Foreign Mission Journal, September 1877

Foreign Mission Journal B’ubllftbcil Monthly by the Foreign Jlbslon Hoard of the .Southern Itnptlxt СоатспИоп. “ ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. GO YE, THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS Vol. 9. — New Series. RICHMOND, VA., SEPTEMBER, 1877. No. 6.— Whole No. 90 FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL RATES PER ANNUM : One copy . ....to ct*. FIth or more copies, to ona parson . 10 '• a copy. Twenty or того copies, to one person . 30 11 '• fifty or того copies, to они person . 25 u " Ой remit by Draft, foetal Order, or In Registered Letter. Address, FOREIGN MLSSION JOURNAL, Richmond, Va. FOREIGN MISSION BOARD 0У THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION, Locatkd at RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. riiKRiDitNT— J. L, M. CURRY. VtCE-I’iirstDENTS.— Hiram Woods, Md., J, A. Hackctt, Miss.. F. Conrtney, La.. J. II. Jeter. Va., II. II. McOnllnm, Fla., W. M. Wingate, N. O., J. L. Harrows, Ky„ Я Hen¬ derson, Alabam, W. l’ojio Yeainan, Mo., J, It. Link, Texas, II. II. Tucker, Ga„ J. U. Furman, S. O., Matt, illlleman, Tenn., J. II. lloone, Ark, UoitltKSfONDt.vo Skcii ktahy— H. A. TUl’PER. TIIKASURCII— .1. C. WILLIAMS. Rs.cOlitUNO Siictiktahy— W. H. G WATHMKY. АСШТОП— JOSEPH F. COTTRELL. Нллпр or Manaokiim. — K. W. Warren, J. П. Watkins, H, K. Ellyson, W. E. Hatcher, K. Wortham, Henry McDonald, W. Ooddln, H. H. Harris. Л. K. Dickinson, J. W. Jones, Л. H. Clarke. J. ,U. Winaton, T. J. Evans, О. H. Wlueton, J. R. Garlick. _ 537*. I U communications in reference to the business of this Hoard should be addressed to II. Л. Тогрев, Corresponding Secretary, Richmond, Va. FORM OF BEQUEST. “ I hereby give and bequeath unto the Southern Baptist Convention, formed in Augusta, Georgia, in the month ol .May, IS IS, and chartered by the Legislature of the State of Georgia, by an act passed anti approved December 20th, 1S45, (hoc [ insert the amount, if in money, or * subject,' if' other property, either real or personal,) for Foreign Missions.” TO COBUE8FONDENT8. The Editor lias been quite sick during nearly the whole of August, and lias been obliged to neglect his correspondence. Wc hope the same fact will induce our readers to cast the mantle of charity over any defects observed in this number of the Journal. AN OBJECTION. A specious objection to Foreign Missions is, that the success is disproportionate to the means em¬ ployed. Our knowledge of mathematics is too lim¬ ited to compute the value of a soul in dollars and cents, but It may stimulate our faith to look at the earliest efforts that were made to “ preach the gos¬ pel to every creature.” What was accomplished would antecedently have been declared Impossible. To the eye of sense, the means were very inade¬ quate to what was undertaken. Yet, by the sim¬ ple agency of preachers, commissioned by the Holy Spirit, and supported, in large measure, by con¬ tributions from the separate churches organized at different points, the nal Ions bordering the Mediter¬ ranean were reached by the gospel. From Baby¬ lon to the Pillars of Hercules, the Roman Empire was penetrated and Christianity became the pre¬ vailing religion. A grander or more difficult achievprnent can scarcely be Imagined. There is nothing in Paganism or Romanism harder to over¬ come than the prejudice of the Jew, the pride of the Roman, or the philosophy of the Greek. DB. JUBSON. It may interest some of the many admirers and friends of this great and good man to know that on the occasion of ills visit to this city shortly be¬ fore his final return to the East, lie was asked by one who was deeply interested to know, what he thought of the separation of our churches In the work of missions, and of the formation of the Southern Bnptlst Convention ? After a moment’s thoughtful silence, he replied in these words : "In view of the vast extent of the field, I dare say it may turn out for the furtherance of the gospel.” For the benefit of our youthful readers, we print in another column the beautiful and touching "prayer for dear papa,” written by his wife for the daily use of his children after he loft Maulmain, probably to return to them no more. THE LATE CONFEBENCE OF MISSIONAEIES AT SHANGHAI, CHINA. This body, before Its final adjournment, appointed a committee consisting of twenty-one of its most eminent members, to prepare and send forth to the Christian world, an appeal for more men and women for that great field. Wc are not able to publish in this number the whole of this very able and striking appeal — but our readers will find sev¬ eral extracts, which will give them a fair indication of its general tenor and scope. We trust that these solemn and impressive words mny sink into many hearts, and bring forth pre¬ cious fruit to God’s glory, long after their noble author has passed away to the skies. A SELF-DENYING SPIBIT. The following anonymous letter has been received at tlie Foreign Mission Rooms : Dear Sir— l saw in the Missionary Magazine some time ago, the following : “ Our superlluities should be given up for the convenience of others; our conveniences shouldgive place to the necessities of others ; and even our necessities give way to the extremities of the poor. I have given all the money that I can spare. Please sell the accompanying "silver fork,” and send the proceeds to foreign missions, and you will oblige a friend of missions. The fork was bought for solid silver. ‘‘WHO BEING DEAD YET ВРЕДКЕТН.” We reproduce the two following articles from tiie pen of our lamented brother, Rev. A. M. Poin¬ dexter, so long identified with the work of the Board— assured that they need no commendation of ours to secure for them the earnest and interested attention of our readers. MISSIONS CONTEMPLATED IN THE LIGHT OF ETEBNITY. ’Tis immortality gives consequence to man. Re¬ garded simply with reference to time, how insig¬ nificant is humanity, with all its bustling activity, and ambitious aspirations. A bubble floating upon the strenm of life, radiant it may be with the re¬ flected glory of the heavens, but soon to break and disappear forever. And all human energy is de¬ voted to a purpose as ignoble ns the toil of the beaver— the labor of the frugal ant— the preserva¬ tion of a precarious life. To live, and cat, and die— to be no more forever I Reason lias no higher object than to grapple with brute force and animal in¬ stinct for a short lived ascendency ; imagination is all a dreamy illusion, cheating the poor victim with the conception of a glory not its own, conscience no other than a spectre raLsed by the tales of the nursery. And yet the relations and interests of time so absorb our attention and engage our feelings that we have little of heart left for those of eternity. All around us are men living only for this life ; no thoughts of God, and death, and judgment, and eternity, ever enter their minds ; or ifjthey do, they come as unbidden and unwelcome guests. In the race for wealth, honor, or perhaps, for a bare subsistance, every power is exerted, every sacrifice encountered. Or, controlled by the virulence of appetite, or victims to an easy seductiveness, they are Immersed in animal indulgences that at once preclude the opportunity for reflection, and Inca¬ pacitate for just exertion. They live— and О God — they die I Eternity I Time passes and its destinies change, but eternity ever abides, and its destinies are im¬ mutable. The millions of China, Africa and other heathen nations are immortal, and like ourselves, hastening to the bar of God. If they go there without a knowledge of salvation through the cross the gospel throws no ray of hope upon their pathway. “All the nations which forget God ” are, with the “wicked,” to be “turned into hell I” They can only be saved by the knowledge of the truth. "For how can they believe in Him of whom they have not heard,” and “he that believeth not shall be damned.” The missionary goes forth for no lower object than to save souls from eternal death. For this lie toils and weeps — for this he prays and dies 1 When called to labor in the mission, young man, think of eternity ! When thou art disposing of thy treasures, Christian, think of the heathen and eter¬ nity. When thou prayest, remember eternity, and then remember missions ! THE PUBPOSE. PROVIDENCE, AND GOSPEL OF GOD. Are these on our side in our attempts to evan¬ gelize China and Africa? Then verily they that arc for us are mightier than they that are against us. We must succeed. The purpose of God must be accomplished ; the providence of God will “overturn and overturn,” until “He shall come whose right it is to reign.” The gospel of God, aye, it Is Ыз own power unto salvation to every one that believeth. Yes, wo must succeed. Cheer¬ ily, cheerily, oppressed and care-worn mission¬ ary. Go on thy way rejoiciug. “Thu heathen shall become ” the inheritance of Christ. Lift up thy heart in faith, humble, trembling Christian, as thou prayest, “ Thy kingdom coinc,” for “ the kingdoms of this world” shall " become the king¬ doms of our God and of his Christ.” Draw not back thy hand, child of God, from the offering thou wouldst make for the salvation of the poor deluded heathen. Псар up thy gifts upon the al¬ tar of Christian love for a world's renovation, “ for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days.