Foreign Mission Journal, June 1899

THE CONVENTION. The Convention of 1S99 is now a thing of history. It is well under¬ stood that the eyes of The Journal editors see things only from a mis¬ sionary view-point. AVe do not undertake to give a resume of all the features of the Convention, but simply to say that it was a great mis¬ sionary convention, and if a great missionary convention, then a great convention in the highest sense, for missions is the one great, all-inclusivc object of the Convention. The attendance was large and the general spirit of the body was good. But the one distinguishing mark of the Convention, the one that will make it memorable through the coming years, was the mis¬ sionary enthusiasm. The reports of the three Boards were all fine and set a high key to the entire meeting; each report was perhaps the best ••ver made by the Board from which it came. The missionary spirit was manifested not so much by great speeches, though there were sorm great speeches, as by great resolutions, the quiet yet decided expressions^, of great purposes for better work in the future. “Enlargement" may has regarded as coming nearer to summing up the deep and abiding purpose” pervading all hearts than any other word. This desire and purpose for enlargement reached its climax on Saturday night, in the great foreign mission mass-meeiing. when the Convention, as if with the voice of one man, instructed the Foreign Board to lay out its work for the coming year on the basis of а 2Г» per eontl increase. The speaking in the Con¬ vention was for the greater part of the best kind: the speakers seemed to be men of purpose — not the purpose of display, but of accomplishing -omething for Christ. All in all, this Convention will be put down as a great convention. But the main thing for us now is to see that the spirit and resolutions of the Convention govern us through the year. Tf our work is really enlarged, it must ho done not by votes. The Board, of course, must obey the voice of the Convention and project the work on a broader -cale; and it remains for every one who voted so to instruct the Board to stand by the Board. Xot only so. but every member of the Con¬ vention is honor-houiul to see to it as far as in bis power lies that every member of his church enlarges his contributions. And every Baptist represented in the Convention is honor-bound, and we hope will be love-bound, to enlarge his heart and purse, so as to save the Board from embarrassment in carrying out the instruction of the Convention. Let us all make it a year of great enlargement. Let us enlarge the