DR. WOODS’S 
 
 FOREIGN MISSIONARY SERMON. 
 
 THE PROFITS OF THIS SERMON WILL BE DEVOTED TO 
 THE SUPPORT OF FOREIGN MISSIONS. 
 
 
SERMON 
 
 DELIVERED AT THE 
 
 TABERNACLE IN SALEM, 
 
 Feb. 6, 1812, * 
 
 On occasion of tub 
 
 ORDINATION 
 
 THE REV. MESSRS. 
 
 SAMUEL NEWELL, A. M. ADONIRAM JUDSON, A. M. 
 SAMUEL NO TT, A. M. GORDON HALL, A. M. 
 AND LUTHER RICE, A. B. 
 
 MISSIONARIES 
 
 TO THE HEATHEN IN ASIA. 
 
 UNDER THE DXRECTXON OF TUS 
 
 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS- 
 
 BY LEONARD WOODS, D. D. 
 
 ABBOT PBOFESSOR OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY IN THE THEOLOGICAL 
 SEMINARY IN ANDOVER. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 PRINTED AND SOLD BY SAMUEL T. ARMSTRONG, CORNHILL, 
 
 1812 . 
 
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INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It seems proper that, in this place, some account should 
 be given of the origin, and progress of that Missionary 
 zeal, which has issued in sending messengers of peace 
 to publish the gospel in the eastern hemisphere. 
 
 It has been often said, within a few years past, that 
 Christians in America ought to support missions among 
 the heathen in Africa or Asia; but the writer of these 
 paragraphs is not able to state, whether any young 
 man of suitable education seriously thought of engag- 
 ing personally in such a mission, earlier than about four 
 years ago. About that time some of the young men 
 mentioned just below, while pursuing their studies 
 in different places, and unacquainted with each otlier, 
 made missions among the heathen a subject of delib- 
 erate and prayerful contemplation, and resolved to 
 devote themselves to this service, should Providence 
 prepare the way. They considered it doubtful, how- 
 ever, whether they should have an opportunity of en- 
 gaging in this employment; and, in the mean time, 
 they sedulously examined, and re-examined the sub- 
 ject, and used every advantage in their power to gain 
 information respecting the state of the heathen, and 
 the encouragement to preach the gospel among them. 
 
 In the spring of 1810 , these young gentlemen, with 
 others who joined them, disclosed their views to the 
 Professors in the Theological Seminary at Andover, 
 ^ where they were then prosecuting their studies. In 
 June following, they applied for advice and direction 
 to the General Association of Massachusetts Proper, 
 then silting at Bradford. The application was made 
 in W’riting, and signed by Messrs. Adoniram Judson, 
 Samuel Nott, Samuel J. Mills, and Samuel Newell. 
 They state the history of their views and feelings on 
 the subject, and make several inquiries, with respect tc 
 
6 
 
 which they solicit the advice of their fathers in the 
 church. 
 
 The Association appointed a Committee to make re- 
 port on the a|}plication; and, in consequence of the 
 report, proceeded to institute a Board of Commission- 
 ers for Foreign Missions, “for the purpose of devising 
 ways and means, and adopting and prosecuting meas- 
 ures for promoting the spread of the gospel in heathen 
 lands.” The Board was composed of nine gentlemen 
 well known to the Christian public. The Association 
 advised the young gentlemen “to wait the guidance of 
 Providence in respect to their great and excellent de- 
 sign.” 
 
 The Board of Commissioners held their first meet- 
 ing at Farmington, (Con.) Sept. 5, 1810. After form- 
 ing a Constitution, and appointing officers, “they took 
 measures to obtain the beat information in their pow- 
 er, respecting the state of unevangelized nations; high- 
 ly approved the readiness of the young gentlemen at 
 Andover to enter upon a foreign mission; and advised 
 them to pursue their studies till further information 
 relative to the missionary field be obtained, and the 
 finances of the institution will justify the appointment.” 
 They also prepared and published an address on the 
 subject of missions. 
 
 The Board metagain, at Worcester, Sept. 18, 1811. 
 During the year which had elapsed, the Prudential 
 Committee of the Board examined and approved four 
 young gentlemen, as future missionaries to the heathen; 
 viz. Messrs. Judson, Nott, and Newell, above named, 
 and Mr. Gordon Hall, also a student at Andover. Mr. 
 Mills, had not finished his theological education, and 
 for that and other reasons was not examined with his 
 brethren. The Committee also sent Mr. Judson to 
 Fngland to confer with the Board of Directors of the ^ 
 London Missionary Society and to procure important 
 information on thesuliject of missions, which could not 
 be so well procured in any other way. He was wel- 
 comed with great cordiality by the Directors, who en- 
 gaged to take him and his three brethren under their 
 e«re, juud to allow them salaries, and employ them on 
 
a mission, if the funds of the American Board should 
 not be competent for their sujjport. 
 
 The Board appointed the four brethren, above named, 
 missionaries “to labor in Asia either in the Birman 
 empire, in Surat, or in the Prince of Wales’s Island, or 
 elsewhere, as, in the view of the Prudential Committee, 
 Providence shall open the most favorable door,” and 
 advised them “to wait the further intimation of Provi- 
 dence as to support from this country in the proposed 
 Foreign Mission.” 
 
 At this meeting Messrs. James Richards, and Edvvard 
 Warren, students at Andover, ofiered themselves to the 
 Board for the missionary service, and were approved 
 and taken under the patronage of the Board. 
 
 The missionary brethren were, in the mean time, 
 fitting themselves for their future arduous employment. 
 Messrs. Newell and Hall attended courses of medical 
 lectures, both at Boston and Philadelphia, in older to 
 be more extensively useful among the heathen. 
 
 About the middle of last month it was found that a 
 ship was soon to sail from Philadelphia to Calcutta. 
 No time was to be lost. Robert Ralston, Esq. of Phil- 
 adelphia, with that zeal for missions and for Christian- 
 ity which he has long manifested, took an active and 
 very friendly part in facilitating the embarkation of the 
 young men, both by procuring passages for them on very 
 favorable terms, and by making a generous donation. 
 Messrs. Newell and Hall hastened to meet their breth- 
 ren at Salem, where it was determined, by the Pruden- 
 tial Committee, to have them ordained, and to send 
 them immediately to the field of Missionary labor. Mr. 
 Luther Rice, who had been a student in the same 
 Theological Seminary, was then employed as a candi- 
 date for the ministry, offered himself to the Prudential 
 Committee to join the mission, and was approved and 
 accepted. 
 
 The Prudential Committee sent to several neighbor- 
 ing churches, and convened a Council^ at Salem, on 
 
 
 •The Council was composed of pastors and delegates from the North 
 Congregational churcl) in Newburyport, the Congregational church in 
 Charlestown, and the Tabernacle churclt in Salem; also of the Rev. Dr. 
 
8 
 
 the 6th. instant, at which time and place the Jive young 
 gentlemen were solemnly consecrated to the service of 
 God in the gospel Ministry among the heathen. On 
 this occasion the following Sermon, Charge, and Right 
 Hand of Fellowship, were delivered before a crowded 
 and deeply affected auditory. It is confidently believ.^ 
 ed, that such impressions were made by the solemni- 
 -ties of the day, as will be lasting and salutary. Three 
 of the persons ordained, viz. Messrs. Nott, Hall, and 
 Rice, set out the same evening to go with all practica- 
 ble haste to Philadelphia.* The other two sailed \vith 
 their wives from Salem, on the morning of Wednes- 
 day the 19th. instant, commended by the prayers of 
 multitudes to the gracious protection of God.f 
 
 The issue of this mission must be cheerfully left to 
 the disposal of Him, who is the Lord of the universe, 
 and who will ultimately establish his kingdom through 
 the whole earth. 
 
 Griffin, pastor of Park Street church in Boston, and the Rev. Dr. Woods, 
 Professor at Andover. The Rev. Professor Stuart was invited to attend, 
 but was necessarily prevented. 
 
 •Mr. Nott was married on his way to Philadelphia and took his wife 
 with him; the other two went single. 
 
 They went on board the ship Harmony, (in which they had taken their 
 passage,) on the evening of the 18 lh. instant, and probably sailed from 
 Newcastle the next morning, 
 
 t They sailed in the brig Caravan. 
 
 TebrUARY 29, 1812. 
 
SERMON. 
 
 PSALM Uyu. 
 
 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause 
 his face to shine upon us. that thy way may be 
 
 KNOWN UPON EARTH, THY SAVING HEALTH AMONG 
 ALL NATIONS. Let the people praise thee, 0 God; 
 let all the people praise thee. Let the nations be 
 
 glad and sing for joy. Let the people praise thee, 
 
 0 God; let all the people praise thee. God shall 
 bless Its; and all the ends of the earth shall 
 
 FEAR HIM. 
 
 J 
 
 Can any real Cliristian be a stranger to the enlarged 
 views, the benevolent desires, and pleasing anticipa- 
 tions of the pious author of this Psalm? It cannot surely 
 be necessary to inform my audience that every 
 true worshipper of God resembles him in love, and 
 can be satisfied with nothing short of all that infinite 
 love designs. The Christian has a heart to feel for his 
 fellow creatures. He takes into account their tem- 
 poral comfort, and endeavors to promote it; — their 
 temporal wants and sufferings, and does what in him 
 lies to relieve them. But, when their spiritual inter- 
 est is liefore him; when he contemplates the value of 
 2 
 
10 
 
 their souls, and the prospect which the gospel opens 
 of immortal happiness in the world to come; his 
 bowels of compassion are moved; his tenderest affec- 
 tions kindled; pure and heavenly love pervades and 
 warms his soul. He longs for the eternal felicity of 
 his kindred and friends, of his country and the world. 
 His hearts desire and prayer to God is, that all men 
 may he saved , — that all human beings may forsake 
 their evil ways, and turn to the Lord; that his king- 
 dom may come, and his will be done on earth as it is 
 done in heaven. With this holy affection reigning m 
 his heart, the fervent, devoted Christian presents him- 
 self a living sacrifice unto God; and counts it a privi- 
 lege to do and to suffer any thing for the advance- 
 ment of his cause. He is ready to “endure all things 
 for the elect’s sake, that they also may obtain the sal- 
 vation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” 
 In this state, no difficulty discourages; no danger 
 alarms. The sacrifice of property and pleasure; 
 stripes, imprisonment, and death, lose their terrors, 
 and become more attractive, than any earthly good. 
 He is as steady to his purpose, as resolute, active, and 
 patient in pursuit, as the restless miser, or the ambi- 
 tious conqueror. And as their desire of wealth and 
 of conquest is insatiable and unbounded; so is his de- 
 sire for the diffusion of Christian knowledge and hap- 
 piness. Every degree of success attending the dispen- 
 sation of the gospel, even a single instance of conver- 
 sion among the weakest and meanest of mankind, 
 yields him the pui’est pleasure. But this pleasure only 
 increases desire. His enjoyment of the good already 
 attained ui’ges him on to the pursuit of more. 'I’he 
 progressive enlargement of the kingdom of Christ will 
 constantly enlarge the benevolence of his heart. While 
 there is a nation or tribe under hcaviMi not sub- 
 
11 
 
 ducd to Christ; tlie enlightened, ierv'ent Christiaii can- 
 jiot rest. His unalterable object is, that the knou'l- 
 edge of the Lord man fill earth. Ills heart beats 
 h igh for the conversion of the world. 
 
 This, my dear brethren, is the true spirit of our holy 
 religion. This is the alTection which glows in every 
 new born soul. This is the principle which governs 
 and animates the church of Christ. 
 
 I shall not make it my business to prove the exis- 
 tence of an allection so difl'usive and generous, in the 
 hearts of Christians. Nor shall 1 endeavor to enter- 
 tain you with ingenious speculations on the theory of 
 benevolence, nor w'ith florid declamations on its beau- 
 ty. These would be as sounding brass and a tink- 
 ling cymbal On this new and very interesting oc- 
 
 casion, my object is to rouse you to benevolent ex- 
 ertion. I would persuade you to act, decidedly and 
 zealously to act under the influence of Christian love. 
 I would excite you by motives which no follower of 
 Christ can resist, to make the spread of the gospel, 
 
 AND THE CONVERSION OF THE W ORLD, THE OBJECT OF 
 YOUR EARNEST AND INCESSANT PURSUIT. 
 
 Myfrst motive is the worth of souls. Man, a 
 creature of yesterday, frail as the tender grass, is made 
 for IMMORTALITY. The lamp which the Lord hath 
 lighted up in his breast, will burn forever. The mind 
 will be ever vigorous and active. No labor can 
 exhaust it. No length of ages can waste its vigor. 
 No pressure of guilt or suftering can destroy its activ- 
 ity. Such a mind, destined to exist and act forever, 
 destined to the bliss of heaven, or the pains of hell, 
 lives in every human being, in the savage as well as 
 in the citizen; in the heathen as well as in the Chris- 
 tian; in the Hindoo, the Chinese, and the Hottentot, 
 as well as the polished European or American. — In 
 
12 
 
 the name of him who died on Calvary, I call upon 
 you, O Christians, to labor for the salvation of beings 
 that will never die. Of what consideration is their na- 
 tion, climate, color, language, government, education, 
 manners? Here all distinctions vanish. Learned and 
 ignorant, refined and rude, honorable and base, are all 
 on a level in point of accountableness to God and im- 
 mortality of soul. Rise then above all the distinc- 
 tions which misguide our judgments and our hearts, 
 and seek the salvation of this great family of im- 
 mortals. 
 
 In some favored hours of divine illumination,have you 
 not seen, have you not felt the ineffable preciousness of 
 your own souls? Have you not cast away every thing as 
 dross for eternal salvation? And has not the grace of 
 God taught you to love your neighbor as yourselves? 
 See the poor, degraded Africans. See the thousands of 
 children sacrificed in the Ganges. See the throngs 
 of miserable pilgrims pressing forward to devote them- 
 selves to the impure and sanguinary worship of Mo- 
 loch. The souls of all these are as precious as your 
 own. The wisdom of God, — the blood of the dying 
 Savior has so declared. Do you love i/oiir own souls, 
 then? and will you not love theirs? — Change places 
 with them. Put yourselves in their condition, and 
 them in yours. — You are then spending your life in a 
 land of darkness, ignorant of God, slaves to the basest 
 superstition and most hateful vices. Moved by pity 
 and love, they send a herald of the cross to preach sal- 
 vation in your cars. He comes and speaks to you of 
 Jehovah and his law; discloses your guilt, and points 
 you to the judgment day. He preaches to you Jesus, 
 the Savior of sinners. With trembling, bleeding hearts, 
 you go to the Savior, and he gives you rest. I low 
 gi’eat the salvation! How happy your state! Would 
 
13 
 
 you not forever exalt the Redeemer’s name? Would 
 you not love and thank the messenger of his grace, 
 and those who sent him? Now, if salvation would 
 be so great a blessing to you, why not to those who 
 arc actually in the condition here sujDposed? And if 
 you woidd love and thank those who sought your 
 salvation, why not secure to yourselves the same love 
 and gratitude from heathens saved by your labors? 
 
 Imagine the souls of your kindred in pagan dark- 
 ness, having never heard the name of Immanuel. 
 Imagine your children, parents, brothers, sisters this 
 moment in the midst of India, woi*shippeis of the hor- 
 rid idol Juggernaut. Would not your heaits leap for 
 joy to see these dear young ministers going to teach 
 them the way of life? Would any thing be too pre- 
 cious to part with in order to animate their zeal, and 
 help them to rescue from ignorance and ruin the ob- 
 jects of your love? But have not the Indians souls as 
 precious as the souls of your kindred? — Nay rather, 
 they are themselves your kindred; allied to you by the 
 ties of a common nature; offspring of the same heav- 
 enly Father; children of the same family. In every 
 human being you see a brother or a sister, O for- 
 get not the partners of your blood! Send some of your 
 Bibles and preachers to your dear kindred in Asia. 
 
 The second motive by which I urge you to seek V' 
 the conversion of all mankind is the plenteousness 
 
 OF THE PROVISION WHICH CHRIST HAS MADE FOR THEIR 
 SALVATION. Were there any thing scanty in this pro- 
 vision, — any deficiency in divine grace, — any thing 
 circumscribed in the evangelic offer; our zeal for prop- 
 agating the gospel would be suppressed; the tongue 
 and hand of Christian charity would be paralized.- But 
 my brethren, the word of eternal truth has tauglit us 
 that Jesus tasted death for every man; that he is the pro- 
 
14 
 
 f 
 
 pitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for 
 the sins of the u'hole xvoi'ld; that a rich feast is pre- 
 pared, and all things ready; that whosoever will may 
 come and take of the water of life freely. This great 
 atonement is as sufticient for Asiatics and Africans, as 
 for us. This abundant provision is made for them as 
 well as for us. The door of Christ’s kingdom is equally 
 open to them and to us. Unnumbered millions of 
 our race have entered in; and yet there is room. The 
 mercy of God is an ocean absolutely exhaustless; and 
 so far as his benevolence is a pattern for our imitation, 
 and a rule to govern our exertions and prayers, he 
 xcills that all men should be saved. Christians, you 
 have, then, full scope for your pious benevolence and 
 zeal. In your labors and prayers for the salvation of 
 men, you cannot go beyond the bounds fixed for you 
 by the Savior himself. You are not straitened in 
 God. Y ou have no occasion to feai' that in this cause 
 your zeal and activity will exceed the abundance of 
 grace. Y ou have a warrant from God to strive for 
 the salvation of the whole world. And wherever the 
 preaching of the cross shall stir up them that are lost 
 to seek salvation, there salvation will be found. Per- 
 suade the whole empire of Birmah, and China, and 
 all the East to come to the gospel supper, and they 
 will all be supplied; — to enter into the kingdom, and 
 they will all be admitted. Every |Derishing sinner on 
 earth would find the same welcome >\ ith yourselves. 
 In any country or corner of the world, “When the 
 poor aud needy seek water, and there is none, and 
 their tongue faileth for thirst; 1 the Lord will hear 
 them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.” Uc- 
 member then, Christians, you cannot exhaust the mer- 
 cy of God. Exert yourselves to the utmost for the sal- 
 vation of mankind; your exertions will fall far bclgtV 
 
15 
 
 Ujc heiglit of redeeming love. Its length and breadth 
 will infinitely transcend your largest benevolence. 
 
 The third motive, 1 shall present, is the command of 
 OUR lord; — “go ye into all the world, and preach 
 THE gospel to EVERY CREATURE.” Tliis command 
 is an exact expression of the heart of Jesus; a display 
 of the vastness of his love. It would be very easy to 
 show that the obligation of this command is not to be 
 confined to tlie twelve apostles. It is limited to no 
 age or nation. Tlie command is binding upon Chris- 
 tians “always even to the end of the world.” The 
 reasons which moved the apostles to preach the gos- 
 |)el to every creature, remain in full force. Nations 
 without the gospel are as wretched now as they were 
 then. Their salvation is as necessary, as important, 
 and as easily accoinj^lished. 
 
 Will any say this command is obligatory upon the 
 ambassadors of Christ, and not upon private Chris- 
 tians? It is indeed the duty of ambassadors of Clwist . 
 to go and preach the gospel to all the world. The 
 JVlessiah is given to be a light to the Gentiles. I’hc 
 Gentiles must be enlightened in the doctrine of salva- 
 tion. Tliey must hear the glad tidings. “But how 
 can they hear without a preacher? And how can they 
 preach, except they be sent?” If ministers must go 
 forth, the Christian world must send them. If they 
 must devote tlieir life to the business of evangelizing 
 the heathen, the Christian world must suppoH them. 
 
 Does the thought arise, that the apostles went forth 
 w’ithout such support? They did; — for there was no 
 Christian nation or church, overtlowing with wealth, 
 to support them. But whatever their peculiar circum- 
 stances obliged them to do, the general maxim which 
 they laid down was, 'dhat no man goeth a xcarfare 
 at his own charges.’' 
 
16 
 
 Blit I cannot stop to reason. I make my appeal 
 to your generosity. I’hose who go to teach your 
 brethren in pagan lands, must be maintained. But at 
 present they cannot receive maintenance there. The 
 heathen must be converted, and formed into Christian 
 societies, before adequate provision for the ministers 
 of Christ can be expected from them. Will you then 
 see your missionaries, who have left all to preach the 
 gospel of peace among the poor heathen, reduced to 
 the necessity of abandoning their sacred office, and en- 
 gaging in servile labor for their daily bread? Will you 
 see your apostles, the ambassadors of peace from 
 America, clothed in rags, and compelled to beg or 
 starve? And must they tell the heathen that they are 
 thus forsaken of their Christian brethren, who have 
 enough and to spare? 
 
 It is too obvious to need any farther illustration, 
 that the Christian community at large has a deep con- 
 cern in the command of Christ, ‘-to go into all the world 
 and preach the gospel to every creature.” 1 urge this 
 command of our risen Savior, as absolutely obliging 
 you to seek the conversion of the 'world. The uni- 
 versal spread of the gospel, and the salvation of the 
 ends of the earth is a business in \vhich every Christian 
 ought to take a part. This gracious injunction was 
 given by our Lord just before he ascended into 
 heaven. It was a most memorable occasion. He 
 had finished his work on earth, and was about to 
 return to his Father and our Father, to his God and 
 our God. He knew the superabounding grace which 
 flowed from Calvary; the ruined state of man, and 
 the saving power of his cross. All nations and ages 
 were before him. Then, with the love and authority 
 of the King of Zion, he gave the command, to cvan- 
 
17 
 
 gelhe all nations. And can any one who has the 
 heart of a ciii istian, or of a man, refuse obedience? 
 
 My fourth motive is derived from the conduct 
 OF THOSE WHO received this command, and of 
 
 CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES IN SUCCEEDING TIMES, The 
 
 apostles ”"tcent forth, and preached every ivlierey 
 They ti’avelled into various parts of the idolatrous 
 world, preaching the gosj)cl to the poor; — planting 
 and watering churches; and encountering fierce and 
 cruel persecutions. In all their journcyings, labors, 
 and snficrings, their invariable object was, that God's 
 way might be known upon earth, and his salvation 
 to all nations. 
 
 The same spirit appeared in the primitive churches. 
 Under the first sermon which was preached after the 
 ascension of Christ, three thousand were converted. 
 What was the fruit of their con^ ersion? We are im- 
 mediately told that ‘‘they who believed w^ei’C together, 
 and had all things common; and sold their possessions 
 and goods, and parted them to all as every one had 
 need.” From time to time the churches and individ- 
 ual Christians assisted the apostles in their journies, 
 and contributed in various ways to the propagation 
 of the Christian religion. 
 
 How excellent the spirit of the apostles, and of those 
 early converts to the Christian faith! Can you help 
 feeling tl^ attraction of such examples? Will you not 
 imitate those who beheld the glory of the only be- 
 gotten of the Fafiier, full of j>race and truth, and re- 
 ceived of his fulness? Shall the first apostles and mar- 
 tyrs of Christianity be forgotten? Read the history of 
 their self-denying labors, their deprivations and sac- 
 rifices, their patience under reproach and torture, and 
 their inextinguishable zeal for the salvation of sinners. 
 
18 
 
 !Read too tiie history of what has in later times beev? 
 done by the missionaries of Christ in Eurojje, Asia, Afri- 
 ca, and America. And consider that it was owing 
 to Missicmary labors, that your distant ancestors were 
 delivered from their idols, and entrusted with those 
 sacred oracles which they liave transmitted to you. 
 While you revolve these things, do not your hearts 
 burn within you? Do you not look with admiration 
 upon the faithful messengers of grace? and do you 
 not long to be partakers of their labors and sufTeringi, 
 their success, and tlieir crowns of glory? 
 
 My fifth motive is derived fronj the peculiar de- 
 sign OF CHRISTIANITY IN CONTRADISTINCTION TO 
 JUDAISM, AND ITS ADAPTEDNESS TO BE A UNIVER- 
 SAL RELIGION. Brethren, we are not disciples of Ju- 
 daism. But have w'e not had too much of its limited 
 and exclusive spirit? Have we not thought it enough 
 to enjoy the scriptures and the ministei’s of religion 
 among ourselves, w'ithout any care to send them to 
 other nations? But why should we indulge feelings 
 so adverse to the Clu istian dispensation, and limit that, 
 which its divine author has left unlimited? Why 
 should we engross a religion to w'hich all nations have 
 an equal right, and w’hich is adapted to universal use? 
 As w'ell might wx think of engrossing the common 
 Ikht and air. 
 
 The doctrines of Christianit}' are aiiplicablc to all 
 men; because all have the same natun;, and stand in 
 the same relation to God and to one anotlhu”. The 
 laws of Christianity ai’c suit(*d to govern mankind of 
 every nation and climate. 'Phese laws rest on geixTal 
 principles, and extend equally to the whole human 
 race. The corruptions which tlicy rc(juire us to suh- 
 "'e found in every child of Adam. 1’he repent- 
 
atlCe, faith, and holiness, which they demand, are eriualli^ 
 tlie duties of all nations. All the promises, ordinan- 
 ces, and blessings of the gospel, would be as preoi-.u^; 
 to renovated pagans, as they arc to us. — Why should 
 wc withhold such a religion from the unnumbered 
 millions who people the eastern world? We will not, 
 brethren. Wc, who profess to believe and love Chris- 
 tianity, will not adopt principles and measures so con- 
 trary to its celestial nature, and its dilfusive, benign 
 tendency. 
 
 My sixth motive is derived from prophecy. My 
 brethren, has not the notion often insinuated its<ilf into 
 our minds, that all has been done which can be dont 
 for the conversion of the world, and that things arc 
 likely to remain much ' ‘‘Or if we have 
 
 not admitted this in theoi^ , been our practi- 
 
 cal sentiment? When we have looked upon the mil- 
 lions of men who are uncivilized, degraded, without 
 God and without hope, are we not prone to give up 
 their conversion as hopeless? And if it is not the lan- 
 guage of our lips, is it ixit of our feelings, that the king- 
 dom of Christ will stop where it is; that the obstacles 
 in the way of christianizing the nations of the earth 
 are too great to be surmounted; and that the most we 
 can expect is to maintain the ground already secured. 
 To raise you above this sinking discouragement and 
 indolence, I will open to you the prophetic page. 
 “He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied.” 
 “i# is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant, 
 to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the pre- 
 served of Israel; — /u'i// also give thee for a light to 
 THE GENTILES, that tliou mayest be my salvation to 
 the ends of the earth. Ask of me, and i will 
 
 GIVE THEE THE HEATHEN FOR THINE INHERITANCE, 
 AND THE UTTERMOST P.^RTS OF THE EARTH FOR THY 
 
POSSESSION. Thus saith the Lord God; behold 1 ’will 
 lift up mj/ hand to the Gentiles, a}id set up my stand- 
 ard to the people. — All the ends of the earth 
 
 SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.” Shall thcSC 
 glorious predictions fail of accomplishment? Shall 
 these unchangeable decrees of the Almighty be frus- 
 trated? — Heaven and eai th shall pass away, tR.it not 
 one jot or tittle of these promises shall fail. I’he 
 mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. 
 
 When we survey the idolatrous, blind, barbarous 
 nations of the world, our courage fiags; and we ask, 
 with desponding heai ts, can these dry bones live? — We 
 forget the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of 
 the ends of the eaith. who faintetii not, neither is 
 weary. We forget that all nations arc in his hands; 
 that he fashioneth them as he plcast'th. — Because the 
 convej'sion of the veurld is bey ond our power, we 
 think it beyond the power of God. Well might Christ 
 say to us, ‘-Oh ye of little faitliT — Did Paul indulge 
 such despondency when he conferred not with llesh 
 and blood; but with the ardor of a young conveit, 
 and the fearless fidelity of an apostle, preached the 
 word of God in Greece, in Asia, and in Rome? Did 
 Wicklilfe indulge such feelings? Dirl Luther? Did 
 Swartz, Eliott, Ikaincrd? — Away with every hesitat- 
 ing, unbelieving thought! Is tlie Lord’s arm short- 
 ened that it cannot save? In his grace exhausted? — 
 The great design of God is not yet accomplished. He 
 who died and lives again, is not yet satisjied. Eighteen 
 hundred years ago he said;-~“And I, if 1 be lifted up 
 from the earth, u ill draw all men unto me.” And he 
 said, more than two thousand veal's ago; Look unto 
 me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I 
 am God, and there is none else.” — This word has not 
 returned unto him void. The whole Christian world 
 
testifies, that it has been astonish iiighj cjjicacious — It 
 will be still more clficacious. The word of the I^ord 
 does not grow old and decay; but is ever new and 
 powerful. Its accomplishment is gradual, sometimes 
 slow, but alwa^’s sure. To him, with whom a thou- 
 sand years arc as one day, and one day as a thousand 
 years, the things which he has foretold or determined, 
 are as certain as though actually accomplished. 
 
 Do you then begin to cast your eye over the world, 
 and ask; IIoxo can those benighted places be illumin- 
 ated? llo jo can those depraved ivretchcs be conveiied? 
 How can the deaf hear, and the dumb sing? — IMy 
 friends, this is the very design of the gospel. I'hese 
 are the very effects which it is fitted to produce. 
 
 Do you still hesitate, and yield to fear, thinking, 
 with gloom and discouragement, that although eigh- 
 teen centuries of the Christian Era hav e passed away, 
 the greater part of the vvoi ld is yet in Mahometan or 
 pagan darkness; thinking, too, how few ministers we 
 have even for ourselves; how difficult it is to instruct 
 even a small number of heathens, and to guard them 
 from apostasy, when they become proselytes; how 
 difficult to civilize savages; how lit|de all past exertions 
 have effected; and that we are not to look for mirac- 
 ulous operations. Is this the state of your minds? 
 And when you hear God, by the mouth of a prophet, 
 declaring; “From the rising of the sim even unto 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 jhcathen;” do you 
 again despondingly inquire; “how can this great work 
 he done? — Such unbelief is a dishonor to God. — Do 
 you say, w'e must keep the ground, which our relig- 
 ion has already gained? — The best way to do this is, 
 
to gain more. — Do you say, we have but few- minis- 
 ters for our own country^ — Multiply them, then, by 
 giving part to the heathen. “He that watereth shall 
 be watered also himself.” 
 
 Why should you ask how this great work of 
 converting the nations can be donef I might ask 
 you, how could the earth and all its inhabitants 
 be created? How could the heavens be stretch- 
 ed out as a curtain ova’ your heads? What po^\er 
 is it that sustains the world, and causes all its mo- 
 tions and changes? Do you talk of power? The 
 God who forms a blade of grass, and begets a drop 
 of dew, can as easily converi a soul? And he who 
 converts one soul, can as easily convert a nation — 
 Every day, in the midst of heathen lands, Grod exerts 
 a power sufficient to save the universe. Who gives 
 to the pagans life and breath, reason and conscience? 
 Who causes their sun to shine, and their ground to 
 j^ield its fruits? — Say no more, then; how can the great 
 work of converting the nations be done? It is only 
 FOR GOD TO SPEAK THE WORD. He caii causc all Asia 
 to bow’ to his grace, as easily as he can shake the leaves 
 
 of the forest And as to miraculous operations, we 
 
 will only ask of God to repeat among the heathen the 
 same miracle that w’as wrought in christianizing your 
 ancestors; the same that was wrought in bringing to 
 the foot of the cross every believer who sees the light 
 of heaven. 
 
 My hearers, 1 must not detain you. But I cannot 
 forbear to hint at the operations of divine provi- 
 dence AT THE present TIME. The events of these 
 last days are highly animating to the hopes of Chris- 
 tians. The liOrd has given the word, and great has 
 been the company of the publishers. A large itumber 
 of mimsters of different denominations, moved by the 
 
2S 
 
 love of souls, hiive labored in the gospel where Ciirist 
 had not been named. The multiplication of Bible Soci- 
 eties in Great Britain and America, the libc*rality and 
 zeal they have displayed, and the success which has 
 crowned their unconfined operations, have exceeded 
 the most sanguine hopes; and we are now reaching 
 forward to the blessed time when the vanous nations 
 of the Eastern world, and the Islands of the sea, will 
 i-ead in their own tongues the words of eternal life. — I 
 mention, asanotlier favorable sign ot the present times, 
 that facilities for the pious education of youth and for 
 the general diffusion of Christian knowledge arc great- 
 ly increased. — Another most delightful omen is the 
 effusion of the Holy Spirit, and the consequent revival 
 of religion in several of our Colleges, and in a great 
 number of our churches and Societies in different parts. 
 At the same time the attention of Christians is roused, 
 in an unparalleled degree, to the interests of tlie Re- 
 deemer’s kingdom. 
 
 My feelings also constrain me to speak of it as a cit- 
 cumstance highly encouraging, that among the friends 
 of evangelical religion gi'eater love and harmony have 
 begun to appear. Christians of different denomina- 
 tions, Episcopalians,Presbv'terians,Congregationalists, 
 
 Baptists, Moravians, new divinity men, and old divin- 
 ty men, have all been more or less disposed to attach 
 too much importance to the points in which they dif- 
 fer from each other. They have had party spirit. 
 They have had narrow prejudices. They have often 
 been more forward to proselyte to their own sect, 
 than to Christ; — to set up themselves, than to do jus- 
 tice to others. They have liad contention, and strife, 
 and evil speaking among them. They have injured 
 the truth by discussing the impoiiant subjects of disa- 
 ayeement without due meekness and candor, and by 
 
u 
 
 laying out too much sti cngth on those which are un- 
 important. These things I say honestly, and in the 
 fear of God. Christians have wanted some gi’and ob- 
 ject to seize tlieir hearts and engage all their powers-, — 
 some great and common cause in the promotion of 
 which they might be effectually pui ified from error 
 and find a grave for all their jealousies and animosi- 
 ties; and in which the eternal truths of Revelation 
 might be maintained with unyielding firmness, and 
 propagated with augmented and unconquerable zeal, — 
 
 The SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL aild THE CONVERSION OF 
 THE WORLD constitute t/ic vei'ij object wixnted, — the com- 
 mon cause which ought to unite, and has already be- 
 gxin to unite the affections, prayers, and labors of the 
 great family of Christians. This harmonizing spirit 
 among the follow ers of Christ forebodes good to Zion. 
 
 O may it increase, and diffuse its happy irtfluence, till 
 Christians of every name shall be so completely occu- 
 pied with the Redeemer''s cause, as to forget their own. 
 
 Even the civil revolutions and convulsions, and the _ 
 dcBolating wars of the present day, need not dishearten. 
 For they are not only suited to withdraw- our affec- 
 tions from the perishable things of this w-oiid, and fix 
 them on the immoveable kingdom of God; but are 
 themselves jiresages of the church's prosperity. The 
 Lord shook all nations just before the Desire of all na- 
 tions came. He has arisen now to shake tcnibly the 
 earth; and we expect .the spiritual coming of Christ, 
 and the millennial glory of the church, will soon fol- 
 low. 
 
 All the passing events of llic civil and religious world, 
 in connexion with prophecy, indicate the approach ot 
 better days. In many instances this favunihlc ten- 
 dency of things is obvious; and where it is not, we 
 should be e(|Uall^' strong in faith, (iod lovi’s the church; 
 
2.5 
 
 and will make all things contribute to its welfare. 
 At all times he keeps a steady eye upon the kingdom 
 ofg race. In all his works, this is the object most 
 dear to him. Compared to this, the interests of earthly 
 kingdoms are nothing. He will build up nations or 
 cast them down, cause convulsions and wars, or give 
 tranquillity, as he sees will be most conducive to the 
 extension and final glory of the church. 
 
 Dear brethren, can you pursue a more excellent ob- 
 ject than the spread of the Gospel and the convet'- 
 sion of the leorld'^ 1 have endeavored to excite you 
 to this pursuit by a variety of motives, derived from 
 the worth of immortal souls, and the plenteoiisness of 
 the provision which Chiist has made for their salva- 
 tion; from the express command of our Lord; from 
 the Example of those who first received it, and of 
 otbeifii who followed them; from the peculiar design 
 of chiistianity, and its adaptedness to be a universal 
 religion; from the spirit of prophecy; and from the 
 operations of divine Providence at the present day. 
 Are you not persuaded by these motives, and others 
 which will readily occur to you, to give yourselves 
 to this great work? Are you not resolved to do every 
 thing, to pari with every thing, to submit to every thing, 
 to forward tliis glorious design of filling the earth with 
 the knowledge of the Lord? Yes, I trust many of you 
 say — tee are persuaded; ue are resolved. JVe feel 
 that xce are not our oten. Lm'd, xvhat veilt thou have 
 us to do? We will no longer live to ourselves, but to 
 him who died for us, and rose again. Lord, make 
 use of our talents, our substance, our labors, our sif- 
 ferings for the welfare of thij church; for the salva- 
 tion of those who are perishing in sin.. — If we foi'- 
 get thee Oh Jerusalem, let our right hand forget her 
 cunning. 
 
 -1 
 
26 
 
 'DEAR YOUNG MISSIONARIES, 
 
 1 trust these feelings are yours. Y ou have devoted 
 your lives to the work of making known among the 
 Gei^tiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. We know 
 you do not leave your native land, because you have 
 not the fairest prospect of reputation, usefulness, and 
 comfort here. You go, wc believe, because the love 
 * of God is shed abroad in your hearts by the Holy 
 Ghost. We fondly look upon you, as chosen vessels 
 unto Christ, to bear his name before the Gentiles. 
 Blessed be the Lord God of the Gentiles, that he hath 
 put this design into your hearts. 7’he cause in which 
 you have enlisted, is the cause of divine love. You 
 have chosen the noblest and most honorable work on 
 earth; more honorable than the laurels of conquerors, 
 or the diadems of kings. But it is also arduous and per- 
 ilous. Who is sufficient to do the work of an apostle to 
 the heathen? When you have seriously contemplated the 
 greatness of this work, you have often cried out; ‘-Lord, 
 if thy presence go not with us, carry us not hence.” 
 I hope you will never forget, that 'ivithoiit Christ, you 
 can do nothing. W'ithout the help of Christ, you can 
 no more advance his kingdom among idolaters, than 
 you can scatter midnight darkness by a word. He 
 that planteth is nothing, and he that watereth is noth- 
 ing. The increase is wholly of God. Without his as- 
 sistance, you will not only fail of success, but of fi- 
 delity and perseverance. If you should be forsaken 
 of God, what would your conduct be? and what 
 would become of your mission? — The piccious name 
 of Jesus would bt’ blasphemed among the pagans. 
 Your light would go out in darkness. Shame and 
 blushing would cover the faces of your patrons and 
 friends; and their hearts would die within them. 'I’hc 
 bright and celestial llame, which has been kindling up 
 
27 
 
 among us, — how would it be extinguished! — My dear 
 friends, I would not distress you; — but you know this 
 would be the dreadful result of your mission, if the / 
 special help of God should not 1x3 granted you. But if 
 you go forth in the strength of Christ, y^ou will be burn- 
 ing and shining lights in regions of darkness and 
 death — We hope to hear good tidings of great joy 
 
 from the East Your personal exei tions can indeed 
 
 go but a little way. But be not'discouraged on this 
 account. Think how it will be in Asia a ccntuiy or 
 two hence. The kingdom of Christ, which you are 
 sent to promote toward the rising of the sun, will tx' 
 like a little leaven, which a woman took and hid in 
 three measures of meal till the whole was leaveixid. 
 
 It will be like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it 
 is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be 
 in the earth. But when it is sown it groweth up, 
 and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth 
 forth gi'eat branches, so that the fowls of the air may 
 lodge under the shadow of it. In some chosen re- 
 gions, the Lord enable you to plant this precious seed. 
 
 To see young men, who have been my beloved pupils, 
 faithfully preaching Christ among the heathen, shall 
 be my joy and my croitm. Oh may the first fruits of 
 our Seminary in pagan lands be to the praise of the 
 glory of divine grace. 
 
 Dear young men, I will not break your hearts and 
 my own by dw’elling on the affecting circumstances 
 of this parting scene. If yo\\must go, I will animate 
 and comfort you. Remember, then, though tee must 
 leave you, HE,whom your soul loveth, will not. The 
 God, you will worship on the plains of Hindostan, 
 will be the same God, whom you have here worship- 
 ped in our Seminary, in the Sanctuary, and in the 
 closet. The Savior, w’hom you will adore and trust 
 
£8 
 
 in there, will be the very Savior, whose glory you 
 have seen, and of whose fulness you have received 
 here . — Go then, dear missionaries, with tlie partners 
 of your life, the objects of your tenderest affection ; 
 and may God Almfghty be your Preserver. Go, 
 and remember you are not your own. Go, and ‘‘de- 
 clare the glory of the Lord among the heathen, his 
 wonders among all people.” Esteem the repronch 
 of Christ greater riclies, than all the wealth of India. 
 The parents and friends you leave behind will never, 
 never forget you, till their hearts are cold in death. 
 Our earnest affections and prayers will constantly at- 
 tend you. We shall share with you, in every peril 
 you will encounter by sea and by land. All the suc- 
 cess you obtain, and all the joy you partake, will be 
 ours. Every sorrow' that melts you, and every pang 
 that distresses you, will also be ours. We shall often 
 meet you at the mercy seat, where you and we may 
 find grace to help in time of need. You will be as 
 dear to our hearts, and as near to God and to heaven 
 in Asia, as in America. — If w'^e are friends of God, our 
 separation will not be forever. At the glorious appear- 
 ing of the Son of God, we hope to see you, dearly be- 
 loved, and those whom your labors may rescue from 
 pagan daikness, at his right hand. The God of 
 mercy grant, that we may then join with you, and 
 with a great multitude which no man can number, of all 
 nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, who 
 will stand before the throne and before the Lamb, and 
 cry with a loud voice, saying, sah ation to our God, 
 
 who sitteth on the throne, and luito the Lamb With 
 
 this joyful anticipation, I do, my dear friends, cheer- 
 fully, and most affectionately, bid you. farewell. 
 
 Ilrethrcn and friends, these dear young men are 
 going to preach to the heathen that religion, which is 
 
29 
 
 your comfort in life, your hope in death, your guide 
 to heaven. Consider yourselves now looking upon 
 them for the last time, before you shall meet them at 
 the tribunal of Christ. Assist them in their arduous 
 office by your substance, and by your prayers. Bear 
 them on your hearts when you draw near to God. 
 The decisions of the judgment day will show, how 
 cold has been our warmest zeal, how trifling our best 
 . exertions, how languid our most fervent prayers, com- 
 ^ pared to the greatness of the object now before us. — 
 The Lord of the universe, in these last days, is about 
 * to do a marvellous work; a work of astonishing pow- 
 er and grace. The time of his glory is come. He 
 » will soon destroy all idol worship. The thrones of 
 wickedness he will level w^ith the dust. He will dissi- 
 pate the gross darkness, which covers the nations. 
 He w’ill send out his light and truth, shed down his 
 quickening Spirit, and renovate the world. The earth 
 shall be full of the knowiedge of the Lord, as the wa- 
 ters cover the sea. My hearers, God offers you the 
 privilege of aiding in this great work of converting the 
 nations ; — a w'ork, w’hich he has reserved to these last, 
 best days; — a work, which the holy apostles would 
 almost wish to live again to promote; and in which 
 the hosts of heaven exceedingly rejoice. The God of 
 love ofFei’s you the honor and happiness of taking a part 
 in this blessed icork. Nothing else is worth living for. 
 
 But who w'ould not live, labor, and die for this? 
 
 “Arise, shine. Oh Zion, for thy light is come, and the 
 glory of the Lord is risen upon thee — And the Gentiles 
 shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of 
 thy rising.” Amen. 
 
• 
 
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 !iT: 
 
 • ^ ^ 
 
 VI 
 
 W . » ' '''•• >a*,T 
 
THE 
 
 CHARGE. 
 
 DELIVERED BY SAMUEL SPRING, D.D. 
 
 Paitor of the J\/orth Congregational Church in ^noburyport, 
 DEARLY BELOVED BRETHREN, 
 
 While we recollect this memorable direction of 
 Christ to his chosen Missionaries, Go ye into all the world 
 and preach the Gospel to every creature: while we also 
 survey the perishing state of five hundred millions of 
 souls in Asia, who are destitute of the appointed means 
 of salvation, we are alarmed at the neglect with which 
 they have long been treated. For we hear our merci- 
 ful God emphatically say, TVhom shall I send, and who 
 will go for us, to enlighten and rejoice them with the 
 glad tidings of salvation? — But blessed be his glorious 
 name, who has the hearts of all men in his hand, and 
 directs their destinations, you, my Brethren, in the view 
 of these Divine interrogations, have promptly answered, 
 Here we are. Lord, send us; we are willing to accept 
 the important mission. We will, by the aid of thy gra- 
 cious providence, take the parting hand of our parents, 
 brothers and sisters, and other dear friends; we will bid 
 farew’ell to our native land, and cross the wide ocean to 
 Asia, for the sake of preaching Christ to thousands and 
 millions of our fellow mortals, who never heard of the 
 Savior. While we are willing to ascend to heaven from 
 that distant clime, w’e hope, by the grace of God, to be 
 happily successful in pointing the way to some, if not 
 to many of the Pagans, who W'ill, without seasonable 
 instruction, perish for ever. — For how shall they hear 
 w'ithout a preacher? 
 
32 
 
 This, if you know your own hearts, is your object; 
 and we charitably hope you are not deceived, though 
 “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately 
 wicked.” 
 
 With your readiness to embrace a foreign embassy 
 to the heathen, the Board of Commissioners, and many 
 devout Christians are deeply, and it is hoped, thank- 
 fully impressed: and to qualify you for the regular ex- 
 ecution of it, the Council appointed by the Prudential 
 Committee have invested you with the office of Christ’s 
 minsters, by prayer and the imposition of the hands of 
 the Presbytery. 
 
 Being then the ordained ministers of Christ, it is ex- 
 pected, agreeably to the established order of the Chris- ^ 
 tian church on these solemn occasions, that you now 
 receive the word of exhortation, or the usual charge, 
 which I am apjiointed to administer in the name and 
 behalf of the Council. 
 
 Dear Brethren^ whether you are duly qualified for ij 
 the mission, does not, you are sensible, depend either 
 on your opinion, or on ours; but on Christ’s who 
 searches the hearts and tries the reins of the children of 
 men, and will soon reveal the real character of every 
 one before the assembled universe. At this interesting 
 moment, then, you will, if Christians, renewedly con- 
 secrate your souls and bodies, and all that you possess, 
 to the Lord, and solemnly engage to be faitliful minis- 
 ters of the New Testament, among the Heathen nations 
 and tribes especially^ wherever he shall cast your lot and 
 direct your exertions. While then enlisting under the 
 banner of the Cross in this public manner, to preacli 
 the Gospel to the perishing world, you cannot but re- 
 member that you will displease and dishonor Christ, 
 that you will injure your own souls and the souls of the 
 heathen, unless you sacrifice pride, ambition, personal 
 
33 
 
 honor and emolument, and every private consideration, 
 to the glory of God in the salvation of souls. For if 
 human distinction, or self gratification, in any form 
 luhatever^ be adverse to Christianity, it is directly, yea, 
 it is totally, hostile to the character and office of Chris- 
 tian missionaries. To obey Christ, and imitate his 
 apostles, those faithful and successful missionaries, who 
 in the course of a few years confounded the adversary 
 and his bold adherents, by spreading the light of the 
 • Gospel over the extensive regions of the East, you 
 must be the subjects of deep humilty and much self- 
 denial. One man cannot serve two masters. He can- 
 not serve God and mammon. He cannot seek his own 
 glory and the glory of Christ. You must practise 
 denial among the heathen in a conspicuous manner., be- 
 fore you can inculcate it with advantage and success. 
 They, by your pious conduct, must be convinced that 
 your religion, that your God, is preferable to theirs, bc- 
 ^ fore they will forsake idolatry and embrace the Gospel 
 of Christ. It will be fruitless to tell them about invis- 
 ible things, about Heaven and Hell, eternal happiness 
 and eternal misery, if they do not sec in your Christian 
 conduct what they ought to imitate. You will spend 
 your breath and time in vain, except you let them sec 
 the real expression of godliness in your uniform exam- 
 ple. The eyes of the Heathen, you will note, rather 
 than their ears, are the avenues by which you can rea- 
 dily have access to their hearts. You must let them 
 see Christ in his missionaries, before they will atten- 
 tively and patiently hear you display his moral excel- 
 lency'. If you shew them how Christ and his Apostles 
 lived, by living like them, in a meek, humble, and 
 heavenly manner, you may then preach his doctrines. 
 This, then, we emphatically charge you, never, never 
 preach the theory of the Gospel, till you have present- 
 5 
 
3i 
 
 ed the practice of the Gospel in your own godly exam- 
 ple. To you, who are Christ’s embassadors, the poor 
 ignorant creatures will look for the character of the cru- 
 cified and exalted Redeemer: and if they see him not 
 in you, they will despise you and turn away from your 
 instructions to the practice of idolatry. And woe unto 
 you, if you be found deficient in this respect. But, 
 my brethren, we hope better things of you, and things 
 which accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 
 You will then be exemplary, you will magnify your 
 office, and let no man, no heathen, despise your youth. 
 
 In adaptii>g your instructions to the heathen, you 
 will exercise much wisdom and discretion. We make 
 this remark because many missionaries have proved 
 unsuccessful among the heathen, by crowding them 
 with strong meat even before they were prepared for 
 milk. The pagan empire is an empire of ignorance, 
 delusion, and superstition. They know less than noth- 
 ing relative to the glorious provisions of the Gospel. 
 When you, therefore, begin to instruct them, it will be 
 necessary to give them the most simple and easy les- 
 sons in the rudiments of Christianity. When you also 
 attempt to feed them with the Ijrcad of life, it must be 
 discreetly served in morsels only. For you will find 
 even the hopeful converts but mere babes, who can di- 
 gest nothing but milk, whicli must also be given in 
 small quantities. You will be instant in season, out of 
 season, both in public and from house to house, or from 
 cottage to cottage, in opening to them, according to their 
 apprehension, the being and perfections of God, the di- 
 vinity of scripture, the contents of his law, the apostasy 
 of man, the necessity and nature of the atonement, the 
 method and the condition of salvation pointed out by 
 Christ in the Gospel. 
 
35 
 
 If God shall succeed and bless your labors of love 
 among the heathen, in multiplying hopeful converts, 
 you will establish churches, break to them the bread of 
 life, and apply the seal of the covenant to the children 
 and domestics of believers, agreeably to the practice of 
 Abraham the father of the faithful, and the subsequent 
 friends of truth, who tread in his steps. In forming 
 churches, you will cautiously admit those, and those 
 only, who exhibit credible evidence that they are the 
 subjects of God’s special grace in regeneration. For, 
 if like the degraded priests in the anterior dispensation, 
 you omit making a proper difference between the holy 
 and unholy, betw^een Christians and sinners, you will 
 depreciate the dignity and influence of the Church, and 
 offend Christ, who provides sacramental symbols for his 
 own children, and not for his enemies. We give you 
 this early exhortation, lest, like some elated pompous 
 missionaries, you be tempted to exhibit a more flattering 
 account of converts among the heathen than will bear 
 the test, when God shall make a separation in the final 
 decision between the righteous and the wicked. 
 
 Let us, my friends and brethren, act before Christ 
 the searcher of hearts in reference to this object on the 
 principle of integrity. When you transmit to us the 
 state and success of your mission, tell us the simple 
 truth, and nothing but the truth, and then you will 
 honor God, and w’e shall repose entire confidence in 
 your narratives. 
 
 We need not remind you that the object and the 
 consequences of your mission are inestimably impor- 
 tant, both to you, the church, and a multitude of souls. 
 No enterprise comparable to this, has been embraced 
 by the American church. All others retire before it 
 like the stars before the rising sun. The success of 
 
36 
 
 the mission, we know depends upon the general aid ot 
 Divine Providence and God’s special grace. If this is 
 the appointed time for Christ to have the heathen of 
 Asia for his inheritance, or only to prepare the way for 
 his glory in that extensive region of pagan darkness 
 and ignorance, the mission will probably be crowned 
 with success. But you know, my friends, from your 
 intimate acquaintance with the history of missionary 
 exertions, that much depends upon the wisdom and 
 fidelity of the missionaries. Though the conversion of 
 heathens is the special work of God, yet we must re- 
 member that he expects the concurrence of faithful and 
 able ministers of the Gospel. God does not operate 
 alone: and as no miracles are expected, the poor igno- 
 rant heathen will be lost, unless seasonably instructed 
 with line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little 
 and there a little, by faithful and discreet missionaries. 
 How vast, then, your obligations to help the Lord with 
 all your might? The object you have embraced is un- 
 speakably great: you feel the pressure of it when you 
 lie down and when you rise up: but the motives to en-’ 
 courage and support your trembling hearts are answer- 
 ably great. God has already begun his glorious work 
 in thS East. The morning star has appeared, and in- 
 dicates the near approach of the rising sun. God will, 
 his praying children believe, succeed and prosper the 
 mission. You will go under the guidance of Christ, 
 the Almighty Savior, and will be supported by his 
 right hand. God will not forsake you, unless you for- 
 sake him. 
 
 But here pause a moment, and count the cost of your 
 enterprise. Arc you to expect unremitting prosperity? 
 Are you to expect no hardships, no perils, no discour- 
 agements, no disappointments, and no adversity !* Alas' 
 
37 
 
 you know better. You are to expect much adversity, 
 much opposition,' many dark days, when your hearts 
 will swell with grief. You have doubtless made your 
 calculations to meet with many adverse seasons of very 
 different descriptions. The days of sorrow you must 
 experience. These are the lot of useful men. The 
 endearing connexions you have formed as a band of 
 missionar}^ brothers; and the connubial connexions you 
 have uprightly made, must soon be dissolved. You 
 expect to meet the bitter cup of sorrow, as well as the 
 cheerful cup of joy and consolation: for God has so 
 decreed. But will you faint in the day of adversity? 
 Will you, after solemnly putting your hand to tlie 
 plough, look back? IVill you also go away? No: no 
 my brothers: You will rather say with the faithful dis- 
 ciples, I^ord, to whom shall we go, but unto thee? Thou 
 hast the words of eternal life. We also say, no: look 
 not back but forward with vigorous faith. Trust in 
 the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is ever- 
 lasting strength. In the hours of affliction remember 
 f Christ and his afflicted Apostles, while executing your 
 arduous mission. Remember the martyrs enrolled on 
 the Divine page. Remember particularly those bless- 
 ed men arrayed in white robes, and let the recording 
 angel attach your names to the register. For these are 
 they which came out of great tribulation, and have wash- 
 ed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the 
 Lamb — and God shall wipe away all tears from their 
 eyes. 
 
 In a word; let the Lord be your portion, and Christ 
 your leader and confidence; let grace be your speech, 
 and humility your dress; let secret and social prayer 
 be your breath; the glory of God in the salvation of 
 souls your object, and heaven your final rest. Go, 
 
38 
 
 then, with the tender companions of your bosoms, like 
 pilgrims and strangers, and lay your bodies by the side 
 of Ziegenbalg and Swartz, that you may meet them 
 and Eliot and Brainerd, and all other faithful missiona- 
 ries, in the realms of light, and so be ever with the 
 Lord. We, in the mean time, will pray, that the sal- 
 vation of souls may be your joy, and crown of rejoic- 
 ing in the day of the Lord. Amen. 
 
 
 
RIGHT HAMD 
 
 OF 
 
 FEJLILOWSHIP. 
 
 BY SAMUEL WORCESTER, D.D. 
 
 Pastor of the Tabernacle Church in Salem. 
 
 GOD IS LOVE. The Divine Persons of the adorable 
 Trixity inhabit eternity in affection and fellow- 
 ship infinitely high and blessed. Holy angels, in their 
 different orders, all dwell in love, and dwell in God. 
 Man was originally formed for the same exalted hap- 
 piness; but he fell by transgression into enmity and 
 misery. The fall was complete; the enmity was fixed; 
 the misery must have been hopeless: — but Divine mer- 
 cy interposed. The Son, who was “in the bosom of 
 the Father,” assumed the office of Mediator, and died 
 on the cross to make reconciliation; that as many of 
 our revolted race as should believe in him might re- 
 ceive forgiveness, and be restored to the fellowship of 
 Heaven. Rising from the dead, he ascended up on 
 high, leading captivity captive, and received gifts for 
 men, even for the rebellious, that the Lord God might 
 dwell among them: “and he gave some, apostles; and 
 some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pas- 
 tors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the 
 work of the ministry, for the building of the body of 
 Christ: till” the redeemed, of every tongue, and kindred, 
 and nation, “all come in the unity of the faith, and of the 
 knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, un- 
 to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” 
 
40 
 
 Here ‘‘there is neither Greek nor Jew, Barbarian, Scy- 
 thian, bond nor free;” but “there is one body and one 
 Spirit; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and 
 Father of all.” 
 
 Such is the purport of the Gospel: and when this 
 glorious dispensation came to be rightly understood 
 and felt, James, Cephas, and John, the distinguished 
 apostles of the circumcision, perceiving the grace con- 
 ferred on Paul and Barnabas, affectionately and sol- 
 emnly gave to them THE RIGHT HANDS OF FELLOW- 
 SHIP, THAT THEY SHOULD GO UNTO THE HEATHEN. 
 
 This memorable example is specially applicable to the 
 present occasion. 
 
 By the solemnities of this day, you, Messrs. Judson, 
 Nott, Newell, Hall, and Rice, are publicly set 
 apart for the service of God in the Gospel of his Son, 
 among tlie Heathen. With reference, therefore, to 
 this momentous service, we, who are -still to labor 
 in the same Gospel here at home, in the presence of 
 God, angels, and men, now give to you, dear Brethren, 
 THE RIGHT HANDS OF FELLOWSHIP. It is llOt ail 
 empty ceremony; it is the act of our hearts, and its 
 import is high and sacred. It expresses our acknowl- 
 edgement of you as duly authorised ministers of Christ; 
 our approbation of the service to which you are sepa- 
 rated; the obligation upon us to render you every assist- 
 ance in our power; and our readiness to welcome, as 
 fellow citizens with the saints, those who by your min- 
 istry may be turned from their vanities to embrace the 
 common salvation. 
 
 We trust, dear Brethren, that you are sincerely and 
 devotedly the servants of the most High God, whom 
 we also serve; and we thank Jesus Christ our Lord 
 that unto you is this grace given, that you should 
 preach among the Gentiles his unsearchable riclies. 
 
41 
 
 VVe hesitate not, in tliis public and solemn manner, 
 to testify our full approbation of the particular service 
 to which you are appointed. We are not of the number 
 of those, who hold the religion of Brahma to be as 
 good for the people of India, as the religion of Jesus; 
 nor can we believe the polluted and bloody rites of a 
 pagan pagoda to be as acceptable to the Holy One of 
 Israel, as the pure and spiritual worship of a Christian 
 temple. No, dear Brethren, we have not so learned 
 Christ. We know upon the word of God, that “the 
 things which the gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to de- 
 mons and not to God;” that righteousness has no fel- 
 lowship with unrighteousness, light no communion 
 with darkness, Christ no fellowship with Belial: that 
 “all the world lieth in wdekedness,” and under just con- 
 demnation; and that “there is none other name under 
 heaven, given among men,” by which to be saved, 
 than the name of Jesus. We believe, in a word, that 
 the blood of the Son of God was not unnecessarily 
 shed; that the ministry of reconciliation through him 
 was not unnecessarily instituted. We are, therefore, 
 not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, nor do w'e esteem 
 it of little importance to mankind; but we glory in it, as 
 “the power of God unto salvation to every one thatbe- 
 lieveth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” We 
 also hold the unrevoked edict of the risen Savior to be 
 not only a sufficient warrant, but a solemn, authoritative 
 dicection to go into all the world, and preach 
 THE gospel to EVERY CREATURE. VV’’e, therefore, 
 hail the day — the auspicious day, which w’e have long 
 desired to see: — this day, dear Brethren, on which we 
 solemnly present you to God, as a “kind of first fruits” 
 of his American churches. We bow the knee with de- 
 vout thanksgivings to the Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, the Father of glorv, that he has inclined your 
 6 
 
42 
 
 hearts and is favoring you with an opportunity to go to 
 “them who are far oif,” with the words by which they 
 and their children may be saved. 
 
 Go then, beloved Brethren, as “the messengers of” 
 these “churches, and the glory of Christ.” Go, carry 
 to the poor Heathen, tlte good news of pardon, peace, 
 and eternal life. Tell them of the God whom we adore; 
 of the Savior in whom we trust; pf the glorious im- 
 mortality for which we hope. Tell them of Him, 
 
 WHOSE STAR WAS SEEN IN THE EAST; and poiut 
 
 them to that blood, with which he will sprinkle 
 
 MANY NATIONS. 
 
 We participate with you in this great undertaking; 
 our hearts are joined with yours, and by the right hand 
 which we give you we shall hold ourselves inviolably 
 pledged, as God shall enable us, for your help. We 
 are not insensible to the sacrifices which you make, or 
 to the dangers and sufferings to which you are devoted. 
 You stand this day “a spectacle to God, to angels, and 
 to men.” You are in the act of leaving parents, and 
 friends, and country, “for Christ and the Gospel’s 
 sake.” A land of darkness, and of the shadow of death 
 is before you; and you are to erect the standard of the 
 cross where Satan has long held his cruel and bloody 
 empire. Your eyes will be pained with sights of re- 
 volting impurity and horror; your hearts will be wrung 
 with anguish for immortal souls in the most dreadful 
 bondage: and while you strive for their rescue, you 
 will have to contend, not with flesh and blood, but with 
 principalities and powers, with the rulers of the dark- 
 ness of this world, with spiritual wickedness in high 
 places. But you go, we trust, in the strength of the 
 Lord; and the weapons of your warfare “are not car- 
 nal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of 
 strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every 
 
46 
 
 high thing tliat exulteth itself against the knowledge of 
 God.” This is our confidence, this is our consolation 
 respecting you. 
 
 But, dear Brethren, we shall have you in the tender.! 
 est remembrance, and shall not cease to make mention 
 of you in our prayers. We sliall not cease to beseech 
 the Allsufficicnt God to be your shield, and your ex* 
 ceeding great reward; evermore to cheer you with his 
 presence, and gird you with his strength; to stablish 
 your hearts with grace, and give you a mouth atid wis- 
 dom which none shall be able to gainsay or resist; and 
 to open to you a great door and eflfectual; and causft 
 you to hear extensively around you the shouts of sal- 
 vation. 
 
 Our hearts desire and prayer to God for the people 
 to whom you are going is, that they may gladly receive 
 the Gospel, and be saved. We shall wait with ardent 
 hope to be assured, that you have not run in vain, nei- 
 ther labored in vain. It will give us unspeakable) joy 
 to know, that on the banks of the Indus, the Ganges, or 
 the Ava, by means of the pious liberalities and efforts 
 of this western world, the Gospel is preached with suc- 
 cess, ehurches are planted, and the praises of the Re- 
 deemer are sung. Trusting in God, we anticipate the 
 glorious scene. Already do we seem to hear from the 
 farthest East, the grateful, swelling song, “How beau- 
 tiful upon the mountains are the feet of them who 
 bring good tidings, who publish peace, who bring 
 good tidings of good, who publish salvation.” Bles- 
 sed day, when, from the throne of Heaven, Zion shall 
 hear the word, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, 
 and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee:” and 
 
 THE GENTILES SHALL COME TO HER LIGHT, AND 
 KINGS TO THE BRIGHTNESS OF HER RISING. The 
 
 day will come; it is rapidly approaching: the word and 
 
44 
 
 providence of God declare it to be near. The gleams 
 of the dawn are even now to be seen. Let the cheer- 
 ing prospect, dear Brethren, animate your hearts and 
 stimulate your exertions. You are but the precursors 
 of many, who shall follow you in this arduous, glori- 
 ous enterprise: for the Gospel shall be preached to all 
 nations, and all people shall see the salvation of God. 
 
 Beloved Brethren, be of good courage; go in peace; 
 and may the Lord God of the holy apostles and proph- 
 ets go with you. We commend you to him, and to 
 the word of his grace; and devoutly .pray, that m the 
 day of the Lord Jesus, we may have the happiness t® 
 see you present many of the Heathen before the throne 
 of his glory with exceeding joy. Amen. 
 
 * 
 
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