NOVEMBER, 1856.
YoL L
ISIq. 3.
ТПЕ
MANNER OF CONDUCTING
M ISSIONS IN APOSTOLIC TIMES.
COMPARED WITH THAT OF
THE PRESENT DAY.
1. Tlio church at Antiocli set the
missionaries apart by praj-cr, &c., be¬
fore they sent them away. (Acts xiii :
3.)
In this respect we keep up the ancient
custom.
2. The missionaries selected the large
towns, such as Antioch, Ephesus, Phil¬
ippi, Corinth and Rome, as their princi¬
pal stations; thinking, no doubt, that
from these places, the gospel would be
more rapidly disseminated than from
others of less commercial importance.
For the same reason, our missionaries
endeavor to occupy the largo towns.
3. The missionaries ordained Elders'
in the churches which they established.
Our missionaries do the same.
4. When they returned to Antioch,
from their missionary tour, they gath¬
ered the church together, and made a
report of their labors. (Actsxiv: 27.)
When our missionaries return to
their native land, they invariably do the
same thing.
5. They occasionally revisited the
churches they had established, in order
to confirm them in the faith.
We scarcely need tell you that our mis¬
sionaries follow the apostolic example
in this respect.
0. Tho missionaries were not perfect;
but had differences of opinion, and some
difficulty with each other, while zeal,
ously carrying on the work.
9
We know you will believe us when
we tell you, that such things sometimes
oecur now ; but you ought not, for this
reason, to despair of the success of
missions.
7. They were accompanied by a phy¬
sician in some of their tours.
So we sometimes send out physicians,
and their influence 1ms proved to be
very salutary.
8. They met with great opposition,
and many difficulties; even to stripes
and imprisonment. Yet these things
did not deter them from the work.
Our missionaries, also, meet with op¬
position and difficulties of various kinds
wherever they go. Yet they persevere
in the work, and like Paul, let “ none
of these things move them.”
9. Having preached, and established
an interest in a place, they did not stay
there till all were converted, but went
into regions beyond.
In this modern missionaries imitate
their example.
10. When absent, they wrote letters
of advice to the churches which they
had established, and exhorted them to
steadfastness in the faith.
Ours do likewise whenever it is neces¬
sary.
11. They were sometimes troubled
by difficulties which arose in the
churches, and pained to see some of
the members falling back into heathen
practices.
Similar difficulties arise in tho
churches among the heathen at tho
present day. This, however, should
not weaken our faith in the power of
the gospel. Even in Christian lands,
