from the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not like 110 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. other kingdoms, material and earthly, * meat and drink,' — the things after which men naturally seek ; but it is ' right- eousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.' Jesus, its head, is the King of truth, and his kingdom is not of this world, not simply in the sense that it is separated from other kingdoms — in the world, but not of it — but that it is celestial in its origin and character. It is thus adapted to all countries and to all forms of government. It addresses men as immortal beings, calls them to spiritual services, and it teaches all to fear God and honour the king. Thus, as light covers all bodies, gives them shape, colour, and beauty, but displaces none; so the kingdom of Christ permeates with its vital influences all kingdoms, blesses and adorns them, and destroys none. And the design of this kingdom is to renovate the world. The Old Testament church was local in its purpose, but the New is to fill all lands. Diff'usion is its very characteristic. The charge given to all its sub- jects is, 'Freely ye have received, freely give.' Every place is now holy ground, and the business of the church is ' to disciple all nations.' There is now, in point of external privilege, no difference among men : the gospel is for all peoples. Christ said to all his followers, ' Ye are the light of the world;' and as an American divine (Bishop M'llvaine) has remarked : ' To the church, then, belongs, in regard to the moral world, the same office for which the sun was ordained in the natural. Both were set up for the express purpose of giving light, and giving light to all that are in the world; that their "going forth might be from the end of the heaven, and their circuit unto the ends of it, till there should be nothing hid from the light thereof." ' The church is provided with an inestimable treasure ; and this is intended for the benefit of the destitute in all climes, for she is ' to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELIS^r. 1 1 1 riches of Christ.' The very command of Christ to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature implies that the full blessings of salvation have been rea- lized. The time for gathering is past, the sacrifice has been slain, the feast is prepared, and the guests are everywhere to be invited, for all things are ready. The prediction has been verified : ' And in this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things ; and he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread overall nations;' for when Christ died on Mount Sion, he prepared a feas^t for all people, removed the covering and tore the veil which had rested on all nations, and gave to those who up to that time had been far off, equally as to those that were near, a right to the gospel and to all the ordinances of a church state. And he sent forth his servants, and their message was and is, ' Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars ; she hath killed her beasts ; she hath mingled her wine ; she hath also furnished her table ; and she crietli upon the highest places of the city, Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither : as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.' Or, to advert to the beautiful parable of the marriage sup- per : The King of heaven has sent forth his servants, and he has enjoined them to go into the highways and the hedges, — to all places of the outlying heathen world, — and to invite all the spiritually diseased to come in, for still there is room. Then the ordinances of the church are fitted for all classes, for all countries, and for all ages. This is a feature which stamps them with universality. They are so simple, so inexpensive, and so easily observed, that they suit men in Greenland as well as in London, the poor as 112 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. well as the rich. There is no call for gorgeous buildings, costly furniture, or splendid robes. Praise, prayer, the preaching of the Word, baptism, the Lord's Supper — the full ordinances of a church state — may all be enjoyed in the mountain cave, the ice-built hut, or under the palm tree ; and as sweet and realizing fellowship may there be had with God as in the grandest cathedral that man ever reared. This is a blessed thought ; and it shows that the time of which Christ spake has come, when they who worship God, who is a spirit, do so in spirit and in truth, yield him every- where acceptable service. And still further, all the privi- leges of the church are of a self-multiplying character : like the bread which Christ blessed, they grow as they are used and spread. You cannot take a view of a privilege, an ordinance, a grace, or a duty, which has not a reference to others, and which does not increase in value and in power by being extended. The more the church gives to others, the more she has. Giving and getting are the com- merce which enriches the church as well as nations. To quote again the words of the author to whom I have alreadj; referred, ' The church of Christ on earth is no other than a great association, under a divine constitution, of the pro- fessed people of God, for the propagation of the gospel to every creature ; and inasmuch as the preaching of the gospel by an ordained ministry is God's chief ordinance for that propagation, so the church is a great missionary association, divinely constituted, for the special work of sending into all the world the ministers and the mission- aries of the Word.' This idea that the church is an institu- tion for the world is its honour and its glory. Were it not so, it would not become him who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Proud men lifted up to power have in their widest ambition sought to establish a universal empire. LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 1 1 3 This lofty conception was wrought out in the four great heathen kingdoms described by Daniel. These were sym- bolized by the image whose head was gold, its breast and its arms silver, its belly and its thighs brass, its legs iron, its feet part of iron and part of clay — brilliant at the first, but becoming baser and baser, till it sank into the earth whence it came. It was a daring and a presumptuous aim, arrogating the place and the prerogatives of him who is the blessed and only Potentate. But that which men failed to achieve, Christ will accomplish. That kingdom, which all others have hated and opposed and proscribed, will grow and spread till it fill the whole earth ; for Sion's King, who bringeth salvation, will ' speak peace unto the heathen, and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth ; and in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.' 3. Regard to the spiritual prosperity of the church. We are all bound, as the loyal subjects of the Lord Jesus Christ, to seek the well-being of his kingdom ; for in proportion as that is attained, are the glory of God and the best interests of men promoted. Now it is an obvious maxim, that it is in the way of obeying Christ, of improving faithfully the means and the opportunities which we enjoy, that spiritual blessings are realized. This fact stands out very prominently in Old Testament history. Obedience is there shown ever to lead to prosperity, and disobedience to disaster and misery. God is the same now as he was then ; the prin- ciples of his moral government change not : ' Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.' The same great truth is taught by our Lord when, applying the parable of the talents, he says : ' For to him that hath' (that is, who rightly uses what he has) ' shall be given, and H 114 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. from him that hath not' (who does not employ what he has for the honour of Christ) ' shall be taken away even that which he hath.' These words might be put as the motto of all church history ; for it can be proved that churches, con- gregations, and individual Christians, have prospered or declined, been flourishing or weak, just as they were diligent or slothful, devotedly obedient to Christ or indolently care- less and apathetic. When churches ' walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, they are multi- plied ;' but when they fall from their ' first love' and their ' first works,' and refuse repentance and reformation, the Lord rejects them as his witnesses. Oh that this all- important truth were more strongly and widely felt ! for all spiritual good depends on it. It is the blessing of the Lord that makes the church rich ; and that will not be given where Christ's command is neglected. We may have the means of grace in abundance; the framework may be com- plete; there may be order, peace, large numbers, wealth, and everything that is outwardly pleasing to the eye ; and yet these ordinances may be as wells without water, as clouds without rain. Christ is not there in his gracious and vivi- fying power; and sinners are not converted, believers are not edified, deadness marks the sanctuary and the church court, and all because enjoined duty is not done. Ay, and there may be apparently greater attachment to the mere church, just as the Jews seem to have gloried specially in their temple after the Lord had forsaken it ; and there may be even a more solemn and decorous attention to ritual observ- ances when the life and the beauty of true godliness have all but departed, and when the pall of spiritual death is falling lower and lower on the house of G-od. There is another great practical truth which, in connection with this branch of our subject, it is very important for us to bear in LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 115 mind, namely, that the means for effecting enjoined duty- are communicated just as they are needed. The Lord calls us to hve and work by faith ; and it is seldom that he grants beforehand a stock of grace or complete fitness for an assigned work. It is when, having the command of Christ and the promise of his presence, we go forward in faith, cordially endeavouring to do his will, that difficulties are removed and the requisite success bestowed. This truth is finely illustrated in the case of the man with the withered arm, mentioned in the gospel. He had no power to stretch out his hand — it hung by his side rigid as a piece of wood ; but at the command of Christ he made the attempt, and in the act strength was given him to do it. It is shown also in the conduct of the people of Israel at the Red Sea. They had the divine command to leave Egypt, and the visible presence of God in the cloud and in the fire, and therefore the Lord said to Moses, ' Wherefore criest thou unto me "i * It is not the time for prayer, but for action ; you have already all that you require : ' Speak unto the people that they go forward.' They did so: the sea was divided, and in a few hours they reached in safety the shore of Arabia. It may be said that the Lord never asks his people to do a work without engaging to confer the necessary means ; but then they must, in reliance on his promised aid, honestly and sincerely try it, and in that case they will not fail. Now, the unspeakable importance of this principle will be seen if we attend to what the church is called upon to do. It is to evangelize the world, the whole world, — to revolutionize its beliefs, its customs, and its character. Is it adequate for this most stupendous enterprise 1 Not as looked at in itself ; but perfectly adequate when viewed in relation to the power and resources of God. But the ability for the work will be vouchsafed in the effort to do it. 116 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. Progress will be expansive. The stone which Daniel saw became larger and more potent the farther it went ; and the river of living waters which Ezekiel describes deepened and widened as it flowed. It is sustained, too, by the facts of the New Testament. Look at Jesus when John the Baptist pointed to him as ' the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.' There he walks alone, and without a single follower ; but in three years and a half, although the Spirit was not then given, there are at least ' five hundred brethren' that call him Master and Lord. No agency could seem, to human view, less fitted to evangelize the world than the twelve disciples whom Christ chose and appointed as his preachers. Whether we regard their previous condi- tion and habits, or the fewness of their number, it seemed utterly improbable that they would fill the world with Christ's name and truth. But their success was rapid and wonderful, enlarging at every step. The first sermon yielded three thousand converts. ' The word of God increased, and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.' And when the disciples ' went forth' to the Gentiles, and preached everywhere, the *Lord wrought with them, and confirmed the word with signs following ;' so that before the close of the first century there was scarcely a city or a village in the Roman empire, which then occupied nearly all that was known of the world, that had not an assembly of devout followers of Christ. God gave testimony to the word of his grace. The Spirit breathed on the audiences to whom the gospel was preached, and Christ was glorified. We have an instructive example of the manner in which obedience leads to prosperity and expansion in the case of the church of Antioch, which, as I said in a preceding lecture, I regard as the model New LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 117 Testaraent church. There was here first a period of diligent and faithful ' preaching the Lord Jesus,' begun by the men of Cyprus and Cyrene, and continued by Barnabas, and then by Paul and Barnabas ; and while these men preached, * the hand of the Lord was present to heal.' There was the outburst of grateful feeling to their brethren in Judea, from whom the gospel had come to them, which was shown in the liberal pecuniary collection that was made for their relief, every one giving according to his ability. And then, under all these gracious influences, wrapping them as in an atmosphere of celestial love, and drawing them more closely to God, it is said that the teachers * ministered to the Lord and fasted.' The words are very peculiar : ' They ministered to the Lord.' It was the Lord that they saw; it was of him that they thought ; and it was for him that they laboured. And they 'fasted' while they 'ministered.' It was a ministry guided and upheld by prayer. Like Moses, their cry is, ' Lord, show us thy glory.' Oh, it is a beautiful scene ! These zealous teachers have come through the rent veil of Christ's flesh into the inner sanctuary, ' the holy of holies;' and while the incense of their prayers rises up before the mercy-seat, they plead for greater and more satisfying manifestations of God's face. The Lord heard them ; their graces were enlarged, and they overflowed on others, for it was while they were so occupied that the Holy Ghost said to them, ' Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them,' and gave to this church the signal honour of sending the first mission to the Gentiles. So will it ever be. When the teachers of a church are noted for ' ministering to the Lord,' and when they join to earnest preaching 'fasting,' — deep humility and prayer, — that church will no more be kept from the work of missions than an active spring of water can be kept from overflowing. But it may be said, It is true that the church 118 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. has placed at her disposal all the equipment that is required in so far as celestial means are concerned, — the completed revelation of God's will, a finished salvation, the ordinances which God has appointed, the command of Christ, and the pledged agency of the Holy Spirit, — but that she has not the pecuniary means which the vast enterprise demands. Here again the Scripture meets us, and tells us that these means will be granted when the occasion for them arises. The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof The silver and the gold are his ; and these he has hitherto, generally speaking, kept from his people, according to his promise, ' I will leave in the midst of you an afflicted and a poor people, and they will trust in the name of the Lord ; ' but when his people shall obtain better views, and be disposed to use wealth for his glory and the good of others, acting the part of conscientious stewards, the Lord will take the riches of earth from the ungodly and give them to the church. This seems to be the plain import of the sixtieth chapter of Isaiah, a chapter which, it may be said, covers not merely the church but the world with a flood of glory. The church is there called upon to arise and shine. It does so. The Gentiles come to its light, and kings to the bright- ness of its rising ; and then all nations are represented as pouring their wealth into her treasury, alike the fruits of the land and the gains of commerce, ' the abundance of the sea and the forces of the Gentiles ; ' and a state of things is the result when brass becomes gold, iron silver, wood brass, and stones iron. In conclusion, let us, in a few sentences, apply these principles to our own church and to the evangelical churches of Scotland. There cannot be a doubt that the missionary enterprise has been of immense benefit to our church. It has enlarged the number of our congregations, paid the debt resting on many of our churches, enabled not a few LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 119 congregations to erect more ornate structures, pro\d(led manses for our ministers, raised the stipends of our pastors. and given us a name among the churches of Christ ; and it has done these and other things because it has opened the hearts and the hands of our people, and taught them habits of liberality. Let us be thankful, too, that the spirit of Christian benevolence is yearly on the increase. But we are yet far from the acme of duty. And this is true not only of us, but of all the professing Christians in Scotland. In this land there are nearly three thousand evangelical ministers, preaching the gospel from Sabbath to Sabbath ; and no country since the ascension of the Saviour ever enjoyed the same amount of religious advantages. Well, it can be proved by reliable statistics that the annual income of all classes in Scotland is £50,000,000 sterling ; and I do not believe, from all that I have read or heard, that more than £80,000 a year, if so much, are given for the spread of the gospel among heathen nations. This is only the 625th part of the income of Scotland directed to the grand work enjoined by Christ — that work the doing of which is essentially connected with the prosperity of the church. When this fact is looked at, is it any wonder that the complaint should be so often heard, that the state of vital religion is low, and that multitudes in city and country are sliding down into careless home heathenism 1 AMiat, then, is to be done 1 ' Speak unto the people that they go forward.' As we advance, our graces will be enlarged, more abundant gifts will be conferred, more ample means will be placed at our command, and a higher degree of life and Christian energy will be realized. ' Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord : his going forth is prepared as the morning ; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.' LECTUKE VII. THE OBLIGATIONS WHICH LIE ON THE CHURCH TO SEEK THE EVANGELIZATION OF THE WHOLE WORLD. IN our last lecture we called your attention to this subject, and spoke of the obligations lying on the church to spread the gospel, arising, first, from the com- mand of Christ, given in circumstances peculiarly interest- ing, and in the most solemn and authoritative manner, to go into all the world and disciple all nations ; secondly, from the nature and design of the New Testament church, as being a spiritual institution or kingdom, set up by God in the world for the express purpose of subjecting all classes of men to the faith and the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ ; and thirdly, from a regard to the spiritual pro- sperity of the church, it being obvious that this can be realized only in the earnest and the believing attempt to do the Lord's will. We come now, in the fourth place, to speak of the obligation which rests on the church springing from the claim which the church has to all nations as her property. ' This claim is founded on the promise mentioned in Eom. iv. 13, where it is said : ' For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham, or his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.* This is a very important topic, frequently noticed in the writings of the prophets, and yet I do not recollect LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND KVANGELISM. 121 having heard it formally adverted to in any missionary discourse or address to which it has been my privilege to listen. The only author, so far as I know, that has regu- larly discussed it is the celebrated Vitringa, the writer of the learned and elaborate commentary on the prophecies of Isaiah. He has a dissertation on the subject in his Obser- vationes Sacrce, a work in two thick quarto volumes, rich with ingenious and often very beautiful expositions of particular passages of Scripture. I shall endeavour to set this subject before you in a manner as clear and as interest- ing as I can ; and in doing so, I shall show that the persons who are the heirs are the spiritual children of Abraham ; that the inheritance or the property to which they have a claim are the Gentile nations ; that the posses- sion promised is spiritual in its nature, and will be attained when these nations are brought into the communion of the church ; and that these views impose the duty of active missionary labour. I. The persons who are said to be the heirs are the spiritual children of Abraham. The seed of Abraham, in the line of Isaac and Jacob, are by the apostle Paul divided into two classes, — those of the law, and those of faith. The former were, by their descent, entitled to the temporal advantages that were promised to this patriarch, and they accordingly obtained possession of the land of Canaan, and enjoyed the outward privileges of the Jewish economy. They were externally members of the church, had the means of salvation, and were endowed with many earthly benefits ; but as they were destitute of saving faith, they were not accounted the genuine children of Abraham, and had therefore no part in the spiritual inheritance ; for as faith was the distinguishing characteristic of this great man, it was those only who had a similar faith that were reckoned his - 122 LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. true seed. ' Know ye, therefore,' says the apostle, in Gal. iii. 7, * that they who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.' And again it is said, Eom. ix. 8 : ' The children* of the promise are counted for the seed.' Those believers or spiritual children among the Jews had, equally with the former class, a right to Canaan and to the external advan- tages of the church; but, in addition to these things, they were personally interested in the higher and more impor- tant blessings which the covenant sealed. Now, while the former class was limited to the descendants of Jacob, the latter class includes all believers, — all the children of God through faith in Christ, whether Jews or Gentiles. The genuine members of the Christian church, in all ages and climes, who are united to Christ by a living faith, are the spiritual children of Abraham, can claim him as their father, and are heirs of the spiritual blessings promised to him, just as really as were the believing Jews. This great truth is explicitly asserted by the apostle when he says, Gal. iii. 29, ' And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.' The blessings which are held out to this spiritual seed, the inheritance of which they are heirs, transcend ineffably in value, magnificence, and extent the temporal heritage and benefits which the merely natural seed possessed. The descriptions which the sacred writers give of their privileges are glowing and majestic. The laboured accounts which historians, orators, and poets have drawn of the prosperity, the happiness, and the resources of favoured kingdoms, fall unspeakably short of the immense benefits which are pledged to them. There are a sublimity and an extensive- ness, a grandeur and a width of view, in the inspired delineations of their immunities, before which all human descriptions sink into nothing. All things are theirs — LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EV.VNGELISM. 123 things present and things to come ; God himself is their portion, heaven is their destined home, and eternal pleasure -and glory are their future award. And even their heritage on earth is, according to the promise before us, of inestim- able worth. It is not like that of those who were heirs only according to the flesh, confined to one spot, marked out by prescribed limits, and including merely one race of men. It embraces all continents and islands, — the whole habitable globe, — and it numbers all nations and kindreds; for they are ' heirs of the world.' This brings us to show — II. That the inheritance or property of which they are heirs are the nations of the earth. The thing spoken of is the world, — ' heirs of the world ; ' and the promise to which the apostle refers is that on which the heirship is founded — is that which God gave to Abraham when he said, 'A father of many nations have I made thee.' He was to be head, not of the Jews only, but of a multitude of nations ; and in his seed, it was declared, ' all the families of the earth were to be blessed.' The expressions, ' many nations,' 'a multitude of nations,' 'all the families of the earth,' denote the same thing as that which is pointed out by the term ' world,' for this]word, in the sense here used, does not mean the mere earth, — the material globe, — but the people who dwell on its surface. It describes the Gentiles as dis- tinguished from the Jews, as when it is said that ' the fall of the Jews was the riches of the world,' that is, as stated in the next clause, the riches of the Gentiles. In the writings of Paul the term ' world ' is frequently applied to the nations of the earth, and therefore we are to view it as including all classes and kindreds of men, and are conse- quently warranted to affirm that the nations themselves are the grant held out in the promise ; or that the 124 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. possession of these nations as their property is the heritage to which the believing seed of Abraham have a right. With this conchision accord the statements of the pro- phets. The broadest declarations are employed to describe the universality of the claim which the church has to all nations. Take the following examples : — ' Thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles ; ' ' The meek shall inherit the earth ; ' ' A multitude of nations;' ' A goodly heritage of the hosts of nations;' 'The ends of the earth;' 'The isles;' 'All the families of the earth ;' ' The desolate heritages.' These are some of the expressions which the prophets employ when speaking of this inheritance promised to the church ; and it is mani- fest that they authorize us to declare that all nations, divided though they be by different languages, manners, and laws, shall be brought into one community, and be counted the property of the spiritual seed. It seems a singular mode of speaking — a phraseology which is opposed to our notions of the common rights and liberties of men — to call nations property, or an inheritance, and to say that believers are heirs of the Gentiles. We usually apply the term inheritance to lands, houses, money, and such kinds of estate, and do not consider human beings as coming under this designation. But it was otherwise in ancient and patriarchal times. A man's wealth then consisted not so much in land, or in gold and silver, as in the numbers of hi^ flocks and herds, and of his men-servants and maid-servants ; and as these domestic retainers were transferred from father to son, it was quite usual to reckon them in the light of an inheritance. Hence Abraham's servant said : ' The Lord hath blessed my master greatly, and he is become great, and he hath given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and men-servants and maid- LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 125 servants, and camels and asses ; and to Isaac his son hath he given all that he hath.' It is this custom that Vitringa says gave rise to the language which the prophets use when they speak of the Gentile nations as the servants or the property of the church. His words are : ' Certe cum anti- quis temporibus divitiae et opes non tarn auro et argento censerentur quam peculio et familia servorum et ancillarum, qui dominis suis ad omnem usum erant subjecti ; sic pariter in effatis prophetarum est, gentes Judseis esse instar servorum et ancillarum subjiciendas, corumque servituras usibus et commodis, et hac ratione ab iis mancijnorum instar occupandas et possidendas esse.' And in support of this statement he refers to Isaiah xiv. 2, where it is said : * And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place ; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and for handmaids ;' and it is declared that the nations are to serve the church, just as the men-servants in former times served their masters. But we shall immediately see that as this service is to be spiritual, it does not import subjection or inferiority, but community of privilege. This, then, is the vast benefit held out in this promise, that all the nations of the earth are to be brought into the possession of the spiritual seed of Abraham. It is called in the Scriptures * a goodly heritage ' — a heritage which is to ' feed ' or enrich the church ; and when we survey its im- mense extent, we see that it amply merits this name. The widest dominions over which earthly monarchs ever swayed their sceptres occupied but small portions of the globe ; but this includes all regions, and that not in a state of barbarism, but when mankind shall have attained the highest degrees of civilisation, science, and literature, and when the know- ledge of the Lord shall fill the whole earth. Well, then, may the church exclaim : ' The Hnes are fallen to me in 126 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. pleasant places ; I have a goodly heritage. The Lord will choose our inheritance for us.' III. The possession of the nations promised to the true seed is spiritual in its nature, and will be realized when they are brought into the communion of the church. The Jews, observing those passages which speak of Abraham as the father of all nations, and which declare that these nations are to serve his seed, understood them literally, and founded on them their favourite and fondly cherished idea of a civil or temporal dominion to be exercised by them over the whole world. The expressions, however, are so distinct and peculiar that they could not fail seeing that they predict a union in religious matters, and on this account they held that the Gentiles were to adopt their religion ; and thus it was that they authorized the proselytes to call Abraham their father, on the ground, as they said, that he was made the father of the whole world. But at the same time they held that, while the Gentiles would adopt their mode of worship, the civil power and all civil honours would be enjoyed by the Jews. Their idea was, that the Jewish religion would be the religion of the world, and that the descendants of Jacob would be the governors over all the nations, and would fill every office of trust, dignity, and power. It was an idea very flattering to the pride of a carnal people, who, glorying in their divinely given ordin- ances, regarded themselves as the special favourites of God. But the idea is manifestly untenable. It could be realized only either by the Jews adopting the Gentiles into the family of Abraham, or by compelling them by force of arms to submit to their authority, or by the Gentiles volun- tarily yielding themselves as their servants. Adoption by the Jews has not the least countenance from the Scriptures ; the work of subduing the Gentiles by force of arms is LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 127 beyond the power of the Jews ; and the thought that the Gentiles will spontaneously surrender themselves as civil servants and subjects is wild and visionary. Besides, the promise does not say to Abraham, I have made thee a prince or a king of all nations. It is, I have made thee a father of many nations, and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed, — language which implies that the union to be formed is to spring from affection, and that the dominion which the intimated possession imports is to be mild and beneficial. As the notion of a civil dominion cannot, therefore, be entertained, we are to view the passages which relate to this matter as describing a spiritual relationship, and as asserting that all nations shall be formed into one great spiritual society, to be united in religious communion, and yielding a willing and cordial subjection to the great principles of the gospel. That this is the true view of the case is evident from these three considerations : — 1. The possession or dominion spoken of rests upon unity in the faith. It is faith which brings any one into it. The whole scope of the apostle's argument in the fourth of the Romans and in the third of the Galatians is, that faith is the connecting bond among all the spiritual seed, and that in this respect they are on a perfect equality. It is spiritual brotherhood, not lordship of one class over another. They are all one in Christ Jesus, are connected together by an interest in the same imputed righteousness, and are entitled to the same promises. The gospel, Paul says, was preached to Abraham when it was declared that in him, or rather in his seed, Christ Jesus, all the families of the earth were to be blessed. The blessing of the families of the earth, which clearly means participating in the spiritual privileges of Christ's salvation, is the same as 128 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. the promise that he should be the father of many nations, or that these nations should serve his seed. Abraham obtained these promises by faith while he was in a state of uncircumcision ; and this is expressly declared to have been done that he might be the father of believing Gentiles as well as Jews. That which exalted him to the high honour of being the father of all nations, and which raises indi- viduals in these nations to the honour of being his children or his inheritance, — for these words denote the same thing, — is faith. This, as we have already said, is the family bond or tie. It makes those who were once aliens ' fellow- citizens with the saints and of the household of God.' Hence in the fourth chapter of the Romans it is said, that the promise of the inheritance of the world was through the righteousness of faith ; and consequently that it can be claimed by all those among the Gentiles who walk in the steps of that faith which Abraham had while yet uncircum- cised. And in the third chapter of Galatians it is said that the children of God are the true children of Abraham, and that they come into this state by faith in Jesus Christ : ' Know ye, therefore, that they who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying. In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they who be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.' ' For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.' ' There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female ; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.' It is obvious that the verses just quoted — verses full of hope and joy to the world — warrant us in saying that those passages which speak of the possession or LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 129 the dominion of all nations, to be acquired by believers in Christ, the spiritual seed of Abraham, teach the glorious doctrine of the subjection of those nations to the faith of the gospel, and that they are thus to have fellowship Avith Abraham in the gift of imputed righteousness, and in all the saving benefits which faith ensures. 2. The explanation given by the apostle James shows that the possession of the nations promised to the seed of Abraham just means their being brought into the com- munion of the church. The predictions of the prophets can generally be arranged into certain classes, bearing on specific subjects ; and it is of great importance when we find in the New Testament an inspired exposition of one of these passages. In that case we are safe in regarding it as the true meaning of the language in which that class of pre- dictions is clothed. Now, there are several passages, as we have said, which speak of the possession of all nations, or the dominion over them, which the seed of Abraham are to acquire. Take that in Amos ix. 11, 12 : 'In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen down, and close up the breaches thereof ; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old : that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the nations that are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this.' Here you have the possession of the remnant of Edom and of all the heathen nations distinctly promised. Noav, the apostle James, as stated in the fifteenth chapter of the Acts, quoted this prediction, and showed that the possession which .it announces just means ' God's visiting the Gentiles, and taking out of them a people for his name;' and that it began to be accomplished when Christ, the royal Son of David, was exalted to the divine throne, and when the Gentiles embraced the doctrines of the gospel, and became a part of the church. I 130 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. And 3. The consideration that it is Christ, the chief seed of Abraham, who, as the Head and King of the church, is to possess the Gentiles, proves that the inheritance is to be spiritual. He is the seed, the apostle informs us, to whom chiefly the promise was made, and in whom all the families of the earth are to be blessed. He has had ' the heathen given to him for an inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for a possession.' It is he who is to subdue and to rule the nations as his property. The possession of the world, then, or the dominion over the nations, is nothing else than the kingdom of Christ, or his governing the nations and making men blessed. But the kingdom of Christ is spiritual. It disclaims all force, oppression, and servitude. It is a reign of truth and love, founded on con- viction and faith. It is the homage of the heart which Christ requires, and the blessings which he communicates are spiritual and saving. Hence he is described not only as the heir and the King of the Gentile nations, but as their Teacher and Saviour, — ' a light to lighten the Gentiles,' and God's ' salvation to the end of the earth.' All nations are to trust in his name, glory in him as their Lord, and serve and obey him as their king ; and when his gospel shall every- where be proclaimed, when his laws shall control all classes of men, and when he shall reign over an obedient and delighted world, then shall all the nations be fully possessed as the inheritance of the spiritual seed of Abraham. Thus we have shown that the heathen nations themselves are the great benefit held out in the promise of which we have been speaking, and that the inheritance of the world, in regard to which the spiritual seed of Abraham are heirs, just means that the Gentiles shall be brought into the fellowship of the church, and be made to share in all the spiritual blessings of Abraham, and act on those principles LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 131 come now to speak of IV. The obligation which the promised possession of the Gentile nations lays upon the church to seek their evange- lization. The claim which the church has to these nations is that of property. It is founded on the promise and the grant of God. The Lord who made these nations has given them to his Son, and through him to the church; and he says to his believing people, even when they are few in number, as he said to Abraham, Lift up your eyes and look eastwards and westwards, northwards and southwards ; all these nations are thine : arise and possess them. The claim to property is one of the strongest that can be imagined, and every man is bound to assert and to vindicate it; all law and justice warrant him in doing so. Would any one be justified in living in a miserable hovel, and seeing his family in destitution and wretchedness, who had a legal claim to an extensive and valuable estate? Such conduct would be universally condemned. And yet this is exactly what a non-missionary church does. It has a claim, given by God himself, to an inheritance which exceeds in worth all the silver, the gold, the gems, and the land of earth. Oh, there is nothing to a spiritual eye, that sees the value of Christ's salvation, so attractive, so interesting, and so grand as this heritage of the church ! It embraces one thousand millions of immortal beings, each of whom is more valuable than this material world. And three-fourths of these millions are existing in a state of spiritual dark- ness and destitution, sunk in the deepest and most debasing superstitions, and cruelly ruled over by him who has been a liar and a murderer from the beginning. How, then, can the church do its duty to God, who gave these millions to its charge, or to the millions themselves, unless it do what 132 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. it can to have them brought into the communion of the gospel 1 Indolence here, as the fate of the man who hid his talent in the earth shows, is terrible sin. It has in all ages been regarded as an imperative duty to maintain and to defend the right which any people has to its property. This was the right on which the wars of Joshua proceeded. The Lord had given a grant of the land of Canaan to his people, and the duty of all the males in Israel was to arm themselves, and, under the leadership of him who had showed himself to Joshua as the Captain of the Lord's host, to go forth to battle, and to gain in actual possession that which had been held out in promise. This was the great work of that age, that which God enjoined, which was binding on every full-grown man, and which in reality continued to be the work and the duty of the church till it was completed by the victories of David. It was a claim to property also that led Jephthah the Gileadite to go to war with the children of Ammon. That people invaded and seized the country which lay between the Anion and the Jabbok, the Jordan and the wilderness, which had been given to the tribes of Eeuben and Gad, and which they had possessed for three hundred years ; and in the recovery of this country Jephthah felt that he could rely on the Lord, as doing a just thing. He did so, and was successful. It was on a claim to property that tlie late war in India was based. We were fighting for that which was our own. In that war the deepest sympathies of Christians w^ere called forth ; they felt that they could legitimately pray for its success, and hence ultimate victory was hailed with special gladness. It was a claim to property, too, which produced the recent Abyssinian war. Those that were held in bondage by a remorseless tyrant were our countrymen, and when the tidings of their rescue, LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 133 achieved by the gallant conduct of our soldiers, reached this land, every heart was thankful. And yet these great events, which find a place in history, effected merely deliverances that were material and temporal. But here are the nations of the world, reckoning their successive generations almost innumerable, committed to the church as its property, with the command to instruct them and to bring them under the influence of the gospel. And if the church neglect this trust, it is impossible to exaggerate the degree of guilt that will be contracted. The promise and the grant of God, the injunction to provide for the spiritual and eternal welfare of these millions, and the very means of salvation that have been bestowed on the church for this end, all inculcate active missionary labour. These heathen nations are not merely our neighbours, whom the law of God charges us to love as we love ourselves, but they are, by the promise of God of which we have been speaking, set before us as those that should be made by us our fellow church-members. And what will any one who professes to be a son and an heir of Abraham say to God in the great day if he remain unconcerned about the state of these nations 1 ' If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain,' — that is the condition of these heathen nations ; — ' if thou sayest. Behold, we knew it not,' — and none can say that in this age of missionary intelligence, — *doth not he that pondereth the heart consider if? and he' that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall he not render to every man according to his works ? ' Again, think of the vast magnitude of the benefit held out in this promise, — the spiritual possession of all the nations of the earth. Reckoning the population of the globe at one thousand millions, it has been customary to 134 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. state that, irrespective of Mohammedans, who are supposed to number one hundred millions, there are six hundred and thirty millions of heathens who have never heard the sound of the blessed gospel. This is an awful thought : six hundred and thirty millions of immortal beings existing in utter destitution of the means of grace ! You could get a child who has just begun to speak to utter the statement, There are six hundred and thirty millions of heathen, and yet the loftiest seraph cannot grasp its import. In speaking on this topic I have been accustomed, when ex- plaining the missionary map of the world, to employ two similes which in some degree help us to realize what it includes. The first is this : Suppose a heap of small stones, numbering six hundred and thirty millions, each of which represents a heathen ; and suppose a youth, ten years of age, were set to throw these stones aside at the rate of twenty a minute or twelve hundred an hour, and were to work ten hours a day and six days a week, would the heap be exhausted when he had laboured for seventy years, and had reached the age of eighty 1 Oh, no ; it would not be half done. All that he would have handled would be only two hundred and sixty-two millions. But we must bear in mind that in thirty years, which are a generation, these six hundred and thirty millions will have passed away, and be replaced by another six hundred and thirty millions. In order, therefore, that the stones may be cast aside as rapidly as the heathen disappear from earth, it would require five and a half persons throwing the stones aside at the rate of one hundred and ten a minute, ten hours each day, and six days a week. Now, I ask, where is the person who has a Christian heart, and who knows the value of souls, that could stand and witness the process ? As he said to himself, as the one hundred and ten stones were LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 135 flung away every minute, to be continued for ten hours every working day, There are one hundred and ten souls gone beyond the reach of the means of grace, the scene would become absolutely overpowering. No man could endure it. The other simile is this : Suppose a precipice, at the foot of which the deep ocean is flowing, and suppose a procession, consisting of men, women, and chil- dren, moving on night and day, two abreast, and at the rate of two miles an hour ; and suppose that when they reached the precipice they threw themselves over, and were engulphed in the devouring waters ; and suppose that you inhabited a cottage near that precipice, and heard the ceaseless scream, and shriek, and loud agony of those perishing amid the billows, could you dwell in that house ? Would it be possible for you to remain quiet 1 AVould you not rush forth and endeavour to rouse the neighbourhood, to prevent these persons from destroying themselves 1 And yet that is what is going on in the heathen world. That dismal procession represents, with almost complete exactitude, the speed at which the heathen are passing away. They are night and day, in a continuous procession, falling over the great precipice of death into that world where Christ is not preached, and where there is no change of state. Oh, when we think of these things, when we bring them home to our minds in something like their reality, and when we consider that all these millions have been given by God to us as our property, is there any language that can be employed to awaken the church to a due sense of obligation that deserves to be called too strong 1 Should the Holy Spirit set the case before us in its just and impressive importance, and give us an adequate view of the magnitude of the charge with which God has entrusted us, we would regard no eff'ort too great, no sacrifice too costly, and no peril too 136 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. formidable, provided that we could rescue any of these souls from the power of spiritual and eternal death. The promise of the heirship of the world, which in this lecture we have tried to explain and illustrate, warrants us to cherish the most delightful anticipations with regard to the future destiny of the church. How unlikely did it seem that the literal seed of Abraham would, according to the divine promise, possess the land of Canaan, when that patriarch dwelt as a stranger in it, and had to purchase for his family a burying-place, and when Jacob and his family were compelled by a grinding famine to go down to Egypt, and were there reduced to bitter servitude ; and yet the promise was in due season fulfilled to the letter. And so will it be with respect to the heirship of the world. The church in our day occupies but a small portion of the allotted inheritance, but its members will grow in number and in influence. The Lord will come when his people earnestly invite him and wait for him, and will vindicate his own claim and that of his church to the possession of the nations and the empire of the earth. ' Come,' said the late eloquent Dr. Mason of New York, ' let us ascend the hill of God, and, guided by the torch of the skies, let us look through the surrounding gloom to the glories that lie beyond ! See ! an angel flies through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. The standard of Shiloh is reared ; his banner waves on high ; the great trumpet is blown ; the nations hear, and gather unto him. From the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, they press into the kingdom. On the one hand is the plun- dering Arab, and on the other the pitiless savage. Here are the frozen children of the pole ; there the sable tribes of Africj and yonder the long disinherited Jew steals LFXTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 137 silently to the Messiah, weeping as he goes. Hark ! the din of arms and the tumult of battle cease, discord and war retreat back to hell, and again the hymn of angels is heard below, " Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, and good- will towards men;" and the redeemed of the Lord raise the responsive song, " Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our Lord, and the power of his Christ." ' ^ The saints under him shall rule, and their long reign shall be one of freedom, holiness, and joy. And when the earth and all its works shall have been burnt up, the same great promise assures us that a new heaven and a new earth shall be provided for all the sons and the heirs of God, and that in that beautiful and blessed world they shall, in the highest sense, possess the converted nations, as, with them as their everlasting companions, they shall enjoy the purest, the sweetest, and the most satisfying com- munion. ^ Sermon on Isaiah xxv. 6, 7. LECTUEE VIII. THE OBLIGATIONS WHICH REST ON INDIVIDUALS TO SEEK THE EVANGELIZATION OF THE WORLD. THESE lectures are not intended merely for those students who purpose going to the foreign field. Their object is to show the claims of mission work, both home and foreign, and that the church is in its very nature and according to divine appointment a diffusive and out- spreading institution. All the avowed followers of Christ have a personal interest in the subject. This is specially the case with those who are aspiring to the office of the sacred ministry; and it is of the utmost importance that they be all deeply imbued with a missionary spirit. No greater benefit can be enjoyed by any church than to have as its public teachers men who take a warm interest in mission work, and who are anxiously solicitous for the en- largement of Christ's kingdom. A vitally active church is potent in all its movements. Now, the statements of Scripture, as well as experience, prove that the prosperity of Christ's cause abroad depends in no small measure upon the piety, the prayerfulness, and the benevolence of the church at home : a healthful heart-circulation pulsates vigorously in the farthest extremities. And this zealous church action will be marked or otherwise, just as our pulpits are filled by men who have an abiding sense of the obliga- LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 139 tions under which they lie to do what they can to have Christ's gospel preached to every creature. My official position for so many years as foreign mission secretary, and the visits which during that time I paid to many places, gave me fitting opportunities for observing the state of matters, and I often said that I scarcely knew a congrega- tion, favoured with a minister who took an active part in mission work, that was not prosperous. The connection between the state of the home church and the success of missions is most intimate. I have long seen and felt this ; and hence I said in the great Missionary Conference that was held in Liverpool in 1860, 'There is not in the Word of God an intimation of very rapid success in the extension of the gospel that is not preceded by an account of the revival of religion in the home church ; and on the other hand, there is not, as far as I have been able to ascertain, a statement of the revival of the church of God — of the manifestation of his gracious presence and of the outpouring of his Spirit — that is not succeeded by an account of the rapid success of the gospel. Now, if this be so, how are we to get success abroad 1 We must begin at home. We must get our own hearts warmed. AVe must plead with God with the urgency of Jacob for the conversion of the heathen. I am satisfied that if the home churches were to realize their responsibility — were to cry to God and to give him no rest upon this point, we would soon hear of the most glorious results in all parts of the earth.' I may con- firm these words then uttered by the fact that the prophet Isaiah, in the sixty-second chapter, connects the signal enlargement of the church there described with God's having set upon the walls of Jerusalem watchmen, who never hold their peace day nor night, and who are joined with the members of the church in 'not keeping silence 140 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. and giving him no rest, till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.' And it is easy to see how it should be so. Such ministers inculcate Christ's wide claims, and their teaching expands the views of their people, renders them in the best sense citizens of the world, fosters a spirit of earnest prayer for all classes of men, and excites and strengthens Christian liberality. They are thus the best friends of the foreign missionary, for, to adopt the figure of Carey, they hold the ropes whilst he goes down into the pit, and in the same degree as they advance the cause abroad do they promote the work of Christ at home. I may therefore be permitted to state that all the students — those who are to labour at home and those who are to go abroad — have a real interest in the subjects of these lectures ; and I shall regard the labour which I have expended in their preparation as more than repaid if I shall succeed, by the divine blessing, in making those whom I have the privilege of addressing see and feel that this is indeed a great and blessed work, and that it is a special favour to be allowed to take part in it in any form. With these remarks I come now to speak of the obligations which rest on individual Christians to labour for the spread of the gospel ; and 1. The command of Christ comes with a distinct voice to each member of the church. We have looked at the command of Christ as bearing on the whole church as an associated body ; and we are now to view it as speaking to each member, for divine precepts are the source of all duty. The obligation which a divine command imposes is in its very nature personal. The language, as you are aware, of the ten commandments given at Sinai is singular and per- sonal; it is, thou shalt do this, and tliou shalt not do that. Each individual is addressed, and is placed under the sweep of the precept. And though the parting command of Christ, LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 1-il spoken as it was to his disciples, employs the plural and not the singular pronoun, — Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, — yet, coming from a divine person, it binds each individual as strongly as if it had been given to him personally and alone. Indeed, it is the nature of all law to recognise individuality. There is no such thing here as escaping in a crowd. The bond which unites each one to God is immediate and direct. None can call Christ Master and Lord, and put this obligation away from himself He must look at it carefully, and consider what he is to do in order to obey it. Like the atmosphere which he breathes, it stands around him, and presses on him night and day, and out from its girding circle he cannot go. And it is no matter to him what others may do. The command of God, and not their conduct, is his rule of action. It is its voice that he must hear. Christ says to every one, as he did to Peter when that disciple asked what John was to do, ' What is that to thee 1 follow thou me.' In looking at the command, no member of the church can fail to perceive that it calls him to aid in having the gospel preached to CA^ery creature, and that it lays on him the duty of praying daily for the success of missions, labouring as he has opportunity for their advancement, and contributing of his substance as the Lord has prospered him for their support. These are things which all may do, which all should do ; and unless these things be done by each member, there must be sinful neglect of duty before the Lord. But the form in which we are to take a share in mission work will depend upon our means and opportunities, and hence the question, Shall I go abroad as a missionary ? must be decided by cir- cumstances. The obligation to spread the gospel abides on all ; and whether we are to do this at home or abroad demands consideration, and it does so particularly from 142 LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. students of theology. As was stated in a former lecture, our church is by its constitution a missionary church ; and our Synod holds, what is plainly the doctrine of Scripture, that as the range of the Christian ministry is the world, so every one who asks to have a part in this ministry is to be understood as making his offer of service as wide as the field. The words of the Synod are : * Seeing, as is declared in the Basis of Union, one of the principal duties of the church in its organized form is to propagate the gospel over the world, presbyteries are recommended to direct the attention of the students, both on entering the Theological Hall and on receiving licence, to the claims of foreign missions as well as of the churches at home upon those who have devoted themselves to the service of Christ in the gospel, and to state that they are expected to hold them- selves open to exercise their gifts in either field.' ^ The student does not say when he enters the Hall, I wish to be a minister of the home church, or, I wish to preach the gospel to the heathen ; but he says, I wish to be a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to preach that gospel which is a gospel for the world. I wish to become a public servant of him to whom all nations have been given, and to aid in the great enterprise of inducing them to recognise his claims. There is thus, according to the view of the Synod, embraced in the very offer of the student a promise that he shall be ready to occupy any part in the wide field to which duty shall obviously call him. He says : I see that the field for lahour is the world ; I acknowledge the authority of Christ, who enjoins the gospel's being preached to every creature, and I hold myself, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, pre- pared to consider the claims which any part of the field may present. This is all that the decision of the Synod asksj ^ Rules of Procedure, cli. ix. sec. vi. 1 (1). LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 143 and if the student or preacher, having examined the claims of the home and foreign fields, shall go a step further, and feel that his disposition of mind, his peculiar habits and attainments, his physical constitution, and the circumstances in which he is placed, coincide mth the urgent calls that are coming from foreign lands, and appear plainly, so far as he can judge, to open the path for him to go thither, then manifestly it is his duty to do so. The command of Christ binds him to do what he can to spread the gospel, and all the consideration which he has been able to give to the subject terminates in the conviction that the form in which he is to obey this command is by personal service in the foreign field. The late Rev. William Swan, for years a missionary in Siberia, says in his Letters on Missions, when speaking of the '■ choice of a missionary life : ' 'If you have reason to conclude that the command to go and preach the gospel is imperative upon you as an individual, it is then with you a simple question of obedience to God. You must acknowledge his authority by yielding obedience to his command, otherwise you are self-condemned as a trans- gressor. I speak not of the means of ascertaining your call; but supposing that point to be settled, and that you are satisfied in your own mind that it is jonrduti/ to embark personally in the missionary cause, you cannot refuse to act on the conviction without forfeiting your title to the character of one who is *' following the Lord fully " ' (Letter ii. p. 17). This is the view of duty which I believe gained all the distinguished men whose names shine so brightly on the roll of missions. But the examination which the Synod expects each one to make must be solemn and prayer- ful ; and if it be properly done, the Lord will guide him to a right decision, and place him in that station where he may with most eff'ect discharge his ministry. But if any one 144 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. shall be persuaded that in his case the home ministry has superior claims, he does not depart from Christ's command. He decides only that the form in which he is called to obey it is by preaching the gospel to his fellow-countrymen ; and in doing so he will keep this command ever before him, and both by precept and by example labour assiduously to pre- vail upon all over whom he has influence to exert themselves, according to their means and opportunities, in the promotion of mission work at home, and in the furtherance of the gospel in foreign lands. 2. The active and outgoing nature of divine grace. Missionary work is just developed piety, or piety in exercise. It has in it nothing that is peculiar except the form of work which it assumes ; it is a part of vital godliness. True piety consists in love to God and love to man ; and wher- ever that exists, it will manifest itself in active exertions for the honour of God and the good of men, and the particular course in which it will flow will depend upon what is the special public work of the age to which the Lord is ob- viously calling his people. Piety led the people of Israel to contribute for the erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness ; and down through their history of more than a thousand years it was shown in observing and keeping pure the ordinances which the Lord had given to them. More than a century ago piety was displayed by our fore- fathers in this land in contending for the purity of the doctrine, the discipline, and the government of the church, and that duty they faithfully discharged. But in our day, when the very atmosphere may be said to be full of voices urging missionary and benevolent service, there cannot be a doubt that the great public duty which genuine piety will recognise is to labour for the support and the exten- sion of the gospel. And the more vigorous the piety is, the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 145 greater will be the efforts which it will prompt its possessor to make. Every truly pious man is, therefore, from his nature and constitution a missionary, whose vocation it is to diffuse the truth. ' Let your light,' said Christ, * so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.' There is reason to fear that in this matter Scotchmen fail. They are naturally reticent, and little disposed to unfold their religious feelings; and hence, speaking generally, they seldom act the part of mis- sionaries for Christ beyond the circle of their own families. It is otherwise in many parts of the Continent, especially in France and in Belgium. The people there are more lively and outspoken, their feelings excite their words, and no sooner have they received the knowledge of saving truth themselves than they hasten to make it known ; and so it is that, according to the reports of the evangelical churches, the common members are efficient agents in home mission work. This feature of individual exertion w^as very pro- minent in the first age of the gospel. It is one of the earliest modes of action which the Holy Ghost notes. Wlien Andrew found Christ, he brought to him his brother Peter; when Jesus called Philip, the latter invited his friend Nathanael ; and wdien the woman of Sychar met wdth the Saviour, she made known the glad tidings to her neighbours, and urged them to come to him. Thus, at the very beginning of the gospel history, you have piety operat- ing through the ties of kindred, friendship, and citizenship in enlarging the church. And a few years afterwards we see men going everywhere preaching the Lord Jesus, and the gospel sounding forth from every Christian church. And this sort of personal teaching is to continue till the promised glory of the church be fully realized; for it is now, in this time of active preparation, that ' every man is to teach 146 LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord.' Grace cannot be put into the heart, and operate there, without manifesting itself in outward Christian deeds. This is its native tendency. 'The water,' said Christ, 'that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing u]) to everlasting life.' Just as the clear fountain up on the mountain side wells up and overflows, its course marked by a belt of green verdure, till, mingling with kindred streams, it flows on to the great ocean, carrying ships upon its bosom, and producing everywhere fertility, beauty, and abundance, — so grace in the heart manifests itself in deeds of Christian beneficence, which increase in number and in volume till eternity be reached. In suj^port of this view we can appeal to experience. What are the prevalent emotions of the new convert, whose eyes have been opened to behold the wonders of the light and life into which he has been brought 1 Is it not invariably the case that his soul pants for the conversion of others 1 He would have all men to find Christ, as he has done. With a heart glowing with love to Christ, and full of the new joys which he experiences, he thinks, like young Melancthon, that he can persuade every one to embrace the Saviour. His feelings go out to his relatives, his neighbours, his countrymen, the world. As Jonathan Edwards says of a convert in his work on Bevlvals: * She longed to have the whole world saved > she wanted, as it were, to pull them all to her: she could not bear to have one lost' (p. 133). Oh, what an expansion of heart is there ! Nothing is too wide or too large for it. Christ is seen to be worthy of universal homage, and therefore there is nothing which the new convert is not prepared to sufier and to do for him to whom he owes the salvation of his soul. Now, it is obvious that if this state of mind be realized by the student, the preacher, LECTUKES OX MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 147 or the minister, the strongest desires will be excited for the conversion of sinners, and these desires will go to the very- ends of the earth and dictate labours for others. The office of the gospel ministry is seen to be the vocation that best suits such desires, as it is wholly taken up with commending Christ to perishing men. It is for this reason that revivals of religion, both in this country and in America, have yielded large supplies of young men both for the home churches and the foreign field. This fact is stated in several of those letters from distinguished men that form the very valuable appendix to Dr. Sprague's volume on Revivals, a very in- structive book. One minister, Dr. M'Dowell of New Jersey, says : * A number of the converts have become ministers of the gospel. In looking over the list, I find the names of twelve who have since entered the ministry, . . . and nine more are noAV in the diff'erent stages of education prepara- tory to the gospel ministry.' And Dr. Day, president of Yale College, referring to a revival which had appeared among the students, says: * Numbers have gone to bless the churches and our public councils with their labours and their influence, to give instruction to the tribes of the wilderness, and to carry the light of salvation to the isles of the sea and the idolatrous nations of Asia.' 3. The nature of true devotedness to Christ. I have long felt that this lies at the basis of all -willing service, and that if any one see and realize what scriptural devoted- ness means, there will be an end of the objections and diffi- culties which persons are so ready to allege against taking a part in work for Christ. Now, what is scriptural devoted- ness to the Lord ? It is the complete and cordial surrender of ourselves and all that we are and have to the Lord Jesus Christ; and from the moment that we make it, our language is: 'We are not our own; we are the Lord's servants, and 148 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. we are bound to glorify liim in our bodies and in our souls, which are his.' That all this is implied in dedication is obvious from the words of Clirist: * If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me,' — words which show that the course of the Christian begins in self-denial, is characterized to the last by self-denial, and that the man who follows it keeps his eye on Christ, and is ready to undergo any saeri.^ce or any suffering that may arise in his path, provided that he may win Christ and be found in the end where he is. It is the claims of Christ alone that he regards. He sees his foot- steps, he hears his voice, and he seeks his glory. Love attracts and constrains ; an influence comes from Christ's cross which makes his service and his burden pleasant. Selfish and worldly objects, ease and pleasure, do not aff'ect liim ; he feels himself undeserving of God's favour, and that it is to divine grace alone that he is indebted for the good that is in prospect; and as all that is true, and saving, and blissful is associated with Christ, and can be had only in union with him, there are no enemies and no dangers that can induce him to go back or turn aside. It is the Lord's will and not his own, the Lord's name and not his own, the Lord's honour and not his own aggrandisement, which he is anxious to obey and to promote. He carries the cross on his shoulder, — a martyr in intention, — ready at the call of duty and in the cause of his divine Master to set it down at any step and to suff'er on it. This is the demand which the Lord makes of all his followers ; and he makes it at the outset, that there may be no mistake nor misunderstanding afterwards. ' I have resolved to place myself in the hands of the Almighty, that he may guide me whither it is his good pleasure that I should go. I see well enough that I am destined to pass this life in misery and labour; with LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 149 which I am well content, since it thus pleases the Omnipo- tent, for I know that I have merited still greater chastise- ment. I only implore him graciously to send me strength to endure with patience.'^ These noble words were uttered in a season of crowding trials by William, Prince of Orange, the founder of the free Dutch Republic, one of the greatest men that Europe ever saw. This idea of thorough devoted- ness, as lying at the foundation of all willing service, is strikingly exhibited in the conduct of the members of the churches of Macedonia. Paul speaks in strong terms of the remarkable liberality which these believing Macedonians had, in the midst of their own poverty, manifested for the relief of the poor saints in Judea; says that it was up to their ability, and even beyond it ; and specifies this fact as a proof of the grace of God that had been bestowed upon them. And then he states that this grace had come to them in conse- quence of the special consecration which they had made of themselves to the Lord and to his service. * They first,' he says, ' gave their ownselves to the Lord.' They gave them- selves, their souls, their bodies, and all that they had, and from that time their entire aim was to do whatever God should enjoin; and hence the apostle adds that the second step was, they gave themselves unto us ' according to the will of God.' They came to the apostles and said, We have given ourselves away in solemn covenant to God, we have placed ourselves at his disposal, and there is nothing that lies within our power that we are not prepared to do for him; tell us, therefore, what God's will is, and what he re- quires of us, and, in reliance on his promised aid, we will endeavour cordially to do it. The celebrated John Howe, in his noble sermon on ' Self-Dedication,' founded on Rom. xii. 1, — ' I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies ' Motley's liise of the Dutch Repuhlk, pp. 408, 409. 150 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. of God, tliat you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service,' — ex- plains self-dedication as the giving of ourselves to the Lord, and along with this the surrender to him of all that we have, and subjoins the following classical illustration: — 'In that mentioned form of surrender in Livy, when Egerius, on the Eomans' part, had inquired, " Are you the ambassadors sent by the people of CoUatia that you may yield up yourselves and the Collatine people 1" And it was answered, " We are." And it was again asked, " Are the Collatine people in their own power?" and answered, ''They are." It is further inquired, " Do you deliver up yourselves, the people of Collatia, your city, your fields, your water, your bounds, your temples, your utensils, all things that are yours, both divine and human, into mine and the people of Rome's power 1" They say, " We deliver up all." And he answers, *' So I receive you." So,' adds Howe, ^ do they who deliver up themselves to God — much more all that they call theirs.' Tliis true d^votedness to Christ seems to me to be that which distinguishes between real and superficial religion; between the man who is a new creature, and the man who is little better than a formalist; between him who is seeking to serve himself, and him who is serving the Lord Jesus. And did it prevail in the church, all its members would gladly undertake offered service; they would be ' zealous of good works,' and there would not be seen the hesitancy and backwardness— the fruit of little faith and cold hearts — which ministers have so often to deplore. And in that case the ranks of the ministerial and missionary office would be amply filled. Young men, rich in gifts, and whom grace had made large-hearted, would account labour for Christ a privilege, would covet distinction in usefulness, and would seek prominent positions with an ardour greater even than LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 151 that with which the men of this world labour to climb and to occupy the high places of society. This is proved by the teaching of Scripture. It is an instructive circumstance that in the whole of the New Testament narrative there is no mention made of the want of public teachers. Nay, there is not even a call for them. This is very remarkable. That was the age, in so far as Christ's rehgion was con- cerned, of reproach, persecution, imprisonment, and prema- ture death. It was opposed by th-e combined powers of superstition, idolatry, philosophy, and imperial force. There was nothing of an outward cliaracter that could, in these circumstances, clothe the ministerial office with attraction, or induce men to act as the messengers of Christ. And yet persons crowded forward in such numbers, were so willing to fill up vacant places, and to be * baptized for the dead,' that the apostle had to issue a caution as to too suddenly accepting and ordaining them. ' Lay hands,' he said, ' suddenly on no man.' And it has been happily remarked by a late missionary to India, ' The stay-at-home objections to missions, which are so abundant now, are not to be found in all the New Testament; nor could they find room to stand alongside the practical contradiction which they re- ceive from the conduct of all of Christ's servants as related in that book.'^ How shall we account for this readiness to assume the ministerial and missionary office 1 There seems to be no explanation except this, the strong religious feel- ings with which the converts were then actuated. They had been rescued either from lifeless Judaism or from hopeless heathenism. Their hearts were filled wdth holy joy and with exuberant love to Christ, and they regarded the claims of public service in the gospel not only as ^ Chapters on Missio7is, by the Eev. Heniy :M. Fox, B.A., late Church missionary at Masulipatam. 152 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. paramount, but blissful. What terrors had that violence which could only kill the body to men ' who were waiting for the Lord from heaven 1 ' Christ was to them all in all. They lived in his presence, they shone with his light, and they wished to impart to others that which they them- selves had so largely received. I have dwelt on this point with solicitude, because I am persuaded that it is vitally important, and that if we had a baptism from above we would soon get rid of the frigid artificialities which have gathered around the profession of Christianity, would see nothing before us but the work which it is given us to do, and would, like Christ himself, feel ' straitened ' till it should be accomplished. And 4. The great encouragements which are held out to those who faithfully perform public service for Christ. The Lord is very gracious and benignant. He delights in con- ferring gifts and rewards. He asks none to serve him in vain. He never reaps where he has not sowed, nor gathers where he has not strawed. When he invites us to work for him, he presents the greatest possible inducements ; and the largeness and the value of these bear always a proportion to the magnitude and the difficulty of the service. The soldier whose breast is covered with decorations, and whose brow wears a coronet, is marked by many scars, the me- morials of campaigns crowded with suffering and danger. And so is it in the service of Christ. The recompense will be according to the work. Everywhere present, and with his eye constantly on all, there is not one in any part or in any land that escapes the notice of Christ, or that will not obtain from him 'a reward corresponding to his labour.' Let us look here at the grandeur of the work itself It exalts and honours the worker. It is to co-operate with God in saving immortal souls; and, compared with this LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 153 work, evey other enterprise is low and small. The distin- guishing characteristic of our world is, that it is the place where God is administering a scheme of mercy. Take away the gospel, and what would earth be 1 A scene of guilt, misery, and ruin — a place of unbroken darkness and despair — the abode of devils and lost men. But God is disclosing in it his great purpose of grace, and is by divinely appointed means gathering a chosen people out of it ; and it is for this end that he exercises forbearance, that Christ reigns, that the Holy Ghost dwells here, and that the blessed angels hover around us ; for when this purpose has been fully executed, the earth and all that it contains shall be cast aside. And, connected with this state of things, the chief object of every man — the one thing needful in his case — that which gives all its value to time — should be to gain an interest in this dispensed grace, and thus to acquire meet- ness for a changeless eternity. All other objects and pur- suits are but means of temporary support — things of earth, intended to sustain us whilst we are working out the salva- tion of the soul. This is the view which God himself gives, for he says, 'Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches ; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord who exercise lovingkindness, judg- ment, and righteousness in the earth ; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord' (Jer. ix. 23, 24). It is obvious, then, that those who are called to be workers together with God in the accomplishment of this scheme of mercy, — which is the light and the hope of our world, — whose whole busi- ness it is to lead men to Christ and salvation, occupy the most honourable, the most momentous, and the most profitable office that any one can filL As Aaron went out 154 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. from tlie presence of God, and stood with the steaming censer in his hand between the living and the dead, and stayed the plague, so the ministers of Christ, having re- ceived gifts and graces from the Lord, go forth as his mes- sengers, and, with the gospel in their hand, arrest the progress of spiritual death, and draw men to God and to glory. And then this divinely appointed ministry, which in the case of all who discharge its functions is so glorious and so blissful, is pre-eminently so in the case of those who labour among the perishing heathen. They specially re- semble him who came from heaven to earth, and who has compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way. Their office has about it a benevolence even greater than that which marks the home ministry. I recollect hearing the late Dr. John Brown, when addressing, more than forty years ago, a meeting of Sabbath-school teachers, say he was persuaded that if an angel were permitted to engage in Sabbath- school instruction, he would not select the children of ordinary church members, but that he would go into the lanes and slums of our great cities, and take as his scholars those for whom no on« seemed to be caring. The remark is as applicable to the work of foreign missions. Paul had this view ; for, after a long experience of the priva- tions, the sufferings, and the perils which he had been called to bear, he speaks of it as a signal divine favour that he had been appointed to be a missionary to the heathen. ' To me,' said he, ' who am less than the least of .all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearch- able riches of Christ.' And though ail the honours and emolu- ments of every other situation had been held out to him, I believe that he would have rejected them ; for he said, with noble dignity, ' I magnify mine office.' Again, grace is given according to the severity of the work ; and mission labour. LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 155 whether at home or abroad, is in many of its aspects very- arduous. It requires great wisdom, long patience, con- tinuous efforts, strong faith, much prayer, and the enduring of many things that are painful to flesh and to blood. All the descriptions of it that are contained in Scripture, in ecclesiastical history, in biography, and in the reports of churches and societies, prove that it is beset with difficulties, and that it tasks the highest energies and the most valuable mental endowments. It has to deal with concrete ignor- ance, combined and ramified evil habits, obstinate and hardened depravity, and, in the case of the heathen, with customs and traditions, all on the side of evil, that have been accumulating for thousands of years ; so that, looking at the firmly compacted mass of wickedness that the sinful heart and Satan have consolidated, there is no one but must exclaim, Who is sufficient for this work 1 But nothing is too hard for God. The Holy Spirit, who works along with the missionary, has divine and creative power — he can quicken, renew, and save ; and all the promises testify that as is the difficulty, so is the succour that will be granted. Still further, there are special joys connected with mission work. There is the joy that springs from the conviction that he is in the way of duty, and that he occupies a post where his services are urgently needed ; there is the joy that comes from the manifested and felt presence of his gracious Saviour ; there is the joy that is experienced in telling wretched idolaters of the great love which induced God to send his Son to die for the guilty and the lost ; and there is the joy that fills all his heart when he sees, as in due time he often sees, sinners brought to Christ and into the com- munion of the church. These joys, which to a spiritual mind are truly blissful, more than compensate even in this: world for all his privations and all his trials. And finally, 156 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. there are the crown of glory and the enduring rewards that await him in the future. All that I shall say on this point is in the words of Him who will be the judge in the great day : ' And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.' It is a very interesting fact that the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions — one of the largest, most energetic, and successful of Missionary Societies — owed its origin to the spontaneous movement and offer of four theological students. These were Adoniram Judson, Samuel Nott, Samuel J. Mills, and Samuel Newell, trained at the seminary of Andover. They presented a paper to the General Association of Massachusetts, stating that ' they had long been impressed with the duty and importance of personally attempting a mission to the heathen, and that they considered themselves as devoted to this work for life, whenever Grod in his providence shall open the way ; ' and asking if they were to renounce this object as visionary or impracticable, or if they were to obtain the means for realiz- ing it. The response was the formation of the American Board ; and in the first address given to the public, issued in 1811, it was said : ' Anew scene with us is now opening. It is ascertained that several young men, of good reputation for piety and talents, under sacred and deep impressions, hold themselves devoted for life to the service of God in the gospel of his Son among the destitute, and are ready to go into any part of the unevangelized world where Providence shall open the door for their missionary labours. ' What a series of glorious results have sprung from the noble deed of these young men, — results that will be multiplied in number and in breadth till the close of the millennial age ! LECTURES OX MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 157 And oh, it is scarcely possible to conceive the exciting effect that would be produced upon our church, or the copious manner in which its sympathies, its prayers, and its con- tributions would be called forth, were young men to come forward in growing numbers, and to say to the Mission Board, We have devoted ourselves for life to mission work, and we wish to be sent to the heathen. You are all looking forward to the public service of Christ in the gospel ; you have entered on an honourable course ; and it is a praiseworthy ambition, seeing that we have but one life to lead in this world, to occupy in that one life the pLce of greatest usefulness. I have been frequently affected by the thought, that as Christ showed his love for us by suffering, so it is only in this world that we can in a like manner show our love for him. In heaven we cannot do this, for all there will be ecstasy and glory. Even, then, though the life of the foreign missionary were to involve more suffering than that of the home minister, this con- sideration would keep us from rejecting it. But after my long correspondence with those in distant lands, I do not believe that the balance of personal happiness is against the foreign missionary. He may have more physical pain and discomfort, more numerous touches of disease, and fewer of the pleasures of civilised and Christian intercourse, but, as was said a little ago, he has greater grace and greater joys, more frequent manifestations of Christ's face and love, and can anticipate that he will through eternity join with a ful- ness of joy which the home minister will never know in the song, ' Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.' I confirm what has been said by the testimony of the Rev. H. M. Waddell, our noble pioneer Calabar missionary, who, after twenty-nine years' service in Jamaica 158 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. and in West Africa, thus wrote : * Those who have spent their lives in the service testify to its excellence and their happiness. They say that while they could wish for grace to do the work better, they could wish for no better work to do, nothing more worthy of their life's labour. Young brethren in Christ, filled with love to God and man, and noble desires to do something great and good in the world, might clap their hands for joy that they were born in such an age as this, when the whole earth is about to become the kingdom of God, and when they may write their names not only on the pages of its history more durably than on brass or marble, but in letters of love in the hearts of myriads of immortal beings. Let them reflect that the command is still binding, " Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature ;" and that the promise is still sure, " Lo, I am with you alway, even till the end of the world." ' ^ 1 Twenty-nine Years in the West Indies and in Central Africa, p. 660. LECTURE IX. THE WORK TO BE DONE AMONG THE HEATHEN. THE third subject thr,t falls to be considered in our course of lectures is, * The Work to be done among the Heathen.' But before proceeding to discuss this topic, it will be proper to advert briefly to what the Scriptures say with regard to the state and the character of the heathen. Various notices bearing on this point occur in diff'erent parts of the Word of God, — such as, that the heathen are in darkness; that they are ruled by Satan; that they sacrifice to devils; that they are the children of disobedience, serving the lusts of the flesh and of the mind; and that they are far from God, without Christ and without hope. But, in addition to these notices, we have two formal descriptions of their state and character given by Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles. The first of these is contained in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. It is a very dark and dismal picture of human depravity that is there drawn, and yet classic authorities might be adduced, and have indeed been adduced, proving that all its features, even the most repulsive, marked the conduct of the Greeks and the Romans, the most enlightened and civilised peoples of the ancient world. The apostle asserts that, as the knowledge of the true God was attainable, being manifestly written on his works, and as conscience — 160 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. that man in the breast, as Adam Smith called it, that speaks of right and wrong — was to a certain extent in operation, the heathen acted voluntarily in yielding them- selves up to idolatry and to all forms of wickedness, and were therefore chargeable with deep guilt in the divine sight. ' The wrath of God,' says he, * is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men ; because that which may be known of God is manifest to them, for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse : because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.' They refused to read the obvious marks of divinity which God had stamped on his works. In the pride and vanity of their minds they turned away from these, — just as many in our day are, under similar influences, turning away from the written revelation of the divine will, — and formed religious schemes accordant with their sinful propensities. 'The world in its wisdom knew not God;' or, as the apostle here intimates, ' Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incor- ruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and to four-footed beasts, and to creeping things.' Abusing thus the light which shone from the volume of nature and of conscience, the Lord withheld his restraining grace, and permitted them to work out their own devices : ' Wherefore God also gave them up to un- cleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dis- honour their own bodies between themselves : who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 161 creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.' Thus righteously abandoned by God, the native depravity of the human heart, growing in power, broke out in ' vile affections,' which demanded gratification in multitudinous forms of evil, — forms which culminated in the sin of Sodom, a vice practised by Alexander the Great, by many of highest rank in the Roman state, and which is mentioned without a blush in one of the Eclogues of the gentle Virgil. The process of pollution, like a stream of mud, deepened and festered as it flowed; the moral man became ulcerated, and the mind reprobate, so that deeds were done which are just a series of the most hateful vices : ' Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malig- nity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who, knowing the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.' It will be observed that the main features of this awful description are idolatry, base, low, and irrational — the worship of images made like to corruptible man, to birds, to four-footed beasts, and to creeping things ; licentiousness, the foulest and the most debasing, defiling and deadening all right moral feelings ; lying and deceitfulness, in regard both to public and to private engagements ; malignant and envious feelings, and a cruel disregard of human life ; the absence of natural and family affections ; and all those intensified by enmity to God — ' haters of God ; ' and that through all, as we have said, there runs the line of willing disobedience: ' AVhen they knew God, they glorified him not as God ; they L 162 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. changed the truth of God into a lie ; they did not like to retain God in their knowledge ; and though they knew the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death, they not only did the same, but had j^leasure in them that did them.' Those of you who have read the Satires of Juvenal, especially the sixth and the ninth, know that no part of the apostle's description exceeds the account which the poet there gives of the corrupt manners which prevailed among the upper classes of Eome in the reign of Domitian, and of the fetid licentiousness which frothed even in the imperial palace. The second formal account which Paul gives of the state and character of heathenism is contained in the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians. It is addressed to those that were converts, and who doubtless felt that every part of it was true. It is more brief, but it is equally dark and loathsome. ' This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their minds, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness' (17-19). This is the conduct of the heathen, and their state before God conse- quently is such that to them the future is all dark and hopeless; for in another part of this epistle the apostle declares that ' they are without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the cove- nants of promise, having no hope, and vidthout God (dOeol) in the world.' It is nearly two thousand years since these inspired delineations of heathenism were drawn, and during that long period the moral condition of the nations, left to themselves, has been from age to age becoming more debased. LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 163 The glimpses of light that came from tradition have in a great measure been extinguished ; and evil habits have increased in strength, ramifying and polluting all the parts of society, social and domestic, and, under the influence of Satan, binding the wretched heathen in more painful servi- tude. Still, so far as my information goes, I do not think that the pictures of modern heathenism which the narra- tives of missionaries supj')ly, from whatever quarters of the world they have come, exhibit any feature that is not seen in these scriptural passages. Dr. Mullins, in his recent interesting book, Lordon and Calcutta^ says, when speaking of the natives of India : * The story has been 'often told, hoAv Mr, Ward's pundit, reading with him the first chapter of the Eomans, declared that the apostle Paul had here exactly described the Hindoos ' (p. 52). The roots of the vices and superstitious usages which time has developed are all there. Now, this fact is very important, for two reasons. The first is, that if the missionary, before he leave this country, has duly studied and understands what the Scriptures say about the state and the character of the heathen, he will neither be surprised nor discouraged, as he is apt to be, when he reaches the field of labour, looks on the scenes around him, and finds the condition of the people so repulsive. And the second is, that this fact afi'ords a solid ground for hope. For if the gospel met, overcame, and changed the state of things which the apostle describes, it can and will do so now. It did so then, for the apostle, speaking of ' the fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, eff'eminate, abusers of them- selves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners,' that abounded in Corinth, perhaps the most dissolute city in the old world, says: ' Such were some of you ; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of 164 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. our God.' And therefore we feel assured that the gospel, which is the wisdom of God and the power of God to salvation, will yet cleanse and renovate the nations, and clothe them with the 'beauties of holiness.' We proceed now to point out shortly the work to be done among the heathen; and be it noted that our object here is not to describe the manner in which the work is to be done, for that will be explained in another part of our course, but to specify distinctly the work itself. And 1. The first part of the work is the imparting of scrip- tural instruction. This part of the work is very clearly stated in the Scriptures, for our Lord said to his disciples, ' Preach the gospel to every creature;' and the first object to which Paul, according to his instructions, was to attend was, ' to open the eyes of the heathen, and to turn them from darkness to light.' They were in darkness, under the power of darkness, and he was to bring them into the light. And this was what he did in regard to the Ephesian con- verts ; for he said of them, * Ye were once darkness, but ye are now light in the Lord.' Ignorance of divine things lies at the foundation of all evil ; for as belief regulates conduct, should that belief be erroneous, the conduct must be wrong. Now, this portion of the work divides itself into two parts. There is first the removal of false views. It would be well if the minds of the heathen were entirely vacant, destitute of all spiritual and moral ideas. In that case all that the teacher would have to do would be to instruct and to educate. He could begin at once to lay the basis, and to erect a superstructure of correct scriptural knowledge. But the case is far otherwise. The heathen have their systems of religious belief and of duty. They have all a religion of one sort or another. The system which any people practise has been received from their fathers. It is LECTURES OX MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 165 venerable, hallowed, and potent by its very antiquity. All their feelings, their associations, their relationships, their temporal interests, and their traditions bind them to it. Everything, sacred and national, is on its side. All that they have ever heard, all that is in them and about them, goes to persuade them that their modes of belief and worship are right — that they are safe, perfectly safe, in walking in the steps of their fathers, and doing as they did ; and it seems to them an unreasonable thing that strangers, persons from another country, should seek to turn them away from the religion of their ancestors. Now, it is evident that so long as these erroneous views occupy their minds, and remain unchanged, the very first step in the work cannot take place. The light may shine around them, but, as the evangelist says, the darkness will not compre- hend it, will not let it in. No ray will impenetrate the deep and solid mass. Darkness broods there, and till God says. Let there be light, there will neither be life nor motion. Or, to change the figure, the missionary will find that he is like a man working in a morass, where all the materials that he casts in sink and disappear. But before these views can be done away, the teacher must know what they are, and be able to point out their falseness and their perils. This imposes on him a very important department of preparatory reading and study. He has to make himself familiar with the history of the people to whom he goes, with their national peculiarities, with their philosophies, their mythologies, their traditional superstitions, their religious beliefs, their social customs, and their outstand- ing characteristics. Till this be done, he is not ' apt to teach;' he does not know the disease which he is to cure, and cannot treat it. Now, much of this information is contained in books, and can consequently be gained in this 166 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. country, for there are few peoples now of whose character we have not full details. No doubt such knowledge will receive correction from local observation and experience; but if it be fully mastered, the missionary will not be long on the spot ere he thoroughly understand the people whose good he seeks. So useful is such an acquisition, that the missionaries in India testify that the preacher who is acquainted with the philosophy and mythology of the natives can anticipate the leading objections which his hearers will present, and have satisfactory replies ready made. Such knowledge will also prevent the missionary from committing mistakes at the outset, which it may require a considerable time to rectify; for if he arrive at the scene of work, whether in Jamaica, Calabar, Caffraria, or in India, without any special acquaintance with the religious opinions and habits of those among whom he is to labour, and see a state of things so very different from that to which he was accustomed at home, he is sure to let the people perceive and feel his disappointment, and to raise up between him and them a barrier to his usefulness. The confidence of the people is essential to success, and this cannot be gained without a distinct idea of their modes of thinking, feeling, and acting. False views being removed, there is secondly the work of conveying to the mind correct scriptural ideas of God and the way of salvation. The former may be accomplished, and the latter left undone. This is the case especially in India, where an adequate con- ception of physical geography will overthrow the religious belief of the natives, and set them afloat, as is said to be the case with thousands of young men in Calcutta, on the shoreless sea of scepticism. Here, happily, the missionary is amply provided with materials. The Scriptures supply all the truths which he is to communicate. His theological LECTURES OX MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 1G7 training makes him acquainted with these, and the object at which he is to aim is to impart them to his hearers in the clearest and most effective form. It is not philosophy, nor science, nor even the leading elements of social reform, which he is commissioned to inculcate. These he may occasionally have to teach in opposition to their unsound views on such subjects, and he may at times find such things helpful as auxiliaries, for all true knowledge is either directly or more remotely connected; but, as we shall immediately show, the end of his labours is the salvation of the soul, and this can be attained only by the knowledge and the belief of the truth as it is in Jesus. Paul said, 'The Lord sent me to preach the gospel;' and it is the gospel, the glorious gospel of the grace of God, the glad tidings that God has sent to sinful and perishing men, the doctrines respecting Christ as a Saviour, which he is to make known. These are the truths which, blessed by the Spirit, renew, sanctify, and save; and just as it is the part of the farmer to put the seed properly into the soil, and leave it there to the combined action of the rain and the sunshine, so it is the part of the Christian teacher to place in the mind of the hearer the truths of divine revelation, and prayerfully leave them there, as the material on which the divine Spirit will operate for conversion and salvation. And what a blessed vocation is this ! The first part of the work, the removal of darkness, is no doubt hard and pain- ful, needing much tact, temper, and patience; but the second part of the work is to stand before the guilty sinner as God's messenger, and to tell him of the love of God in Christ, and of the gracious thoughts which filled the divine mind from all eternity, which God has disclosed in time, and which he desires to be transferred to our minds as our own thoughts, that we may think, feel, and act like him, and 168 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. be, as lie is, pure and happy. On the doer of this work the Lord looks with special favour and benignity. 2. The second part of the work is the conversion of the heathen. This is the second part of the commission which the Lord gave to Paul, when he said, ' I send thee to the Gentiles, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified, through faith that is in me.' The same thing is pointed out in our Lord's command to his followers to go and * disciple ' all nations. So long as they remain away from God, unchanged in mind and heart, they are unforgiven, cannot be sanctified, are destitute of faith in Christ, and can have no part in the heavenly inheritance. The expression, ' the power of Satan,' from which they are to be turned, is remarkable. It is usual to say that the dominion which Satan exercises over guilty and sinful men is usurped or arrogated, — that to which he has no title. But this does not seem to me to be the view which the Bible gives of it. The word employed here is l^ova-ia, a term which denotes authority, and its use appears to imply that Satan rules wicked men by a granted or allowed authority. And it is observable that the Bible speaks of him as the god of this world and as the prince of this world, and calls sinners his seed and his children. Now, these are titles given to him not by men, but by the Holy Spirit. Men joined him in his revolt against God, chose his service in preference to that of the benignant Creator ; and the Lord left them to his dominion, allowing him to rule over them as the executioner of the curse and of death, with the gracious restriction that he would deliver a large portion from his sway. It was guilt that prepared the way for their being given up to his power ; they are his lawful captives. ' LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 1G9 and they cannot be set free till that guilt which is the bond of connection between him and them should be expiated by a satisfactory atonement. Till this was done, no voice could say to his prisoners, Go forth, and to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. This was stated by Christ himself when the crisis of the world's re- demption came. He was manifested to destroy the works of the devil, and he said, just when about to ascend the cross, *Now is the judgment of this world,' — now is the right to the empire of this world to be decided, — ' now shall the prince of this world be cast out ; and I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me' (John xii. 31, 32). Yes, when Christ died on the cross, and bore away our guilt, he took from Satan the claim to reign ; for he then * spoiled princi- palities and powers, and made an open shovv^ of them, triumphing over them.' ' Then, indeed,' as the prophet Isaiah says, ' the prey was taken from the mighty, the lawful captive delivered ; ' or, as the apostle expresses it, ' Through death Christ destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.' None, therefore, can be turned from the authority of Satan and brought to God till he see and understand the work of Christ, and especially the nature and the efficacy of his atoning death, and receive and rest on him as the Saviour. It is Christ's death, seen by faith and claimed as ours, which bursts the bonds of our servitude and gives us a right to liberty and life. When men thus embrace Christ, and are renewed in the spirit of their minds, they are turned to the Lord, obtain the forgiveness of sins, and have the work of sanctification begun, which it is the object of the means of grace to carry forward and mature. Now, it is plain that this is the grand end which the missionary 170 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. has in view. He goes forth to convert and to save men — to rescue them from the power, the authority, and the bondage of Satan, and to bring them to God, to pardon, to holiness, and to eternal life. Here he is to labour with an earnestness amounting to agony till Christ be formed in the hearts of his hearers, the hope of glory. All other efforts are preparatory to this ; and if they come short of it, they are lost and in vain. Oh, what a ground of thankfulness is it that God has set so clearly before the missionary the goal which he is to seek to reach, the distinct purpose which he is to strive to achieve ! There have been many who have asserted, and there are some in the present day who assert, that you must civilise men before you can evangelize them. But the divine commission contradicts this view. It recognises the gospel as adequate for the salvation of the most degraded. It says, Go and preach this gospel, and turn men from dark- ness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. It calls for no intermediate process. And it was thus that the first messengers of Christ acted ; for the Scriptures inform us that when certain men preached the Lord Jesus, the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord ; and that when the gospel came to the Thessalonians, — the men of northern Greece, — they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven. Oh, what a glorious object is it which the missionary contemplates ! The conversion of a sinner is the most momentous, it may be said, the most wonderful, event that takes place on earth. He then steps from death to life, from guilt to acceptance with God, from bondage to liberty, and from being an heir of hell to the ineffable honour of being a child and an heir of God. This is the only event occurring on earth in which man has a share that causes joy to the holy angels. LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 171 They look with silence on the schemes and struggles of statesmen, the plans and theories of philosophers, and even the rise and fall of empires ; but when they see a sinner turned from Satan to God, and his name written in the book of life, all heaven rings with their notes of joy. 3. The third thing to be done is the formation of a native church. The gospel deals with men at first as individuals, but it does not leave its converts isolated ; it forms . them into a brotherhood. Christ speaks of his church as a fold. He had, he said, sheep among the Gentiles that did not belong to the Jewish fold, and that these he must bring in, and there shall be one fold. And the apostle says of the Ephesian converts, that they had become ' fellow-citizens with the saints, and were of the household of God,' and that Christ had by his death opened the way for both believing Jews and Gentiles being made one ecclesiastical body. Whether Christ's people are spoken of as the church, a fold, a family, a city, or a kingdom, the idea is social con- federation. The agents of evil are banded together, and Christ's will is that his followers be united in society, for union is strength. Yea, the Bible sets forth the magnificent idea that God is in the gospel dispensation gathering up, under Christ the Head, holy angels and redeemed men, things in heaven and things on earth, into one spiritual and glorious society (Eph. i. 10), destined to enjoy for ever the sweetest intercourse and the most exquisite blessedness. The people of Christ have also fraternal immunities and fraternal duties, which require association. They must be guarded against enemies and evil influences ; they must be carefully and continuously instructed; they must be fed with the spiritual food which the Lord has provided ; and they have offices to discharge towards each other and to the world which can be performed only in a state of society. 172 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. Dr. Harris, in his Gi^eat Commission, treats this subject at great length and with singular power (pp. 24-57) — namely, the beneficial influence which the members of the church are to exercise towards each other and the world around them. The formation of a church calls into action the work of the pastor. He is to care for, watch over, and feed the flock. He baptizes the converts, dispenses to them the Lord's Supper, continues to instruct them, exercises discipline, employs all the means of grace which God has appointed, points out their duties, tells them that they are one in Christ and are to love as brethren, ' warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that he may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.' Oh, what a joyful moment is it when a missionary, having gathered from the heathen a number of converts, all his own, and formed them into a church, sits down with them at the table of the Lord ! The emotions of that hour might thrill even the mind of an archangel. The Eev. Mr. Shoolbred thus describes his second communion in Beawr : — ^ As I sat at the head of the table dispensing the elements of com- memoration, I could gratefully glance from a circle of eleven pale-faced brothers and sisters on my left to a corresponding circle of nine on my right, standing to me less in the rela- tion 'of brothers and sisters than of spiritual children, with faces swarthy indeed, but hearts, as we trust, washed and made snow-white in the blood of the Lamb. Embraced within that circle, in a space cleared for them at the lower end of the table, sat our little orphan band, looking on at the solemn service with hushed and serious faces, and with sweet child voices, like an angel choir, leading our devotions in a Hindoo hymn ; while behind the circle of communi- cants sat our inquirers' class, devouring our every movement with their eyes, and longing for the time when they too LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 173 would no longer sit without, but take their places in the band of the faithful that surround the table of the Lord. Do you wonder, my dear Dr. Somerville, if, in presence of such a scene, my heart swelled with grateful emotions, too deep for utterance ; and that, while leading the minds of all to meditate on the constraining love of Christ, as mani- fested in his incarnation and death, I should have felt that love drawing me to our gracious Master with new and mightier power, and been constrained with a gush of grati- tude to devote myself more unreservedly than before to " him who died for me and rose again ? " ' i 4. The fourth thing to be done is the training of a native ministry, to provide the means of perpetuating and extend- ing the gospel and the ordinances of the church. This is a matter of great importance, but of great difficulty. It has long occupied the attention of missionary churches and societies, and it has been discussed in every missionary con- ference that has been held in recent years. The dutifulness of it is recognised by all; but the best mode of doing it, it is not easy to determine. But as the object of this lecture is to specify, as has already been stated, the work to be done, and not the manner of doing it, I shall not here advert to the difficulties. But it is manifest that it must be attended to. The gospel is carried into a country by those outside that country, by foreign agents ; it is planted there with the view of raising up churches in that land, and putting it in the power of the followers of Christ there, when the country is evangelized, not only to maintain the ordinances of a church state, and to transmit them to their descendants, but to unite with others in sending the gospel to other regions. It is in this way only that the world can be brought under the dominion of Christ. It is evident, ^ Missionary Record, May 1S64, p. 91. 174 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. therefore, that besides forming congregations, and teaching the members to contribute according to their ability for the support and the extension of Christ's cause, means must be instituted for training pious natives to be teachers, preachers, and pastors, as without this these churches, or rather that country, must be dependent on a foreign supply. This would not be acting according to the examples of Scripture. The apostle Paul found agents among his converts, and fitted them for the work of the ministry. The hallowed names of Timothy and Titus stand out here. It is said of Aquila and Priscilla that they ' expounded to tho eloquent Apollos the way of God more perfectly;' and the command that was given to Timothy is to be regarded as binding upon all churches and missionaries : ' And the things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.' It is in obedience to this command that this Theological Hall has been formed, the object of which is so to commit to you, as faithful men, the truths of the gospel that ye may be able to teach others. And it is in obedience to the same command, the obligation of which the Foreign Committee on Missions have long recognised, that measures have been taken in Jamaica, in Calabar, in India, and to some degree in other fields of labour, to educate pious and promising natives to be teachers of week-day schools, preachers of the gospel, and ordained ministers. In performing this service special gifts are needed — men of high and solid attain- ments, of afi'ectionate and winning disposition, and of great 'aptness to teach,' are required; and as the fruit of what we have done, the Missionary Keport for 1870 states that we have seven ordained native missionaries, one native licentiate, and eighteen native catechists or evangelists. And LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 175 5. The fifth thing to be done is to give to the native church a form of government. This seems to be enjoined in that part of the great commission where Christ says, * Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.' The converts have been formed into a church, and are making a profession of faith in Christ. He is now their acknowledged Master and Lord. They have renounced their own wills as a rule of conduct, and have adopted his will; they have declared themselves to be not their own, but Christ's, and to be bound in their bodies and in their souls to glorify him ; and they are, therefore, to yield a willing obedience to all his commands. Now, if we believe that a form of church government is taught in the word of God, it follows that it is our duty to see it set up in every missionary congregation, for it must be a part of those ' all things' which Christ has commanded. If Christ be a king, his subjects must have laws to govern them; and if the church be a society, it must have rules for its guid- ance; and for this reason I cannot agree with those who are of opinion that the mere form of church government is immaterial in the missionary enterprise. The injunction to which we have referred forms a part of the great com- mission. No doubt the chief purpose of the missionary, as we have seen, is to save souls, to make men disciples of Christ; but he is not at liberty to neglect anything that the Lord has enjoined. The precept, 'Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you,' is just as explicit and as binding as the other precept, ' Preach the gospel to every creature.' Christ cares for his sheep, and directs that at all times they follow his voice. The true principle is to regard missions as just the extension of the church, and to give, therefore, to those in foreign lands the form of scriptural government that prevails in the 176 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. church at home. This seems to have been the method which the apostles followed. Paul enjoined Timothy to ' ordain elders in every city;' and when he and Barnabas revisited the converts whom they had made in their first mission, they not only taught the truths which tended ' to confirm the souls of the disciples/ but they made known to them, for their obedience, the ecclesiastical decisions and rules which had been passed by the apostles and the elders. Hence it is said, Acts xvi. 4, 5, * And as they went through the cities they delivered them the decrees for to keep that were ordained by the apostles and elders which were in Jerusalem : and so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.' These five things — the imparting of scriptural views to the heathen, their conversion, the formation of native churches, the training of pious natives for the work of the ministry, and the organizing of proper church government — seem very simple, but they characterize a work which God himself has appointed, the extent and the grandeur of which it is impossible to exaggerate. They outline the gracious administration of the Lord Jesus Christ. They involve manifold processes and innumerable acts, all regu- lated by the word of God, blessed by the divine Spirit, and terminating in results which are to fill heaven with happy inhabitants and eternity with songs of praise. It is the work on which God smiles, for which Christ died and now rules, and which the Holy Ghost, as the Spirit of God and of glory, has undertaken to accomplish. It engages and embodies the resources of the three-one Jehovah, the ministries of holy angels, and the spiritual energies of earth. Statesmen, sceptics, and minute philosophers may turn aside from it and speak of it as enthusiasm and folly, but it has omnipotence in it and aU around it; and while LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 177 human schemes crumble away and descend to the earth whence they arose, this work will go on enlightening, reno- vating, and blessing the nations, till it has changed the character and habits of society, and made this world * the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Oh, favoured, then, favoured beyond all conception, are the men that take a part in it ; for as they now suffer and work with Christ, so will they be honoured and crowned when he comes to be glorified in his saints and admired in all them that believe. M LECTUEE X. THE QUALIFICATIONS OF MISSIONARIES. MISSIONAEIES form a most important and honourable class of men, and they occupy an office the most re- sponsible that any man can fill. They are the ambassadors of God and the messengers of the church. They go forth to heathen lands in obedience to Christ's command, and in reliance on his promised gracious presence and support, carrying with them the blessed gospel and all the ordinances and means of grace ; and they do so for the great and benignant purpose of bringing men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. It is most desirable, therefore, that men in all respects duly qualified be obtained for this high, holy, and onerous vocation. They represent the church that sends them, and are called upon to sustain its character and reputation in the view of all with whom they may come into contact ; for all parties will judge of the senders by those that are sent. The character and the success of the mission, too, as well as the place which it occupies in the estimation of the home church, depend in no small measure upon their ability and their zeal. For though it be true that all real prosperity comes from the gracious operations of the Holy Ghost, yet the blessing of that divine agent is given to the adequate employment of means. Gifted men, whose works praise them, will have LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 179 an effect upon the home church, in drawing forth its interest, its prayers, and its liberality, which inferior men cannot accomplish. As was well said by Dr. Mullens, in a paper read by him to the Liverpool Conference, ' The position of the missionary is full of importance in respect to his office, in respect to the churches who send him, and to the people whom he first instructs. As missionaries flourish, — are faith- ful in character, work, and purposes, — so will missions flou- rish; as they go wrong, — are weak, worldly, secular, or selfish, — so will those missions decay. The fidelity of a missionary may tell upon many generations ; the fall of a missionary may be a stumbling-block to hundreds of souls. Not only, therefore, should missionaries be well chosen, but be well sustained, and should be followed by the confidence, the aff'ections, and the fervent prayers of the brethren who send them forth.' And in the minute on missionaries which the Conference adopted it was said, ' In all systems of missionary labour, the greatest importance should be attached to the position and the character of the European missionary him- self.' Indeed, it may be said that the missionary zeal and the energy of the church at home will correspond to the zeal and the energy of the foreign agents. It is obvious, then, that there is in reality no part of the duties of the Committee on Foreign Missions that demands more care, more anxiety, and more nice and faithful discrimination than the choice of men for the foreign mission field. They stand in the place of the whole church, and they provide for the perishing heathen ; and it becomes them devoutly to pray that the Lord may enable them to send those whom he will approve. It is a matter of great thankfulness that the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, as well as other portions of the divine word, delineate pretty fully the qualifications which a minister of the gospel should have ; and in speaking 180 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. to you, therefore, in this and another lecture on the native and acquired endowments of missionaries — a topic which the Synod has enjoined us to consider — I shall refer mainly to those which the Holy Spirit has declared to be necessary in the case of the Christian teacher. On this account, the observations which I have to submit will, I hope, be found in no small measure applicable to those who are to labour at home as well as to those who may go to distant climes. And 1. The first requisite is a good state of health — a sound and vigorous constitution. Health is the basis, and to a considerable extent, the measure of all active usefulness, and it is specially needed in a tropical climate. A minister at home may get along and accomplish much good, though, like Timothy, he has his ' often infirmities ; ' but this will not do in a foreign land. It seems to be the nature of such a climate, where all the processes of vegetative life are so vigorous, to search the human system ; and if there be any flaw or weakness in the constitution, to detect, develope, and mature it. Such persons are speedily disabled, and are either called away by the hand of death, or are obliged to quit the field. Now, as our Lord does not, if such a course can be avoided without sin, call upon any one to expose his life to manifest peril, it is not the duty of a person, should it be ascertained that he has not a fitting physical frame, to go abroad, nor of the church to depute him. This fact shuts the gate in his face. I recollect the late Eev. William Jameson, a model missionary, saying with great emphasis, when present at a meeting of the Foreign Committee, ' Send none abroad but men of robust health.' This is the dictate alike of economy and of duty ; for if it were not attended to, we would, by the failure of our agents, be as it were constantly beginning the work. It was for LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 181 this reason, and as a guide in this important matter, that more tlian twenty-eight years ago a Medical Committee was formed, composed of men of high skill and experience, to whom all applicants for labour in a tropical climate are sent, and whose verdict the Committee invariably follow. These gentlemen have made themselves acquainted with the sani- tary influences of those regions, and with the constitutions that are suitable for them ; and it is to a young man in- tending to go abroad a great encouragement when he is assured by such men that there is a high probability that he will there enjoy a comfortable state of health. He has thus one ground on which he may conclude that the Lord has called him to labour there. A man with a constitution adapted to the climate may, should due care be taken, in- dulge the prospect of a long course of active service. There have been many instances of this, to which in another lecture I may refer ; and I shall only add here, that in July 1869 I had a visit from a gentleman in excellent health, who had just come from India, and designed in a few months to return, and who had been there for thirty-six years without visiting his native land. 2. The second requisite is deep and influential piety. This should be the common attribute of all ministers. It is the atmosphere in which they live, and move, and have their being. They are examples and light-bearers ; and unless they love Christ themselves and know the value of souls, are men of faith and prayer, and feed themselves upon the truths which they proclaim to others, it cannot be expected that the Lord will bless their ministry. ' Mini- sters of the gospel,' said the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine in the preface to his sermon on Good Works, ' when dispensing the truths of God, must preach home to their own souls, as well as to others ; and truly it cannot be expected that we 182 LECTURES ON" MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. will apply the truths of God with any warmth or liveliness to others, unless we make a warm application thereof to our own souls ; and if we do not feed upon those doctrines and practise the duties which we deliver to you, though we preach unto others, we ourselves are but cast-aways.' Without this they will not be, as the apostle expresses it, ^unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish.' But, happily, a man without piety is a thing unknown among our ministers and our missionaries. All our public teachers are men of whom it may be said, that by ' manifestation of the truth,' in their conduct as well as in their teaching, ' they commend them- selves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.' Still, all who are anxious for the increased prosperity of the church will make it their prayer that the piety and zeal of all our ministers may abound more and more. Now the apostle states explicitly, both in the First Epistle to Timothy and in that to Titus, putting it as the first and leading qualification, that the bishop, or minister, must be blameless — assigning the effect for the cause — a pure life as the proof of genuine inward piety. The term employed in Timothy is dveTrtAr/Trro?, which comes from cTriAa/x^avco, to lay hold of or to seize ; and that which is used in Titus is aveyKXr]TosD EVANGELISM. 287 those abroad are daily, with a speed outstripping the electric fluid, going backwards and forwards. Or, to take another illustration which comes home to the bosoms of multitudes in this country. In this age of emigration and foreign enterprise, there are very many families who have loved members — all the more dear that they are separated from their brethren — in foreign climes. In the daily prayers and in the conversation around the domestic hearth, how warmly are their names mentioned ! and when letters come, the family is assembled, and the contents are heard with glad or sorrowing hearts, with sparkling or with weeping eyes. Now, till this view of the missionary undertaking be duly realized, the church will not be in a proper condition. All must see and feel that the work abroad is their work ; that they have the deepest personal interest in its progress ; that the state of the mission abroad and the state of the church at home act and react upon each other ; and that the cause of Christ there and here will flourish just as all parties — ministers, church members, and missionaries — are faithful to their Lord. Christ's people form one united family, bound together by the nearest and the most endear- ing ties ; and the interests which these supply aff'ect the welfare of each and the glory of God, and have claims para- mount to all worldly considerations. To guide these feehngs of sympathetic interest is the design of the Missionary Record. Its intelligence should be read and studied. It is the voice of the missions to the home church — the monthly share-list, which tells us whether we are gaining or losing in regard to our spiritual wealth. 2. The second duty is importunate and continued prayer. The need for this lies in the fact that all real success in the work comes from divine gracious influence. It is ' not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord,' that the 288 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. gospel is made to prosper. But all know and acknowledge that prayer is the appointed means for obtaining that influ- ence ; and wherever it is sincere and fervent, it is sure to prevail. ' Ask, and ye shall receive/ is the abiding rule. ' Ask me/ says God, ' of things to come concerning my sons ; and concerning the work of my hands command ye me' (Isa. xlv. 11). In these wonderful words — words which none durst have used had Jehovah himself not uttered them — the Lord places himself, as it were, at the disposal of his servants, and invites them, like Jacob, to say, We will not let thee go till thou bless us. They are to ' com- mand him,' to lay hold of his omnipotence, and to constrain him to work ; and if in this case we have not power with God, and prevail, it is because we have not, as did the patriarch, wept and made supplication before him. And in another passage of Isaiah the Lord describes himself as waiting till the ministers and members of the church shall, with ceaseless importunity, call upon him to arise and'spread his church over the whole world. ' I have set watchmen upon thy walls, Jerusalem, who shall never hold their peace day nor night : ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth' (Isa. Ixii. 6, 7). Oh, we cannot overestimate the power of believing prayer ! It is the most potent instrument that man can wield. As the poet says : ' Prayer "ardent opens heaven ; lets down a stream Of glory on the consecrated hour Of man, in audience with the Deity.' Young. Yes, it pierces heaven ; it causes God to bend from his throne and listen to the cry of the suppliant ; it brings almighty energy to the aid of our weakness ; it draws down LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 289 the treasures of heaven ; it affects the movements of Provi- dence ; it disarms opposition ; and it makes the gospel run, have free course and be glorified. It secures the aid of the Divine Spirit, whose province it is to open closed eyes, ears, hearts, and consciences, to quicken the dead, and to cause men to hear, believe, and live. Paul knew well its efficacy and its value ; for, inspired and specially gifted though he was, his most frequent request was, ' Brethren, pray for us.' Our missionaries have seldom asked pecuniary help for themselves ; but, like Paul, their petition in all their letters has been to give them the benefit of prayer. They feel the great difiSculties of the work, and that they cannot themselves subvert long established superstitions, nor impart life to the spiritually dead, and they entreat the home church to unite with them in crpng, ' Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live ' (Ezek. xxxvii. 9). And at their request the Synod agreed in 1867 to recommend that, in addition to personal, family, social, and congregational petitions, special prayer for the success of home and foreign missions should be offered in each congregation on the afternoon of the second Sabbath of the month. This part of the day was chosen, as it would afford opportunity to all the congrega- tions at home, and those in Calabar and Caffraria and India, and in a few hours earlier to those in the West Indies, to unite in one grand act of supplication. The recommendation of Synod suggests a most interesting spec- tacle — a whole church spread over all the continents of the earth, standing before God, and saying, in the words of the people of Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat, * our God, wilt thou not judge them 1 for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us ; neither know we what to do : but our eyes are upon thee' (2 Chron. xx. 12). T 290 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. The more that I study the Scriptures the more I am per- suaded that a spirit of importunate prayer diffused over the whole church, would be a sign that a quickening influence has come from God, and that he is about to do great things for us. ' The Lord,' it is said, ' is a God of judgment : blessed are all they that wait for him. — Thou shalt weep no more : he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry ; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee ' (Isa. XXX. 18, 19). Such prayer always precedes the revival and the enlargement of the church. The Lord delights to satisfy the desires which he himself has excited, and to fill with exuberant grace the hearts of his longing people. This idea is strikingly taught in the first two verses of the 67th Psalm, where it is explicitly declared that the pathway of gracious influence to the foreign mission field is through the revived home church : ' God be merciful unto us, and bless us ; and cause his face to shine on us. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.' If all at home were, after the example of Daniel, the prime minister of Darius, to plead with continuing earnestness that God would give his church the promised possession of the earth, it would not be long ere the commandment would come forth. Let these prayers be granted. 3. The third duty which the home church owes to the missionaries is adequate support. They all teach the con- verts, as soon as they come under law to Christ, that it is their duty and their privilege to contribute of their worldly substance for the support and the extension of the gospel, and for the relief of the Christian poor; but it is obvious that a considerable time must elapse before churches gathered from the heathen can be brought into a self-sustaining condition ; and till that be done, the LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 291 missionaries require to be supported. That duty rests on those that depute them, and it has ever been cheerfully- done. The committee grants to each missionary a sum for outfit ; defrays the passage money and the expenses of travelling ; and when he reaches the field of labour, allots him such a salary as the circumstances of the country seem to require, and as appears to be fitted to promote his comfort and that of his family. It should be sufficient to prevent distressing cares and anxieties, to provide all things neces- sary for health and usefulness, and to put him into a position where he can calmly prosecute his great work ; but certainly the missionary life is not the road to money-making. There is a remarkable passage in Isaiah xxiii. 18, which seems to indicate what will be the conduct of commercial nations — the daughters of ancient Tyre — when they shall come, under the teaching of the gospel, to see and to feel the obliga- tions under which they lie to employ their wealth in the service of God. It is said that the profits of their mer- chandise ' shall not be treasured nor laid up,' but that they shall be for the Lord's servants — ' for those that serve before the Lord ' — that they ' may eat sufficiently and have durable clothing.' The standard of payment spoken of in that verse nearly defines the rule of missionary salaries, — enough for comfortable support. The laying up of money or the acquisition of property is a thing scarcely known in our mission fields. The missionary is a man of God, whose treasure is accumulating in heaven, and whose reward awaits him there. It may be said of him, as it was said of the priests, the sons of Aaron, ' He has no inheritance among his brethren : the Lord himself is his inheritance.' And with such noble views, — views that in the long run will be found to be the wisest and the best, — all that he asks, in the way of maintenance, is comfortable support 292 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. for himself and for his family, that which will qualify him for the efficient discharge of his duties ; and to all this he has the strongest claim, — a claim Avhich the com- mittee have ever recognised and been glad to allow. Inadequate salaries — salaries which pinch the missionary — are no gain. They are the very opposite of a wise economy ; for the man who has to calculate how to make ends meet, cannot be in a condition of mind that fits him for the arduous duties of the mission. Health and usefulness go together ; and hence, when a missionary needs change for the benefit of his health, the committee invariably allow it, when a medical certificate to that efi'ect and the con- currence of his brethren are obtained ; and in that case the expenses are paid, whether he wishes for recruiting to visit his native land, or to go for a time to another country. And in reference to Old Calabar, the climate of which is supposed to be specially trying, every European agent there is entitled, at the close of every four or five years' residence, to come home at the expense of the com- mittee, and to rest here for twelve months. 4. The fourth duty which the home church owes to the foreign missionaries is aid in the education of their chil- dren. Could the missionary retain his children under his own roof, and could proper schools be there had, his salary w^ould not be adequate unless it enabled him to feed, clothe, and educate all the members of his family. But this is what he cannot do. Tropical climates are generally unfavourable to the young; the state of society there is such that the children of missionaries cannot safely be allowed to mingle in it ; and suitable educational institu- tions cannot be had : and for these reasons it is a matter of necessity, on the part of the missionary labouring in a tropical clime, to send his children for their education to LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 293 the mother country. This matter presented a pecuniary difficulty which the missionary could not meet, as he had, as it were, to maintain two homes. It engaged the atten- tion of the Foreign Committee, and in 18G0, after corre- sponding with all the leading missionary societies in this country and in America, a scheme was framed which was approved by the Synod, and which caused gratitude and joy to all our missionaries. This scheme is based on the peculiarity in the case of the foreign missionary to which I have just referred, — namely, that he has to send his children to this country, and here to board and educate them. It grants aid for five years in acquiring a good common school education, at the rate of £30 a year for a boy, and £25 for a girl ; and it defrays two- thirds of the passage money and travelling expenses. The committee, while ready to give information and ad\dce, do not assume the charge of the children ; they leave the responsibility with the parents, whose duty it is to select the persons with whom their children are to board, and the sort of education which they wish them to get. Two ladies' committees, one in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow, have generously exerted and are exerting themselves to raise funds for its support. This scheme has been working very satisfactorily. It has been an immense relief to our foreign agents. One of the greatest trials of the missionary is to part with his children. It is sad indeed — costing many bitter tears — to send his beloved little ones thou- sands of miles away, with the fear that he may never again see them in this world. But it is done in the Lord's cause, and for the Lord's sake ; and he honours them that honour him. In the report that was submitted to the Synod it was said : ' It is a cheering statement which Dr. Rufus Anderson makes — a statement which we have elsewhere 294 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. also read — as the experience of the American Board, that the great proportion of missionaries' children give promise of piety and usefulness. They are the children of the Lord's servants, — of those who from love to him have left home, country, and kindred, to do his work in heathen lands; and we cannot doubt that such little ones have a special interest in the great promise, " And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord ; and great shall be the peace of thy children.'" And I have now to state that, in his Lectures on Foreign Missions, Dr. Anderson gives statistics which in a very satisfactory manner confirm this important and very encouraging statement. He says that, in replies to printed circulars that he issued, he obtained information with regard to the conduct in life of 184 of the children of missionaries thus separated from their parents and educated in America — 95 males and 89 females : that of these, 149 were mem- bers of churches ; that 82 of the 95 males have received or are receiving a liberal education, 1 3 of them being now in the gospel ministry ; and that 78 of the 89 females have received or are receiving an education in academies or high schools, and that 1 3 of them are wives of missionaries. He adds, that ' probably such things cannot be said of any other class of children of like position in the country, and that this is obviously the doing of his hand who has said, " Lo, I am with you always'" (pp. 152, 153). 5. And the fifth duty which the home church owes, is support for infirm and aged missionaries. All our mission- aries are required before leaving this country to insure their lives. This is intended to make provision for the widow and the children in the event of the death of the missionary. The committee also grant aid in this matter. They pay the half of the annual expense up to £300 j and if the missionary insure for £500, one-third of the expense LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 295 of the additional £200, There is as yet no fund provided, as is liappily the case in regard to our ministers at home, for disabled and aged missionaries ; but their claim for support is cheerfully recognised, and each case is decided according to circumstances. It is to the enduring infamy of Ferdi- nand and Isabella of Spain that they neglected in his old age Columbus, Avho had added to their empire a new world; and it would be contrary to all the principles of the Bible, and would cover our church with disgrace, were these men, who have impaired their health and shortened their lives by labouring for Christ and doing the work of the church in foreign lands, to be unkindly treated when they return home all covered with the scars of battle. Before leaving this subject of the relations in which the missionary stands to the home church, and the duties which it owes him, I wish again emphatically to state that the rule which the Foreign Committee have followed in dealing with the missionaries is that of kindness. They are Christian men, engaged in the service of the gracious Saviour, and they are occupied in sending to the heathen that gospel which is the embodiment of divine love ; and it would be strange indeed if they were to conduct themselves towards the missionaries in any other way than with honour and affection. This conduct is wise as well as dutiful. Get the right agents, and there is no doubt that this is the right way of acting. Do everything that you can to cheer them in their labours, and esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Attend to their wishes, respect their opinions, and in all cases where it can be dutifully done, comply with their suggestions; and you will have a har- moniously working, and therefore an efficient mission. I am certain that this is the mode in which the generous members of the church, who contribute for their support, 296 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. desire tlie missionaries to be treated ; and I can bear testi- mony that in all their decisions the committee have leaned to the law of kindness rather than to that of rigid justice ; for how could we look men in the face when they come up, had we not, as Carey said, held firmly the ropes when they were down in the pit of heathenism, seeking there for jewels to set in the crown of Emmanuel 1 Before proceeding to consider, which I will do in the two following lectures, the principles of scriptural liberality, the due operation of which will not merely uphold, but gradually extend our missions, I shall, in conclusion, briefly mention the measures which the Synod has adopted for working out missions in the home church. One great advantage of Presbyterianism is, that as all the congrega- tions are associated together, and are responsible to the presbyteries and to the Synod, access is easily had to them, and agencies easily formed by which to engage them in any scriptural scheme of effort. There are two rules of Synod to which I shall refer. The first respects the raising of funds for missionary purposes. The Synod in 1848 agreed ' urgently to recommend that a missionary association be formed in every congregation, with proper organization, for the purpose of granting to all the members an opportunity of making personal and pecuniary exertions for the support of the gospel at home and abroad;' and in 1849 it further ' recommended that the congregation be divided into small districts, that one or two collectors be appointed to each district, and that the subscriptions be taken up once a month by the collectors, on a day to be named from the pulpit on the preceding Sabbath.' In a paper given in the Record for July 1849, commending these decisions, it is said : ' The practical importance of monthly contributions lies in such things as these : It brings the claims of missions frequently LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 297 before the mind; it forms habits of Christian liberality; and it is far more productive than any other plan. The majority of our congregations are composed of the working classes, of those who honourably maintain themselves by the labour of their hands. It is to their contributions that we must mainly look for the support of all our schemes. These cannot, generally speaking, give much at one time, but they can afford to spare a little frequently. If w^e would do justice to them, if we would elevate them to the rank of Christian benefactors, and if, according to the delightful law of our Lord's kingdom, which declares that the gift is valuable, not in proportion to its magnitude merely, but in proportion to the cheerfulness with which it is given and the relation which it bears to the ability of the donor, we would put it in their power to treasure up for themselves, by their accepted deeds of beneficence, a large reward against the time to come, w^e must go to them pretty often. The same rule is needed for others. There are persons who content themselves with giving once a year what looks like a respectable sum, but who would really be ashamed at its insignificance, and would blush to subscribe it, were it broken down into twelve portions. In every way the funds of the church would be greatly enlarged. Those who have not tried the simple principle of regular monthly contributions are not aware of the benevolent power that lies in their congregations. Let them adopt it without delay, and they will find that the feelings which it will excite, and the habits which it will form, will produce results that Avill surprise and delight them.' The experience of twenty-four years has amply proved the truth of these statements. It is amazing how speedily numerous little sums grow into a large aggregate. I recollect that in 1845, when, at a meet- ing of the elders and managers of a large and respectable 298 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. congregation in the far north, I was urging the advantages of the plan of frequent contribution, I said, ' Will you give me one hundred persons who will overhead contribute for missions at the rate of one halfpenny during each working day of the year V 'Oh yes,' exclaimed an important civic dignitary who was present ; ' but we are doing more than that already.' ' Well,' I said, * that is £65, 4s. 2d. a year.' ' I do not believe it,' was his rather uncourteous reply. ' You may take your pencil and make the calculation, and you will find it to be the fact,' was the response. They were not raising the half of that sum. People are not aware how able they are till they bring all hands to work. I have known congregations double and triple at once their missionary contributions by the adoption of the rule of monthly giving. It has infused life and energy into our church, and progressively developed its pecuniary resources. The second rule of Synod to which I refer, is that which enacts that a missionary committee be formed in each pres- bytery. This committee is intended to be a link of com- munication between the Home and Foreign Committees of the Board and the congregations, and its object is to see that in the matter of liberality the congregations are doing their duty to the Lord, and are carrying out, according to their means, the recommendations of the S3niod. It combines the action of central and local agencies in those deeds of faith and labours of love in which the whole church is engaged. I have long thought that our church has an admirable missionary constitution, and that we have every instrumentality which is needed for doing the work of Christ; but it is manifest that all will depend upon the manner in which the machinery is wrought. This lies with the ministers; and I trust that those of you who may be place i in home charges will permit me to express the hope. LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 299 that you will give heed to the admonition to look not merely on your own things, but on the things of others. The true minister has a heart wide and large as the field of Christian labour. He takes an interest in everything that concerns the cause of his divine Master, wherever that may be, and his aim is to get his people also to do so. Be not afraid to bring the claims of Christ before them, as these arise out of the subjects which form your pulpit ministrations. Their hearts, if touched by divine grace, will respond to these ; and they will esteem you all the more as a faithful pastor, when they hear you warmly and affectionately pleading for the careless at home and the perishing abroad. The Lord blesses those who do their duty. Upon a people whose hearts and hands are open he smiles benignantly ; among such a people he loves to dwell ; and the minister of such a congregation is cheered by seeing that his people are walking in the truth, and that they are doing what they can to have Christ's name and cause advanced and extended in the world. LECTUEE XVI THE PRINCIPLES OF SCRIPTURAL LIBERALITY. IN our last lecture we pointed out the relations which missionaries sustain to the church at home, and the duties which the home church owes to them ; and as the evangelistic operations which are being conducted in heathen lands involve great expense, it is obvious that these opera- tions will be large or small just as the benevolence of the home church is well or ill developed. This is the source of all pecuniary supplies ; and for this reason I shall in this and in the following lecture consider the principles of Christian liberality, as these are stated in the New Testament. The gospel is a grand system of benevolence. It shows the love, mercy, and grace of God displayed to the un- worthy and the perishing; and it excites love to God and to men, dictating warm and generous feelings, and leading to charitable and noble deeds. It subdues the selfishness of the heart, disarms the world of its fascinating and absorbing power; and while it brings eternal things near, it gives them an ascendency in the thoughts, feelings, and pursuits of the believer. Its influences are all liberal and benevolent, em- bracing all classes of men; and when these occupy the heart, the Christian sees that the field of his sympathies and operations is the whole world, and that his highest honour consists in his being a fellow-worker with God in that glorious enterprise that has for its ends the extension LECTUKES ON mSSIOXS AND EVANGELISM. 301 of the gospel and the salvation of immortal souls. It says to liim, 'Freely ye have received, freely give;' and it teaches him that such gifts, granted for the Lord's sake, are multiplied and enlarged as they are used, and that here, indeed, ' Teaching we learn, and giving we retain.' As this is the nature of the influences which the gospel exerts, it was to be expected that the precepts and the examples of the New Testament would be of a peculiarly generous and benevolent character. And so they are. The most tender feelings pervade all its parts; and the frame- work in which its statements are set is a texture of love, — love to all men, ardent love to the brethren. It calls upon us to pity the ignorant, and to instruct them; to feel for those in danger, and to save them; to sympathise with the poor, and to aid them. No matter what be the rank, the colour, or the descent of the persons who need our help : the fact that they are men, our fellow-men, sinful men, is enough for us. Christ, our great exemplar, went about continually doing good. His disciples devoted their lives to the magnificent undertaking of converting the world to his worship; and when, with the love of Christ in their hearts and the trea.sure of the gospel in their hands, they divided the earth among them, and went forth to their respective spheres of labour, the only stipulation that they made was, that ' they should remember the poor.' Hence it was that wherever their teachino- was embraced, it chan2;ed the dispositions of men : it destroyed national and personal antipathies, it united all who received it in the bonds of mutual affection, and it caused them all to labour to promote mutual good. This efl'ect of the gospel in rendering selfish men benevolent, worldly men liberal, and those who ere while hated each other reciprocally loving, is strikingly exliibited in the history of the New Testament church. 302 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. The first recorded example of Christian beneficence is that of the church in Jerusalem. This example, which is described in Acts ii. 44, 45, and in iv. 34, 37, is seldom quoted, and yet it seems to me to occupy a very important place in the teaching of Scripture. It is set forth in the very forefront of the history of the New Testament church, for the purpose of showing the transforming power of the gospel, and the extent to which the demands of true bene- volence go in seasons of emergency. The success which attended the preaching of the gospel during the years that all the apostles remained in Jerusalem was very great, — tens of thousands avowed their faith in Jesus and became members of the church ; but as multitudes of these converts were persons who had come from distant parts to attend the passover, and as they were reluctant to leave their newly gained privileges and return home, their means were exhausted ; and for their sakes chiefly the apostles made an appeal to the members resident in the city. This appeal was at once and cheerfully responded to, and such sums were freely raised as met the wants of all. And hence it is said, ' All who believed were together, and had all things common ; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.' And again it is stated, * Neither was there any among them that lacked ; for as many as were possessors of lands or bouses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet ; and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.' It is no wonder that the Divine Spirit details so minutely this example of self-denying and generous benevolence, and even singles out Barnabas, who sold a whole estate that he had in the island of Cyprus, and calls him ' the son of consolation.' Nothing could have more strikingly exhibited LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 303 the renovating power of Christ's religion. The Jews, who were a worldly and an ambitious people, looked for a Messiah who should establish a temporal kingdom, in which they along with him should rule over all nations, and enjoy wealth and power ; and because Jesus of Nazareth did not answer these expectations, they rejected and crucified him. Our Lord corrected this false view, when in the very first sentence that he uttered in his Sermon on the Mount, he told his hearers that it was those only in whose minds the world had no place — oi 7rT(o;>(ot to) Trvev/xari, 'the poor in spirit ' — that were to be members of the church which he was to set up. How finely does the instance of liberality of which we are speaking illustrate this spiritual state of mind ! The gospel had slain the world in the hearts of these men ; had taught them that there are things more valuable than earth's property ; had so changed their dispositions as that in them now the world had no place, and made them willing for Christ's sake, and for the sake of their needy brethren, to part with their houses and lands. And this, according to the teaching of Christ, should be the efi'ect of his gospel, wherever it is rightly understood. The divine Saviour and the world cannot occupy the same heart — the one will cast out the other. But this example shows us also what in times of difficulty Christ's people should be willing to do. It is said that the Christian should, if need be, be ready to lay down his life for the brethren ; a time of persecution has made believers, rather than renounce their faith, forsake all that they had, and go forth and conceal themselves in caves and dens of the earth ; and when the service of Christ presents claims calling for the surrender of all our property, we will not have the spirit either of those Jerusalem believers, whose conduct is not merely embalmed but illuminated in the first pages of inspired gospel history, nor of those fol- 304 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. lowers of Christ who, Paul tells us, ' took joyfully the spoiling of their goods,' if we shrink from suck a demand. His work is not to stand still so long as there is any one that can help. And were this spirit of self-sacrificing benevolence to actuate the members of all evangelical churches in Great Britain, on the Continent of Europe, and in America, how soon would the coffers of all missionary societies be made to overflow, and a proclamation might be sent to all parts of the earth, saying. Rejoice, ye benighted heathen, for the gospel is now coming to you ! The second recorded example of Christian liberality is that of the church of Antioch in Syria. When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Antioch had received the gospel, they sent thither Barnabas ; and this good man, after labouring some time, and finding the work great and invit- ing, — for it is said, ' Much people was added to the Lord,' — went to Tarsus and brought Paul to Antioch ; and for a whole year these two distinguished servants of Christ ' assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people.' And what is the evidence that is given of their success 1 A donation of money. Certain prophets came down from Jerusalem, and one of them announced ' that there should be a great dearth ' through all the land of Judea. ' Then,' it is said, ' the disciples, every man accord- ing to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea, which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.' This was an interesting event. It evinced that the enmity — the bitter and long-cherished enmity — that had subsisted between Jews and Gentiles was destroyed. These disciples saw that they were one with the Jews in Christ Jesus — that they formed a part of one spiritual family, and that it became them to sympathise with and to relieve their LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 305 brethren in distant lands. It was the first palpable mani- festation of that brotherly love which the gospel produces, and which, overlooking all national boundaries, hostilities, and distinctions of race, embraces in the arms of affection those in every clime that love the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the outburst of that feeling which is destined not merely to evangelize the world, but which will link in one holy fellowship all the churches of the earth. And the terms in which the decision is couched deserve special attention, as they contain all the elements of true Christian benevolence. It was spontaneous. It was formed as soon as the message of the prophet was heard. It was unani- mous — ' every man determined to give ' — there was not a single dissentient. It was made according to their ability : 'They determined, every one according to his ability.' It was carried into immediate effect : ' Which thing they also did.' And it was looked upon as a transaction so im- portant, that they sent the sum which was thus raised ' to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.' Here, then, in this church, the first erected in the Gentile world, are the disciples of Christ found early displaying that love of the brethren which the divine Saviour so warmly inculcated, improving the intimation of the Holy Ghost by contribut- ing for the support of those in need, and spontaneously, unanimously, and publicly giving of their worldly substance for those in another province, who had no claim on them but that which arose from ' the common salvation.' And it would be a happy thing if all our congregations were, in the matter of Christian liberality, to imitate this example, and to respond with similar unanimity to the appeals and recom- mendations either of the Synod or of their own ministers. The third recorded notice is in 1st Corinthians, chap, xvi. 1,2:' Now concerning the collection for the saints, 306 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.' By ' the saints' here are to be understood the destitute followers of Christ in Judea, as is evident from what Paul says in Eomans xv. 26 : 'It hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jeru- salem.' The Corinthians knew well to what the apostle referred, and we may regard the words as re-enforcing a known duty. And the precept is very stringent : ' As I have given order to the churches of Galatia, so do ye.' The churches of Galatia were situated in the high central region of Asia Minor, and he had enjoined them to follow the mode of contribution which he now directs the churches of Achaia, in Greece, to adopt. It is marked by four things, and bears a striking resemblance to what has been exem- plified by the church in Antioch. Every one was to give — no exception was to be allowed : Let every one of you lay by him. It was to be done at short intervals : Upon the first day of the week, the Lord's day, let every one of you lay by him in store. It was to be according to the ability of each : Let every one of you lay by him in store as the Lord hath prospered him. And it was to be done for the purpose of realizing a larger sum than would otherwise have been gained, and of preventing all bustle, hurry, or confusion when the apostle should arrive : That there be no gatherings when I come. The mode of contribution which is here inculcated sanctions the rule of frequent giving. There were no banks in those days, in which the gathered subscriptions of a congregation might be safely deposited ; and every one, therefore, was to have his charitable or mis- sionary box, into which he was to put his gifts. This was LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 307 to be done each week on the Lord's day. When the heart of the donor was glowing with the blessed thoughts and feelings which the resurrection of Christ and the religious services of the first day of the week excited in his mind, he was to consider what he owed to his Lord, and what God had done for him during the j)receding week, and gratefully and conscientiously, and as an act of worship, to add to the store what he could afford. The sums were to be greater or smaller, just as he found that his worldly matters had gone well or ill with him. And these were to be laid up in store, or as in a treasure. It was money put to good interest, which the Lord would repay ; ' for,' as Beza says, ' these are the true riches laid up in heaven, entrusted to God, to be compensated with the amplest interest both in this world and the next, though not of their own value, but of his mere liberality.' And this plan of weekly contribu- tions was continued, as appears from 2 Cor. ix. 2, for two years at least; and it was doubtless enjoined as being more productive than any other method. Had the apostle waited till he should go to them, and taken a collection when he arrived, persons could only have given to him what they then had. But by this process of weekly consecration, continued for so long a period, a large sum was collected; and the apostle, when he came, received the proceeds of all these separate family treasures. This verse, then, very clearly establishes these things : that every one is to contribute for the cause of Christ; that every one is to contribute at short intervals; that every one is to contribute according to his ability; and that the method which is likely to raise the greatest sum is to be adopted. These are substantially the principles of the scheme of missionary contribution recom- mended by the Synod, which was described in the preceding lecture, — the only difference being that of monthly instead of 308 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. weekly giving, a difference which our changed circumstances allow. We come now to a portion of Scripture which may be called the grand directory of the church as to Christian liberality — namely, the 8th and the 9th chapters of 2d Corinthians. It is well known that the principles and rules of the 'New Testament with regard to church polity were given just as circumstances called for them; and the Spirit of God took occasion, from the contribution that was being raised in the Gentile churches for the benefit of the poor saints in Judea, to unfold at considerable length the sub- ject of Christian benevolence, and to state motives and principles which are intended to dictate and to regulate religious giving of every kind, and which, if practised, would secure ample funds for the support and the exten- sion of the gospel. And in this day, when happily all evangelical Christians are recognising the obligations that lie on them both to spread the gospel in heathen lands and to maintain the cause of Christ at home, it is of the utmost consequence that these two chapters be carefully studied. The wisdom of the Divine Spirit is evinced not only in the things that are said in the Scriptures, but in the cases that are selected for warning or for imitation. For example, the model instance of individual giving which our Lord commends is that of a widow, a poor widow, a poor widow contributing two mites, all that she had ; just as if he had said, that there is no one so poor as to be precluded by his circumstances from having the privilege and the blessedness of helping the cause of God. So here the cases selected and described are two churches, — the one poor and the other rich, the one afflicted, the other prosperous; and thus they meet the states of all churches, in all ages and all lands. Let us look, first, at what is said with respect to the poor LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 309 churches. These were the churches of Macedonia — Philippi and Thessalonica. This was the region that gave birth to Alexander, the conqueror of Persia. Its inhabitants formed those warlike and invincible phalanxes which subdued the world. They were for many years the most renowned and trusted soldiers, the leaders and the strength of the vast armies of the East. They gathered bright honours and acquired great wealth. But these things had passed away, and Macedonia was now a dependent Roman province. But a higher honour is assigned to these poor Macedonian converts than Alexander and all the kings of the East could have bestowed, in being chosen as one of the models after which all churches are to copy in the exercise of that Christian liberality which is to turn the world unto Jesus Christ, and to subject all nations to the spiritual and happy dominion of the Prince of Peace. The churches of Philippi and Thessalonica were poor and afflicted. Full accounts of the trying circumstances in which they received the gospel are given in the 16th and the 17th chapters of the Acts. They were subjected to severe and harassing persecutions by the unbelieving Jews, the heathen magistrates, and their unconverted fellow- citizens. So much was this the case, that the apostle, addressing the Philippians, declares that ' they were par- takers of his grace in his bonds and in the defence and the confirmation of the gospel;' calls upon them to be *in nothing terrified by their adversaries;' and says that 'it was given unto them, in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on his name, but to suffer for his sake.' And writ- ing to the Thessalonians, he affirms that ' they had received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.' They were reproached, and in many ways oppressed ; and in reference to worldly things, they were either forcibly 310 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. deprived of their property, or hindered in the prosecution of their ordinary avocations. In these circumstances, they might have invited the sympathy and the aid of more opulent churches, and might have pleaded their own em- barrassments as an excuse for not giving anything. But instead of this, they looked on the things of others as well as their own, and felt that the law of Christ required them, as far as they could, to bear the burdens of their Christian brethren. The collection for the poor Jewish saints was spon- taneously begun. The church of Philippi has the high honour of being spoken of by Paul as the only Grecian church that sympathised with him in his difficulties, and that sent once and again to him a sum of money to relieve his wants, — donations which, he says, were 'an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God.' There is little doubt, we think, that the apostle sent his 'orders' to these churches, as well as to those of Galatia and Achaia, with regard to the weekly con- tribution ; but before these had come, they, hearing of the distresses of their brethren in Judea, had begun the work. Hence it is said, 'They were willing of themselves.' Con- templating the heathen darkness and superstitions, the guilt and misery from which they had been rescued, and the light, life, freedom, and hope into which they had been brought, — contrasting their former degraded and wretched condition with their present glorious privileges as the sons and the heirs of God, they saw and felt that they could not do enough to testify their gratitude to the divine Saviour. They were indeed poor and afflicted, but their very poverty and affliction made them sympathise more cordially with their Jewish brethren; and when they reflected that it was to these Jewish saints they were LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 31 1 indebted for the stream of spiritual joy which flowed through their minds, they resolved to send to them a portion of the worldly substance which they still had. We may su^^pose that when the tidings were brought to them of the state of matters in Judea, they came together, and that an aged and esteemed father thus addressed them : * Brethren, Ave were blinded and miserable idolaters, serving gods many and lords many, living in ignorance, sin, and death, without the knowledge of the true God and the hope of future happiness. The Jews had pity on us, and sent forth their countrymen to tell us of Jesus, the Son of God, who died for sinners, and who, having ascended to the right hand of his Father, lives to save and to bless all that believe on his name. We have heard and received this good news. We have come to know the only living and true God, and have found peace with him ; we have been washed from our sins in the blood of Christ, and we are now partakers of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. Peace, joy, and comfort rule in our hearts. It is true that we are despised, persecuted, and cruelly used by our countrymen, and that our outward evils are increased ; but we have now the sure prospect of a heavenly and eternal home, where we shall be for ever with the Lord, saved and blessed. These are privileges of inestimable worth. They raise us above the world, and make us the honoured children of God. What shall we do, then, to show our thankfulness to God for all these blessings, and to the Jews as the instruments in his hand by whom they have been brought' to us 1 Let us give of our carnal things in return for their spiritual things.' These sentiments find a response in every bosom. All acquiesce in the proposal, and the collection is commenced, which the subsequent in- structions of the apostle direct them how to conduct. 312 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. The sum raised was up to tlieir ability, and even beyond it. Christ said of a certain woman, ' She hath done what she could ;' but the commendation which the apostle gives to these poor Macedonian converts is still higher. He says : ' We do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; how that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power (I bear record), yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves.' They denied themselves comforts ; they made generous sacrifices ; they parted with things that were really needful. Their hearts were so filled with joyous spiritual feelings, they were so carried along by these blissful emotions, all springing from faith in the gospel, that, like the poor widow, they were ready to give all they had. Worldly things seemed to them but as the small dust in the balance in comparison with their great privileges. The greatness of their joy 'abounded unto the riches of their liberality.' It overflowed in benevolent gifts, enlarging and multiplying these ; while their deep poverty enhanced the value of these gifts, and rendered them all the more precious in the divine sight. Their joy and tlieir poverty beautified the donations, and made them 'a rich liberality.' Oh, it is a glorious testi- mony that Paul bears, — one of the brightest beams of fame that shines on the living page of God's word : ' For to their power (I bear record), yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves.' With what delight would the apostle, under the guidance of the inspiring Spirit, pen these words ! There they remain, to the enduring honour of these churches. The record was also written on high, and it will be found unto praise and glory at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 313 The cause of this singular liberality was the outpoured grace of God. 'We do you to wit,' says Paul, 'of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia.* This grace was realized by them in the use of means. It did not fall down on them unexpectedly or unsought : ' They first,' it is said, ' gave their own selves to the Lord.' The words express a solemn, united, and religious con- secration of themselves to the divine Saviour. Many regard them as describing an instance of public or social covenant- ing; even Dr. Doddridge so considers them. There can be no doubt that there is a reference to some formal religious act. The people devoted themselves to the Lord, and engaged to serve him in their bodies and in their souls, and to give up to him their time, their talents, and their possessions. They drew near to God, and he drew near to them. They gave themselves to him, and he gave himself to them. Their faith and their affection rested on God, and his grace flowed forth, filled their souls, and made them willing to be, to suffer, and to do whatever he should appoint. They came forth from the divine presence with glad hearts and radiant countenances, and they ' gave themselves to the apostle by the will of God,' saying, \Ye are ready for every good work ; just tell us what God's will is, and as his pledged servants we are prepared to do it. This largely bestowed grace, obtained in reply to their earnest supplications, explains their wondrous benevolence. But is not this the manner in which the grace of God always operates ? It is an active thing. It does not lie dormant in the soul. It manifests its existence and its power in the doing of good works. It is a living fountain, welling up in godly deeds, — deeds which stretch away into eternity, and render life there glorious. Zaccheus found Christ, and his heart was instantly opened, and the half of his goods 314 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. he gave to the poor ; the disciples found Christ, and they left all and followed him ; Jerusalem believers found Christ, and they sold their houses and their lands, and laid the money down at the feet of the apostles; the persecuted in this and other lands found Christ, and for his sake they forsook all that they had. Can a man, it has been said, carry under his cloak a bunch of spices, and the fragrance of them not be diffused around 1 So neither can any one have the grace of God largely conferred, and keep back from taking an active personal interest in the affairs of Christ's kingdom. In this view Christian liberality is a test of piety. A man may indeed from selfish motives, such as to obtain a name and influence, contribute to missions and other benevolent objects ; but the counterfeit proves that there is genuine coin in currency, and the fact remains, and deserves to be seriously noted, that every one who has the grace of God will show his piety in liberal and devoted deeds. If there is any congregation, therefore, that does little or nothing for the needy and the perishing outside their own circle, it will not do for them to plead that they are poor and afflicted. The churches of Macedonia were so ; but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and in return they received from him a large measure of grace, and under its action they gave a money contribution to those in another land, up to their power, and even beyond it ; and the grace of God which wrought so in Macedonia will operate in a similar manner in Scotland. When the gatherings were completed, these Macedonian believers brought the money to Paul, and requested him to take the charge of it, ' praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.' These words do not signify, as some might suppose, that the apostle was LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 315 reluctcant to accept the donation, and that the contributors had to employ arguments to induce him to do so. He knew that these saints were doing that which was accept- able in the divine sight, and which would bring down on them the blessing of God, and he would not prevent them from reahzing spiritual good. It was the fruit of grace, and it would, as he says elsewhere, ' abound to their account.' The point with regard to which he hesitated was the taking charge personally of the sum collected, and being the bearer of it to Jerusalem. He was not sure about the propriety of such a step, as it might give occasion to his enemies to allege that he had appropriated a portion to his own use ; and it was not till other churches joined in the request, and chose several others to accompany him, that he consented to carry up to Jerusalem this noble proof of the love and the benevolence of the Gentile churches. And hence he says, speaking of Titus, 'And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches ; and not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace (benefaction), which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind ; avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us ; providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.' AYhat is said concerning the churches of Macedonia dis- tinctly shows that the poor members of Christ's church should be asked and encouraged to do what they can for the support and the extension of the gospel. There are many who consider it as unkind, as almost amounting to an act of oppression, to solicit a religious subscription from the poor ; and those especially who shelter themselves under 316 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. endowments boast of their church as being the poor man's church, inasmuch as he is not required to contribute for the maintenance of the gospel ministry. This assertion is made with an air of great benevolence; but the unkindness is all on their part. Their view receives no countenance from the word of God. Religious giving is there described as an act of worship, and it has associated with it a divine blessing and reward. The blessing and the reward are not attached, as we will show in our next lecture, to the size of the gift, but to the facts that it is granted willingly and is in proportion to the ability of the donor. This benevolent and beautiful law of Christ's kingdom puts it in the power of all, except those that are absolutely destitute, to be con- tributors to the cause of God; and to make a man's poverty a reason for depriving him of the divine blessing and reward, is to add insult and injury to affliction. Had those persons been present when the poor widow was about to throw her two mites into the money-chest of the temple, they would doubtless have interposed, and said, 'Poor woman, the temple does not need thy small pittance. Look at its magnificence and splendour, and see, the rich are casting in of their abundance. Take home thy two mites, and use them for thy own wants.' But the most benevolent heart that ever beat on earth looked at the matter very differ- ently. He commended her conduct, and he held it up for the admiration and the imitation of the church in all ages. And he did so because he knew, on the one hand, that as this contribution was given from love to God, it would have been to the pious widow a most painful trial, that which would have intensified and embittered all her sorrows, had she been kept back from helping to maintain her heavenly Father's house ; and, on the other, that this deed was registered with acceptance in heaven by him who rules the LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 317 events of providence, and that he would restore what she had given with sevenfold interest. Or let us put the matter in another form. Suppose that an affectionate and godly- father is on his deathbed, and that he sends an invitation to all his sons to come and see him ere he depart. These sons have all prospered in the world except one, who occupies the station of a mere labourer. Suppose that a person were to say to this poor man, It was not kind in your father to ask you to go and see him, for if you do so it will deprive you of a day's wage. What would be the effect of such a statement 1 Would it be felt by the poor man to be an act of kindness ? Would it not rather bring his poverty vividly into view, and go as an arrow to liis heart 1 He would say. My father loves me as warmly as he does my rich brothers, and I love him as cordially as they do, and I am prepared to do what I can to testify my affection for him. So is it in regard to religious contribution. The Lord has given to us freely his own Son and all saving blessings ; and what he demands in return is, that we give ourselves to him, and do what we can to serve him. He treats, in so far as gospel privileges are concerned, the rich and the poor alike. They are all equally related to him, and are equally inter- ested in the privileges and in the prospects of his great salvation. And by the rule of cheerful and proportionate giving, to which we have already referred, he lifts the poor as well as the rich to the dignity of being religious benefactors. And certainly those that would stand between the poor and God's blessing and reward are not their true friends. Dr. Chalmers, as stated in his Life by Dr. Hanna, vol. i. p. 100, in the first sermon that he preached for the Bible Society, in 1811, indignantly and eloquently repelled the charge that it is wrong to take from the poor for the cause of the Bible and the gospel. This was the view also which Paul took ; 318 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. for he commends, with special satisfaction, the liberality of these Macedonian believers, who were poor and afflicted, says that their 230verty magnified their gifts, and rejoices to bear testimony, and to record it for the benefit of coming times, that, in the exercise of Christian self-denial, they had contributed for the good of others up to their power, and even beyond it. Let this matter be ever spoken of as a privilege, a valuable privilege, not as a burden, and then all who really fear and love God, and have respect to the future, will desire to have a share in it. Again, there should be no hesitation in taking from the poor what they cheerfully offer. Every gift in the Old Testament worship that touched the altar was the Lord's, and could not be taken back. And so, whatever any one, in the exercise of enlightened and pious motives, devotes to God should be gladly accepted. It is a hallowed thing. But I have known able and excellent friends of mis- sions who had other views, and who even remonstrated with persons who presented donations which they con- sidered as being more than they could afford. I never could see any scriptural warrant for such hesitation. On the contrary, he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. An anecdote given in the Life of the Eev. Dr. Eogers of New York, an eminent Presbyterian minister of the last century, will illustrate what I mean. It is stated that, when he was going round among his people soliciting subscriptions for building a church, he came to the house of a widow in humble circumstances, who had been recently deprived of her only daughter. He called on her, not for the purpose of asking aid, but of speaking to her a word of comfort. But before leaving he mentioned the object in which he was that day employed, when she rose and put into his hand a considerable sum of money. He was sur- LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 319 j^risecl at the amount, and refused to accept it. But she said, ' You must take it. I had designed it for my daugh- ter, and I have resolved that he who has taken her to himself shall also have her portion.' This was a beautiful act. It had about it the odour of a sweet smell. Oh, it would have been most unkind on the part of Dr. Eogers to have persisted in the refusal ! For I believe that when he carried away that money he left behind him a widowed and bereaved heart that felt a real joy that the divine Saviour, her own Lord, to whom she had betrothed her daughter, and who had removed her to his own celestial palace, now had her portion. LECTURE XYIL THE PRINCIPLES OF SCRIPTURAL LIBERALITY. IN our last lecture it was remarked, that the wisdom of the Spirit of God is shown in the two cases selected for imitation in the matter of scriptural benevolence, as these are described in the 8th and the 9th chapters of 2d Corinthians, — namely, the churches of Macedonia and the church of Corinth, the one being poor and afflicted, and the other rich and prosperous, — as they thus supply rules which correspond to the states of all churches, in all ages and in all lands. We have considered what is said respecting the churches of Macedonia, and we come now to look at what is stated in regard to the Corinthian church. Corinth, as you are aware, was a city of Achaia, which stood on the isthmus which connected the Peloponnesus with the rest of Greece ; and from its situation being well adapted for com- merce, it abounded in wealth and in all the elegancies and luxuries of life, and was characterized by great licentious- ness of manners. It is evident from the strain of the first epistle to the church in that city, especially from the hints with respect to their pride and contentions, and from the precepts that are given on the subject of meats, drinks, and festivals, that the members of this church were gene- rally opulent and prosperous. The church of Corinth, therefore, may be regarded as the type of our wealthy and LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 321 flourisliing congregations ; and the principles which are stated as bearing on their conduct are those which are to influence all in our churches that have wealth and property. There are chiefly four principles which we shall point out and illustrate. 1. The first principle is, that religious donations are to be given willingly. When the Lord invited the contributions of the people for the making of the tabernacle in the wil- derness, it was said, ' Of every one that giveth willingly with his heart, ye shall take my offering ; ' and this idea of willingness, as being essential to the acceptance of the gift, is distinctly taught by the apostle. * For,' he says, ' if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath.' 'Everyman according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give ; not grudgingly, or of necessity : for God loveth a cheerful giver.' These words just quoted are very remarkable. It is remarkable that, when any one gives back to God a portion of the things which he has got from him, the Lord should bestow on him the honourable title of a giver — a giver to God. David felt this when he said, ' Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort 1 for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.' But it is still more remarkable that it should be said that God loves a cheerful giver. In so far as I know, this is the only duty in regard to which it is declared in the Scriptures that God loves the man who does it ; and to my mind nothing could more vividly set forth the high place which willing liber- ality occupies in the estimation of God than the circum- stance that it is thus singled out from all other duties, and has connected with it this special mark of divine approval. But the truth is, willinghood is the characteristic of all genuine spiritual services. The Lord makes his people X 322 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. willing in the day of his power. It is the homage of the heart which he demands. His service, whatever be the form which it takes, must be willing service. Love must characterize it. The act of giving is the result of grace, and is itself called grace. ' See,' says the apostle, ' that ye abound in this grace also.' The smallest degree of constraint destroys its fine character. It is a tender and holy thing, which the touch of violence pollutes. Cordial willingness is an absolute prerequisite in religious giving. It is only when, in obedience to the divine claim, the benefaction is willingly and cheerfully rendered — -the delighted offering of a grateful and loving heart — that it is acceptable and well-pleasing to God. It is said of the famous Andrew Fuller, that when in London he was raising money for the Baptist mission, he called on a merchant, who received him very gruffly, and who, when informed that his name was down in the book which Mr. Fuller held in his hand for an annual subscrip- tion of one guinea, cried, * Let me see it,' and then enclosing a guinea, threw back the book in a very offensive manner. Mr. Fuller thanked him, but mildly said, ' It is not accepted, sir.' 'What !' exclaimed the merchant in a burst of anger, * not accepted ! Is it not a good guinea 1 ' ' Yes,' replied Mr. Fuller, ' the money is good enough, but as it is given with a grudge, it is not,' pointing upwards, ' accepted in the quarter about which you should be chiefly anxious.' * Thank you,' said the merchant, ' I never thought of that. Give me back the book ;' and he doubled his subscription. And why should any of our donations be otherwise than willingly given 1 Why should it require so many appeals and arguments to prevail upon us to part with our worldly substance for the service of God 1 The matter, rightly viewed, is a privilege for which we should be thankful. Every opportunity of giving which is presented affords an occasion of realizing LECTURES ON MISSIONS .VXD EVANGELISM. 323 blessing for ourselves. The Lord Jesus Christ is employing his power and the resources of Godhead in carrying out the purposes of his Father in the salvation of sinful men ; and in no way can we be so profitably and so honourably engaged as in helping forward his benignant administration. By acting in this way, we make to ourselves friends of ' the mammon of unrighteousness.' We take that which Satan uses as his chief instrument in ensnaring and ruining souls, and which experience has so frequently proved to be in- jurious to the Christian's best interests, and lay it up as a treasure in heaven. We shall thus find the truth of the epitaph which the eloquent Saurin says, in his sermon on * The Duty of giving Alms,' was engraved on the tomb of Atolus of Rheims : ' He exported his fortune before him to heaven, and he is gone thither to enjoy it ; ' or of the epi- taph which Addison in the Sjyedator says was put on the tomb of a charitable man : ' AVhat I spent I lost ; what I possessed is left to others ; what I gave away remains with me' (No. 177). Money thus hallowed, instead of being *the root of all evil,' becomes in reality the source of spiritual good both to ourselves and others. The merchant is well pleased when any one furnishes him with an oppor- tunity for increasing his gains; the soldier is delighted when he can multiply his laurels ; and the statesman hails as a benefit anything that tends to augment his power and his fame. The Christian is seeking nobler things than any of these parties ; he is occupied in acquiring meetness for a blessed eternity ; and whatever goes to build him up in faith, holiness, and spiritual joy, is more valuable than all the things of earth. But he cannot take part in those bene- volent operations that are connected with the advancement and the diff'usion of the gospel without bringing into lively exercise those views and feelings on the growth and maturity 324 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. of which the welfare of his soul depends. He, works for others, and he benefits himself ; he gives for others, and he gets more largely from above. His best feelings are embodied in deeds of faith ; and God, who loves a cheerful giver, encircles him with his favour, and makes all his interests to prosper. 2. The second principle is, that religious donations are to bear a just proportion to our ability or our property. You are aware that a Society has existed for a number of years, the Christian Systematic Benevolence Society, whose object is to inculcate the duty of proportionate, systematic, and continued giving for religious purposes. The operations of this Society have done much good, as they have called the attention of all churches more prominently than was the case before to the great duty of Christian liberality. Such of the publications of this Society as I have seen look with favour upon a Christian's giving the tenth part of his income to the cause of God. But it seems to me that in the New Testament nothing is said as to the precise amount which we are to give. In the Mosaic dispensation, God dealt with his church as a man deals with his son while under age ; he told his people not merely to what objects they were statedly to give of their property, but the amount which they were to bestow. The only exception was voluntary gifts, the offspring of grateful piety; and in respect to these there was no limitation or rule. But in the New Testament dispen- sation, the Lord treats his church as a man does his son when he has reached majority ; he presents motives, prin- ciples, and arguments, and calls upon us, in the exercise of enlightened conscientiousness, to carry these into effect. "We have just said that willingness is one of the requisite qualifications of the gift ; and another is here stated to be, that it must be according to our ability. This is very LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 325 clearly affirmed by the apostle. The Corinthians, it appears, had resolved, a considerable time before, to raise a contri- bution for the benefit of the Jewish saints ; and they are now asked to execute their purpose. ' Now, therefore, per- form the doing of it, that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.' In the case of the church of Antioch, it was said that every man determined to give ' according to his ability.' In the orders that Paul gave to the Galatian and Grecian churches respecting the laying aside on the first day of the week, it was said that the sum was to be ' as the Lord had prospered' the donor. And here it is declared that the gifts are to be according to a man's property. The three expres- sions are different, but they all prescribe the same rule or law, — that our giving is to bear a just proportion to our pecuniary ability. The apostle puts it in two forms. In the first place, he says that the giving is not to be ' accord- ing to that a man hath not ' (ov KaOo ovk cx^O* The Lord is not a hard master, reaping where he has not sowed, and gathering where he has not strawed. If he has not bestowed on us the means of giving, he does not look for anything in return. The man who is in debt, or the entirely destitute, cannot give. But these persons must see that their desti- tution is not the result of indolence or of want of economy; for if greater industry and better management would enable them to give, their lack of ability is criminal, and the com- mand applies, ' Let him labour, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.' The obligation to honour God with our sub- stance lies on all Christ's people; and where there is a willing mind, persons will take an interest in his work, 326 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. yield to it their prayers, their counsels, and their labours ; they will regard as an affliction their pecuniary inability: they will employ all competent means to remove it ; and as soon as they have the power, they will hasten to bestow their gifts. This was at one time illustrated by a congre- gation in Jamaica. Owing to a severe drought, they had no crop, and for eleven months they could contribute nothing; but rain fell, and their crop was reaped, and as soon as they had sold their produce, they came in the last month of the year, and cheerfully paid their subscriptions. The second and the more important form of the law is, that the gift is to be ' according to a man's property ' — KaOb lav 'Ixv '^'^ — according to what any one may have. If the gift does not possess this quality in addition to willingness, it is not accepted by God. It may advance the cause of the Saviour, it may do good to others, but it does not bring down the blessing of God upon the donor. It is classed along with the lame and the torn, which persons laid on God's altar, and which he rejected. This law presents religious giving in an awfully solemn and impressive aspect. I recollect many years ago, when this view of the passage first pre- sented itself to my mind, that I was deeply affected by it; and before proceeding to teach it publicly, I consulted the late Eev. Dr. Stark of Dennyloanhead, one of the ablest and best theologians that our church ever had, and he said that the meaning of the apostle's statement obviously is, that any benefaction not granted willingly, and not being in proportion to the pecuniary ability of the giver, is not favourably regarded by God. And yet why should this law surprise us 1 No one doubts the justness of this principle when applied to spiritual things. All acknowledge that we are to serve God sincerely, and to the utmost extent of our power. ^Ye are to love him with all our heart, soul, mind, LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 327 and strength. And why should there be any hesitation when this law comes to be applied to the things of this world 1 Does not hesitation here seem to indicate that Christians imagine that their wealth is their own, which they may keep back and use as they please ? But God's claim is universal and paramount, and this law of propor- tionate giving speaks with a potent voice to the rich, and calls upon them to consider carefully what they have, and to regulate their donations by their ability. It is obvious that the man whose income has been doubled, or tripled, or multiplied many fold, is not to content himself with laying on God's altar what he did before. His gifts should rise in number and in magnitude just as his wealth is increased ; and if he desire to enjoy the divine favour, he will conscien- tiously attend to this rule of proportion. This law speaks also in an encouraging voice to the poor. It has stamped on it the kindness of the gracious Saviour. It tells us that it is not the amount of the gift, in itself considered, that makes it accepted by God, but it is the circumstances that it is given willingly, and that it is as much as the donor can afford. One man can give £1000 a year, and another can give £1 a year. These sums are the measures of their re- spective ability, and if they are bestowed with like willing- ness, they meet with equal acceptance; and if the £1 bear a larger proportion to the property of the one than the £1000 do to the wealth of the other, his gift, like that of the poor widow, will be accounted the greater, and will gain a richer blessing. Sustained by this law, I felt the utmost freedom in addressing all classes of men, and urging upon them the claims of Christ; for I could say. Here is a law which puts it in the power of the working man as well as of the wealthy capitalist to be a giver to God, and which, if willingly followed, will liring down on each that blessing wliich, in the best sense, makes rich. 328 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 3. The third principle is, that religious donations are to be given by us in the way that a steward dispenses his master's property. The apostle Peter says : ' As every man has received the gift, so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.' This idea of stewardship, or that men are put in trust with God's property, which they are to use for his service and glory, is strikingly brought out by Paul in the following words addressed to the Corinthians : ' For I mean not that other men be eased and you burdened ; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want; that there may be equality. As it is written. He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.' This remark- able passage furnishes a fine illustration of the duty of the rich to help the poor, of the strong to aid the weak, and of those who have received large measures of gifts, grace; or wealth to do what they can to make up for the inability and the deficiencies of others. The case of the manna, to which the apostle refers, sets the matter in a clear light. Each person was by divine appointment to have one omer full each morning, and two on the Saturday. When the people went out to gather the manna, some obtained more and some less, just as they were early or late afield ; but they were not allowed to carry their gatherings to their tents. They had to deposit them in heaps ; and when the ofiicers measured out to each the prescribed allowance, it was found that there was just enough for all — nothing over and nothing lacking. The providence of God, which so wondrously kept their clothes from wearing, so ordered that each got each day his daily bread. None could com- plain of this arrangement, for two reasons. The first was, LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 329 that the manna was a divine gift, granted not for the exclusive benefit of the individual, but for the good of the whole people ; and the second was, that while his overplus of to-day might supply the lack of his neighbour, that neighbour's overplus to-morrow might make up for his deficiency. Now the doctrine of the apostle is, that a similar law prevails with regard to the church — that the Lord Jesus Christ, its king and head, the ruler in pro- vidence, grants always an abundance for all its wants and all its works. But there is no material measure, like the omer, to determine the portion which each is to receive. Still there is abundance for all ; and the rule of cheerful and proportionate giving, which each person is to apply, is to do for New Testament wealth what the omer did for the manna ; and if this rule be faithfully followed, all the operations of the church will be adequately sustained. Some have more than they need, and others have less ; some are rich, and others are poor; but the rich are not to regard their abundance as their own, which they are to employ according to their pleasure. 'The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.' 'A man,' says the evan- gelist John, ' can receive nothing, except it be given him from above.' 'Every good gift,' says James, 'comes down from the Father of lights.' According to this view, all wealth is God's property; it is given to the immediate possessor in trust, and he is bound so to consider it, and, as a steward, to lay it out in the divine service. No one has authority to go to him, as did the officers -ndth the omer, and say. You will take for your own use only so much; but God conies to him with this rule of propor- tionate giving, and demands that he apply it in the dis- tribution of his property. And he cannot justly complain of this law any more than could the man who had the 330 LECTUEES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. overplus of the manna, for all that he has is the gift of God. It is God's bounty which he is called upon to dis- pense. In this respect he is highly favoured ; for God has put him in the position of helping others, where he may realize the truth of the words, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' He might have been among the poor; it is the divine favour alone that has made him opulent ; and that favour has been shown to him that he may acquire the high distinction of being a Christian benefactor. And then, in the course of events, he may lose his wealth, and those that are now poor may become rich; and in that case the like obligations will lie on them to aid the work and to supply his lack of means. Oh, this is a beautiful rule of equity ! It honours the divine Saviour, by teaching that he always makes ample provision for all the demands of his church ; and it honours wealthy Christians, by show- ing that they are the chosen depositaries and stewards of the divine beneficence, Avhich, according to the law of just proportion, — the New Testament omer, — they are to measure out for the benefit of all. And when the divine glory shall arise on the church, and when the Holy Spirit shall render all the members equally willing to do what they can for the Lord, the leaders of all Christian movements, whether these relate to matters at home or abroad, will never have to lament the want of sufficient means. 4. And the fourth principle is, that religious donations are to be given in faith, and in the hope of their being literally repaid. The Lord is generous, and he will not allow any one to be ultimately a loser, either in a spiritual or in a tem- poral view, by what he gives for his cause. It has long been taught that active exertions in the service of God augment our spiritual gifts and graces ; but it seems to me that the apostle here affirms that the Lord will repay persons literally, LECTUKES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 331 and in kind, for wliat they contribute of their substance, provided that this be done from right motives; nay, that he urges liberaHty on the ground that, the more they bestow, the hxrger will be the compensation. ' But this I say,' — take heed to this and bear it in mind, — ' he who soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly ; and he who soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.' That these words are to be taken literally, and as holding out the promise of a material recompense, appears to me manifest from these two con- siderations. The first is, that the crop which is reaped uni- formly corresponds to the seed which is sown. The seed wliich was here to be sown was money. It was to be cast into the field of Christian benevolence ; and the allegation made is, that according to the amount used would be the return. It would not be lost ; it would come back to them ; and the return would just be in proportion to the liberality of the sower. And the second consideration is, that the apostle appeals in support of his statement to the power of God. It might be asked, How is this material return to be made ] The reply is, ' God is able to make all grace ' — all favour — ' abound toward you, that ye always, having all- sufficiency, may abound unto every good work.' AVhen a spiritual recompense is spoken of, the appeal is made to the grace, the mercy, or the love of God; but the appeal is here to his power as the Divine Euler. He is able to repay you in a hundred ways. The events of providence are in his hand ; the silver and the gold are dispensed by him ; the move- ments of trade, the influences of the sky, the earth, and the ocean, and all the vicissitudes of life, are governed by him ; and it is easy for him to keep any one in health, to make his business prosperous, and to bless and increase what he has gained. He can give, as is here stated, ' such an all- sufficiency in all things,' as to make the person ' abound to 332 LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. every good work, being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness.' The words are very full and emphatic, and show that large and cheerful giving is the way to ensure expanding liberality. We may not always see how the recompense is given, because we must bring this matter, like every other promise, under the influence of faith. The question is. Do these words of the apostle teach the doctrine of material compensation 1 If they do, then the accom- plishment of them is to be left to the power and the faith- fulness of God. The words ' he is able ' are enough for us. But this is not a solitary passage. Indeed, gracious compensation appears to be an established rule of the divine administration. It is embodied in the Lord's Prayer : ' For- give us our debts AS we forgive our debtors.' And in the following passage our Lord teaches it in the clearest manner : ' Give, and it shall be given unto you ; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom : for with the same measure that ye mete withal shall it be measured to you again ' — these latter words proving distinctly that compensation in kind is a law of the kingdom. Then in the Proverbs, which inculcate great moral principles, applicable to all ages, we find these statements : ' He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord ; and that which he hath given will he pay him again' (xix. 17). 'There is that scattereth, and yet in- creaseth' (xi. 24). 'Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase : so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine' (iii. 9, 10). And Isaiah says : 'The liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he STAND ' (xxxii. 8). This doctrine was illustrated in God's dealing with the Jews. Their fields were fruitful, and all their social and national affairs were prosperous, just as they LECTURES ON MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM. 333 were obedient to his will. He commanded those who re- turned from the captivity in Babylon to build the second temple ; and after being engaged in it for a time, they ceased from the work on the plea that they had not sufficient means to finish it, and that it would absorb all that they had, and reduce them to indigence and want. They with- held what was due to God, and they found that this caused the poverty which they feared. The Lord smote them with blasting, mildew, and hail in all the labours of their hands, and their crop shrank away and disappointed their hopes. But when, under the teaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, they repented of their sin, returned to duty, and resumed the work, the message was sent, ' From this day I bless you.' This doctrine of compensation in kind is also pointedly taught by the apostle in the 4th chapter of Philippians, where he says, ' No church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.' 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