FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL.
_ Published Monthly by tho Foreign Mission Bonnl of tlio Southern Baptist Convention.
“ALL POWEll is given unto me- in HEAVEN and in earti-i. go ye. therefore, and teach ALL NATIONS.’
Vol. 17— New Series.
RICHMOND. VA„ OCTOBER, 1885.
No. 3.— Whole No. 207.
[Eolerfll ;
Die I’om
ut Richmond, Va.,
lecond-clau mftlfer.l
Foreign Mission Journal
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Address. FOREIGN MISSION IOURNAL.
Richmond, Va.
FOREIGN MISSION BOARD
OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION,
'
1ЛСЛТКР
at RICHMOND. VIRGINIA.
I'KtatDcttT— J. L. M. GURRY.
Yicx-PnxsiniNls — Joshua Revering, Md.,
О
W.
Tomkles, I,a.. J. I,. Harrows, Va.. N. A. ita'lev, Fla.,
Theo. Whitfield, N. O., W. II. Felix, K.v„ J, J. It. lien-
Iroe, Alabama. It. S. Duncan, Mo., II II. Carroll,
Texas, W. I,. Kllrntrlclc, Oa„ Chus. Manly. S. 0.,
J. M. Scoter, Tenn . J. II, Searcy. Ark,, George
Whitfield, Miss., W. F. Attklsson, w. Va.
ConnxbrONDiNO SkCHKTAnv— H. A, TUPPER.
TnsA6Unxn— J. O. WILLIAMS,
llxconnibo SxcitaiAnv— W. 11. OWATHMEY.
ADDtTOH— JOSEPH F. COTTUELI..
Boabp or Mahaoiiis — J. II. Watkins, II. K. Elly-
son, W. E. Hatcher. E. Wortham, W D Thomas, H,
H. Harris, J. Pollard, Jr.. T. W. Jones.
Л.
II. Ulnrke.
J. B. Winston. .T
1».
Hntu-n.
О.
II Winston. S. O.
Clcpton, \V. W. Landrum. W J. Shipman.
tSTAll communications in reference to the
business of this Hoard should be addressed to
H. A. Tupper, Correspondin') Secretary ,
Richmond , Va.
As we hoped, a good many whose time
expired last month have renewed, and not
а
few have ordered more copies than last year,
but as we feared, several hundred have made
no reply to die postal notice sent them, and
we have been obliged to strike off their
names. These are written on the mailing-
list in ink ; we strike them off by drawing a
pencil through. It will be easy lo restore
the name when the money reaches us.
In October again many subscriptions ex¬
pire Will the good friends save us die
trouble of using both pencil and rubber by
sending on their renewals promptly . And
please take the opportunity to extend the
circulation, and thereby help the cause of
foreign Missions.
OUR STRENGTH AND OUR WEAKNESS.
The strength of the Baptist denomination,
abstractly considered, resides in the fact that
they have, as die foundation of their doc¬
trines ami church-polity, "thus saith the
Lord." This divine authority they make
their tribal Shibboleth. And considering
baptists as individuals with iiearts regen¬
erate ami spirits striving after perfection, re¬
lying on tlie presence of the Holy Spirit and
the promise of God’s word ; and, as
churches constituted on the ground of com¬
mon belief and hope and work; and, as as¬
sociations and conventions organized on the
rational principle that there is strength m the
union of homogeneous ingredients, the pros¬
pect of their success in establishing the
kingdom of Heaven on eartii seems en¬
couraging and assured. In comparison
with ecclesiastical arrangements of human
origin for tlie propagation of religious
lenets and tlie acquisition of spiritual power,
our organizations appear greatly superior,
not only because the adhesive and per¬
suasive force of truth and grace is more pow¬
erful than any force extraneous and compul¬
sory, but because, in a word, tlie divine wis¬
dom and power must excel tlie wisdom and
power of man.
. This observation is based on the presump¬
tion that the members of our churches are
the subjects of divine grace and are govern¬
ed by the laws of heavenly wisdom. But,
suppose this hypothesis should not be true.
to a greater or less extent. Suppose that
many, seeking the truth without earnestness
enough, make a mistake and join our
churches without being born from above;
or suppose tiiat many, whom charity re¬
quires us to regard as God's children, should
fail to employ the means necessary for pro
gress in the divine life to a degree that np
prebends tlie essentially missionary spirit of
the New Testament church organization,
what must be said of our churches and asso¬
ciations as agents for the universal reign of
Christ among men? How do they compare
with other organizations for self-propaga¬
tion, which seem to have anticipated in their
several constitutions such natural inactivity
in their subjects ; if, indeed, the constitu¬
tions of their respective systems were not
originated with special reference to the
overcoming of this inactivity; and, hence,
have organically provided for stimulating
zeal, measures based either on tlie most per¬
suasive considerations or on acknowledged
ecclesiastic authority?
Some will say that our gospel organiza¬
tions, even burdened by material not assimi¬
lated into the body spiritual, are preferable
to those of mere human invention and ex¬
pediency, though the latter may make the
greater advance in extending their names
and power in the world, as witnessed) tlie
church of Rome. If any say this, we are in
no mood to dissent. In fact, tlie argument
comes up on this side, if worthy to be called
an argument, that Hercules, anyhow, is more
than the lion ; that Samson, with his eyes
out, is more than tlie house of Dagon. God
is more than man, with all the odds against
God.
But, without comparison with other or¬
ganizations, this hypothetical condition of
our denomination, which tlie most liberal
must fear to be more than hypothetical,
must be acknowledged tlie weakness in our
church and association.il organizations.
Theoretically, our denomination is power¬
ful ; but, actually, because of what has been
said, it does not achieve the results contem¬
plated in itsdivine theory, it is not surprising,
therefore, that the Romish church, and other
religious systems, as Buddhism and Brali-
minism and Mahomedanism, which work ac¬
cording to their wisely planned theories, ex¬
ceed us in the propagation of their doctrines
and worship.
What must Baptists do in this state of re¬
ligion among themselves and in the world?
By Baptists I mean now tlie more devout
and nctive among our people. What must
tiiey do to press forward the kingdom to the
ends of the earth ? There are several
this evangelization. For example, if a little
island in tlie Pacific ocean is converted to
Christ, its conversion may be no more an
end of divine election than the sublime faith
of some Sandwich island saint or church,
by whose unceasing prayers and self-deny¬
ing efforts that little island was converted,
and the faith of that saint or church attained
its sublimity and power. Let our Baptist
brethren and sisters keep in the work ; keep
on their knees; keep doing what they can ;
keep believing that God is true, and that
our race, despite tlie world, the flesh and
the devil, will be brought to the knowledge
of Him, whom to know is life everlasting.
duties tiiat seem obvious :
1. They must presume that these impedi¬
ments to the spiritual progress of Christian¬
ity are permitted of God to tlie end tiiat they
may stimulate tlie truly pious to more earn¬
est and persevering efforts, ns rocky ob¬
stacles in rivers make them rush forward
with greater impetuosity and power.
2. They must not merely presume tiiat
this is the good to be providentially brought
out of this evil— tlie power of the saints to
be evolved from this weakness of tlie
churches— but, they must, by God’s grace
and their actual efforts, personal and pecuni¬
ary, bring out such results, as tlie weakness
of Gideon's multitude developed the power
and triumph of his manly few. Strange as
it seems, yet, judging by God's word and tlie
history of his people, we believe it true that
the greatest things of the world will be ac¬
complished til rough the weak, for the fulfil¬
ment of the command: “He tiiat glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord.”
3. Finally, they must exercise constant
and increasing faith. God's plan is not mere¬
ly the world's conversion; it comprehends
tlie development of a people by the work of
SUFFERING AND SUCCESS.
The division of our Bibles into chapters
and verses was made only a few centuries
ago, It is valuable for reference, but often
breaks the connection, obscures the mean¬
ing or weakens the force of the Scripture.
Such is the case in Isaiah, chapters 51-53,
and perhaps also 54 and 55. Will the reader
please take a quiet half-hour, turn lo the
passage and trace the close connection of
thought through those five chapters ?
We find first, (in 51 : 1, 4 and 7,) three
calls to attention, eacli with its appended
promise, “Hearken to me. ye that follow after
righteousness * * * for the Lord hath
comforted Zion.” “Attend unto me, O, my
people * * * my righteousness is near.”
“ Hearken unto me. ye that know * * *
my righteousness shall be forever.” Three
bugle notes in the dark stillness that just
precedes the day-break.
Then comes tlie thrice repeated reveille,
each as before with its appropriate promise :
" Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O,
arm of tlie Lord, (51 : 9,) * * * tlie ran
somed shall return and come with singing
unto Zion.” “ Awake, awake, stand up, O,
Jerusalem, (51 : 17,) * * * I have taken
out of thine hand the cup of staggering.
“ Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O,
Zion, (52: 1,) * * * ye were sold for
nought ; and ye shall be redeemed without
money.” Notice the succession— first God's
arm must move, then Jerusalem arises and
arrays herself in her beautiful garments.
And now the prophet sees the clear signs
of the coming Deliverer, like roseate dawn
upon the Mount of Olives or on the distant
hills of Moab, his eastern horizon, and
claims: (52: 7,) “How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth
good tidings,” and as the watchmen lift up
their voice, he calls upon the waste places to
break fortli into joy and sing together.
But behold the Lord’s servant when he
draws near: (52: 13 — 53 : 3.) his visage is
marred, the nations are startled, [this is the
obvious meaning of the word rendered
sprinkle " -see margin of revised ver¬
sion] the kings shut their mouths, he has no
comeliness, he is despised and rejected. As
the beloved disciple puts it: “ lie came unto
his own, and his own received him not.”
Thus he passes through griefs and sorrows,
‘vs. 4-9,) through wounds and chastisement,
through death and burial. And from this
travail of soul, lie conies forth, (vs. 10-12)
satisfied, prospering, sharing tlie spoils of
complete victory.
I11 chapter 54. the prophet exhorts the
desolate one to enlarge the place of her tent,
to lengthen her cords and strengthen her
stakes, and encourages her by some of the
sweetest promises in all the volume. In 55,
he invites the thirsty one to the waters, and
predicts that glorious day when fir tree shall
take the place of thorn, and myrtle tree of
brier. We said just now, take half an hour,
but the whole of next Sunday afternoon
might be most pleasantly and profitably
spent in a careful study of this beautiful
prophecy.
Is there not something like this in the ex¬
perience of many a Christian? First, the
awakening of attention, tiien tile glow of a
new found hope, then a feeling of disap¬
pointment, the fading and withering of the
flower *.0 make place for the fruit, then a
season of sorrow and suffering, from which
at last he comes out “more than conqueror
through him that loved us," and is thus pre¬
pared for faithful work in spreading tlie
gospel,
Does it not also find illustration in our
missions and in the lives of many missiona¬
ries ? It is commonly said that the romance
of the modern missionary movement has
passed, and that we have reached a time
when interest is in proportion to information
about Jhe work. To a great extent tiiat is
no doubt true. Yet, on all the fields' it' re¬
mains with the soldier as witli his Captain,
that we must be made "perfect through suf¬
fering." On the cross the work of redemp¬
tion was finished; in making it known to
poor humanity much suffering yet remains
to be endured for others’ sake, and so Paul
having learned to suffer, writes to the saints
at Colossae : “ I rejoice in my sufferiugs for
your sake, and fill up on my part that which
is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my
flesh for his body’s sake."
Our sympathies ought to run out to the
brethren in their afflictions— persecution in
Mexico, dire sickness in Brazil, long seasons
of pain at Shanghai, floods in Central and
Southern China, nnd the shadow of deep
sorrow in Nortli Chinn, in Italy and in Africa.
At tlie same time both we and they should
recognize these things as working for good,
and see in them God's plan for developing
his servants and establishing his kingdom.
"These which are arrayed in the white
robes,” said tlie elder, “ who are they, and
whence came they?” The answer was,
"These are they which come out of tlie
great tribulation * * * and God shall wipe
away every tear from their eyes.” The law
of tlie kingdom is that we pass through suf¬
fering to success on earth and to glory in
heaven. 1
BIBLE DAY.
Our excellent friend nnd brother, Dr. Bit¬
ting, Bible Secretary of the American Bap¬
tist Publication Society, has made prepara¬
tions for a collection in churches and Sun¬
day-schools, on the second Lord’s day in
November. He invites applications for
programmes, envelopes and all other helps
towards making the effort a grand success.
By agreement with the Missionary Union
(Boston) one-fourth of the amount raised
will be devoted to the printing and distribu¬
tion of copies of the Scriptures in the mission
fields occupied by the Union.' Our Board
has no specific agreement with the Publica¬
tion Society, and will make no entangling
alliance with tiiat or any other organization.
We stand upon the better footing of frater¬
nal feeling and Christian co-operation. Tlie
liberality of the Publication Society hereto¬
fore in all its dealings will) our Board and
our missionaries, and the character of the
men who guide its affairs are the best guar¬
antee tiiat a full share of the money raised
will be, in the words of tlie Secretary, "applied
to tlie lielp of Bible work in the foreign
field of the Southern Baptist Convention, by
the Foreign Mission Board at Richmond,
Virginia.”
Write at once to Rev.
С.
C. Bitting, D. D.,
1420 Chestnut street, Philadelphia, Pa., tell¬
ing him how many envelopes you can use in
your church, how many in your Sunday-
school.
And let us not be
for in due season w
not.
weary in well doing,
г
shall reap if we faint
