YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

THE LIBRARY OF THE
DIVINITY SCHOOL

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SEEMON

ON THE

THEORY OF MISSIONS,

BY

M. F. JIMESON, .A.fcM.

PREACHED IN THE

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, COLLEGE HILL

APRIL 12. 1856.

CINCINNATI,
PRINTED BY C. F. BEADLEY?L& CO., W! MAIN STREET.
1855.

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S E M M o nsr

ON THE

THEORY OF MISSIONS,

BY

M. IP. JIMESON, A.-. M.

PREACHED IN THE

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, COLLEGE HILL.

APRIL 12, 1856.

CINCINNATI,
PRINTED BY C. F. BRADLKY & CO., 14? MAIN STREET.

CORRESPONDENCE.

Rev. M. P. Jimeson !
Dear Sir: The undersigned, believing that the Discourse preached
by you last Sabbath morning, on " The Educational and Evangelical
Theories of Missions," contains important truths bn an important subject,
and that it is fitted to lead the minds of the patrons of the American
Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions to right conclusions on the
question now agitating the Board, ask that you will place a copy of it in
their hands for publication.
L. CARY,
J. W. CALDWELL,
S. F. CARY,
G. S. ORMSBY,
J. GRANT,
A. WOOD,
W. CARY.
ApbIl 13, 1856.

College Hill, April 14, 18S6.
Rev. Prof. S. Cary, J. W. Caldwell, Esq., Gen. F. S. Cary, and others.
Gentlemen : Relying more on your judgment than on my own,
as to the claims of my Sermon to public attention, I have yielded to
your request for its publication.
With sentiments of high regard,
I am yours, in our common Lord,
M. P. JIMESON.

SERMON.

In the Theory of Missions, there are two extremes,
The one may be denominated the Educational, and the
other, the Evangelical Theory.
These terms are by no means specific in their signifi
cation, but are employed for want of others of a more
definite character. But the indefinite nature of the terms
need not lead us astray, as they are easily defined in
their present application.
The educational scheme assumes that the oral preach
ing of the gospel to the Hindoos by a foreigner, never can
achieve the lofty ends of Christian missions, but that a
native ministry must be reared up for the evangelization
of India. Of course, these native evangelists should be
educated ; and, for reasons which seem more satisfactory
to the advocates of this plan of operation, than to many
others, their education should involve a thorough train
ing in the English language, not only as a means of lite
rary research, but as a medium of communication.
Accordingly, the first and chief care of the missionary
is to educate. This theory does not formally exclude
the oral preaching of the gospel by the missionary, to
any who may seem prepared to recieve it ; but it cer
tainly, in the main, makes education the harbinger of
the preaching of the gospel, and the sheet-anchor of its
hope of success*
This theory is principally adopted by the Scotch Pres
byterian church, and prominently represented by the
distinguished Dr. Duff.

4 SERMON ON MISSIONS.
What has been denominated the evangelical theory,
is substantially this, that the oral proclamation of the
gospel is the only successful method of evangelizing the
heathen, and that the missionary should devote himself
to preaching, as his principal, if not only business. The
advocates of this method of converting the world, do not
depreciate education, as a hand-maid of religion, and a
means of happiness to the world : they differ from the
others, only in the order of time to be observed in preach
ing and educatinig, and, to some extent, with respect to
the persons to be educated,
This plan is rigidly adhered to by the Baptist Mission
ary Union, and is represented by the distinguished Dr.
Wayland. The theory of the American Board is neither the one
nor the other of these plans, but is truly catholic in its
spirit, and eclectic to each of them. It would wisely com
bine both of these plans, and that without any settled
plan, as to the uniform precedence of either of them.
It would preach and educate, or educate and preach, as
the circumstances might seem to dictate.
As early, however, as 1848, it was feared by some,
that there were plain indications of a change of senti
ment going on in the minds of the Prudential Committee
of the Board, in which they seemed to cherish a strong
proclivity towards the educational theory. '
For reasons, the recital of which would be of no ad
vantage in this review, the Committee, in 1854, deemed
it achdsable to send out a deputation to India, consisting
of Dr. R. Anderson, senior Secretary of the Board, and
Rev. A. C. Thompson, a member of the Committee.
Accordingly, they visited India, and made a thorough
exploration of all the facts and circumstances of the
missions of the Board, which were considered vital to

SERMON ON MISSIONS. 5
the object of their visitation. They effected certain
changes in the mode of conducting missions in India, or,
at least, were present when certain changes were agreed
upon by the majority of the missionaries, and heartily
concurred in them.
Whether these changes were pursuant to instructions
recieved from the Committee, or were the result of an
independent judgment, resting on facts contemplated on
the ground, is a question, the examination of which, be
longs, of right, to the Board. But whether the effected
changes themselves are such as the supporters of the
Board can accede to, is the question which comes with
in the jurisdiction of this investigation.
To determine this, we must know what the effected
changes are?
They are, in substance, as follows :
The number of schools is diminished — the advantages
of the schools principally confined to converts and their
children — the study of the English language is exclud
ed, except as a mere classic — churches are to be organi
zed, and committed to the care of native pastors, while
the missionaries are to have a general supervision of the
whole work.
Now the defence of this action, and an exhibition of
our reasons for warmly joining with the deputation, will
lead to a consideration of the Commission of our Lord
to his disciples, as recorded in Matt, xxviii., 19, 20. —
" 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 com
manded you.''''
I need scarcely note, that the word matheteuein, ren
dered " teach" in the text, signifies, in its transitive use,
to make disciples. "Go ye therefore, and make disci-

6 SERMON ON MISSIONS.
pies of all nations," — make converts, gather up a church.
But what is the mode of procedure in laying the founda
tion of the church, and in securing its edification ? It is
comprehended in "baptizing them," and in " teaching
them to observe all things Avhatsoever" the Saviour had
"commanded," The converts were to be required to submit to bap
tism, as a consecrating rite — & ceremony by which they
bound themselves to profess the doctrines and conform
to the precepts of the great Master. Then, they were
to have minute instruction in the moral system of the
Savior. But a moment's reflection will show, that their conver
sion itself, by which they were induced to be baptized,
and by which they were prepared for further instruction
in duty, involved a process, which furnishes a key to
this whole discussion. We cannot, with some, believe
that Matthew records what the disciples were commis
sioned to do, and Mark, how they were to do it ; but still
we incline strongly to the opinion, that Mark's mode of
recording the same commission, throws light on the means
employed in making disciples of all nations, as we have
it in Matthew.
Mark, xvi. 15, says, "Go ye therefore into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature."
" All nations " were to be discipled, by preaching the
gospel to "every creature." The general signification
of "preach," cannot have a wider latitude, than to impart
information. And it does not affect the argument in the
least degree, how many specific meanings the verb may
have : it may have as many as there are subjects on
which information may be communicated. W hat spe
cific sense the word may have in the quotation from
Mark, is forever put beyond the reach of reasonable

SERMON ON MISSIONS. 7
doubt, by the fact that the general latitude of "preach"
is restrained by the subject, "the gospel" And the lati
tude of the sentence, "preach the gospel" is defined by
the term, " every creature."
If, then, the commission of the apostles was contain
ed in these words, we need have no difficulty in defining
how they understood the charge committed to them.
The language of the commission is most definite. But
lest it be imagined that the disciples may have had rea
sons, from antecedent converse with the Redeemer, or
from something connected with the language of the com
mission, which has not been recorded, for understanding
the commision in a sense which cannot be appreciated
by us, we must make some further inquiry on the subject.
And the only way of dissipating all doubt in the case, and
of setting the question at rest forever, is to ascertain how
the disciples carried out their high commission.
And the postulate, underlaying the whole argument,
is, that the apostles carried out the commission as they un
derstood it.
When the apostles^ in the prosecution of their work,
went forth to the Jews^ they took their stand on the
platform of the Old Testament Scriptures, and from
their types, shadowy rites, and numerous prophecies,
they argued the Messiahship of Christ, and showed that
his dispensation was the complement of the religion of
Moses. They and the Jews met on the common ground,
that the Levitical economy was of divine origin.
But when they labored for the salvation of the pagan,
they took, as their stand-point of argumentation, the
common elements of natural theology, and, by a logical
process of appeal to common sense, they prepared their
minds for a serious attention to the claims of the Chris
tian revelation. See Acts. xiv. 15-17 ; xvii. 23-34.

8 SERMON ON MISSIONS,
Now it is plain, that the apostolic commision assumes,
as the very basis of its claim to attention, that "every
creature " of "all nations " has natural ability to receive
the gospel ; for while the immeasurable blessing of sal
vation is promised to him who believes, the ineffably
terrible sanction of damnation is hung over him who
"believeth not." In the absence of a natural ability to
see the fitness and to receive the power of the gospel,
as a scheme of redemption, how could the pagan be de
voted to the horrors of endless banishment from God,
for not embracing the Savior of sinners ?
And as the penalty of eternal death to the unbeliever,
has no recorded relation to an ability superinduced by an
antecedent educational training, we have no right to sup
pose that any such relation was revealed, or even implied.
But in the absence of such intellectual development, as
is secured by education, what ground of hope had the
apostles, that they would be successful in the promulga
tion of a new religion to the heathen ? Did they depend,
for success, on the concurrence of a moral miracle with
their preaching? No ! On what, then ? will it be said,
that the heathen to whom they preached were educated ?
That there was a more extensive acquaintance with lite
rature and science, among the Greeks and Romans, than
among the people from whom the apostolic missiona
ries went forth, is conceded, through deference to
universal belief; but, that the masses of the people to
whom the apostles preached in pagandom, were any
better educated, than the masses of India, requires an
overgrown credulity to believe it.
The question, then, still awaits an answer :— on what
did the apostles depend, as that in man, which made his
conversion hopeful ?
It will be admitted that God made man to be religious

SERMON ON MISSIONS. 9
%n a particular way — accordimg to fixed principles — -in
accordance with true religion. If so, he must have made
him with an adaptation to the true religion. This adapta
tion, then, is innate, and is imperishable, even as the
soul itself. This innate adaptation of man to the true
religion, we call the moral sentiments.
Now, with the assumption of these inborn moral feel
ings, is it a matter of marvel that man should feel
the claims of the Christian religion, as the only saving-
religion of the race ? Christianity responds to a univer
sally felt want of human nature, and offers to man the
only food on which the hungry cravings of his heart can
feed — the only water of life, which can quench the burn
ings of his thirsty spirit — the only plank, in the uni
versal shipwreck of human hope, on which he can float
in safety to the shore of life.
Why did Adam recognize Eve as his wife, and cling-
to her as the companion of his life ? Go ask the innate
sentiments of his heart, which adapted him to the ac
ceptance of such a gift. And if you ask these senti
ments whence they came, they will point up to the de
signing Mind, in which was eternally concealed the pro
totype of all that is actualized in creation.
If, then, the apostles taught nothing but the gosjoel ;
and if the masses of those to whom they preached, were
no more educated, and no less depraved, than the dying
masses of India ; it must require an undue amount of
prepossession, to argue the necessity of mission schools,
as a means of evangelization.
And this leads to a grave inquiry into the relation of
intellectual culture to moral renovation. With all sound
thinkers in the science of mind, it must be of the nature
and force of an axiom, that intellectual culture has no
tendency to al *t + ¦; - 1 disposition, beyond what is

10 SERMON ON MISSIONS.
possessed by corporeal education. And yet, it is in his
moral disposition, that man is radically religious or ir
religious. Education may enlarge the field of thought — fill the
mind with great and exalting ideas — may refine the
taste, and open up multiplied resources of enjoyment
amidst the gorgeous beauties of nature, and the tamer
attributes of art; but, after the mind has learned to
generalize, by the wide sweep of the broadest induction ;
after it has learned, by the proud syllogism's help, to
descend, with irresistable force, from the genus to the
species, and from the species to the individual ; after it
has acquired the science of the sensible and insensible
changes of matter, and the art of calculating numbers
and measuring quantities ; when it has learned to bound
from earth to heaven, and to fall to the earth again, ac
cording to the rules of the chastest rhetoric : is it any
more inclined to "believe unto righteousness," and to
"love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity?"
But let us subject all this theorizing to the touchstone
of fact. Who was it, that heard the Savior "gladly?"
the scribe — the lawyer — the doctor ? No ! who, then ?
the "common people."
With whom did the apostles succeed to the greatest
extent, and from whom did they reap their richest
harvests? among "the wise" and " noble " of the na
tions ? let the Acts and the Epistles answer.
Among whom did Wesley and Whitefield achieve for
the conquering power of the cross its most numerous
and sterling trophies ? among the literati of the universi
ties and colleges? No; but among the masses, who
thronged the thoroughfares of ignorance and all its
concomitant evils.
And what is the tendency of education in these United

SERMON ON MISSIONS. 11
States ? Is the progress of conversion to God, co-exten
sive with the march of school education ! Are conver
sions any more readily effected in Massachusetts and
Ohio, than in Virginia and South Carolina ? I leave these
questions to the leisure of the hearer,
Now let us come to the object aimed at, the working
of mission schools in India. From the Report of the
Deputation, made up from facts collected on the ground,
take the following : In the Mahratta mission, not one
conversion among ten thousand educated pupils. In
Ceylon, thirty conversions among thirty thousand pupils
instructed in the mission school. At the Madura mis
sion school, four hundred and eighty-six pupils have been
educated in the last ten years, and out of the whole, not
one conversion. A comment on this startling text, would
be an idle waste of words.
That heathen youths, connected with mission schools,
have been converted, some during their term of study,
and others after they left school, we are as thankful as
any to record as a fact — a cheering fact. But by what
reckless indifference to the sin of non causa pro causa,
will we connect these conversions, as effects, with schools,
as their causes ?
If, because an eclipse of the sun was followed by a
famine or a pestilence ; we found a person inclined to
connect these joint events as cause and effect, we would
readily concede to this unphilosophical person, that the
phenomenon of the eclipse and the calamity of famine or
pestilence were connected in time, as antecedent and
consequent ; but, by urging1 multiplied analogies, gather
ed from the observation of the past, we Would strive to
disprove the causative relation of the eclipse to the
famine. Well, let us have equally sound logic, when
reasoning about the agencies connected with the salva-

12 SERMON ON MISSIONS.
tion of souls. Perhaps the American church has educa
ted quite enough of infidel Hindoos for the service of the
British Government,
Let it be supposed that the Hindoo believes that the
sum of the three angles of a triangle is equal to five right
angles— that 4 \ 8 : : 9 : 17 — that the earth is a plain, and
that the heavens rest on the head of Atlas* In this state
of mind, he refuses to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his
Savior — cannot be induced to love God. But you correct
his idea of the triangle, instruct him in the laws of
ratio, demonstrate to him the spherical figure of the earth,
and give him scientific notions of the sky and the clouds ;
will he believe in the Savior now? will he feel the rising
of an inclination to love God ?
But we wish, in what follows, to confine our reasonings
to a specific point — the teaching of the English language
in the foreign mission schools.
And we plant ourselves on the postulate, that the
apostles preached in the language of the people, among
whom they labored. The only argument with which
we meet on this point, is, that the apostles preached in
foreign languages by inspiration. But this very objec
tion is suicidal, as it annihilates the whole argument, of
which it is a form. For if the apostles preached in the
language of a foreign people, then may the missionaries
of the American Board do the same : unless it can be
proved that there is a material difference between a lan
guage thoroughly imbibed by inspiration, and the same
language thoroughly mastered by study. But will it be
said that in the comparative thoroughness of these two
modes of obtaining a foreign language, lies the whole
force of the argument ? I hope not !
Suppose a whole lifetime would not be adequate to the
acquisition of the whole of the Tamil language, I have

SERMON ON MISSIONS. 13
but to say, in reply, that no missionary in India, not even
the learned Dr. Duff excepted, knows the whole of his
own language. Who is acquainted with every word in
Webster's Dictionary ? But who needs all these words ?
Not even the city Pastor, who preaches in the vocabu
lary of the novelist. Is it to be supposed that even the
inspired apostles knew the whole of the languages, which
they were inspired to speak ? They knew all that it was
necessary for them to know, namely, a part of the colloqui
al languages of the people. Will it be pretended that
a missionary cannot, in a few years, learn as much of the
colloquial language of India, as will enable him to speak
distinctly and intelligibly to the people ?
But farther, to show the self-destructive character of
the objection : If the apostles preached, by inspiration,
in the language of the heathen, then, the position that
" a pagan language is not adapted to the communication
of Christian ideas," must find an eternal sleep in the
grave of its own digging. For unless inspiration changed
the idioms, or added to the words of foreign languages,
how much better could a pagan language, obtained by
inspiration, be in the expression of Christian ideas,
than if acquired by study ? But if inspiration made
any such changes in the languages of the heathen, then
it required an additional inspiration of the people, to
enable them to understand their languages, as thus
modified. But were not the Greek and Latin languages at one
time totally pagan ? Had they any more adaptation to
the expression of Christian ideas, than the Tamil has ?
To Christianize a language, matter of fact shows, that
we have but to Christianize the ideas of the people
speaking it. They will then make use of the same words,
applied to different things. It matters but little by what

14 SERMON ON MISSIONS;
name you call a thing, provided the thing itself is well
understood. If words, instead of being mere signs by which sub
jects and attributes are distinguished, were exact defini
tions of things, then, indeed, new ideas would call for
new words. But it is not so. Words derive their signifi-
cancy from their appropriation to certain things. Every
new subject, in whatever language it may be taught,
requires a new appropriation of terms. And when we
have mastered the idea, we have no difficulty with the
meaning of the word, in that connection.
It is plain to any one, then, that it is much easier to
learn to use a few words in our own language in a new
sense, than to acquire a whole foreign language.
In pagan Latin, sacr amentum denoted the military oath,
or a sum of money deposited ; but in ecclesiastical Latin,
the same word denoted a mystery ; and, for reasons best
known to the Fathers^ a Christian rite. Suppose a
missionary about to teach pagans speaking the Latin
language, that Christ has instituted certain rites to be
observed. He is forbidden, by some; to speak to them
in Latin, lest they understood him to mean, that Christ
instituted military oaths ! Nevertheless, he preaches,
making use of the word with complete success.
The word logos was, in the language of Plato, the nous
or understanding of God ; but in the language of St.
John, it denotes "the only begotten of the Father."
But having found that the application of the Word was
misapprehended by some, St. John did not change the
word, much less the whole language ; but he proceeded
to give correct notions of the subject designated by the
term, saying : " In the beginning the Logos existed, and
the Logos was in association with God, and the Logos was
God. The Logos was made," or united with, "flesh."

SERMON ON MISSIONS. 15
And so, the Greek metanoein, was used of a change
of view, feeling, or purpose, in relation to men and
things ; but never, till brought under tribute by the
church, did it have the high signification of repentance
towards God.
Having seen that a pagan language may be employed
for the expression of Christian ideas, just as it may be
made use of for the expression of the new ideas of civili
zation to the heathen, we may ask: would it not be
easier- for a missionary so to learn the language of Hin
dustan, as to preach in it, than for all his hearers so to
learn the language of the missionary, as to be able to
hear in it ?
A missionary is, or ought to be, a man of high men
tal culture — a man accustomed to the study of language.
Now, with these habits of verbal study, how much sooner
the missionary can master the Tamil, than the undis
ciplined Hindoos could acquire the English language !
And how much cheaper the process ! It is found impos
sible to enlist the Hindoos in the study of English, from
religious motives. They enter upon the study of our
language, just as our, own young men go to the Com
mercial Colleges — to learn how to make money. But
the missionary proposes to catch them with sanctified
guile, and to bring them into subjection to Christ. But,
alas ! too many facts show, that the heathen are as wise
to evade the force of Christian truth, as the missionary
is in directing it towards them, They go away from the
mission schools as hostile to Christ, as when they came,
and, from their education, much more competant to wield
a deadly influence against his cause.
Let, then, the means of the American Board, be ex
pended in multiplying the oral-preaching agencies. And
this, in substance, was the work of the Deputation.

16 SERMON ON MISSIONS.
And let not the grammatical tyro look at this as an
onslaught upon education. What ! Dr. Anderson, the
members of the Prudential Committee, and Dr. Way-
land, opposed to education ? But the boys of this age
must be wisdom to their fathers !
If the State wishes to educate the Hindoo — if the
philanthropist wishes to educate him, so let it be. The
sooner it is done, the more we will rejoice. And if the
American Board will have means and men for this work,
there can be no objection to the people's money going in
this direction, after the peculiar work of the church has
been accomplished — the evangelization of the world, by
the oral preaching of the gospel. But while the way of
death and hell is glutted with crowding millions, who
know not God, as revealed in melting compassion
through the Son of his love, let no time and money be
spent in the almost fruitless work of antecedent educa
tion. Let the missionaries go forth as spirits of mercy,
flying on the wings of the winds, and "preach the gos
pel to every creature."
We close these hurried observations, by briefly noting
our duty to the cause of missions.
1. We should co-operate with the American Board,
in their strenuous efforts to extend the Redeemer's king
dom. Each one knows what it is in his power to do, by
way of material aid. And let all remember, that their
obligation to give, is commensurate with their ability.
But whatever may be the amount given by each, let 'it
never be forgotten, that "the Lord loveth a cheerful
giver." We have great encouragement to give. God in the
sure workings of an inscrutable providence, and'the re
velations of his eternal purposes, is now opening the
widest doors of invitation to the church's best effort-

SERMON ON, MISSIONS. 17
for the conversion of perishing men. Money will be
wanted, in proposition to the multiplication of opportu
nities. May God incline the church to give, till the cry, " Come
over and help us," shall die away in the jubilant song,
"Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!"
2. Let us pray the Lord of the harvest, that he would
send forth more laborers into his fields.
The fields are already white unto harvest ; and while,
indeed, "the harvest is great," it is a melancholy con
comitant truth, that " the laborers are few." Let us send
up our united petitions to the God of heaven and earth,
that he would imbue the hearts of many of our young-
men with the spirit of missions. And let me say to these
young men, you never can rise to the hight of even a
desirable earthly destiny, till you are willing to work for
Christ. There is nothing worth living for — nothing wor
thy of the hurried breathings of ambition, but that on
which Heaven sets the highest estimate — which caused
the Lord Jesus to descend from riches to poverty — which
causes rejoicing among the angels of God.
The church may have to go forth bearing precious seed
weeping, but she will surely return rejoicing, bringing
her sheaves with her. God will, in answer to prayer
and protracted effort, cause another, and another bright
speck to appear on the dark map of our blighted and
desolate world, till the whole shall be lighted up with
the brilliancy of the millenial day. Amen.

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