Foreign Mission Journal, May 1875

ТГ7И"" 4' ' • . -Ж ЛГ ■.-■*. ТГ 1 - •;>./< 4V.^.. £*,N *f..‘ л I_ * ■ ■(• -■ ■ . JCiibliNlicd'lHontli!}' by the rorclgn jIIIwhIoh Etonrrt of the Moullicrn KapliNt Convention.,;, ' , . ‘ '• J "l; x- . • • ’ ’ ‘As». —V-aJT, , “All Pow.er is'given unto.me\in Heaven and in Earth. Go ye, therefore, and Teach all Nations, Th e ' Son of Gob. v Yol. vv — Now Series. Ж RICHMOND, YA., MAY, 1875. No. 11.— Whole No. 83. FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL. TERMS : EIbrIo сору, cm» yi-»r . f 60 four copioH to «no inMre.s . . 1 00 Ton cuplia* to «по шЫг«И(* . . . - 00 Thirty coplcu to «no HiMroHi) . . 6 00 йЭ-Риг роекяй'м containing fifty copies and npwnrdj, per yonr, 15 coats per copy. All subscriptions for tlio lopur should hi- nddrrssi-d, КопиаЯ Mis- sio.K Joukx.u, Richmond, Va. JCiaijils will be toil fur all lubscrljiliont rrcelcal. EOlllCrGN MISSION BOARD, Looulotl at Riohmond, Va, I'RceiiiBNT— J. L. M. (ПИШУ, Virginia. Тн'В-ГвичрЕМтв— Ilfmm Woods, Md., W. M. Winitato, N. C.. 11. ll.Tucktr, tin., 8. llemlorson, Ala.. .1. A. Duckett, Miss., J. 1,. Har¬ rows, Va., Henry Mclhnmld, Ky.. W. l‘«|io Yoamnn, Mo., J. 0. Fur¬ man, S. 0., Mini's On-on, Ark., V. Courtney, I .a., II. 11. McCollum, FIs., Matt. Illllanmn, Tonu., W. Cury Crnno, Terns. II. A. TUPPF.tt. ConiirsrosniRo Sr.currsuv. KDW1N WORTHAM, Tiieasukeh. W. II. nWATIIMHV, Rkcorbixo SrcREiAUT. О. T. WOlttUAM, Лимтон. Hoard or Млмлаг.па— J. H. Jeter, 0. C. Blttlne. А. H. IHcklnson, П. K. Kllyson, Л. II. Clark, J. F. Kwweo, J. C. Williams, T. J. Evans, J.*H. Winston, О. II. Winston, II II. Harris, J. H. Watkins, Wel¬ lington Uoddln, N. W. Wilson, J. It. Gurllck. ®8j~All communications in reference to the business of this Board should be addressed to II. A. Tuiteii, Corresponding Secretary, Richmond, Га. -Kit. ~W!icn six years ago Queen Isabella was dethroned and banished front Spain, there was a feeling of satis¬ faction among almost nil civilized nations. Tito indi¬ cation was that wlint was once one of tlio most powerful and nt all times the narrowest and most proscriptive nntion of Kttropo was about to caet off forever the policy of tbo past. Suddonly tlio chains were stricken from the press, the people were free to read tlio Bible, and Protestants could worship God without fear of per¬ secution. This unwonted liberty seemed того likely to be permnuont, because it was not tlio gift of king or parliament, but tbo spontaneous decree of the peo¬ ple themselves, tlio true воигсс of power. Hut after years of civil strife, and change after clinngc in the government, Alfonso, tlio вой of tlio deposed Queen, b seated on the Spanish throne. With the return of the royal family the old ideas come back. The power of the priesthood is increased ; to a great extent res¬ tored to its former dimensions ; tlio privileges of the universities urc interfered with, and the right of appeal or remonstrance denied. The native Protest¬ ant churcbee which exist in Madrid and in all the chief cities, together with their Sunday and day- sehools, aro now in danger of being closed. People high in station, leading members of the Alfonsist party, aro bitterly opposed to these nurseries of heresy ; and, besides, it ie thought necessary by tlio .chiefs of tho government to conciliate tlio clergy, whoso political support was nover more vaiuablo. ■Ther.o ie, then, real danger that the religious liberty .which the Spaniards have enjoyed will be taken away •from thorn. Tlio liopo is that tho great mass of tho people do not sympathize with the reactionists ; and if .king and his nobility attempt to impose unwelcome restrictions on tho pcoplo, it is not difficult to predict what tho oud will ho. Tho masses having become conscious of their power will not ho slow to uso it. .-Eftn in Spain tho existence of the government depends 3m the. Consent of the governed, and another revolution ’k :not' on uneoncoivablo or an unlikely thing. Tho now *Wine of 'thought will hurst the old bottles of authority. Hut, whatever tho endj, may be, the fact that Ro¬ manism seeks to enslave^ reason and conscience, to trammel tbo universities, ^tbe press, the pulpit and tbo primary schools, must not be permitted to go unre- gaided. It proves that,..: while there are individual Romanists who adorn tliuf Christian profession, Ro¬ manism itself is a steady ,jind unchanging foe to' the highest development of ои^гасс. Tho various fomiB ot heathenism, even the. JJpbamtnednnE, abandon or relax thier policy of proscription ; but Rome nover forgets to be intolerant, it ie no brcuch of charity to say that bUo might even no(w, where she has the power, persecute unto death. W^uid uhc not deprive men of privileges dearer than life j Alas, that Ubrist’s freo- mcn .should be enslaved by those who ate called by Christ's name, and pretend-to act by His authority. When we think of these things wc feel more disposed to urge forward the cause of true Christianity in Italy and Rome. SACRIFICES. The world is full of noble examples of self-sacrifice. Men sacrifice pleasure, honor, and even life, for prin¬ ciple, or duty, or gain. Wo wore talking to a friend of one who had given up great worldly prospectB for Christ. “ That,” suidthe friend, “ is nothing for him to boast of. Remind him of how many there nro who give up posit jon„fprtunp.ft|gv1i'J'f f iHfor-tlioii- cjuntry r НсГ'Ьав only" done for his God what thousands aro every day doing for lower considerations.” Poor fel¬ low I He wnsthinkingof his own personal experience. He hod, indeed, suffered the loss of all things for principle. And yet wo could not but feci that tho one 1 who hud made sacrifices for Chri6t was more disposed to make a merit of what he had done than he who had made greater sacrifices for country. It was a painful lecling. Mon of .tho world teach us our duty. Their exam¬ ple shows that there aro many things which they hold dearer than case, or pleasure or wealth. It is so natural and reasonable for them to make sacrifices for some tilings that thoy would almost despise themselves if they should bo conscious of remembering and re¬ gretting what they bod given up. These lines will possibly bo read by missionaries abroad, and by pas¬ tors al borne whoeo lives arc a perpetual sacrifice. It will strengthen them to tliink of the world's example. But bow much mere of strength there is in the example of Paul, and how much more in the example of Christ ! PROMISES VERIFIED. Every reader of tho Bible has observed that thcro are scripture promisee which do not apply to his саво. The man in prosperity feels no need of tho qvords of hope that cheer the heart in adversity. ■ But with' our changing experience we find out the .sticugth and sweetness ol the promises in their turn. There is.no human sorrow that has not its divine comfort ; no cas- tio of despair that has not its key of hope. Is the child of God afllictcd and distressed f Then he calls to mind that his affliction is light and but for a moment ; und that it works out a far more exceeding weight of glory. Is he denied some blessing, or troubled by some deficiency 1 He is reminded that it is' enough for him that ho has the grace of Christ. Is he called upon to make sacrifices for liis Lord ? Tho promise and comfort do not foil him. ! These thoughts have been suggested by meeting with an example of a promise verified. Our Lord promised that those who left children for his sake should have manifold more in this life. MisBionaricshave often to forsake their children ; and hard as is tho duty they find a compensation for what thoy suffer in their hopes or in their work. Itov. J. E, Clough, tho -well known missionary among tho Teloogoos, says : "Wo love our dear children in. America, but tbat-VT^'i does not detract lrjonrdUftlaYBrfiai' il.e.niudGiMe-fNb, •‘iiBtr- 'аТНГОег ~dt“fnc’t, 1 love the Teloogoos one hundred times more than I did the first day I saw than. Tbof more a man bas to love, the lurger his heart gets.” Thus the father finds the promiso fulfilled. Hie increased love for his work, and tho pleasure it gives him, are a full return ior his sacrifices. How unex¬ pected and how precious are Christ’e compensations l “THE RIGHT FELLOW.” The Into Joliu C. Pattcson, inissionary-biBhop of Melanesia, writing of the men needed as missiona¬ ries, says : “A man who takes the 'sentimental view of coral islands and cocon-nute, of course, is worse than use¬ less ; a man possessed with tlio idea that be is making a sacrifice will never do ; and a man who thinks any kind of work “ beneath a gentleman” will simply bo in the way, and be rather uncomfortable at seeing the bishop do what he tliiuks degrading to do himself. I write all this quite freely, wishing to convoy, if possible, some idea to you of tho kind of men wo want. And if the right fellow is moved ' by God’s grace to come out, what a welcome wo will give him, and how happy he will soon be in a work the ubun- dant blessings ef which none can know as we know them.” Let us tako caro how wc speak of those who liavo fallen on life’s field. Help them up— not heap scorn upon thorn. We did not too the conilict ; wo do not know the scars. A THOUGHT FOR BAPTISTS. Wc profess to teach not a form of Christianity, but Christianity itself. It is the “ faith delivered to the» saints” that wc profess to propagate. In so far as we honestly take the New Testament as our rule our pro¬ fessions are not vain or presumptuous. Wo seek to bind men by no creed orman-made eymbol, but by the word of Cod alone. Unless wo vory much overesti¬ mate the. importance of our views, wo ought to bo of all Christians the most active and earnest in missionary labors. It is better for us than for others to carry tho gospel to heathea lands, becauso wo carry tbo truth unmixed. Wc plant, not a Judaizod system, or а eystem mingled with human .elements, but a pure, primitive Christianity. It is well for us to be earnest and laborious at home, for the increase of our mem¬ bership increases the visible power of primitive church principles, and increases the leavening influence of our doctrines on the Christian public. In proportion as wo teach pure Christianity wc should teach it vig¬ orously, widely, and in faith. HOW MUCH FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS P How much have you given to send tho gospel to tho heathen ? Have you given as much as you liavo spent for tobacco or cigars ? As much аз you liavo spent in unnecessary travel ? As much as you liavo spont at, shows andjexhibitions ? As much as you have consumed in dainties f ✓As much ав you have spent in costly and superfluous apparel f If you lmvo spont more in ono sin-, gle item of personal indulgence than you lmvo given to. advance tho causo of Chri6t, ought your- conscience to- ho perfectly at ease f, . . ' : •.'-•->* Value a good conscience. more than praiso..