Foreign Mission Journal, December 1878

Foreign Mission Journal 1”||1>Нм!м;(1 tllnntlily l»y tins I'orclpi .TIInnIou Hoard of tlic Soiillioru HnptiNt Convention. "ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. GO PE, THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS." Vol. 10. — New Series. RICHMOND, VA., DECEMBER, 1878. No. 9.— Whole No. 105. FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL, RATES PER ANNUM: One copy . . . on cts. Five or morn copies, to оно person . 40 " n copy. Twenty or more copies, to ono person . 30 " “ Fifty or more copies, to one person . 26 “ " aS-I’lensu remit by Draft, Postal Order, or In ItcRlstored Letter. Address, FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL, RICHMOND, Va, FOREIGN MISSION BOARD or THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION, Locatkii at RICHMOND, VIIUIINIA. ITiksidknt-^T. L. M. OURItY. ATck-ITikkidknts.— Hiram AVoods, Md„ .1. Л. Hnckett, Miss.. F. Courtney, La., J. II. Jeter. Va., H. II. McCallutn, Fla., AV. M. M'lnirale, N. O., J. I., Harrows, Ky„ S. Hen¬ derson, Alabama, AV. f'opo Yeaman, Mo., J. II. Link, Texas, H. H. Tucker, Oa., J. C. Furman, S. C„ Matt. IlllUmaii, Тепа., J. It. Ilvoiie, Ark. Coiiiiksi41.vpi.vo SKCttKTAitY— H. A. TUPI’KR. TitKASUitKii— чГ. О. WILLIAMS. Kkcoiidivo Skciiktauy— \V. H. (JAVATHMEY. AuniTOit — JOSEPH F. COTTRELL, BOAtto or Mavaokics.— E. AV. AVnrren, ,T. II. Watkins, II. K. Kllysoa, AV, K. Hatcher, E. Wortham, Henry McDonald, W. (loddln, H. II. Harris, Л. E. Dickinson, J. AV. Jones, Л. II. Clarke, J. H. Winston, T. J. Evans, О. H, AVInston, J. II. Onrlick. _ ЕЗУ'Л 4 communications in reference to the business of this Hoard should be addressed to H. Л. Тиггкп, Corresponding Secretary, Richmond, Va. ГОНИ 0Г BEQUEST. “ I hereby give tuul bequeath unto tlie Soutbern baptist Convention, fornictl in Augusta. Georgia, in the inontli of Maj', 1845, and chartered by the Legislature of the State of Georgia, by an act passed and approved December 2i)tb, 1845, (here insert the amount, if in money, or ' subject,' if other property, either real or personal,) for Foreign Missions.” THANKSGIVING. Are we grateful for God's infinite mercies to us? What, offerings have we made to him ? After put¬ ting our own souls upon the altar, Avliat could bo more acceptable to the God of the world than sonic gift to spread Ids gospel among the nations ol the earth ? JESUS. The Messiah of the Jews. ■ From time to time we have received small amounts, which now aggregate five dollars and twenty cents, for a “church at Jerusalem.” Tills suggests that the hearts of Christians should be more concerned with regard to the salvation of that ancient and mysterious people Avbo are conir moiily known as the .Tews. And the argument which, in the days of the Evangelist Philip, probably iiiiiueiiced Queen Candace’s treasurer, who is assumed to bo a Jewish proselyte, Is one Avliich might be brought to bear with greater force on the mind of the modern Hebrew. As an intelligent visitor at Jerusa¬ lem, where lie had gone to the Passover, and had very likely stayed over to the Feast of Pentc- t0st, if tlie Ethiopian did not see Jesus, Avlio avus ‘he absorbing topic of the capital of Judea, lie probably received some right impression with re¬ spect to him ; which impression was perhaps em¬ phasized by Peter, under Avhose pungent crimina¬ tion lie also might have been pricked in iicart, though having too much self-control to cry out with tlie multitude : “ Men and brethren, Avliat must we do?” lie betook himself to the .Jewish Scriptures, and is found investigating a Messianic prediction. And why not thence, too, under the spiritual teaching of tlie evangelist, some right idea of the Christ foretold ? This idea would render imperative the question : How this correspondence between tlie prophetic picture and tlie living man? A sat¬ isfactory reply to tlie question would be as tlie voice of God himself: This is my son ; hear him. Now, tlie historic Jesus, which tlie Jew does not question, may be compared with the promised Mes¬ siah, with more light than the Ethiopian possessed, and under the guidance of proper ‘caching and tlie Holy Spirit, we see not Avhy tlie Jew might not be led to look upon him whom lie lias pierced, with tlie bitterness of penitence, and to cry in evangelical faitli : My Lord and my God ! The Desire of all Nations. Jesus must bo preached to the heathen. He, alone, can satisfy the mind, and heart, and con¬ science. He is tlie light of the Avorld. Paul preached him on Mars Hill. The smoke which struggled upward from that altar, dedicated to tlie unknown God, Avas a fit emblem of the human in¬ tellect vainly striving after tlie true, tlie good, tlie absolute. “'Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly wor¬ ship, declare I unto you,” cried the Apostle to the Gentiles before the Athenian Stoics and Epicu¬ reans, as he preached unto them Jesus — the arisen Jesus— in Avhom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; and from whom, if any man ask it, may be received that wisdom which is from above, “ Avhicli is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy;” than which tlie light of heaven could not photograph a more perfect likeness of Him who is tlie essence, the very quintessence, of Avisdom itself. Jesus is the Lord of Glory— misnomer though this may seem for ono who in Ids day was spit upon and hung up between two thieves, and who in our (lay is slandered by lofty intellects making learned and determined efforts to reduce him to a hero of his¬ tory because lie cannot ho proven a myth. Rut these polite and erudito strictures, like assaults of other centuries, equally subtle and more malignant, will pass aAvny in their turn as the evening eclipse, or as tlie meteor Avliich Hashes along tlie firmament only to sink into darkness, and leaveuntouched and undimmed the fixed lights of heaven ! ’ ** His antecedents intimated that ho av.ts tlie Lord of Glory — his antecedents, in those ideas of human Avisdom, Avitli regard to tlie essence and expression of moral good, Avliich were never realized except in the bl-fold nature of this mysterious being, which ideas were but the echoes of Ids presence that ten¬ anted once the temple of hqmnn naturo before its downfall and ruir., and Avliich were nature’s pro¬ phecies Avitli regard to the return of his presence as necessary to tlie satisfaction of the universal notions of man In reference to a supreme good. The more distinct antecedents of divine prophesy which trumpeted him down the ages culminated in tlie appellations : Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, tlie Prince of Peace. When ho appeared on eartli ho showed himself tlie Lord of Glory. Roussel replied to Renan : Jesus led a life of disinterestedness as well of self- sacriflcc. lie taught tlie purest of religions, and practised all lie taught. This made him above man, and proved him God. But shall tlie creator serve tlie creature? Why not? Which is the more glo¬ rious— the sun pouring out himself to beautify and beatify worlds around, or Avrapped up in his splen¬ did glory pursuing a solitary way through tlie track¬ less regions of space ? As the dispenser of nature's glory lie Illustrates himself tlie Lord of Glory. Who paints tlie flower which smiles on the face of tlie eartli? Who makes to glow tlie stars in tlie coronet of night? Who moves tlie panorama of this world's history and the heaven’s revolutions? Who holds the coursers of tlie ages’ progress? The second person of the adorable Trinity is seated on tlie Throne of the Universe to create and control, with reference to the revelation of the divine nature, especially in tlie reclamation of a fallen race; and all tlie works around ns and above us are but mirrors set up in tlie royal palace to reflect the excellence of the Lord of Glory. But man docs not wantonly light and an object of glorying. Above all, he needs, as a sinner, peace of conscience, which lie can find alone in Jesus, “ the friend of sinners.” Note two facts to prove Jesus such a friend : The one is — He took our na¬ turo upon him, binding himself to it as one is bound to his own created self, and engaging to love and sustain, and elevate and immortalize it, as lie is im¬ mortal. Twain Averc made one in tlie incarnation of the Lord Jesus, and joint heirs of an eternal in¬ heritance. Tlie other is — lie died for us. “По who knew no sin av.ts made sin for us that wo might be made the righteousness of God in him.” These facts of the all-wise and all-glorious Jesus— human and divine — are the essence of tlie gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beliCA'Ctll. To be Universally Г reached. Thus is Jesus tiic disidcratum of our humanity — tlie real substance of Avliich wealth and wisdom, pleasure and power, love anil life, are blit the attes- tlvo. shadows — whom tlie churches arc commissioned to preacli to every creature as the Messiah of the Jcav, and tlie desire of all nations. HR. MOODY. In Baltimore avc had the pleasure of being near tills extraordinary man while preaching on tlie text, “ Yc must bo born again.” While demonstrating his fearlessness of spirit and orthodoxy of views, lie preached tlie identical doctrine Avhicli Baptists have preached from the beginning, nis pathos in applying his subject av.ts melting, and left few dry eyes in Ids immense audience. None hearing tlie sermon could ever ask : Can the heathen be saved without the gospel? “ Except a man be born again lie cannot see tlie Kingdom of Heaven.” THOSE MONEYS. All persons holding moneys for our Board wilt please remit to us at once. “ The time is short.”