- Title
- The Commission, April 1850
-
-
- Date
- April 1850
-
-
- Volume
- 2
-
-
- Issue
- 4
-
-
- Editor
- ["Reynolds, J. L. (James Lawrence), 1814-1877","Taylor, James B. (James Barnett), 1804-1871","Kingsford, Edward, 1788-1859"]
-
- Creator
- ["Southern Baptist Convention. Foreign Mission Board"]
-
The Commission, April 1850
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VOLUME
2,
NUMBER 4.
•V ■
Т1
•
the gospel to every creature.'’
RICHMOND, APRIL 15, 1850.
Southern 33aptiot (Joiwcntion.
Correspondence of the Foreign Board.
Communications relating to the general busi¬
ness of the Foieign Mission Board, may be ad¬
dressed, post paid, to
Jam
и
B. Taylor, Gir. See.
Ihchnond, Va.
Communications enclosing donations, or relat¬
ing to tho financial department, may bo address¬
ed to Archibald Thomas, Treat.
■ Richmond, Va,
Wo Aro Stewards.
A little heathen child was inquired of by her
teacher, if there was anything which she could
call her own. She hesitated a moment, and
looking up, vciy humbly replied, “ I think there
is.” “What is it!” asked the teacher. “ I
think,” said she, “ that my sins ate my own."
Yes, wo may claim our sins— they aro our
own; but everything else belongs to God. We
aro stewards: and a steward is
оно
who is
employed to manago tho concerns of another—
ids household, money or estate. Wo are God’s
stewards. God has intrusted to each. one of us
a charge of greater nr less importance. To
some ho has intrusted five talents, to others two
and to otlicrs ono. Tho talents arc physical
stiength, property, intellect, learning, influence,
—all the means in our possession for doing good
and glorifying God. Wo can lay claim to
nothing as strictly our own. Even the angel
Gabriel cannot claim the smallest patticlo of
dust ns strictly his own. The rightful owner of
all things, great and small, is God.
у
i . Spirit of Missions,
Aro the heathen guilty — covered with blood
and black with crimo! Do they exhibit many
traits that are repulsive and horrid ! Would our
visit in them fill them with rage and bitterness,
and tempt them to crucify us! What then! arc
wo to relax oui efforts for them, because they
are ungodly ! So did not Jesus Christ. Let ns
learn from his example, and imbiho his spirit.
That man, who may be called a missionary, and
yet is capablo of being alienated in his feelings
by ill-treatment, contempt, abuso and rage from
tho heathen, is not worthy of the name.
Then is nothing pccu liar in the spirit of mis
sions, except what peculiarity thcio may bo in
tho spirit of Christ— that it is what all must pos
scss to bo disciples, and without which no one
can enter heaven. It is a spirit hnmblo yet ele¬
vating, sclf-sactificing yet joyful, intensely for
vent yet reasonable, meek and yet lesolutc. It
is all this indeed, but yet ncthing more than what
is required of every Christian ; and therefore no
excuse ran bo
того
absurd and contradictory in
terms, than that sometimes mado, " It is not my
duty to go to the heathen, for l never had a mis¬
sionary spirit;” for ono professes to bo a Christ¬
ian, and yet excuses himself, on the ground of
not having a missionary spitit, or in other words,
of not being a Christian— of not being in possess¬
ion of a fair titlo to heaven. 0, remember,
can bo used to lead souls to the Lamb of God —
the door.of heaven — the heavenly way— the anti-
mission man is opposed. What is'there in mis¬
sions that should oxcito opposition! -Their ob¬
ject! Their work? Tlieit spirit! What they
have done! The tourso pursued by theii advo¬
cates! What can it be! I can see but one
thing which can greatly trouble tho. anti-mission
man. Missions cost money. Yes, missions cost
money; and tho time is coming when the ex¬
pense of missions will bo so great, and the wil¬
lingness of tho peopio of God to givd money,''
will bo such, as would greatly astonish the people
of the present day, if they could know the
amount. The fact that any man would ' present
as an objection to missions that they cost money,
shows where that man’s heart is. In that man’s
catechism tho answer to the question, What is
the chief end of man! is — “to get money and
enjoy it.” Do you object to your institutions of
learning, that they cost money! But I forget.
Tho opposers of missions aro also opposed to
institutions of learning. " They want none of
your Greek and Latin learning, but the good old
English' that the apostle Paul spoke." Do you
object to supporting your pastor, because in order
to do it you must give him money ? Alas ! I am
in the wtong again. The opposer of missions
docs not liko to hear a paid preacher. lie
thanks God for a free gospel. “ Ho has been a
professor thirty years, and it has never cost him
a cent.” Do you object to giving to the poor
because it costs money ! But perhaps the op-
poser of mission» is one of those who never give
to the poor. He believes that if a man wants' to
eat, let him work. Do yon neglect to find your¬
self because provisions cost money! Ate you
unclothed because articles, of dress cannot, be
purchased without money! Whose money are
you spending when you are buying clothes and
food ! Whoso money is that you are laying up,
to lie scattered after your death you know not
how! “It is mine,” say you, “honestly and
laboriously obtained; every cent of it fairly
earned." And what aro you! A condemned
wretch— a violator of God’s laws— a criminal
only reprieved at a most cosily expense. You
aro a slave, purchased from one master by an¬
other master. In a speech mado by a missiona¬
ry at one time, ho called Christians “ Christ’s
negro properly.” If you aro a Christian, you
ato not your own ; you have Christ's mark upon
you. All that you have is his. Your body is
Christ's; your soul is Christ’s; your talents are
Christ's; your land is his; your houses, your
farms, your children, all belong to him. And
which of these things dare you appropriate to
yourself? Dare you say of the money in your
possession, “It is mine, I will use it as I
please!" Date you refuse to give Christ's
monoy to advance Christ’s causo? Can a really
converted man oppose missions! I do not see
how ho can. As spiritual Christianity advances,
the cause of missions advances. As long as the
early churches were mission churches, they pros¬
pered. God blessed them. When the worldly
spirit enroted the church, tiro cause of missions
was retarded. God's cutso rested upon the
church. Tho apostles were missionaries. The
tlie day, of pentecost. What a precious revival
.tliat was! What a noble band of missionaries
were assembled rhere! How greatly and glo¬
riously was their work prospered ! No long and
laborious process of study was needed in order
to- acquire the language of those whoso souls
they wished to benefit. No, they spake with
tofigues as the Spirit gave, them utterance.
'When shall we see such a day! We surely
shajl not so long as opposers of missions are as
numerous as at present. Let, tlio whole church
of; God prostrate itself in the dust— let there ho
a prayer meeting like that at Jerusalem, where
all, were united and all were earnestly seeking
for, tho blessing — let tiro redeemed of Christ feel
that there is work for them to do— let the soldier
ofiCbrist gird on his armor— let
из
supplicate
blessings from on high— let us endeavor toreal-
izOj the value of the soul — let us unitedly, ear¬
nestly and constantly labor for the advancement
Life is short. Soon, will the
of, Christ’s cause.
0Г.
night come when our work on earth must cease.
Tor the CommtMlon.
“Mother!”
iValking one day through Greenwood Ceme¬
tery,* gazing at the magnificent monuments that
о
met my eyes, and occasionally read-
every wb
ing'j the fulsome eulogies of those who lay be¬
neath, I strayed to a letired part of the grounds,
.where I came upon a plain, white marble block,
with only one word to tell whom it commemora¬
ted; but that word was mother. Significant
word! It spoke volumes. The tears involunta-
lilytrusbed to my eyes as I was carried back to
,! boyhood days and tiro scenes of my early
Christ.
Christian reader, that the least desire to be ex¬
cused shows a deplorable lack of tho spirit of cburcbca planted by them were mission churches.
For tho Commission.
Tho Anti‘Mission Christian, No. 2.
I wonder if such a one ever uses the Lord's
prayer. If so, when he comes to tho clause,
“Thy kingdom come,” he must omit it. For
the anti-mission man does not wish Christ's
kingdom to come. When others aro rejoicing
over the conversion of souls, the anti-mission
man is dejected. Ho is opposed to those things,
and therefore is down east, Tho anti-mission
man feara that heaven may be crowded. lie
hopes himself to be there, but as fot others they
must do the best they can. To all means which
The apostles actually took money for missionary
purposes. The apostlo Paul, in 2d Cor. xi : 8,
speaks of taking from other churches, and in the
!)th verse, of receiving supplies from the breth¬
ren in Macedonia, to aid in advancing the cause.
The brother who follows tho example of the
apostlo Paul, need not fear. He will not be
greatly in the wrong.
My brethren, who love tho mission cause
what shall we do to these opponents ! Let us
pray for them. Let us pray that God would
convert them. Let ns pray that we all may pos¬
sess more of the revival spirit. This is the spi
tit of missions. The earliest extensive mission
ary operations originated in the great tevival on
^otijtipwben . I knew a motherlejoycand ,.cxpe:
rienced a mother's tender care. I realized again
the scenes of that day — that fatal day — when
the angel of death visited our happy home, and
we followed our mother to the tomb with that
desolation of heart which is alone known to the
orphan.
At the base of the monument sat a small urn
in which lay some beautiful flowers just wither¬
ing under the rays of the meridian sun.
“Such," thought I, “is life. Here lies a tender
mother, who, but a short time since, was diffus¬
ing joy and happiness through her domestic cir¬
cle— an affectionato daughter now bathes her
grave with hot tears, and leaves these beautiful
emblems cf purity and love to shed their fra-
gtance over this sacred spot. But alas! before
she shall return again, their beauty will have
faded, and their withered petals have been scat¬
tered to the winds. In their sad fate, she will
read the doom of all that is beautiful and fair on
earth.”
Oh ! 'tis sad, ’tis sad to think, that heie we
form the most endearing attachments, but to feel
tho pangs of separation. Our neatest friends
and dearest relatives aro taken away at a mo¬
ment's warning— our gaiety and joy are turned
into sadness and mourning— sorrow and disap¬
pointments await us on every hand. Amid these
sad mutations of time, how teady should we be
to forsake all fur Christ's sake, and go out even
to distant lands that the heathen may learn the
way of life! Tho relations of earth must soon
bo dissolved, how willing should we be, that our
Redeemer may be honored, to part with all!
And how blessed is that hope which withdraws
the veil of the futuro and discloses to out vision
the realities of a fairer and a better world, where
tho sigh of affliclion is hushed and the parting
tear is no more shed ! A.
If any reader of the Commission .is conscious
of a neglect of the concert or of any missionary
society in his or her churfh, we earnestly beg
such to give the few thoughts to be submitted, a
careful consideration.
1. It must bo acknowledged that Christians
aro bound to pray foe missions.. Christ com-,
mamlsit. “ Pray ye," says tho great Head. of
the. church, “ Pray , yc, therefore, the Lord of
the harvest, that he will send out more laborers'
into the harvest:” And why, we beg to know,
Christian reader, is this precept less binding than
that enjoining baptism, or brotherly love, or any
other duty! It proceeds from the same source,
and is as directly 'authoritative.
Considered only so far as the heathen are con¬
cerned, prayer and corresponding effort are in
the highest degree obligatory. But we are
allowed to pray for Christ. This is duty, this
is privilege. He prays for us. And may wo
by our feeble petitions accelerate his triumph!
Thank God we may. “ Prayer is the .nervp,
that moves the muscles of Omnipotence'." Ohi
then let us ever use this instrumentality in fur¬
thering the cause of our risen Lord.
2, If it is the duty of Christians to pray for
Christ and his cause at all, they are especially
bound to meet together, for there is m special
promise to united prayer. ( If the conversion of
the world is desirable, if it Is promised in answer
to yraycr, if there is a special and extraordinary
promise to united prayer, we ask, shall not
Christians “agree” to pray for it, and “ to¬
gether" with strong faith in the promises of the
Bible, claim the fulfilment of a covenant-keeping
God! But if the truth were told, professed
Christians who never go to the concert, or to a
missionary meeting, do not pray for Christ at
home. Reader we appeal to you. We ask you
to pray at home, for Christ and a dying world,
and we know that no trivial excuse will keep
you away, when the concert of prayer or a mis¬
sionary meeting is to be held with your church.
Try it ! try it !
Finally, Christian readet, remember that God
will try with impartial judgment, year excuses
for ja'iling.ia.meet. and. pray, tat Jhe advancement
of his kingdom in tho world.
Мзко
no excuse,
which he would refuse. Let not, by Christ’s
suffering for you, by the reward which awaits
you if faithful, by rhe crowds in the world rush¬
ing to hell, let not indolence, or a desiie to hear
some strange preacher at another place, or a dis¬
position to gratify any selfish feeling, let nothing
keep you from the missionary prayer meeting.
N. Y. Z.
Guilt of Neglecting the Heathen.
in
>
К
iu New York city.
For the
СотшЫоп.
The Concert of Prayer.
The meeting together for prayer for the spread
of the gospel, is at once a high privilege, and an
imperativo duty— ono sadly neglected by many
professed Christians of the present day. - ■ '
\he heathen world, as a mass, has been left
to perish. And by whom? Not by the Father
4
4
During all the years that I have been allowed
to labor for the heathen, my mind has been led
to contemplate, constantly and intensely, the ob¬
ligation of Christian nations towards those who
sit in darkness; obligations arising from the
command of Christ, and the principles of the
gospel. And I shall, therefore, ill this chapter,
freely, fully, and solemnly express the senti¬
ments which have been maturing in my mind, on
rhe great guilt which Christians incur in neglect-
the heathen.
of mercies ; he gave his Son to redeem it : not
by the Saviom of sinners ; look at Calvary : not
by the Holy Spirit; his influences have been
ever ready : not by angels ; their wings
Ьато
never tired when sent on errands of mercy. All
that heaven could do has been done, consistently
with the all-wise arrangement of committing an
important agency to the church. The church
has.been slothful and negligent. Each genera¬
tion of Christian» has in turn received the vast
responsibility, neglected it in a great measure,
and transmitted it to the next. The guilt of this
neglect who can estimate!
That Ouch neglect is highly criminal, the Bible
everywhere testifies. It says, “ If thou forbear
to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and
those that arc ready to be slain ; if thou sayest,
Behold, wo knew it not; doth nut ho that pon-
dereth the heart consider it? and he that keep-
eth thy soul, doth not ho know it? ” And shall
not he “ render to every man according to Lis
works?” This solemn interrogation needs to
comment. Tho obvious import is, Jf our fellow-
men are perishing, and me neglect to do what we
am to save them, we are guilty of their blood.
But this testimony does not stand alone. What
docs God say to the prophet, who should see tho
peril of the wicked, and neglect to save him by
giving him warning ! " His blood will I requite
at thy hand.” What does God say "of tho
watchman of a city who should, see tire sword
come, and blow not tho trumpet? “If the
sword come and take any person from among
them, his blood will I'require at tho watchman's
hand.”— Rev. S. Dibble. ■ --
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