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THE WORLD'S POPULATION ACCORDING TO RELIGIONS.

ONE MILLION TO A SQUARE.

JEWS ROMAN

flIWMKH MgHA)«MEDANS

N.B. — For Sfatixfics see Appendix

CREEKS PROTEtTANTl

THE MACEDONIAN CRY;

A VOICE FROM

THE LANDS OF BRAHMA AND BUDDHA,
AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA,

AND

A PLEA FOE MISSIONS.

By rev. JOHN LATHERN.

uJ^r.TuLZ"°' "•^™'»' """ '"•'"' "'".. «yin., a,„.

over into

TORONTO:
r^l^l!!^!'''''' '' ^ «« K^NG ST., EAST.

HAUFAX : S. F. HUESTI8

MONTREAL :C. W. COATES.

///^

Enteked, acoordiiiK to the Act of the Parliament of Canada, In the year one thouiand eight
hundred and eighty-four, by Wm. Brigos, in the Office of the MinUter of Agriculture.

DEDICATION.

TO HONORED
BRETHREN OF MISSIONARY DEPUTATIONS,

AS INTERPRETERS OF

THE MACEDONIAN CRY,

THIS

PLEA FOR MISSIONS

IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED
BY THE

AUTHOR

PREFACE.

The duty, privilege, and encouragement of Christians to
send the Gospel to the unenlightened nations of the earth,
was the subject of Dr. John Harris' ** Great Commission,"
and of Dr. Richard Winter Hamilton's "Christian Missions."
It is not proposed in the following pages, and indeed the
attempt were superfluous, to traverse the ground taken by
those gifted essayists.

An effort has been made to write rather from the stand-
point of 1883, to exhibit the character of Oriental religious
systems, to delineate some features of an uncivilized hea-
thenism, to summarize missionary facts and results, and
to urge an earnest plea for Protestant missions — the glory
of this nineteenth century.

An experience of anniversaries has shewn the advantage
of definite views in regard to the authority, demands, and
possibilities of missions: central ideas, around which new
facts and illustrative incidents may be readily grouped ; and
should this essay be found at all helpful in the direction
indicated, a main purpose of its publication will have been
gained.

J. L.

CONTENTS.

A Man of Mackdonia : Help for Hkatiirndom Q

Civilized Heathenism: Hinduism and the Hindus 31

III.

Civilized Heathenism: Buddhism and the Buddhists 59

IV.

Uncivilized Heathenism: Africa and Isles of the Sea... 85

Modern Missions and Mission Stations 119

VI.

Progress and Results of Missions 159

VII.

Missionary Methods and Agencies 185

VIII.
Go, or Send: the Commission 211

IX.

Missions and Money [ 233

.X.

The World for Christ 253

Appendix 277

•• Souls in heathen darkness lying,

Where no light has broken through,
Souls that Jesus bought by dying,
Whom his soul in travail knew —

Thousand voices
Call us o'er the waters blue.

♦• Haste, O haste, and spread the tidings
Wide to earth's remotest strand;
Let no brother's bitter uhidings
Rise against us when we stand

In the judgment,
From some far, forgotten land."

—Mrs. C. F. Alexander.

THE MACEDONIAN CM.

A MAN OF MACEDONIA: HELP FOR
HEATHENDOM.

THE call from Macedonia was an important incident
of St. Paul's second missionary tour. Through the
gates of Syria and Cilicia, he and Silvanus passed up
into a rough region formed by the central table-land
ok' Asia Minor. For a time, they travelled by the
signal posts of recently-formed missions. Timotheus
joined them at Derbe. Churches were founded in
Phrygia and Galatia. They passed into Mysia, and
essayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus
suffered them not. Uncertain in regard to the imme-
diate future, these heaven-guided niessengers of the
cross then turned aside to Troas. Here they trod on.
more than historic ground. Each legendary spot had
been immortalized in the best strains of Greece. It
was almost impossible for any one of the intellectual
caste and culture of St. Paul to be insensible to the
romantic associations that clustered so richly around

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

that classic coast. But, in the inspired narrative, there
is no allusion to Homer's heroes, or to Ilion's towers.
The mission of the cross had become an absorbing and
consuming? passion. He was determined to know no-
thing among men " save Jesus Christ and him cruci-
fied." Across the straits to the north-west the eye
would rest on an outline of distant Macedonian hills.
There is the landmark of an unvisited Europe. That
western continent is the home of the polished Greeks
and powerful Romans. Deeper in the heart of its
mighty forests are noble but still uncivilized races,
destined to future greatness, and to grand and stirring
action on the theatre of human history. Was not that
unknown territory comprised in the commission ?
Could the mystery and misery of Occidental heathen-
ism be pierced and dispelled ? Ought not an attempt
at once to be made to break ground on a new soil ?
Such, as, from the harbor of Troas or musing along the
shore,he glanced to distant and lofty isle and peak, must
have been the direction of the Apostle's thought. It
may have been one of those magnificent sunsets, such as

modern travellers have described. In the far distance

reflecting the radiance of evening splendor, Mount
Athos would be visible from the Asiatic shore. Its
colossal peak, seen as "a mass of burnished gold,"
might well look like " some vast angel " beckoning
him " to carry the good tidings to the west." Thus
probably the great missionary lingered by tho.se iEgean
waters until the shadows of night deepened over land
and sea. There would, therefore, be a kind of mental

THE MACEDONIAN (^Y

preparation for supernatural intimation. "And a
vision appeared to Paul in the nif^ht ; there stood a
man of Macedonia and prayed him, saying, Come over
into Macedonia and help us," The voice that spake in
that dream, mental impression, or visible manifesta-
tion, could scarcely be any occasion of surprise. The
man of the night vision was the representative of a
European population, and of all western heathendom.
A Divine call took the form of one of the people pro-
videntially prepared to receive the messaij,e of salva-
tion. An appeal was made for help. It was the
utterance of a deep-felt sense of need, and of an
unconscious preparation for the reception of a gospel
message. There could be no doubt as to the kind of
help that was needed. Response was immediate.
There was no demur or delay on the ground of
heathen at home, or of the yet unconverted thousands
in Syria and Asia Minor. The Apostles of Jesus
Christ understood their commission to mean that the
glad tidings of salvation should be made known at
the earliest possible time to all lands and peoples of
the earth. What, if St. Paul had refused to be guided
by the Spirit of Jesus, and had selected a Bithynian
field of labor ? Had he, when summoned to Europe,
refused a reponse to the Macedonian cry, how diH'erent
would have been the early history of tiie Church !
But is there not still an imperative call to special
work ? Ought not ministers of the gospel, as did the
first great missionaries, without regard to personal
preferences, freely and promptly to accept a home or

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

foreign field of effort ? Not a moment was lost at
Troy. Memories of " human gods and godlike men "
had no potent spell to bind them to that sta/ry shore.
A Macedonian passage was at once secured, and soon
they were bounding past the " sprinkled isles " and
across the blue waves of the narrow sea. A beloved
physician, St. Luke, the representative of medical
missions, seems to have embarked with them, and
hence the change of person from the third to the first:
"And after he had seen the vision, immediately we
endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering
that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel
unto them. Therefore, loosing from Troas, we came
with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next
day to Neapolis ; and from thence to Philippi, which
is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a
colony."

The Apostle Paul had a knowledge of the heathen-
ism of Europe, that enabled him rightly to interpret
the Macedonian cry.

The iEgean sea was almost the sanctuary of ancient
superstition. Ida's wooded heights were peopled with
divinities. Fountain and stream, pine-clad gorge and
rocky promontory, were haunted by shadowy legend,
or associated with stirring and storied deeds. Sur-
rounded by such symbols and memorials, about to
enter proud and magnificent cities where heathenism
sat enthroned, the mind of the Apostle must have
been directed to the darker aspects of this subject.
No one ever more acutely studied or stated the evils

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

of a prevalent idolatrous system. He came to compre-
hend its most characteristic developments. Something
of classic civilization we know from other sources.
The researches of Leake and Wood and Schliemann
in Asia Minor, Ephesus, the Troad and Greek penin-
sula, and the extended excavations in Pompeii, indi-
cate the resolve of modern explorers ; determined, from
its own records and remains, to trace out the facts and
features of paganism. But " he who would see but for
a moment and afar off to what the Gentile world had
sunk, at the very period when Christianity began to
spread, may form some faint and shuddering concep-
tion from the picture drawn of it in the Epistle to the
Romans."* It is from the pen of St. Paul that we
can learn the whole dark story :

" Because that, when they knew God, they glorified
him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became
vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart
was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they
became fools, and changed the glory of the incorrupt-
ible God into an image made like to corruptible man,
and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping
things. Wherefore God also gave them up to unclean-
ness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor
their own bodies between themselves : who chansred
the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and
served the creature more than the creator, who is
blessed forever. Amen. For this cause God gave

Farrar's Seekers ajler Ood, p. 36.

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

them Up to vile atfeetions ; for even their women did
change the natural use into that which is against
nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural
use of the women, burned in lust one toward another ;
men with men working that which is unseemly, and
receiving in themselves that recompense of their error
which was meet. And even as they did not like to
retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to
a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient ; being filled with all unrighteousness, for-
nication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness ; full
of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity ; whisperers,
backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, with-
out natural affection, implr cable, unmerciful ; who
knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit
such things are worthy of death, not only do the same,
but have pleasure in them that do them/'

Such, according to inspired delineation, was the
paganism of Europe and the East ; its atheism, licen-
tiousness, cruelties, and nameless corruptions. The
indictment is tremendous, and allegation is black and
burning. Corruption is laid bare to its very heart.
Not a gleam of fancy, or of poetic imaginativeness,
relieves the relentless process. In the severe and
searching light of God's infinite purity, unrighteous-
ness reveals its most repulsive aspects. Is it any
wonder, impelled by a feeling of holy indignation,
that the Apostle put upon that foul system the stamp
and stigma Qf loathing and of utter abhorrence ?

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

jmen did
against
e natural
another ;
mly, and
leir error
)t like to
n over to
are not
mess, for-
less ; full
hisperers,
boasters,
its, with-
ul ; who
h commit
the same,

was the
3m, licen-
ns. The
)lack and
ry heart,
ativeness,
jvere and
ighteous-
[s it any
lignation,
ihe stamp
nee ?

The period of Roman life and civilization, to which
this awful passage has specific reference, has been
frequently and glowingly panegyrized. It was the
superb Augustan age. The eloquence and victories of
Cicero and Cassar were yet a proud remembrance.
Mantuan melodies still lingered in the air. It was in
many respects a wonderful time. A complex civiliza-
tion had brought its forces and appliances to bear
upon some of the finest material the world has ever
seen. Genius had scarcely more than passed the
zenith of its splendor. Intellect was still proud and
brilliant. Life was voluptuous. There was opulence
to repletion, and everything to minister to the sensual
nature. Beauty was deified. Even around the altars
and idolatries of that time there was a marvellous
and fascinating combination of majesty and grace, of
science and taste. Whatever man could do without
the living God was carried up to the point of perfec-
tion. But that structure of polished paganism had
darker and more repelling aspects. It was unspiritual
and immoral. Faith that saves, like the luminous
flame, diffuses splendor ; but, like mist and murk,
superstition deepens the shadows of the night. Estab-
lished religion had exhibited a constantly deteriorating
and downward process. The Pantheon in Rome was
worse even than the Parthenon of Greece. Pagan
gods were the patrons and prompters of crime and
pollution. Deities were such as lust demanded.
Faith was lost, and purity and patriotism were gone.
Oriental superstitions and pollutions steeped and

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

saturated the Occident. "Orontes overflowed the
Tiber."

In rejjard to the character of that centurv, we have
contemporary and competent witness. Seneca sor-
rowed for the degeneracy of the times. Innocence,
according to the testimony of this accomplished philo-
sopher, had ceased to exist. " Discarding respect for
all that is good and sacred, lust rushes on wherever it
will."* From the capital a stream of pollution
flowed out into provincial cities ; but with fresh and
fouler accumulation it was rapidly poured back into
the main reservoir. Humanity, morally and spirit-
ually, was at its worst and sorest need. The world by
wisdom knew not God.

In mediaeval exploration, amongst the ruins of
Pompeii, Lorenzo and Leo are said to have discovered
altar lamps. Once these had contained sacred fire,
but the oil was gone, and they could not now be
reljnrhted. Such was the condition of classic science
and philosophy, when Christianity first flashed its
radiance across the dark expanse. Flame was extinct.
Hope was dead. There was scarcely a solitary ray of

•" Modern unbelief complains that St. Paul has characterized
the social morality of the pagan world in terms of undue severity.
Yet St. Paul does not exceed the specific charges of Tacitus, of
Suetonius, of Juvenal, of Seneca, that is to say of writers that had
no theological interest in misrepresenting or exaggerating the facts
which they deplore. When Tacitus summarizes tlio moral condition
of pxganiam by his exhaustive phrase, corrttm/Ji ft et corrumpi, he
more than covers the sorrowing invective of the Apostle. " — Canon
LiDDON, Bampton Lecturei^, 1866, p. 139.

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

even a heathen faith to relieve the dreariness and
monotony of prevalent materialism. Moral miasma
brooded over the scene. Every spiritual aspiration
was chilled and checked.

"On that hard pagan world, disgust
And secret loathing fell ;
Deep weariness and sated lust
Made human life a hell. "

"No wonder," says Dr. Brown, in his exposition of
Romans, "that, thus sick and dying as was this poor
humanity of ours under the highest earthly culture,
its many- voiced cry for the balm in Gilead and the
Physician there — Come over and help us — pierced the
hearts of the missionaries of the cross, and made them
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ."

The question of heathen accountability comes to
the front in this connection. The biblical truth that
all men must be judged by the deeds done in the
body has been luminously represented as "the pillar
of lire" which constitutes "the supernatural vanguard
of Christian missions." Inspiration is clear and
cleaving in its enunciation and enforcement of i^his
solemn and profoundly awful subject.. Hence the
appalling passage in which St. Paul depicts heathen-
ism. Stronjj relief is sought. The main argument is
designed to shut up a sinful and guilty world to the
mercy of God, to demonstrate the necessity of a
Divine and remedial scheme, and to enforce the sublime
doctrine of salvation through grace. They who have
not received a written law, the revelation of truth, are

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

under another and clearly-defined dispensation. "For
as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish
without law : and as many as have sinned in the law,
shall be judged by the law (for when the Gentiles,
which have not the law, do by nature the things con-
tained in the law, these having not the law are a law
unto themselves : which shew the work of the law
written in their hearts, their consciences, also bearing
witness, and their thoughts in the meanwhile accus-
ing, or else excusing, one another) ; in the day when
God shall judge the secrets of men, by Jesus Christ
according to my gospel."

A supreme faculty of conscience has been implanted
in the human soul. There is also a "true Light that
lighteneth every man that cometh into the world."
An inward law commends or condemns. Gracious
illumination constitutes the measure of human respon-
sibility ; and, at the future and final tribunal, when
the judgment shall be set, and the books opened, it
must determine acceptance or rejection, salvation or
exclusion. "But we are sure," affirms the Apostle,
„that the judgment of God is according to truth,
agiinst them that do such things."

Inspired reasoning lights up an abstruse and per-
plexing question, and reveals also an underlying and
essential principle of missionary impulse and action.
It enables us, when carried into the region of heathen
life and experience, to grasp the significance of many
a testimony. " When I remember," says the evan-
gelist Sing, of the China inland mission, "how I sinned

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

I. "For

perish
the law,
jentiles,
ngs con-
re a law
the law
bearing

ie accus-
ly when
LS Christ

nplanted
orht that

1 world."
Gracious
n respon-
al, when
pened, it
nation or

Apostle,
luo truth,

and per-
y^ing and
d action.

heathen
of many
he evan-

I sinned

against the light which heaven gave to my nature, how
I obeyed the seitish instincts of my soul, and was led
astray by evil seductions, sinning against light, / feel
how gitilfy I luas." The earlier part of the Epistle to
the Romans was read by a Buddhist priest of Ceylon,
in his own language. His main object at the outset
was to obtain arguments for the refutation of Chris-
tianity. The first cha])ter astonished him beyond
measure. Secret things from dark chambers of imag-
ery, of which he liad been cognizant, were brought to
light. Sins that were sadly too common among his
countrymen were comprised in the dark catalogue.
There was a startling accuracy of delineation. Such
is the unchanged character of heathenism, of its idola-
tries and consequent immoralities, that missionaries
have been actually charged with the forgery of this
terrible passage. Adherents of Oriental systems find
it difficult to believe that so full and forcible a descrip-
tion could have been written at the commencement of
the Christian era. The Singhalese student passed on
to the second chapter, and there he encountered a new
surprise. That account of the law written on the
heart answered to actual and repeated experiences of
life. Doinor of wrong had often been a cause of re-
morseful feeling. Conscience must have been troubled.
An unwelcome monitor had refused to be driven away,
or silenced, at any moment. That witness of the heart
could not be an evil thing; for it condemned the
wrong, and approved the good. Against light and
knowledge had sin been many times committed. There

THE MACEDONIAN CHY.

I 1

must be consequent guilt and liability to punishment.
This universal law became the subject of repeated
conversation with a missionary, whose acquaintance
had been formed. The sequence of thought was in
exact adaptation to the tastes and mental habits of
the controversialist. His interest for a time centred in
the close texture of the rea.soning, and in the cogency
and conclusiveness of the argument. But he began to
find that a sharp arrow had pierced the joints of his
tightened armour. Conviction of sin gradually deep-
ened to genuine distress. " Is there any peace of con-
science," he anxiously inquired, " any pardon of sin in
the Christian religion ?" It would be sufficient, in
reply to that question of supreme interest and import-
ance, to read passages from the same evangelical and
glorious Epistle :

" I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ : for it
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth." " Being justified freely by his grace,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus : whom
God hath set forth to be a propituation through faith
in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remis-
sion of sins that are past." "Therefore being justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ." " That as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness, unto
eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord."

The Macedonian cry has become the world's cry.

Modern heathenism is fully as dark and debasing,
as polluted and miserable, as was that of Apostolic

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

ishment.
repeated
lintance

was in
labits of
ntred in
cogency
began to
bs of his
ly deep-
i of con-
3f sin in
cient, in

import-
ical and

t : for it
one that
s grace,
whom
fjh faith
»e remis-
justified
)ur Lord
,0 death,
ess, unto

cry.
lebasing,
Ipostolic

times. The man of Macedonia represents a perishing
world. Night visions are renewed from age to age.
Masses and millions of people are pleading for succour.
In painful and piercing accents, they are ever saying,
Coma over and help us. The Rev. Wm. 0. Simpson,
during an evangelistic tour through Northern India, a
few years ago, preached from the steps of an idol
temple. The first proclamation of salvation through
Jesus was thus made in a populous city. " Once,"
said a venerable-looking Brahman, putting his hand
to his head, " this lock of hair was black as the raven's
wing: now it is white as the snow on the summits of
the Himalaya; and 1 have been waiting all these
years to hear words like these."

"Grown white with waiting ! brothers all !
Is there for you in these words no call ?
Stirs there no pulse in your inmost soul,
As by you these heart- waves of pleading roll ?"

A thrilling appeal just now comes from the region
of the Transvaal and the Molopo territory, in South
Africa. In words of pathos and pain, an aged Baralong
chief tells how he has looked and longed in vain,
through many weary years, for the message and the
ministry of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
Missionary Society, in which he trusted, had failed him.
"Why," he asks, " have we been so long left ? I have no
hope now. When I am dead, and my nation is scattered,
then, perhaps, when the opportunity is lost for ever,
they will send a missionary."* Such a plaint is enough

* Mimonary Notices, May, 1883.

THK MACEDONIAN CRY

to make the very stones cry out, in rebuke of the
apathy of the Christian Church. Is not the heart-
stricken Montsioa an unconscious representative of
Africa's benij^hted millions of people ?

But there is also the voice of this western contin-
ent, calling for help. A beam of light strikes the
spiritual vision of a blind In<lian in the wilds of
Alaska. He has heard that Jesus Christ came into
the world to save sinners ; and the story of infinite
love, imperfectly told by a wanderer of his own tribe,
moves the heart as nothing else can do. Something
more he must know of the wondrous fact of redeem-
ing grace and mercy. Guided by another Indian, the
eager inquirer starts out in search of light and help.
Through mountain gorge and pathless forest, gliding
along rivers unknown to song, as many suns rise and
set, at a distance of one thousand miles the nearest
mission station is reached, and the heart is made glad
by tidings of great joy. Does not that Indian of the
distant wilderness represent the dusky tribes of this
continent, and other races of the unsaved pagan
world, in the same sense that a man of Macedonia
represented the idolatrous populations of Europe, and
the heathendom of the time ? From the ice-bound
coast of Labrador to far-away and frozen Alaska, and
from inland lake to polar sea, there comes a cry for
help. Our country's voice is pleading. Home mis-
sionaries are needed. But the field is the world. The
Macedonian appeal comes from every land. It crosses
not only straits, but continents and oceans ; wafted on

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

ike of the
the heart-
ntative of

rn contin-
trikes the
wilds of
came into
of infinite
own tribe,
^omethinsf
f redeem -
idian, the
and help.
it, gliding
i rise and
le nearest
made glad
ian of the
es of this
ed pagan
^lacedonia
irope, and
ice-bound
laska, and
a cry for
-ome mis-
)rld. The
It crosses
wafted on

the wings of every breeze, and borne on the bosom of
every swelling billow. The idea finds expression in
Heber's matchless missionary hymn :

"From Greenland'a icy mountains,

From India's coral strand.
Where Afric's sunny fountains

Roll down their golden sand ;
From many an ancient river.

From many a balmy plain,
They call us to deliver

Their land from error's chain."

Suppose for a moment that the Macedonian of St.
Paul's vision, the Brahman of sultry India, or the
African chief, Montsioa, was not the representative of
a race or of the heathen world. Think of him as one
man ; an unsaved Cree or KafiR.r, Hindu or Hottentot,
Cossack or Tartar. Though rude in speech, and
degraded to the dust, that man is redeemed by Christ,
an heir of immortality. For him there must be a
resurrection to eternal life, or to shame and everlast-
ing contempt. At the bar of God destiny shall be
determined according to the deeds done in the body.
Is there not an imminent spiritual peril ? Suppose,
again, for the sake of illustration, that, with but a
solitary exception, the whole heathen world had been
converted to Christ, and that there was but one dark
and unsaved idolater on the face of the earth. What
shall be done to pluck that immortal soul as a brand
from the burning, and to add one more gem to the
Redeemer's radiant ciowns ? That soul in value out-

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

weighs the material magnificence of worlds on worlds.
Would it be too much that an effort and expenditure
equal to the aggregate of what is required for the
work of the Church at home and of missions abroad,
if nothing less would avail, should be employed for
its salvation ? Could it be any cause for surprise if
there were silence and suspense in heaven itself, till
the fate of that deathless soul were determined, or
that ministering spirits should stand ready for any
mission that might secure the last trophy of redeeming
mercy ? But the Macedonian is only a unit in the
aggregate of the yet unsaved multitudes.

Think of the spiritual condition of the great mass
of tlie world's teeming population, estimated at more
than fourteen hundred million ! A system of impos-
ture, Mohammedanism, numbers over one hundred
and seventy millions of adherents. Fully one- half of
the people of the earth, including the Brahmans of
India, the Buddhists of eastern and central Asia, and
the dwellers of a few islands of the sea, are idolaters.
They are doomed to darkness and the shadow of death,
and in their blindness bow down to gods of wood and
stone. The mass of those know nothinij of God's
reconciling mercy, or of the glad tidings of salvation.
One can scarcely be surprised at the emotion which
finds expression in the utterances of an earnest and
eloquent advocate and exponent of missions and mis-
sionary policy : " As I coasted along Ceylon and the
Malay peninsula and vast China day after day, I
seemed to hear across the roar of the waves, the tur-

THE MACEDONIAN CRT.

on worlds,
cpenditure
id for the
ns abroad,
)loyed for
surprise if
L itself, till
rmined, or
ly for any
redeeming
nit in the

great mass
ed at more
of impos-
} hundred
ne-half of
ihmans of
Asia, and

idolaters.

V of death,

wood and

of God's
salvation,
ion which
rnest and

and mis-
n and the
er day, I
s, the tur-

bulent sound of the billows of humanity, breaking
with a wail upon the stern coasts of our yet barbaric
days. Three hundred million billov/s in China, half
of them women, two hundred and fifty such billows
breaking on the shores of India, multitudes upon
multitudes coming out of the unseen and storming
across the ocean of time to break on the shores of
eternity. I heard the wail of these hosts until I found
myself resolved, whatever else I might do or not do,
to echo the sound of that ocean in the ears of
Christendom."*

A well-known essayist, in an exquisite vision of
human life, beheld an immense valley traversed by an
ever-rolling flood. A bridge of black and broken piers
stretched away into the boundless tide, and was lost
to view in the thick mist on the farther shore. Multi-
tudes of people streamed to the fatal arches and sunk
in the abyss of waters. By a slight mental eflbrt, we
can still gaze on that mystic river ; for, deep and dark,
it flows sullenly and silently on to the ocean of
eternity. The inspired Psalmist beheld the genera-
tions of men, as they were swept noiselessly away
from the earth, and said, " Thou carriest them away
as with a flood." Beyond the mysterious bridge are
the thick clouds of a dark unknown, impalpable,
except as revelation fringes them with the splendor
of an immortal hope. Millions of human beings
throng to the crumbling arch, sink into the flowing

Joseph Cook, Moinlny Lecfuns, March 12, 1883,

THE MACEDONIAN CRT.

tide, and are borne on to the changeless destinies of
the future and the eternal.

Compute, if you can, as the endless procession passes
on to the spirit world. Eight milliou of Jews, from
almost every nation under heaven, a veil over their
hearts, and still for the most part refusing to look to
the pierced Saviour, lead the way. Nominal Chiistians
from favored lands of Europe, scenes of Bible interest,
and the natives of South America, stupefied and
deluded by the corruptions and senseless mummeries
of their religion, swell the helpless throng, and speed
beyond the reach of any earthly ministry. Mussul-
mans from sections of three continents, the east of
Europe, the north of Africa, and the west of Asia, such
centres as Mecca, and Bagdad, and Aleppo, some of the
best and fairest portions of the globe, follow the false
prophet, and are enveloped in a smoke as that of the
bottomless pit :

" A saintly, murderous brood,
To carnage and to Koran given.
Who think through unbeliever's blood
Lies their directest path to heaven. "

Still others march past, only to vanish in darkness.
There arc the swarthy millions of Hin<lostan, bearing
the symbols of their grotesque superstition, priest and
pariah, thug and fakir, pilgrim and devotee, one hun-
dred and sixty million of the worshippers of Bralima,
blindly treading the pathway of mystery, and g«)ing
down where the black billows close over them. The
Saviour by His atonement has bridged the awful gulf,

'■,;

itinies of

on passes
5VVS, from
vcr their
) look to
iJhristians
? in'eresti
jried and
ummeries
and speed

Mussul-
le east of
Asia, such
•me of the

the false
lat of the

larkness.

n, bearing

priest and

one hun-

Bralima,

ind g-)ing

em. The

\vf ul gulf,

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

f
:-i^

but they know nothing of that "new and living way."
There is still a mightier multitude, at least four hundred
millions, nearly a third of the human race, adherents
of Buddha and Confucius, drifting on the shoreless
ocean of the unseen and eternal ; and, supposing that
these teeming millions should pass you at the rate of
one thousand an hour, night and day, more than forty-
five years would be required to complete the dreary
procession. But there is still another touching and
pathetic appeal to Christian sympathy. Two hundred
million of the sons and daughters of Africa, branded
with the untold wrongs of ages, plead for pity and for
help, and pass sorrowfully on to their destined and
unknown future. Numerous tribes from yet unchris-
tianized isles of the sea, and the roaming red races of
our western forests and prairies follow in the rear, and
hurry on to the land of silence and shade. What is
to become of these untold millions? Where shall they
spend their everlasting days ? How, laden and polluted
with sin and crime, can they find their way from the
dark river to the gates of gold, or how enter the city
of unsullied purity ?

We rejoice in the thought, for which inspiration
furnishes an abundant warrant, that, without respect
of persons, every one of every nation that works out
the righteousness of the dispensation under which he
is placed, shall be accepted of God. " But the fearful,
and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, shall have their portion in the lake that burneth

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
And never should we forget that such depravities, as
God unconditionally condemns, are characteristic of
heathenism in every part of the world. O ye followers
of the compassionate Redeemer, can you gaze unmoved
upon scenes of guilt, weariness and woe ? Is there not
an irresistible impulse to some effort for the rescue of
the perishinjx ? Will you not care for the dying, tell
them of God's pardoning love, and lead them to the
fountain for sin and uncleanness ? Hear you not the
pleading voice, " Come over and help us ?" There is a
cry of souls longing for some deliverer. To each one
comes the call. The obligation is of a personal char-
acter. Can any Christian man or woman turn away
unmoved from the painful and piteous wail of suffering
and sinful humanity? Salvation! O sound out the glad
message to all the nations of the earth. Tell it out
among the heathen, that a ransom has been found, and
that they need not go down to the pit. But haste !
Your mission is as that of one who bears a reprieve :
hope to the despairing, and life to the dying.

To some extent the sense and significance of the
Macedonian cry may have been realized, and rightly
interpreted. But to know the heathen world, its awful
and utter darkness and misery, and its need of the
gospel, there must be a closer contact with Brahma-
nical and Buddhistic systems of idolatry and supersti-
tion, and with uncivilized and multitudinous races and
tribes of Africa and isles of the sea.

. death."
rities, as
ristic of
ollowers
mmoved
here not
escue of
nng, tell
m to the
not the
here is a
3ach one
[lal char-
rn away
suffering
. the glad
11 it out
>und, and
it haste !
reprieve :

'4
'0.

je of the
1 rightly
its awful
id of the
Brahma-
supersti-
races and

"The vast old structure of the Veda religion, venerable by the
Bufi'rage of thirty centuries, upheld by tens of millions of the finest
population in Asia, cherished by a pertinacity which has hitherto
seemed immovable, adorned by temple after temple, celebrated in
festivity after festivity, magnificent by processions and all public
pomp, cemented by the indissoluble bonds of caste, and by a fixity
of usage such as has never existed elsewhere." — William Arthur.

HINDUISM AND THE HINDU&

able by the
of the finest
has hitherto
elebrated in
d all public
i by a fixity
Arthur.

II.

CIVILIZED HEATHENISM : HINDUISM AND

THE HINDUS.

HINDUISM is the central fortress of civilized hea-
thenism. The world has no other such closely
compacted system of error. It may be fairly regarded
as the master-piece of the deceiver. Hoary with age,
it challenges attention on the ground of its great
antiquity. Its temples are magnificent, and its ritual
adapted to the popular sense. Millions of priests
avow their belief in countless millions of gods, and all
are pledged to the perpetuation of this Brahinanical
religion. Rising height above height, like the ranges
and ridges of the Himalaya, the shadows of this
stupendous and embattled structure seem to darken
the day, and its proud spires to pierce the skies.
Mysticisms and superstitions, penances and pilgrim-
ages, transcendentalisms, adaptation to mental peculi-
arities, and penetrating grasp of the institutions and
usages of national and social life, contribute to its
moulding force, and combine to constitute it the
mightiest of earth's idolatries. Hinduism numbers
one hundred and sixty million of adherents. One of
the most eminent of modern missionaries, when first
confronted by this towering and frowning citadel of
error, realized keenly the sense of his own weakness

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

and the utter insufficiency of human resource. A
feeling came over him, such as he might have had if
he had undertaken to cut down the primeval forest,
with the blade of a knife, to level the Himalayas
with a pickaxe, or to empty the Ganges with a
teacup. " What field on the surface of the globe can
be compared to Hindustan, stretching from the Indus
to the Ganges, and from the Himalaya to Cape
Comorin, in point of magnitude and accessibility com-
bined, and peculiarity of claims on British Christians,
the claims of not less than" two hundred millions
"of fellow-subjects, sunk beneath the load of the most
debasing superstitions, and the crudest idolatries that
ever polluted the surface of the earth, or brutalized
the nature of man ?"*

Between the earlier philosophy and the later and
popular forms of Hinduism, there are numerous and
bewildering differences, complex and contradictory
aspects. The original Vedic idea of God seems to be
that of an essence, analogous to space, self-existent
and eternal. But the simple sublimity of primal con-
ception soon begins to merge into pantheism, and
pa.sses on to the multiplied mythologies of polytheism.
Unity diverges into numerous ramifications. The
system is developed by the additions and accretions of
ages. As the banyan of that land, its shoots are end-
lessly multiplied. " Like the sacred tree of India
which from a single stem sends out innumerable

* Life of Dr. Duff, Vol. I, p. 197.

HINDUISM AND THE HINDUS.

iource. A
ive had if
sval forest,
Himalayas
;s with a

globe can
the Indus
L to Cape
bility com-
Christians,
jd millions
jf the most
latries that

brutalized

e later and
nerous and
ntradictory
seems to be
elf-existent
primal con-
tieism, and
polytheism.

ions. The
ccretions of
Dts are end-

e of India
Unumerable

branches destined to descend to the ground and be-
come trees themselves, till the parent stock is lost in
the dense forest of its own offshoots, so has this
pantheistic creed rooted itself firmly in the Hindu
mind, and spread its ramifications so luxuriantly that
the simplicity of its root-dogma is lost in an exuberant
growth of monstrous mythologies." *

A Hindu of the upper class believes that a self-ex-
istent principle may subsist under two modes. An es-
sential condition, the point and perfection of felicity,
consummation of bliss, is that of profound and utter
quiescence and insensibility. But there was a period,
a passing moment, when Brahman roused up from the
long deep stupor of ages, and exercised a potent and
productive energy. Three gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and
Siva, the Hindu trinity, constitute the divine mani-
festation of an eternal essence. Complexity of rela-
tion finds expression in a passage of Kalidasa —
regarded by Professor Williams as " the greatest of
Indian poets." Evidently there is a perpetual inter-
change of function :

" In these three Persons the one God was shewn —
Each first in place, each last — not one alone ;
Of Siva, Vishnu, Brahma, each may be
First, second, third, among the blessed Three."

Brahma is regarded as creator. The material uni-
verse, according to the Hindu conception, is an emana-
tion rather than an exercise of creative energy. It is
an outflowing, like the light from the sun. "As the

* Hinduism, Prof. Monier Williams, p. 11.

THE MACEDONIAN CRT.

threads from the spider, the tree from the seed, the
fire from the coal, the stream from the fountain, the
waves from the sea, so is the world produced out of
Brahma." This deity of the Hindu temple and
worship is usually represented as a figure of four faces.
A philosophical formula, "I am Brahma, and he who
knows that knows all," claims for him a reality of ex-
istence, in comparison with which everything in the
vi.sible universe must be looked upon as illusory and
transient.

Vishnu, the second member of the triad, supposed
to pervade and conserve all worlds, obtains homage as
the preserver. This popular god is fabled to have had
ten incarnations. May not these come yet to form
the groundwork of belief in the Incarnate One, the
Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us ? The
memory of Vishnu's actions, preserved and perpetuated
in the sacred records, constitutes the most popular
element in Hindu religious literature. In some temples
the god may be seem in a form partly human, and in
part resembling a fish ; for, according to the legend,
based doubtless on some tradition of the historic flood,
he w^as incarnated as a fish to save the progenitor of
the human race from an overflowing flood. Another
incarnation is that of Krishna, " the dark god," repre-
sented in the form of a black idol ; an appearance as-
sumed for the destruction of Kansa, the representative
principle of evil. Krishna is the most popular of |
Hindu deities; and, notwithstanding the distortion and
exaggeration of this incarnation idea, as traced out in

HINDUISM AND THE HINDUS.

the seed, the
fountain, the
duced out of

temple and
of four faces.

and he who
reality of ex-
thing in the

illusory and

ad, supposed

ns homage as

I to have had

yet to form

late One, the

ng us ? The

perpetuated

nost popular

some temples

iman, and in

the legend,

istoric tlood,

)ro2renitor of

Another

god," repre-

pearance as-

presentative

popular of

stortion and

raced out is

Brahmanical legends, may we not hope that it shall yet
be the means of preparing the minds of swarthy mil-
lions of eastern worshippers for the acceptance of Jesus
Christ, the Saviour of the world?

Siva, the third member of the sacred triad, held to
be the dissolver and destroyer of the universe, is
regarded as the principal agent in the various changes
that sweep on in a constant succession. This character
is often depicted and shaped forth in hideous and
repulsive forms. It is said that some of the images
of the god are too abominable to be described. But a
still fouler and more revolting form is that of his
consort, the black goddess Kali ; armed with sharp
instruments, decorated by a necklace of skulls, clotted
hair, and face and bosom smeared with blood. Kali is
claimed as the presiding goddess of the infernal and
terrible thugs ; for whose honor and glory they murder
their victims, and by whose energy their feet are made
swift to shed blood. These be thy gods, India !

To Hindu sacred literature an important place
must be assigned.

The immense treasures of the Sanskrit, that " lan-
ujuage of the gods," are being rapidly unsealed. At the
foundation lies the three-fold Veda ; mantra, brahmana,
and upanishad : pure knowledge, imagined to have
issued like breath from the Supreme. Vedic mantras,
mainly metrical composition, are forms of prayer and
praise. The rig-veda is the first and purest part of
the mantra, and contains over a thousand hymns and
rapturous ascriptions. It is regarded with profound

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

reverence, said to shine in its own light, and to revea! |
absolute perfection ; but, through rapt effusions, a|
declension from simple and primitive truth to pan
theistic doctrine can be readily traced. Elements art|
personified. Powers of nature arc identified witlj
various divinities. Objects of religious adoration arei
multiplied. " God is everything, and everything isj
God."

The brahmanas, or second portion of the Veda, mostly
of prose composition, expand and expound the merii
of sacrifice, and develop and prescribe an elaborate
and complicated system of priestly service. During
the period of brahmana ascendency, every prominence
was given to sacrificial oflfering. Numerous victim^ J
were immolated in almost every religious service, and]
the altars of the land perpetually streamed wittj
blood.

To the upanishads, the third and last portion of tht
Veda, consisting of prose aphorisms and occasionaij
verse, designed to unfold and illustrate the sacred!
doctrine of the mantras, Hinduism is mainly indebte(i|
for its mysticism and transcendentalism. Here may j
be found the source of a principal philosophical dogmaj
the transmigration of souls through a succession of
bodies. And of all delusions, cunning inventions, or:
vain and foolish imaginations, that ever tortured the |
minds of poor, fallen humanity, the most dreary
oppressive, and painfully elaborated, is that of trans-
migration. Souls are regarded as an emanation from
the eternal source, but doomed to a repeated succession

M i

HINDUISM AND THE HINDUS.

^f bodies, nearer or more distant from the fountain
^iid fulness of perfection. They are held to be in
)erpetual transition ; passing from body to body, from
>lant to plant, from animal to animal, from divinity to
livinity, in sad and weary seri<»s and succession, with-
Hit repose, destitute of joy, unable to arrest the stern
iionotony of change ; treading, according to demerit
^r merit, the god's slowly-grinding mill ; sinking into
Lbysses of horror, or rising by gradual stages to an
^xalted felicity ; dreaming of an ultimate absorption
ito the essential principle of the universe, the ideal of
)erfection, of endless and infinite bliss.

The real scriptures of the Hindu, however, as we are
|issured, because better known and perused, are the
mranas. These are legendary histories, a voluminous
md conglomerate collection of traditions and mytho-
logies, measuring and marking an immense and deep
listance and deterioration from the Vedic age. The
)riginal idea of the purana seems to have been an
jlucidation of matters belonging to some holy place, or
^he instruction of the people at great national festivals.
?here is no basis of fact or reason. They launch a
System of cosmogony that shrivels before the light of
Science. Genealogies of the gods and unconnected
traditions form a fabulous chronolgy. Time is of no
iccount. Periods stretch back into the recesses of
remote ajjes. Through a series of legfendarv narratives,
Iresembling the coloring and Oriental extravagance of
^he Arabian Nights' Entertainments, these wonderful
)oems are brought down to the history and associations
)f the place to which they are dedicated.

THE MACEDONIAN CRT.

It is affirmed that the history of mind in India
corresponds to that of Europe. Every western system
of thought, we are told, has had its counterpart in
Asia. " Precisely the same topics which are brought
to the front in religious discussions in the Occident,
between Christianity and unbelief, are those which
are at the front in the Orient."* As the product of
rich and ripe Sanskrit scholarship, a superb series of
Oxford translations, " The Sacred Books of the East,"
have been published for the benefit of English readers.
The literature of that wonderful land, reaching back
through a space of three thousand years, has been
brought witliin the range of an ordinary student. The.
seal of mystery has been broken. It is evident, as
thus represented, that Eastern speculations contain
subtle philosophy, suggest ethical truth, and inculcate
moral precept and social virtue. There is, at some
points, a striking coincidence with what has claimed or
come to be distinctively known as "modern thought."
Occasional Hashes indicate a rare intuition or insight
into the profound necessities of the human soul. Under
one guise or another, especially in the fabled incarna-
tions, there are traces of traditional truth, and the idea
of a needed Deliverer and Restorer. But thoughts
that possess anything of religious or philosophic power
and value are probably drift from some period of patri-
archal revelation. With many acknowledged excel-
lencies, and with great and abounding beauty and

Joseph Cook, Monday Lecture, January 29th, 1883.

HINDUISM AND THE HINDUS.

1
I

luxuriance of metaphor and style, these sacred books
teem with worthless legends, monstrous credulities,
the veriest puerilities, and the sheerest absurdities of
the human imagination. Taken as a whole, with all
their magnificence of expression, they are the daikness
and not the light of Asia.

The literature of India, during thick mazes of the
past, has been a source and secret of strength to Hin-
duism. But the deep night of ignorance is passing
away ; and in the future it may supply a potent in-
strument for the overthrow of an ancient and organized
system of error. It contains history that facts dis-
I prove, and theories of the physical universe that science
j completely explodes. The Hindu student, as he comes
to comprehend the leading principles of elementary
I knowledge, discovers the imposture and fabulous
nature i. writings which he once venerated as of in-
disputable authority. The spirit of inquiry thus
awakened led to the conversion of Narayan Sheshadri,
[a gifted Brahman, to whose fervent and fluent utter-
ances many of us have listened with delight. As he
stood one day upon the beach at Bombay, swept into
[a foaming tempest by the fury of the monsoon, a sacred
[legend recurred to his mind. One of the miglity sages
Iwas said to have drunk up all the water of all ihe
loceans of the earth. Was that story credible ? A chill
)f doubt was experienced. Other extravagances of the
shasters came under review. Faith was shaken. In-
[uiry failed to satisfy the understanding. From Brah-
nanism he turned to Christianity. The Bible was
found and felt to be no cunningly devised fable.

THE MACEDONIAN CRT.

Historic and scientific myths, when once disproved,
cannot be re-established. Incongruous elements in the
Hindu system of doctrine and ritual are strangely and
strikingly analogous to the mixture of iron and clay
in the colossal image of Oriental vision ; " Thou sawest
till that a stone was cut out of the mountain without
hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were
of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then was
the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold,
broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of
the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried
them away, that no place was found for them : and
the stone that smote the image became a great moun-
tain, and filled the whole earth."

Temples are a prominent feature of Hinduism.
Benares alone boasts ten thousand splendid fanes.
India is a land of superb and stately structures. The
peerless Taj Mahal, or crown of edifices — a magnificent
mausoleum at Agra — is said to have been " designed
by Titans and finished by jewellers." The Seringham
pagoda, near Trichinopoly, "an awful and indescrib-
ably vast fabric," was erected at a cost equal to that of
St. Paul's. There are several groups of religious build-
ings in the Tanjore district, each one of which involved
an expenditure equal to that of an English cathedral.
Hindu temples, however, have little resemblance to
the ecclesiastical edifices of Christendom. In archi-
tectural idea and outline, they seem to have more in
common with the Hebrew temple at Jerusalem — court
within court, terrace rising above terrace, and a dimin-

HINDUISM AM) THt HLNDUS.

ished central site for the main sanctuary. The space
occupied by a popular idol in India is usually flanked
hy extensive enclosures, comprising several acres. " As
if in unconscious mockery of Divine revealings, the
city of priests and prostitutes, which forms the Vaish-
nava or Savaite temples, lies four-square for a mile on
each side, entered by imposing gateways, and domi-
nated by towers of gigantic height. But as you pass
through court after court to the hideous gloom of the
contemptible sanctuary, and approach the obscene
penetralia, the buildings diminish in size and elabora-
tion."* In the vicinity of a famous idol, numerous
and costly shrines are erected by wealtl^y natives, and
such munificence is deemed to be exceedingly meri-
torious in its character.

But what .shall be said of the idols, in a land that
is wholly given to idolatry ? In addition to m.ore
exalted divinities, the minor gods and goddesses are
all but innumerable. A divine es.sence is supposed to
permeate the visible universe, and the catalogue is
being constantly enlarged. Heavenly bodies, various
productions of the earth, beneficent rivers, the myste-
rious wind, the cloud-capped mountain, the spreading
banyan, the sacred ox, the gamboling monkey, the
noxious reptile, stocks and stones, mean and miscellan-
eous things, fair or foul, angel or demon, through hope
or through fear, find a place in the pantheon. The
I Hindu makes to himself graven images, the likeness

* Life of Dr. Duft', Vol. II., p. I4-).

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

of anything in heaven above, or in the earth beneath,
or in the waters under the earth, and bows down to
them and worships them.

Walls, towers, and gateways of temples, especially
in the south of India, are sculptured with mythologi-
cal groups. They exhibit infamous acts such as are
ascribed to the gods, in whose honor the shrine has
been dedicated. It has been said that if in the midst i
of their quarrels and treacheries, obscenities and atro-
cities, "the gods of the Hindu heaven had been sud-
denly overtaken by a statuary death," these abomin-
able sculptures might be the agglomeration of them
all. No man who has once seen the gates can ever
forget them. It is a strange and hideous sight. " And
then to see groups of children playing before this pile
of sculptured temptation, looking at it, gazing on it,
regarding it as the shrine and embodiment of religion.
It brings a feeling of oppressive sickness. You feel
as if Milton's Belial, the dissolute-'t spirit that fell
were standing by and pointing to that as the audaciou5;
monument of a victory he won over everything pure
in man. *

India is the land of pilgrimages. It has numerous
cities and shrines and streams of reputed sanctity:
and for the sake of penance, ablution, or some cere-
monial observance, multitudes of people are perpetu-
ally on the move. At the great annual festivals, in
honor of popular idols, thousands of pilgrims throng

'-I

* Arthur's Misfiion to the MyAore, Methodixt Mafjaziiii', 184(5, p. iSSi

ai
ofl

HINDUISM AND THE HINDUS.

ziiir, 184(), p. 584j

to the temple service. Many of these are weary-
wanderers after rest. Waters of sacred rivers are
regarded as efficacious for the cleansing of moral pol-
lution ; and, as the most magniticent river, the Ganges
is thought to be specially and signally potent for the
purification of the soul. As a means of salvation, or
for the accumulation of merit, a Hindu achieves
immense feats of devotion. Think of a pilgrim
starting from the source of the Ganges, traversing the
river to its mouth, measuring the same distance on the
opposite bank, and getting back to the starting-point
at the end of six years ! But what can protracted
penance avail ? " Thou desirest not sacrifice, else
would I give it."

Sacrificial offerings are prescribed in the brahmanas,
and amongst some tribes human sacrifices are still
deemed efficacious and meritorious. An American
missionary furnishes a vivid description of a sanguin-
arv scene which he witnessed, and of its surround-
ings. The ceremony was performed in the night. A
hurried booth had been constructed for the idol.
Solitary lights threw deeper shadows into the back-
ground. The god was garlanded with flowers. Sacred
ashes were supplied to the devotees, for the purpose
of rubbing their heads and bodies. Strange noises,
through the trilling of the tongue, were made by the
women of the crowd. Fowls and sheep were slain.
The offerers of the sacrifices, bearing their bleeding
and quivering victims, hurried out into the darkness
I of the night. No wonder there was a deepened desire

4Wi

THE MACEDONIAN CRY

to make known to those dark idolaters the efficacy of
the one great Sacrifice, and to point them to Him who
is " the propitiation for our sins : and not for ours
only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

The spirit of Brahmanism is hard and cruel in the
extreme. Until disallowed by Government, its dire
precepts were remorselessh^ inculcated, and no act
was considered more acceptable to the gods than that
of voluntary suffering. Torture is deemed meritorious
in proportion to its intensity. In former times, a
\/oman that offered herself for the funeral pile, on the
death of her husband, won a bright record. When
Ch^istianitv commenced its beneficent mission in India,
ten thousand widows were annually burnt to death.
Tho eminent Serampore missionary, Dr. Carey, on
attempting an organized movement for the abolition
of the suttee, found that within a circle of thirty miles
around Calcutta, during a period of three months
there had been no less tha,n three hundred such im-
molations. Mothers worshipped the goddess of mur-
der, and, under the influence of dread superstition,
laid their hapless infants on the bleeding altars of
their superstition. Aged and helpless parents were
carried to the banks of some sacred river, and left
there to die. By wildly prostrating themselves be-
neath the wheels of the ponderous car of Juggernaut,
multitudes committed suicide. Mangled bodies were
supposed to appease the dread divinities. We still re-
member the missionary appeal :

HINDUISM AND THE HINDUS.

jfficacy of
Him who
b for ours
Id."
uel in the
t, its dire
id no act
I than that
neritorious
ir times, a
pile, on the
rd. When
on in India,
t to death.
Carey, on
le abolition
ihirty miles
■ee months
Id such im-
ss of mur-
uperstition,
<T altars of
irents were
^r, and left
iselves be-
rusfnernaut,
Dodies were
IWe still re-

;.':st:

" Light on the Hindu shed.
The maddening idol train !
The flame of the suttee is dire and red.

And the fakir faints with pain ;
The dying moan on their cheerless bed,
By the Ganges laved in vain."

But, mainly as the result of public opinion, created
by Christian mis.sionaries, a great and growing change
has been effected. Suttee fires have been extingui.shed.
Infanticide has been abolished. The madness of pros-
tration beneath the cruel and crushing wheels of an
idol-car is prohibited. Hindu gods wait in vain for
their prescribed libations of blood. Dark and horriljle
practices, " which the edicts and energies of such em-
perors as Akbar and Aurungzebe could not restrain,
tremble before the cross of Christ." Facts such as
these, well brought out in " the Land of the Veda," mark
the progress of the mission movement in Hindustan,
and the beneficent changes that are passing over -the
people of that great country.

Caste is a distinctive and enormous feature and
wrong of the Hindu system. This pernicious law, in
all probability, had its origin in social inequalities.
Between the proud Aryan conqueror and the despised
aborigines of the soil, at the formative period of
Brahmanism, there must have been a broad l)arrier
of social grade. Religion, instead of bridging the
extremes, dug a deep trench. A great gulf was fixed.
" Now the Indian system of caste is simply a vast and
prolonged attempt to substitute artificial for natural
distinctions, to create and perpetuate hard and fast

THE MACKDONIAN CRY.

lines of separation between the various orders of so-
ciety, and the occupations, privileges, dignities, per-
taining to them. It caught society at a point where
liistorical causes had led to certain social divisions of
rank and occupation, and it petrified these divisions
for all coming time."* Through the operation of caste
the Hindu people are distributed into separate classes,
and must remain distinct from birth to dea^h. The
presumptuous pride of the priest, and the utter hope-
lessnsss of the pariah, are alike intensified and stereo-
typed by the force and fixity of immemorial usage.
There cannot be alleviations or release. This iron
law forms an essential part of the Brahmanical system,
and may be regarded as the real test of Hinduism.
Religion ought to be a cementing principle and a bond
of union between man and man. But here it produces
alienation, and operates as an engine of despotisnj.
The'tyranny of this law tells with terrible effect upon
the social life of the people. A man of high rank may
lo.se caste, and then the place that knew him can
know him no more.

But the outcasts of India are most to be pitied. In
many districts of the country, until recently, they
were an excluded people ; not permitted to reside in
the city, to mingle with the crowd in the street, to
listen to the reading of sacred books, or even to ask
for charity at the street doors. There has been a slow
and slight relaxation of former stringency, and the

Dr. Caird, Oriental li>digioiUi, Huinb. Lib., p. 11.

HINDUISM AND THK HINDUS.

pariah is permitted to reside in an inferior corner of
the town or village. But think of the de^^jradation !
An outcast cannot come into contact with more favored
mortals of his own race and kindred. There is a
thought continually forced upon him, that his touch is
pollution, and that his presence is intolerable. Some
hateful thing makes him an object of loathing and
contempt. This man, created of God, redeemed by the
precious blood of Christ, endowed with exalted moral
and spiritual capabilities, and destined to immortality,
is made to feel a sense of immeasurable humiliation.
And even this baseness of condition does not exhaust
the sum of his misery. Degradation must be trans-
mitted to his children, and to his children's children.
As far as he knows, there is no power in heaven or
earth to release him from the curse, or to arrest the
entail of sorrow and woe. Shall the Macedonian cry
of the Hindu outcasts be unheeded ? Through untold
miseries,

" They call us to deliver
Their land from error's chain. "

The ramification of such an institution can be easily
imagined. Masses are held together by a chain, the
links of which it has taken ages to forge and rivet.
Every man is bound by the law of universal cohesion.
A Hindu, unless he wrench himself from all the ties of
national and social life, can only move as Ins caste
moves. In this fact may be found a serious obstruc-
tion to the prosecution of Christian work in India.
" What will become of mv caste ?" " Will not the pro-

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

posed step endanj^er my caste ? " " Are not the mis-
sionaries resolved to break' up my caste?" These
burning questions arc inevitably forced to the front.
At every point the subject touches Hindu thought
and probes it to its very heart. But this adhesive-
ness of the social structure has an aspect of hopeful-
ness. Even the severance of asincjle individual causes
a jar through the complete fabric, and the impact of
multiplied conversions must be productive of far-
reaching results. If the pretensions of caste could be
tolerated, the Brahman allowed to take supreme posi-
tion, and inferior grades maintained, converts to
Christianity would be rapidly increased, and the statis-
tics of missions run into new and larjjer columns. But
the Church of Christ cannot recognize any law of caste.
" There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond
nor free, there is neither male nor female : for ye are
all one in Christ." There must be no compromi.se.
Brahman and Sudra have to bow before the same
altar, and to meet at the one communion.

" The chain of caste is broken," exclaimed the first
of Carey's converts, " and who shall mend it r Two
years later a Brahman surrendered his sacred thread,
and another link was severed. The scheme has been
devised with subtle and inferital ingenuity ; but,
through the touch of spiritual power, and the influence
of a Christian civilization, fetters shall fall away, and
the hardness of steel be dissolved.

Indirect ajjencies have done a good work in India.
Opportunities afforded by the last famine were signal-

HINDUISM AND THE HINDUS.

ized bv noble deeds of kindness. Hinduism was
placed in manifest and humiliating contrast to the
Christian religion. Brahmans were consulted in the
dire extremity. Wealth was lavished at the shrines
of heathen gods. Ceremonial rites were scrupulously
observed. Heathen help was fervently implored. But
ritualistic service was all in vain. The heavens were
as brass. Priests were impotent men. There was
none to heed the suppliant's cry. In that hour of sore
need, Christianity, as an angel of love and pity, moved
through the land, and ministered to the sufferers.

A movement for the education of the women of
India tends to social revolution. It has long been the
battle-ground of evangelistic enterprise. The avowal
of such a purpose, in direct opposition to the beliefs
and habits of ages, had to encounter an excited and
indignant feeling. But missionary intrepidity was
not to be shaken. A marked and manifest change has
recently found expression in public and popular
opinion and sentiment. Solid ramparts of superstition
and prejudice have been fairly pierced. An immense
impetus has been given to social progress. Bound up
with this organized effort are the hopes and happiness
of untold and unborn millions. One of the most
thrilling of Oriental stories is that of Rama rescuing
his beautiful bride from the clutches of Ravannah, the
demon-king. Hanuman, the son of the wind, dis-
covered her prison-hou.se, and gave assurance of deliver-
ance. At the suggestion of Hanuman, Rama drew a
bow, and sent it to the monster's heart. The power

THt MACEDONIAN CRY.

of darkness was (U'stroyed. Sita, the princess, was led
forth from captivity to share her husband's throne. A
warfare has been commenced for the rescue of the
sorrowful zenana captive. Dungeon walls are thickly
beleagurcd. Sharp are the arrows froi e polished
(juiver of the mighty archer. Demons c superstition
are surely doomed. India's beautiful daughter, rescued
from a long and foul imprisonment, .shall be brought
into the light and blessedness of a new and purer life.
Redeemed by Christ Jesus, robed in righteousness, the
ransomed one shall .share in coronation splendour and
triumph : " She shall be brought to the king in raiment
of needlework : the virgins, her companions that follow
her, shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and
rejoicing shall she be brought: they sh^ 11 enter into
the king's palace."

An extraordinary intellectual movement also ranks
among the signs of the times in India. Keshub
Chunder Sen and other cultured and non-Christian
Hindus are leaders of the new faith. A general sanction
is given to revealed truth, and recognition is freely
accorded to the labors of missionaries. Idolatry is
renounced, and caste rejected. Hope has long been
cherished that this uprising of mind would receive a
spiritual baptism, and be brought under the influence
of Christianity. " Our hearts are touched," said Chun-
der Sen, a .splendid rhetorician, " conquered, overcome
by a higher power ; and that power is Christ : Christ,
not the Briti.sh Government, rules India ! None but
Christ deserves the precious diadem of the Indian

niNonsM ANh thk Hindus.

crown, a!i(l In* shall hav«» it." But, notwith.standin<]f
sucli lirilliant and impassioned utterances, it is apparent
tliat the reformation has run to the extreme of ration-
alism. A hymn of the " new dispensation " crystallizes
characteristic tenets : " Many a Yogi and Riisln, many
a saint and devotee, have dispen.sed the true religion.
Ancient teachers, the great leaders of mind and
moulders of thought, Shiva and Shuka Chitanya,
whose .soul was the storehouse of God's love, Muni
antl Moses, Jesus and Mohammed, form one holy
family of .saints. All the.se are honored, the objects
of deepest reverence. But no one can stand in the
place of God, as a mediator or incarnation." Brah-
moism has been called a Christianity without (yhrist.
As represented by the Somaj, or by the new dispensa-
tion, it cannot be a regenerative power for India.

One of the saddest th(<nghts in connection with the
present intellectual feniic/it of the Hindu mind, is the
drift towards a dark and dreary sea of unbelief. Old
crtM^ls are being undermined. Structures of an im-
mense antiquity are in the process of upheaval. But
many advanced students, in the abandonment of their
ancestral religion, fail to reach the solid ground of
evangelical belief. Rationalism is the natural and
legitimate outcome of a purely secular education.
From the complete course of Government instruction,
up to the present time, there has been a rigid exclusion
of the distinctive teachings of revealed truth. There
is nothing in the pages of Bain or Mill, or of any text-
book of Western .science, to guide a perplexed and

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

eager iiKjuirer to him who is "the way, and the truth,
and the life." A syllogi.srn cannot resolve the problem
of sin or of salvation. Teachers are not permitted to
encourage the idea that Christianity must supplant
Hinduism, that Christ Jesus should be preferred to
Krishna, or that " the blood of .sprinkling " is more
eflicacious for moral and spiritual cleansing than the
waters of the Ganges. " Launched out," says a recently
returned missionary, "on a shoreless sea of speculation,
cut clean from the old mooring, .sent adrift o'er a
perilous ocean of bewilderment, with no surer guide
than scientific text- books, the present state of some
will warrant the assertion that but a few years will
sec the rocks of downright infidelity strewn with the
shattered and battered wrecks of some of India's finest
and Yioblest .sons."

The Hindu mind is in transition. Fears have been
expressed as to the result. But there is good reason
to believe that the movement is in the direction of a
purer faith. Missions are not to be measured by mere
statistics. Progress is not limited to the facts of indi-
vidual conversion. Idolatries of Eastern cities and
sacred centres are buttressed and fortressed on every
side. Seams and rents, produced by undermining,'
operations, can scarcely be expected to reveal soon or
suddenly the crumbling weakness of such a structure.
It may be that the faith and patience of missionaries,
and of people by whom the enterprise is sustained,
shall be yet more sorely tested. But there cannot be
a doubt as to the future and final result. A wedge,

HINDUISM AND THE HINDUS.

that ensures ultimate dissolution, has been inserted
into the compact mass of ^rror and superstition.
Christianity is piercing the Brahmanical system to its
very heart. Many are beginning to realize the folly
and futility of idol worship. Heathen hearts are
yearning for an unknown good. Evangelistic work
is licing pron)oted by a hundred unconscious and un-
connected agencies. Processes of which no immediate
account can be taken are everywhere in active and
vigorous operation. A thousand avenues are being
cleared for the entrance of new and ameliorating ideas
and elements. Two million of boys, the men of the
future, receive instruction in secular and mission
schools. " The Hindu mind," says the historian of
tlie nineteenth century, " is awaking from the ."^leep
of as^es." It is the belief of Sir Charles Trevef\'an
that "when the absorption of truth has goncj far
[enough, native opinion will declare itself, and a nation
jbe born in a day." Every other faith, according to
the competent testimony of Sir Herbert Edwards, is
hlecaying, and " Christianity alone is beginning to run
its course." " The time is not far distant," spoke a
Brahman to a Jatrapore missionary, " when your
jreligion will be our religion, and your God our God.
\lt mud covie to that."

A testimony of exceptional value, in regard to this
iRubject of transition, may be given at greater length.
iThe Right Hon. W. E. Baxter, M.P., since a recent
[visit to India, has given some impressions of what he
witnessed. From the sacred city of Benares, in the

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

Maharajah's state barge, he slowly glided down the
Ganges. The scene could never be forgotten. It was
in the early morning. " The sun had just risen, and
its first rays were tinging the tops of domes and
towers, temples and palaces. Thousands of worship-
pers in bright garments were on the steps leading down
to the sacred streams, while the voices of fakirs, and
the tinkling of cymbals filled the air. Never had he
beheld anything more picturesquely beautiful ; but
this city, like the Athens of the Apostle, was wholly
given to idolatry. Not altogether wholly ! One of
the missionaries deplored the slow progress of the
mission. There were, however, five hundred boys in
its schools; the number of pilgrims was falling off;
the temples were getting into debt ; and, j^ear by year,
as t^e sapping and mining process went on all over
India there was greater liberty experienced in the
proclamation of Christian truth. Colleges and institu-
tions throughout the country, from Lahore to Calcutta,
admirably conducted, were crowded with intelligent
youth, learning the literature and science and religion
of Europe, who would one day become the lights of
Asia. It would be difficult to exaggerate the influence
which these seminaries in the end would exert ; they
might bring about a great social revolution even before
the end of the century." *

The Gospel of Christ is the hope of India. The
Macedonian cry of its teeming millions can only be

Sunday at Home, Nov. 1882, p. 751.

HINDUISM AND THE HINDUS.

down the
m. It was

risen, and
iomes and
)f worship-
3i(Ym^ down

fakirs, and
ver had he
utiful ; but
was wholly
V 1 One of
jress of the
red boys in

falling off;
ear by year.,

on all over
iced in the
and instity-

to Calcutta,
intelligent
and religion

le lights of
,he influence

exert ; they

I even before

met and stayed by the proclamation of a glad evangel :
" The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from
all sin." Missionaries that have lived and labored the
longest beneath that burning sky avow an unbounded
faith in their appointed message. The proud priests of
Brahma can only reijard the doctrine of the cross with
disdain. Occasionally they halt on the outskirts of a
listening crowd, in one of the sacred cities where Hindu-
ism Mtill towers in its strength. Brahmanical pretensions
are denounced, and the fall of the system predicted.
Dark eyes flash with anger. But the appliances of
the preacher, as he points the multitude to " the Lamb
of God which taketh away the sin of the world," seem
to be so unutterably feeble for the work .attempted,
and the apparent impression on the minds of the mass
of the people so very slight, that an expression of
bitterness and hate may be seen to change to some-
thing more of cool and ineffable contempt and scorn.

Yet India has already many witnesses for Jesus.
Conspicuous cases of individual conversion, even in
the citadel centres of the north, contain the pledge and
promise of a future work of God. Redeeming love
melts away the encrustati )ns of spiritual pride.
Through the sweetness and i.jv\'er of saving grace, the
hardness of prejudice is dissolved. Indifterence gives
place to a tender and inexpressible interest in sacred
themes. The subtile controversialist is transformed
into a true and loving disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Even the countenance of a genuine convert tells of an
unuttei'able emotion. There is the gladness of tran-

I i

THE MACEDONIAN CRV,

sition from darkness to light, from doubt to faith and
{i^enuine peace. Calcutta needs exactly the same
gospel as that which St. Paul preached in the proud
city of Corinth : " But we preach Christ crucified, unto
the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks
foolishness ; but unto them which are called, both Jews
and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom
of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than

men

and the weakness of God stronger than men." *

* Hinduism, however, is not the only factor in the problem of
India's evangelization. Fifty millions of people in that land are
followers of the false prophet. The spirit of Mohammedanism has
been embittered by the failure of cherished schemes of conquest.
Ambition burns to found Moslem empire, and to bring l)ack the
proud days and dynasty of the Delhi emperors. To the messenger
of the cross, adherents <»f the Koran are less^ accessible than the
idolaters around them. This is scarcely a matter of surprise. Every-
thing connected with Christianity is intimately identified with the
name and nationality of the conqueror. The bare idea of submission
wounds the pride, revives a sense of humiliation, and excites a
feeling of derision and hate.

5 faith and

the same

the proud

cified, unto

he Greeks

both Jews

he wisdom

wiser than

an men." *

e problem of
hat land are
nedanism has
of conquest,
ing back the
lie messenger
ble than the
rise. Every-
fied with the
if submission
nd excites a

"Rising near the base of the Himalayas and spreading over half
the continent of Asia, and extending to the more populous of the
adjacent islands, Buddhism everywhere takes the tinge of the soil
over which it flows, and the complexion of its adherents is not
more diverse than the aspects which it presents in Thibet and
Tartary, Ceylon and Burmah, China and Japan." — Dr. W. A. P.
Martin.

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

III.

CIVILIZED HEATHENISM: BUDDHISM AND
THE BUDDHISTS.

AN immense tableland stretches over the vast ex-
panse of Central Asia. The plateau of Thiliet,
forming the highest part of this elevation, is traversed
by a stupendous mountain ridge, known by the natives
as " the roof of the world." If from the icy heights
of Pamir, the crowning summit of this ridge, as from
another Pisgah, our vision could sweep the continent,
we should look down upon the most populous lands of
tlie globe. To the north there are the extensive and
almost unexplored territories of Mongolia and Tartary.
On the south, the snow-clad peaks of the Himalayas
pierce the skies, and the roots of everlasting hills
strike down into the glowing and densely-populated
plains of Hindustan. Races and regions of Afghanis-
tan, Persia, and Asiatic Turkey are to the west ; and,
in the direction of the rising sun, beyond the rocks
of Thibet, the almost boundless empire of China
stretches away to distant wall and sea. Through the
greater part of this vast range, in some of its forms.
Buddhism is the prevailing religion. " This great
faith of Asia, in the number of its followers and the
area of its prevalence, surpasses any other form or
creed. Four hundred millions of our race live and

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

die in the tenets of Gautama; and the spiritual
dominions of this ancient teacher extend, at the pre-
sent time, from Nepaul and Ceylon, over the whole
Eastern peninsula, to China, Japan, Thibet, Central
Asia, Siberia, and Swedish Lapland. India itself
might fairly be included in this magnificent empire of
belief ; for though the profession of Buddhism has for
the most part passed away from the land of its birth,
the mark of Gautama's sublime teaching is stamped
ineffaceably upon modern Brahmanism. Forests of
flowers are daily laid upon stainless shrines, and
countless millions of lips daily repeat the formula, /
take refuge in Buddha." *

Millions of Asiatics hear of no Saviour but the
Sakya-muni. To them, according to highest priestly
ideal, he is the joy and gladness of the whole world.
Helpless ones are encouraged to look to him as the
only helper. He is said to be " the dewa of the dewas,
and the brahma of the brahmas." Though great and
powerful, yet he is kind and compassionate. Rich
gifts are believed to be in store for the suppliant who
only softly pronounces the name of the illustrious
Sage, or that, in obedience to sacred inculcation, gives
a few grains of rice for charitv. But what can
highest human strength and resource avail for the
salvation of a sinful race ? O, for the revelation of
Him in whom "dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead
bodily!"

The Light of Asia, Preface.

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

The fouiider of tliis Eastern faith, (Jautama or
"Saddartha styled on earth," according to tradition,
was the son of Suddhodana, a rajah that ruled at
Kapilavastu in the north of India. Because of tribal
pre-eminence, he had the surname of Sakya-nmni ;
and, consequent upon the promulgation of his creed,
lie came to be known as Buddha, the Sage or Enlight-
tuer. Like most Oriental princes, during early life,
he had ample means for sensual gratification. But
su<ldenly the pleasures, immunities, and privileges of
nmk and riches were renounced. He retired to a
solitude. The fact of human depravity and misery
became the subject of profound and prayerful thought.
After a signal victory over the powers of darkness,
according to legends of liis life, and the fiercest as-
saults of pride and passion, Gautama obtained an
extraordinary degree of illumination, and entered
upon a kind of sublime and ethereal existence. He
gave himself up to meditation, and to altsorbing
thought. A new scheme of morality and religion
was evolved and formulated. Leading principles were
emmciated in his first sermon : rij'ht views and hjfjjh
aims, kindly and upright behaviour, a harmless liveli-
hood, perseverance in well-doing, intellectual activity
and earnest thought.

Many of Buddha's maxims are admirable. They
gleam with the light of a traditional truth, widely
disseminated through that part of the world. But
the teachings of Gautama ignore the fact of sin, and
the exceeding sinfulness of sin; and to understand

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

their impotence, as a means of regeneration, we
must look deeper to the heart of the system. The
words of this teacher are not spirit or life. They
constitute a system of philosophy rather than a creed
and standard of spiritual worship. Buddhism was
proposed as a reform of Brahiiianism. Extremes
meet. Brahmanism is said to be faith without know-
lege, a God without morality ; and Buddhism is char-
acterized as "knowledge without faith" and "morality
without God."

There is a prevalent metaphysical notion in the
East that the visible and material universe is but a
transient manifestation of the Supreme Essence ; that
the human soul is an emanation from the eternal
Spirit ; that at some stage of existence, after succes-
sive transmigrations and innumerable miseries and
vexations, the loftiest ideal of life shall be attained ;
that released from individual existence, there shall be
an ultimate union with the essential principle of the
universe :

"Yon cloud which floats in heaven, the prince replied,
Wreathed like gold around your Indra's throne,
Rose thither from the tempest-driven sea ;
But it must fall again in tearful drops,
Trickling through rough and painful water-ways,
By cleft and nullah and muddy flood.
To Gunga and the sea, wherefroni it sprang.
Know'st thou, my brother, if be not thus.
After their many pains, with the saints in bliss ? " *

Thi^ Light of Asia, Lib. Mag., Vol. 3rd, p. 280.

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

This central idea of Oriental philosophy, from the
force of reaction, seems to have furnished the germ of
Buddha's doctrinal scheme. Earnestly the Sage
looked for deliverance from mundane and mortal
miseries. Some alleviation there was in the accepted
belief of the transmigration of souls. But there was
a current theory that even the multitude of gods
could not obtain exemption from the pain and uncer-
tainties of change. It was understood that, at the
will of the Supreme, the most exalted divinities were
liable to alternate and successive periods of creation
and absorption. The creature is subject to bondage.
Aggregate of action in previous states and stages of
existence, for which there may have been little or no
responsibility, determines the nature of subsequent
birth and life. The insect, that perishes at the close
of the summer noon, may enshrine the soul of a
former inhabitant of earth. Humanity may be reborn
as a radiant angel, or the reverse of such process may
be the result of transmigration. This consideration
drove Gautama to sheer atheism, and led him to deny
Supreme existence. There was no such Being in the
universe. A new theory was propounded. "Existence
is sutiering." " Human passion is the cause of exist-
ence." But, through obedience to the laws of life,
"the destruction of human passion may be obtained ;"
and, "by the extinction of passion, existence may be
brought to an end." Means and methods are minutely
prescribed to facilitate the process. Austerities and
ceremonies are appointed, and the mortification of self

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

is rigidly enforced. Retirement from the world, some-
what after the manner of medioeval monasticism, finds
abundant encouraijement, and is deemed to be exceed-
ingly helpful to a saintly life. Immunities of the
flesh are to be subdued, and vile necessities of appetite
and passion strangled and slain. Each lust of the
soul, as well as of the body, must be thoroughly
mortified. The mind should be urged to abstraction.
Nature will then yield up her deepest secrets.
Through severity of self-abnegation the blessedness
of Nirvanii shall be attained.

To make sure that man ^in this world shall not
reappear, under any new form of illusion and misery,
the very elements of spiritual existence are to be
extinguished. Personality must be utterly destroyed.
Every root and tendril of desire and affection con-
nected with the idea and anticipation of perpetuated
and oonscious life have to be sternly extii-pated and
severed from the soul. Meditation and absolute
abstraction of thought and feeling are the gateways
and avenues through which the Buddhist attains to
the ultimate and coveted unity and rest ; the fulness
and felicity, as he dreams, of perfect and complete un-
consciousness, a blessedness without emotion, thought,
or sense. That creed makes it bettpv '^^>* ^ 'le. The
follower of Buddha is taught t ni a Ufeles.s.

nameless, sinless, stirless res tl can know

no change. To make sure o i he d( outl} -wished-for
consummation, the process must 1 gin here, and the
mind be elevated to the level of a law under whioh

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

impulae and desire shall be utterly repressed. Com-
pleteness of renunciation leads to the desired goal.
Everything of earthly passion and purpose is forever
extinguished. The life of man, according to a favourite
simile, resembles an Indian lamp. " As tlame cannot
exist without oil, so individual existence depends on
the cleaving to low and earthly things. If there is
no oil in the lamp it will go out.'* *

But what is the Nirvana of this philosophical
sclieme ? What shall be the Jinale or ultimate condi-
tion of the soul — trance or nihilism, absorption or
extinction ? Shall life be exhaled like the dew from
the lotus leaf at sunrise, or absorbed as the ruin-drop
that "slips away into the shining sea?" Must con-
sciousness fade out in the .same manner as the flicker-
ing riame of a lamp that can never be re-lighted ?
The word " nirvana," according to various exponents
of the Buddhist doctrine, may be understood to mean
" without blowing," an eternal quiescence, " a state of
calm which no breath of wind disturbs ;" or it may
mean " blowing out," as the extinguishing of a liglit,
the complete extinction of being. Dr. Caird does not
liesitate to pronounce that " this heaven of the Budd-
liists contains in it, at least explicitly, no positive
element such as we express by the words moral and
spiritual perfection, but is neither more nor less than
absolute annihilation." i*

* Bwldhism, Rhys Davis, p. 114.
t Orkntal lhHtjion.'<, Huuibolt Lib., p. 24.

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

Such is pure Buddhism 1 It recognizes no Divine
Personality, and it leaves man without God and with-
out hope in the world. Personality would be regpTded
as a defect. Deity is an abstraction. Heart and flesh
cry out in vain for the living God. Prayer is useless,
and the idea of propitiation a delusion. Humanity is
orphaned and desolate. There is no ear tu I. ear, no
heart to sympathize, no arm to save. Weakness can-
not take hold upon strength. Lips of supplication are
sealed. The heavens are as brass. Gautama " chokes
the cry" of the helpless human soul. The more
thoroughly a disciple or devotee of this much-vaunted
system accepts its teachings and theories, the farther
does he drift away from the idea of a living, personal
God, and from the consolation and strength of a Divine
Fatherhood.*

Sutras abound with generous phrases. The scheme
of Sakya-muni extols brotherhood and charity, benefi-
cence and alm.sgiving ; 1 it, in practical life, all these
exhortations are neutralized. The .spirit of the system,
not^vithstanding the glow of beautiful precept, tends
to utter and intense selfishness. It isolates man from
society. Abstraction is urged, and tender impulses are
extinjT^uished. Transcendental idealism and the life of
a monk or hermit are incompatible with the deeds and
demands of an active and practical philanthropy.

Buddhism, at its best, is not only atheistic and selfish

* ' ' Buddha recognizes no .supreme deity ; in only God, he affirmed,
is what man himself can become." — IJiiHluium, Monier Williams,
p. 170.

<i I

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

in its teachings and tendencies, but its votaries are
destitute of any inspiring and ennobling hope. In
regard to the great questions of human origin and
destiny, it is a sunless, starless, rayless religion. Its
jiiuch-lauded nirvana is a mere vagary, a poetical idea,
a boautiful dream, and can never ar'^'li the stormy sky
of human life with the mafrniticent bow of an immortal
hope. What a contrast to the fulness of joy, the home
of the many mansions, the companionship of angels
and glorified saints, the blessedness of the beatific
vision, the rapture of endless praise, and the perpe-
tuitv of bliss, which Christianity reveals ! Buddhism
>j;lories in the extinction of personality and of every
capacity for eternal life. But, through the light and
spiritual power of a nobler and purer revelation and
i\'ligion, transcending the speculations of the Sakya-
uumi, an eminent Oriental saint exulted in hope : " For
I know that mj- Redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the earth : ancl though
after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in mv
riesh shall I see God : whom I shall see for myself, and
mine eyes shall behold, and not another."

The Buddhist reformation besjjan in the holy city of
Benares, Northern India, about five centuries Ijefore
the Christian era. Gautama was an enthusiastic and
intrepid missionary, and his tenets were promulgated
with a zeal and success that have never been exhibited
or achieved by the emissaries of any other heathen
religion. The new faith conquered the Himalayan
countries, took possession of Ceylon, and penetrated to

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

Thibet, the empire of China, and the islands of Japan.
Through contact or amalgamation with other Asiatic
and idolatrous systems and religions, Buddhism has
been greatly modified. An attempt has been made to
define the doctrines of the Eastern Sage ; but, in modern
and prevalent Buddhism, there is very much that its
philosophic founder would fail to recognize, and more
that he would probably refuse to acknowledge. " Hav-
ing been adopted by very savage and very civilized
people — the wild hordes on the cold table-lands of
Nepaul, Tartary and Thibet ; the cultured Chinese and
.Japanese in their varying climes; and the quiet Sin-
halese and Siamese, under the palm groves of the
south — it has been so modified by the national char-
acteristics of its converts, that it has developed into
stranoelv inconsistent and even antafjonistic beliefs."*
The purest type of Buddhism is now to be found in
Ceylon. That island is regarded as the holy land of
Asia. Thrice it was visited by Buddha in person.
There his discourses were first committed to writing.
The central mountain peak of that island, it is afiirmed,
still b ars the impress of the Sage's foot. Nowhere
else, in our time, has heathenism exhibited so nmch of
vitality and of the spirit of aggressiveness. A keen
controversy has for many years been carried on be-
tween Buddhist priests and Christian missionaries.
An early incident of the dispute, as narrated by Spence
Hardy, shows the temper of Buddha's champions, and

• Biddhisni, Rhys Davis, p.

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

the ease and effectiveness with which they wield their
polished weapons. In connection with one of the
tjfreat heathen festivals, a number of slips were printed
at tlie mission press, and distributed among the pil-
ifriiiis on their way to the chief temple. The first of
these leaflets announced " Important information," and
contained an emphatic passage : " We know that an
idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none
other God but one." An immediate reply was pro-
duced. The rejoinder was affixed to a tree, near one
of the main thoroughfares, where it was read by thou-
sands. " We know," was the retort, " that there is no
Ifod who is the giver of all good, and who lives for ever,
existing in time ppst, present, and to come ; and that
none but Buddha is the creator and the donor of all
sorrow-destroying tranquility." A second publication
in the missionary series was headed " Good news," and
contained an epitome of the whole gospel : " For God
so \o\vj\ the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, tliat whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
hut have everlasting life." The counterpart of this
announcement was to the effect that another glorious
incarnation appealed to the faith and gratitude of the
people : " The present Buddha .so much, so infinitely
pitied Maraya, and all beings in every world, that
resolving to become Buddha, he came down from '
heaven ; though, on approaching the seat of Buddha-
ship, his design was oppose<l by the Dewa Maraya and
his host -. yet, having conquered and put him to flight,
he became supreme Buddha, in order that all that

aaa

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

believe him should not perish but obtain the happiness
of nirvana." The third missionary declaration was
entitled, " Divine instruction." It affirmed that " there
is one God, and one mediator between God and man,
the man Christ Jesus." An answer found equal pub-
licity : " He who delights in the glorious sermons of
the all-wise Buddha, more divine than the gods, who
receives no false doctrine, and who perseveres in the
performance of tlie meritorious actions, shall obtain
divine and human enjoyments, with all other eternal
blessings." Discussions in Ceylon have been marked
by eminent ability. Men of literary and scholarly
distinction have contended skilfully for the Christian
faith, but among the champions of the heathen creed
they have found foemen worthy of their steel.*

A special prominence, for good reason, has been
assigned to these facts of the Buddhist controversy.
Ceylon is the consecrated centre of this religious
system, and the ground on which it can be studied to
the best advantage. Throughout Central Asia there
is a current tradition that from the holy island great
changes are to be introduced into the popular faith.
Whatever happens at that sacred spot makes its in-
fluence felt in every part of the Buddhist world. It
would bo impossible for us not to feel a thrill of in-
terest in any of those movements that touch the hopes

* A native Wesley an missionary, Rev. David de .Silva, "well read
both in Pali and Sanskrit," was the representative of Cli.'istianity in
the latest public Budtlhist controversy, in Ceylon, 187.'^.

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

or fears and mould the lives of so many millions of
our fellowmen.

Buddhism has been a perpetual blight and no bless-
ing to Ceylon. For ages it has been the dominant
faith. There has been ample time for the fullest ex-
periment. No region could be more favourable or
fitting for its development. It signally adapts itself
to each surrounding scene. Floral offerings are the
special demand for Gautama's service of worship ; and
in this island everlasting spring abides. Flowers are
in constant bloom. Ceylon is " the resplendent," the
fairest " gem of the Indian Ocean," end " the brightest
pearl on the brow of India." From central peak to
tlie border of its snow-white coral, the land is pen-
cilled in lines of soft and exquisite beauty. Language
fails to depict the charm and fascination of scenery
and climate. In the midst of mingled grandeur and
loveliness, perfumed by the fragrance of cinnamon
groves, Buddhism has erected its stately temples.
Through gorgeous grounds, avenues of palms and
other tropical foliage, the worshippers pass into the
spacious sanctuaries of idolatry. Yellow-robed priests
chant the doctrines of their national creed. But meta-
physical subtleties are not comprehended by the mass
of tlie people ; and even moral inculcations have but
little practical influence upon their hearts or lives.
Men and women place briglit garlands upon the altar,
and bow before imai^es of hard and liideous form and
feature. '?here is no p(jwer to regenerate and save.
A stanza of Heber's liynm, written in the early days
of missionary enterprise, still tells the sad story : —

72 THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

"What though the spicy breezes

Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle ;
Though every prospect pleases,

And only man is vile ;
In vain, with lavish kindness,

The gifts of God are strewn ;
The heathen in his blindness

Bows down to wood and stone."

l^uddhisin is the dominant religion of the large
territory known as Cochin China. This peninsula,
situated between China and India, and influenced by
the civil and religious movements of both empires,
with a numerous and mixed population, forms an im-
portant mission field. The great Baptist missionary,
.ludson, entered Burmah in 1818. Seven years he and
his companions toiled in Rangoon before a single con-
vert clieered their hearts or blessed their work. In
this land the Buddhistic system is at its worst. But
the faith and intrepidity of the great pioneer were
never shaken. Three vears after the commencement
of the mission, signs of impatience began to be mani-
fested by the people at home. " If they ask," he wrote,
" what prospect of ultimate success is there ? tell them,
as much as there is in an almighty and faithful God,
who will perform his promise, and no more." The
work was heroically begun, and it has been nobly sus-
tained, crowned with a magnificent success.

The kingdom of Siam is pre-eminently a stronghold
of Buddliism. Beyond the rest of Asia it is distin-
guished for splendid temples and gigantic statues.
Stupendous superstition obtains an undisputed suprem-

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS,

acy over national feeling and sentiment. From palace
to hovel the same religion prevails. The king, before
his coronation, must don the yellow robe ; and the
bridegroom, before receiving his bride, must wear the
same symbol. All associations and relationships of
life are penetrated, pervaded, and shadowed, by the
rites and requirements of this idolatrous and degrading
sj'stem.

Buddhism has conquered the rocky region in the
centre of the Asiatic continent. The mountains of
Tibet abound with temples, monasteries, and other
religious institutions. It is said that not less than
eighty thousand lamas, or Buddhist priests, are sup-
ported at the expense of the Government. Nowhere
does monstrous superstition exert a more baleful in-
tiuonce. True to the spirit of an heroic and historic
past, the Moravians have planted their latest mission
(•n the high lands of this interior and almost inac-
cessible country. For the first time, the sacred Scrip-
tures have been translated into the languacje of the
people. God grant that the handful of corn thus
sown upon the top of the mountains may be fruitful
as Lebanon, and that it may speedily flourish like
grass of the earth !

China, " the Gibraltar of heathenism," also renders
supreme homage to Buddha. Oriental religions, in
their interlacings, are frequently intricate and difficult
to trace. This is particularly the case in the Chinese
empire. The earliest faith, as far as can be ascertained,
in that part of Asia, was a plain and simple belief in
6

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

the Supreme Being, creator of the heavens and the
earth, and tlie heneficent and bountiful giver of all
daily blessings. Monotheism was gradually obscured
by materialistic worship — that of woods and rivers,
hills and clouds. To this, as another distinguishing
feature, was added the worship of ancestors. About
five or six centuries before Christ, Lao-tze, an eminent
teacher, propounded an elaborate system of philosophy;
but, while failing to influence the masses through the
medium of intellect, he encouraged polytheism and
gross superstition. Thus he contributed greatly to
the deepening of the spiritual gloom, and to the de-
generacy of public worship. A still greater name in
China is that of Confucius. For nearly twenty-five
centuries the speculations and inculcations of this
illustrious Sage have wielded a potent influence in
that most populous land of the globe. Once a year,
in official and representative character, accompanied
by principal members of the court, the emperor of
China renders national homage in the temple in Peking.
" Confucius." he exclaims, " how great is Confucius ! "
The system of this venerated teacher, however, was a
philosophy rather than a religion. His aim is thought
to have been to rescue a primitive and comparatively
pure religion from the corruptions of Taoism, to estab-
lish a rational worship, and to secure good government
for the people. The central and controlling idea of
Confucianism is that of subordination — of the wife to
the husband, of the child to the parent, and of the
subject to the sovereign. Obedience, if perfect, accord-

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

ing to the original theory, would develop the five
fundamental virtues : benevolence, uprightness, de-
corum, knowledge, and faithfulness. But the Sage of
Cliina failed to comprehend an inevitable law of fallen
liuman nature : " When I would do good, evil is present
with m(\" Hence the radical defect, and consetpiont
failure, of the much-lauded system of morality. Theory
was perfect. It is questionable if anything finer than
the higher precepts of Confucius has ever emanated
fi'om any human source. But sublime inculcation was
weak through the flesh.

Early in the Christian era Buddhism was promul-
pited in China, and may now be regarded as fch«i
popular, if not the established, religion of the empire.
It is difficult, however, to run any clear line of Chinese
holief. Creeds are amalgamated, and worship is mixed.
A Chinaman may hold three religions, if such they can
ho called, at one and the same time. Confucianism,
Taoism and Buddhism are mingled in various propor-
tions. The result is not a satisfactory one. There
lias been a long and continuous process of deteriora-
tion. Even Buddhism has degenerated. "It has never
surmounted its environments, but, like organisms low
in the scale of life, suffered those environments to
modify its form, to tone down its abnormities, to elimi-
nate elements too offensive to national taste and pre-
judices, and to incorporate other elements foreign to
its constitution, yet essential to its survival." * Were

Paper by Rev. F. T. Masters, Canton, 18S2.

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

the Sakya-muni to return to earth, especially to those
temples which hear his name in eastern and central
Asia, he woiiM scarcely pronounce a benediction on
priest or people. Degrading idolatries ohtain the sanc-
tion of the system, are sustained by the name and
prestige of national worship, and almost everything in
the form of an image or idol finds a place in Buddhist
ceremonial and service.

Until forty years ago China was hermetically sealed.
In that fact there may have been a providential design.
The aggressive and conquering spirit of mo'lern mis-
sions was preceded by days of spiritual feebleness.
Overflowings of Chinese depravity might then have
been sufficient to swamp all Christendom. It is always
a great shock to the feelings of a Christian man or
woman to be brought for the first time into contact
with the institutions and immoralities of China, into
which India has also poured so much of foulness and
corruption. An interview with one or two mission-
aries, acquainted with coast and interior of the coun-
try, more than satisfies us in regard to the moral and
spiritual condition of the teeming millions of people.
China is one of the oldest countries in the world. It
has long had the advantage of science and literature.
Civilization is splendid. Education and other resources
have been utilized and fully tested. But in spite of
all this culture, it has, we are told, " become morally
and socially worse and worse, until the first chapter
of Romans describes its condition, as though written
by a Chinaman." Testimony is all to the same pur-

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

pose. We are assured that only personal contact can
enable us to " realize how unutterably evil and miser-
able a thing heathenism is," and that " only One fully
knows this." The Macedonian cry is intense and
piercing, as when the heathen of Europe called to St.
Paul, in the night-vision, " Come over and help us."

But signs of a good and gracious character are be-
tdnnintif to cheer the watchers and workers in that
land. Missionaries are the men who know the country
best, and they are hopeful in regard to the result.
Traditional customs and beliefs will doubtless strive
hard for the mastery, but the gospel must prevail.
There is something better than Buddhism in store for
China. Even the ancient Sage of the empire, through
some snatch of Messianic prediction it may V)e, caught
a glimpse of a brighter day : " In process of time a
Holy One will be born, who will redeem the world.
The nations will wait for him as the fading flowers
desire the summer rain. He will be born of a virgin,
and his name will be called the Prince of Peace. China
will be visited by his glory." Then shall the sacred
prophecy have its accomplishment : " And these sliall
come from far : and, lo, these from the north and the
west ; and these from the land of Sinim."

Buddhism is the popular religion of Japan, ''the
land of the rising sun." That country, with its thirty-
live millions of people and a rapidly-advancing civiliza-
tion, is destined probably to be the Great Britain of
the Asiatic world. Shintoism, a kind of political and
patriotic system, combining homage to the reigning

THK MACEDONIAN CRY.

sovereign witli a form of ancestral worship, is the
ancient Japanese religion, and until recently obtained
State recognition. But there is little in it to meet or
satisfy any of the instincts or aspirations of the human
soul, and it now numbers comparatively few adherents.
Buddhism is the religion of the mass. In 18G9 it was
represented by one hundred and sixty-eight thousand
priests, and a vast number of temples and monasteries.
But the Government has recently abolished the reli-
gious department of public service. This change, it is
hoped, " will result in the final disendowment and
overthrow of the old religions of the land."

A great change is passing over Japan. Her gates
are being opened widely for the introduction of West-
ern ideas. But religions, deeply founded in national
sentiment, venerable by antiquity, buttressed by im-
mense revenues, may not be expected to succumb
readily to any rival. Adherents of an ancient system
are not likely all at once to lose their faith in former
guides. But that land of the sunrise needs a purer
faith. Buddhism is responsible for very much of its
darkness and superstition. It is not easy to lift the
veil from the darker aspects even of civilized heathen-
ism. When the first student from Japan was resident
in the United States, a gentleman showed him an ex-
quisitely formed and richly ornamented Japanese vase.
It was regarded as a superb work of art, and a credit
to the land of its production. He was asked to explain
the mystic and elaborate characters and designs by
which it was covered. But he had to remain silent,

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

for it displayed tlie deep shame of liis country. That
beautifully wrought work of heathen Japan exhihit(*d
" scenes and inscriptions breathing out impurity." No
wonder he longed for the gospel. It alone can lift
them " from the immoralities that pervade the land,
and leave a stain on all they touch." But a new sun
has risen ; and as foul things shrink from the light,
che shadows of a long, deep night shall ilee away.

The ports of Japan were opened to trade in 1854,
and her doors to missionaries in 1869. The political
changes which preceded and produced this remarkable
revolution could not be regarded as the result of human
foresight and wisdom. The Japanese have been, un-
consciously on their part, led to a consummation of
which, at the outset, they never dreamed. It has been
as in the vision of the Hebrew prophet. The mystic
chariot of providential movement, as seen at Chebar,
was wide in its sweep. There was an apparently
complicated motion, as of " a wheel in the middle of a
wheel." But the wheels of revolution were guided by
infallible wisdom ; and there was rapid and continuous
progress, for " they turned not when they went."

While doors were being strangely opened in Japan,
there was a simultaneous preparation of agency. At
a time when a heavy penalty was attached to leaving
the country, in 1865, young Joseph Neesima ran away
to Shanghai, and there obtained a passage to Boston.
He had a passionate desire to learn to read, and his
first lessons were received from the sailors. Through
the earlier part of John's Gospel he patiently pursued

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

his way. The sixteenth verse of the third chapter
arrested his attention. It was a wonderful announce-
ment : " For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life." The
sense and significance of that glorious passage began
to dawn slowly on his mind, and he prayed for light
and truth. Through the interest of the captain, on
their arrival at Boston, he was introduced to the
generous owner of the vessel, and sent in course to
Phillip's Academy and Amherst College. He gradu-
ated, had flattering offers to remain in the United
States, but nobly persisted in his purpose to return
and preach the gospel to his countrymen. This youth-
ful student went home to Japan, " possessed of the
zeal of an apostle," and is now at the head of an influ-
ential institution in Tokio, for the purpose of training
young men for the work of the Christian ministry.

Buddhism is still a mighty force in Japan. Immense
sums are just now being expended on its structures.
But the proudest and palmiest days are past. A mis-
sionary visited Kioto, the sacred capital, in 1873, and
recorded his impressions of the waning power of the
national religion. It had not then received impulse
and stimulus from the rivalry of an active and aggres-
sive evangelistic movement. Decadence was every-
where manife.st. He wandered all one afternoon
among the ancient and beautiful Buddhist temple.^ on
the east of Kioto. Paths and walks leading up to
and around the sacred places were grass-grown and

BUDDHISM AND THE BUDDHISTS.

deserted. Even the priests had forsaken the shrine.
Wandering through the hails and corridors, as among
solitary ruins, he " could not refrain from thinking
and wishing and praying for men ready to go up and
possess the land."

One of the most remarkable things about the intel-
lectual uprising in Japan, is the earnest attempt to
grapple with the perplexing problems of lu^ v.fn
thought. Japanese scholars read ponderous works of
philosophy and science. We hear that their orders,
including productions of Herman Lotze, Kant, Darwin,
Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and Stuart Mill, are the sur-
prise of booksellers. " Not a wave," it is said, " of
religious error or advance, not a schism, not a doubt,
not a protest, is started on the current of American or
English thought, but breaks on that shore." The
rationalism of cultured classes presents a formidable
obstacle to the diffusion of evanjrelical truth. Churche.«
at home have need to pray earnestly for their mission-
aries in Japan.

But the axe is laid to the root of the tree of Budd-
hism, and it shall be hewn down and cast into the tire.
Before coffee can be grown in Ceylon a dense forest
growth must be stripped and cleared from the hills.
The workmen commence at the foot of the slope.
Trees are usually entangled in a profusion of climbing
plants, and this luxuriance of tropical foliage must be
first removed. Then the lowest tree is nearly, but not
quite, cut ohrough. Numerous fellers repeat the pro-
cess, and ere long the crowning ridge is reached. The

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

topmost tree is then cut through at its root, and, as it
falls, bears down the one beneath. Others fall in their
turn, and crash follows crash until all the trees are
prostrate. Analogous processes are going on in the
realm of Oriental idolatry. Through Ceylon and
China, Burmah and Japan, a few stately trees have
fallen, and the reverberations of the woodman's axe
begin to sound across the Asiatic continent. But more
labourers are called for, and native fellers need to be
raised up. Jungles of heathen superstition and hoary
idolatries shall echo to the ringing strokes of many
sharp and gleaming axes. Heathenism shall be des-
troyed, and a purer growth promoted. " Instead of
the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the
brier shall come up the myrtle tree."

' f>

md, as it
I in their
trees are
n in the
Ion and
ees have
lan's axe
^ut more
3ed to be
[id hoary
of many
be des-
istead of
id of the

"At times, too, dark suspicions will cross the mind that such
inferior races as those of Africa are not suited for so pure and
elevated a religion as that of Christ, and that the best service they
could render to the Christianization of the world would be to die
out and become extinct. We must not, however, give heed to
thoughts like these. We must believe, rather, that Cod has made
of one blood all the nations of men that dwell upon the earth."—
Misaionary liecord.

who,s€

AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

IV.

INCTVILIZED HEATHENISM: AFRICA AND
ISLES OF THE SEA.

IN lands of Brahmanical and Buddhistic superstition,
and of idolatrous religions, we have been in
contact with the structures of an ancient and splendid
civilization. But there is also an uncivilized hea-
thenism. Through its dark and deceptive shadows,
multitudes of sinning and suffering people are groping
their way to an endless future. The Macedonian cry
of benighted millions appeals to and arouses the con-
science and compassion of a long-slumbering and
apathetic Church. Tribes at the lowest level of
civilization are members of the one human family,
and belong to a common brotherhood. " God hath
made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on
all the face of the earth ; and hath determined the
times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation."

Thoufrht turns to Africa : " an immense and homo-
goneous continent, groaning under the curse of the
slave-trade, the darkness of superstition, already half
of it under the yoke of Islam ; before whose estuaries
long sand-banks stretch beneath the heavy surf;
whose interior is encircled by the broad, rainless belt

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

of the Sahara ; while the entrances are at all ])oints
barred by the deadly fevers of a tropical climate."*

A quarter of a century ago, the interior of Africa
was an almost unexplored region, a blank space on
the map of that continent. It was generally believed
to consist largely of burning desert sands, and of im-
mense and pathless wastes, unfit for human habitation.
Even members of the African Association spoke of it
as " unlike other continents " of the earth ; no large
inland lakes, or broad roUinjx riveis tlowinij from the
centre to the extremities. But,in the inter(^sts of Chris-
tianity, science, and commerce, the enterprise of num-
erous explorers has done much to dispel the mystery of
the Dark Continent. Until recently unknown regions
have been mapped out with scientific precision. The
source of the Nile, for three thousand years the problem
of African geography, through intrepidity of explorers,
has been traced to equatorial lakes and mountains.
A broad belt of low land, fraught with miasma and
fever, skirts the coast; and as missions continued for
a long period to be confined mainly to the unhealthy
mart, in, they were prosecuted at a fearful sacrifice of
life. But the configuration and climate of intertropical
Africa are not what had been once supposed. Within
the lines of the fever-belt, flanked on the east and
west by longitudinal ridges, the country forms a vast
table-land, depressed to the lake region at the centre.
The explorer finds himself richly rewarded a.s ho

* Christlieb's Foreign Missionn, p. 101.

AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

I il

Africa
aci' on
elievcd
of im-
litation.
<.c of it
LO large
rom the
»f Chris-
of num-
y-stery of
1 regions
m. ^ The
problem
xplorers,

roaches that upland plateau. There are glimpses of
undulating and magnificent stretches of country,
covered with tall grass, dotted by clumps of superb
foliage, threaded by silver streams, batlied in floods of
pure and brilliant sunlight, and bounded by distant
and dark mountain masses. Almost boundless capa-
hilities of material w^ealth awaits an immediate de-
velopment, and the enterprises of Christianity should
at least keep pace with the advance and achievements
of commerce and science.

The mission field of Africa may be regarded as
forming several distinct and very ditierent sections.

A narrow northern strip, bordering on the Mediter-
ranean, extending from Morocco to Egypt, was at one
time the seat of empire, the source of flourishing com-
merce, and the site of influential Christian churches.
But the Vandal conquerors of Rome crossed the Straits
of Gibraltar, and laid the country waste from west to
east. From the period of barbarian invasion, that
border land never recovered the strength or splendor
of an earlier civilization. Under the standard of the
Saracen, by which the Barbary States were next swept
and completely subjugated, the religion of the Koran
was remorselessly promulgated. Mohammedanism is
still the dominant creed. The mixed races of people, a
fu'iion of Arabian and Libvan blood, with more than
a trace of the ancient Phenician, are possessed of
splendid natural capabilities ; and, in the day of
Africa's redemption, they are sure to take a foremost
place.

.S8

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

Western Africa extends from Morocco and Sene-
gambia to the south as far as the Bight of Benin.
Back from the belt of western coast lies the great
slave region of Soudan, where eighty million of people
have sunk to the very lowest level of degradation and
misery. Of the actual and pitiable condition of the
populations distant from the sea, we have only faint
and occasional glimpses. Thick mists of obscurity,
especially in the direction of the river Niger, hang
heavily and gloomily over the interior country. But
even if the veil were lifted, density dispelled, and the
barbarities of life fully understood, it is scarcely pro-
bable that there would be anything to relieve the
dark and dismal picture.

Facts of Slave Coast atrocities, the story of which
has been repeatedly told, have caused the civilized
world to shudder ; and, in the name of a common
humanity, such vile observances have been denounced
and execrated. Dahomian annual " customs " are sig-
nalized by processions, revelling and intoxication, th^
horrid sound of the fatal drum, an exhibition of skulls,
and a parade of barbaric trophies. A national cere-
monial, in which the immolation of eighty of the
sanguinary monarch's subjects contributed to the eclat
of the occasion, was witnessed and described bv
Captain Burton. Grand customs are performed on
the death of the king ; and, at such a time, hundreds
of men and women fall victims to " revenge, ostenta-
tion and pretended piety." The number of persons
slaughtered in cold blood, when these abominable ri< es

AFRirA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

sene-
^enin.
great
Deople
»n and
of the
f faint
curity,
', hang
'. But
md the
jly pro-
3ve the

I which
civilized
ommon
ounced
are sig-
ion, the
f skulls,
al cere-
of the
he eclat
bed by
med on
undreds
ostenta-
persons
hie rit'^s

were celebrated in 1860, was estimated at more than
two thousand. Assuredly the dark places of the eaith
are full of the habitations of cruelty.

A vivid remembrance of early life is connected with
the perusal of Freeman's famous missionary journal. It
contained a glowing narrative of his first visit to
Ashanti, and of the scenes which he witnessed in the
Itlood-stained streets of Kumasi. An immense pro-
cession paraded the prominent places of the capital.
Jn that motley mass and array, the royal executioners
found a conspicuous position. Instead of streaming
banners and proud insignia and the kind of pomp and
pageantry to which we are accu.stomed in the civil
and military processions of Christian and civilized
countries, instruments of torture and decapitation were
ostentatiously displayed. There was the diabolical
death-drum, literally covered with dried clots of blood,
and decorated with human skulls. It was always
beaten when |rhe cold and cruel steel had done its work,
and the heads of unfortunate victims had been severed
from their bodies. No less than forty lives were
sacrificed during a space of two days. The ground
was saturated with blood, and " putrefying bodies
tainted the air." That darinjj and heroic visit had
been undertaken for the purpose of effecting an
entrance for the go.spel. No wonder that the solitary
missionary, as he gazed upon the slaughtered victims
of relentless and capricious ferocity, was filled with
sorrow and indignation, and longed for the means of
amelioration. The very stones of the blood-drenched
7

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

^ I

streets cried out for help. Could there be any response
to that Macedonian wail ? From Kumasi, the dark
and deluded capital of Ashanti, the thought of the
missionary turned to the metropolis of Christian
England. In contrast to immediate and sanguinary
surroundings, another and far different scene burst
upon his vision. Was it all a fancy, or did it breathe
the promise of an assuring hope ? Exeter Hall is in a
flame. Missions are eloquently advocated. Voices
are raised in behalf of dark Africa. Emotion finds
expression in "a hymn for the heathen," and the
prayer of the great congregation ascends to God in
heaven :

" The servile progeny of Ham
Seize as the purchase of thy blood."

No, that is not all an illusion ! The missionary has
faith to believe that the enthusiasm of such a meeting
is genuine, the altar-fire pure, and that Christian
people are in earnest. But the holy impulse largely
passes away with the occasion. There has been too
much of timidity and delay in spiritual enterprise. "0
righteous Father," the Saviour was impelled to exclaim,
" the world hath not known thee." " compassionate
Redeemer," might have been the sorrowful strain of
the Kuma.si missionary, " thy Church is straitened in
her sympathies, indifferent to her great commission,
forgetful of thy claims and crown-rights, and too long
heedless of the Macedonian cry from this perishing
world."

AFliICA AND ISLES OF THE SKA.

ary has
meeting
Ihristian
largely
•een too
se. "0
txclaim,
sionate
,rain of
lened in
[mission,
,00 long
irishing

The we«t coast of Africa, and especially Sierra
Lfone, has been desif^nated " the missionary's grave."
Thirty laborers of the Church Missionary Society,
during the first twelve years, fell bravely at their post,
and were laid to rest in the burial-ground of tlio
mission church. A wasted remnant of the Basle
Society's missionaries, in one fatal year, had to stand
hv the fresh graves of ten of their stricken brethren.
Forty Wesleyan pioneers fell in rapid succession in
the same field :

" For dangers uncounted are clustering there,
The pestilence stalks uncontrolled,
Strange poisons are borne on the soft languid air.
And lurk in each leaf's fragrant fold."

But the missionary succe.ssion has been nobly main-
tained. As repeated gaps have been made in the ranks,
new men have filled up the vacant spaces, and the
consecrated banner has been seized from hands that
lijid stiffened in death. The gifted and spiritual
Melville B. Coxe, who went out in 1833, was not alone
in his faith and fortitude. He spoke of going to "a
land of sickness," and stipulated that if he should die
a friend of his youth should come and write his
epitaph. But " what shall I write ?" was the inf[uiry
of the Christian brother. The impassioned missionary
was prompt in reply : " Write, though a thousand
tall, let Africa live!" In a few months this heroic
and heavenly-minded messenger of the cross finished
his brief course, and his body found a resting-place in
the land of swamp and fever. Such losses have been

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(716) 872-4503

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' I

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

keenly felt. But the dust of the mission graveyards
along the line of that baleful coast is precious and full of
promise. For long centuries the sepulchre of patriarchs
in Canaan was the only pledge to the covenant people,
and the assurance that they should go up and possess
the promised land. Burial-places in which the dust
of missionaries and of members of their families has
been rendered to the mould is the consecration of
many a heathen land.

The subject of mission effort and enterprise, on the
western coast of Africa, has an aspect of encourage-
ment and hope. Light has been shot into this "darkest
dungeon of the planet." From the Gambia to the
Gaboon, a distance of two thousand miles, an infamous
traffic in human rlesh and blood has been brought to
an end. Slave-pens have been transformed into marts
of legitimate traffic. One of the earliest missionary
erections, a spacious old sanctuary, that has long
echoed the strains of praise to God, was framed and
sheathed out of the beams and planks of a condemned
slaver. Thousands of people along an extended line
of coast have heard the glad tidings of salvation, and
have been the subjects of a blessed spiritual emancipa-
tion. There seemed to be a dark day for Africa in
1822, and signs ominous of a deeper bondage, as a
slave-ship sped out full sail through the lagoon of
Lagos ; a sinister-looking hulk, packed with human
beings, destined for the Brazil market. But a cruiser
crossed her path, and the boom of a British gun said
to the slaver, " Yield up thy prey." Among the slaves

AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

on the
)urage-
iarkest
to the
ifamous
affht to
,0 marts
jsionary
,s long
ed and
emned
ed line
lion, and
ancipa-
frica in
e. as a

of that crowded cargo was an entire family, father and
mother, boys and girls, ruffianly torn from their homes.
A bright boy from that group was sent to a school in
Sierra Leone. He was early converted to God, became
an explorer, a successful evangelist, and ultimately
was entrusted with episcopal responsibilities. Noble
in physique, eloquent in speech, and fervent in spirit,
the venerable Crowther is one of the greatest and most
apostolic of missionary bishops; and his flourishing
diocese, containing the home of his childhood, extends
far as the Niger and the Benone.

The work along the line of the Gold and Slave
Coasts, prosecuted at a great cost of men and means,
has not been in vain in the Lord. Once it was affirmed
that the whole regir was merely a vast moral savan-
nah, a dense steamii'^' wamp, and that from such
rank and reeking plains* ot atrocity, vileness, and
superstition, no harvest of golden sheaves could ever
be gathered. But, in looking upon such a scene of
widespread and appalling misery and helpless woe,
Christian people have been led to realize the need of
a deeper dependence upon Divine aid, and of a supreme
consecration to the service of God. Missionary faith
has never failed or faltered. Sometimes the shadows
hide the heaviest wheat of all. The grain is already
ripe, and the reaper must thrust in his sickle and
reap, or it will rot to the ground. " Say not ye, there
are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest ?
Behold I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look
ou the fields ; for they are white already to harvest.

\
J i

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth
fruit unto life eternal : that both he that soweth and
he that reapeth may rejoice together."

The southern section of the African continent com-
prises Bushmen, Kaffirs, Zulus, Matalabe, Namaquas,
and other tribes to the north of the Orange River.
South Africa was early selected as a field of missionary
enterprise. Beginning from the Cape colony, the
work of evangelization was rapidly pushed to the
interior of the country. Through the agency and in-
fluence, the patience and statesmanlike .sagacity, of
such men as Robert Moflfat, William Shaw, and pio-
neers of the Moravian and other societies, a bright
and imperi.shable record has been secured. When
these men, and others of like consecrated spirit and
purpose, commenced their missionary course, there
was a serious doubt even in the minds of some Chris-
tian people as to the capacity of African tribes for the
reception of the gospel, or for elevation in the scale of
civilization. It was proposed by Mr. Moffat to a
Dutch settler, in whose house he had obtained per-
inisoion to preach, that some of the servants should
be brought in to the service. " What," roared the
burly Boer, who had a hundred of the despised out-
casts of all the tribes at his command, " preach to the
Hottentots ! You may as well go to the mountains
and preach to the baboons ; or, if you like, I'll fetch
my dogs, and you may preach to them." The mis-
sionary had intended to announce the " great salva-
tion " from the standpoint of an inspired and solemn

m^^:

AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

question. But, prompt to seize the incident of the
occasion, the words of the Syrophenician suppliant
were selected for a theme : " Truth, Lord ; yet the dog8
eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table."
The teaching of Christ was elucidated, and the subject
was searchingly applied. " No more of that," pleaded
the softened Boer, " I will bring in all the Hottentots
in the place."

Benighted bushmen have since then been brought
to hear of Jesus and his love, and have been made
the recipients of a common salvation. Some of the
most treasured trophies of the South African Mis-
sions have been won from the families of this
scattered and politically insignificant race. Latent
genius for song has found a remarkable development.
At the dedication of a bushland place of worship,
erected under missionary auspices, a choir of bush
negroes, assisted by converted slaves from the colony,
signalized the occasion by strains of music that would
have enriched cathedral worship. They sang with
fervor, fine sense of appreciation and good effect, a
selection from Haydn's magnificent oratorio of the
"Creation," "the Heavens are Telling." Thus a grand
chorus which moves cultured and select audiences at
home, and thrills to an indescribable emotion, broke
the silence of an African wilderness, and filled with
rapture the souls of converted Hottentot worshippers.
Who could have supposed, even when touched and
transformed by the power of Divine grace, that these
servile wanderers had the ability to achieve success

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

I f

in a delicate and difficult sphere ? Shall not these
ransomed sons and daughters of the bushland, taught
to praise the Saviour's name on earth, one day form
part of a heavenly choir, and there sincj unto him that
hath loved them and washed them from their sins in
his own blood ?

Ten long and trying years, the apostolic Moffat
spent among the barbarous and benighted Namaquas
and his missiopary faith and purpose were sorely
tested. But ultimately he was cheered by a success
that revealed the glorious possibilities of mission work.
" At length they listened, at last began to tremble,
and finally wept; repenting of sin, they forsook it;
and hearing of the gospel, they believed it."

Bushmen and Namaquas, in their native degrada-
tion, hold a low place in the average qualities of man-
hood. But South Africa has races possessed of superb
capabilities of which she may v/ell be proud. Kaffirs
and Zulus have encountered the best and bravest of
British troops, and have proved themselves to be no
contemptible foes. Bechuanas maintain their inde-
pendence, and give evidence of progressive ability.
But over all this region, at the commencement of
missionary enterprise, there rested the deep and settled
gloom of an uncivilized heathenism. The people
walked in darkness and dwelt in the land of the shadow
of death. Fierce and warlike races delighted in blood
and rapine. No traveller with safety could pass
through the borders of any of these tribes, for the
people were habitually cruel and treacherous.

1*^^; n.-n'

AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

An ordinary occurrence may indicate the general
condition of the country on the arrival of the earliest
European missionaries. The kraal or cattle -fold of a
South African village is surrounded by grass or leed-
thatched huts, resembling the corn-stacks of a farm
yard. In that enclosure the chief assembles his
people : warriors in the centre, and the women and
children on the outer circle. By a rude but stirring
eloquence he moves the barbarian horde, fires the
martial spirit of the men, and prepares them for any
plundering excursion. The eye of the speaker dilates,
and his voice becomes tremulous with passion and ex-
citement. Distant hills visible upon the horizon are
the home of a peaceful and prosperous people, with
multitudes of flocks, and herds of sheep and oxen, but
" their hearts are white as milk." In their sense of
security they may be easily vanquished. Exultant
response greets the fierce appeal. An attack is at
once agreed upon, and, armed for murderous deed,
troops march the same night. Beneath the streaming
starlight, they move stealthily across the intervening
plain, and reach the hills at early dawn. A savage
shout startles the encampment. There is slender re-
sistance, for the people have been taken by surprise.
Men, women, and children are slaughtered without
mercy. Houses are fired, and the village swept by a
ffeneral conflagration. Cattle are driven ott', and the
victors bearing their spoil are welcomed back with
shout and triumph. The heart sickens at the thought
of such atrocities, but this was the normal condition of

THE MACEDONIAN CRT.

an immense extent of territory. Wliether the fittest
always survived in the treacheries of warfare may
be open to question. Whole tribes were exterminated.
Human life was lightly regarded, and it is only a
matter of surprise that such sanguinary struggles had
not long ago depopulated the whole land.

South African tribes in their savage state seem
to have been literally without any knowledge of God.
It is said that when pioneer missionaries first began
to speak concerning the existence of a Supreme Being,
of the fall and the entrance of sin into the world, of
the incarnation and sacrificial work of the Redeemer,
of the resurrection and the hope of immortality, their
statements were regarded as fabulous and as little
to be believed as were native exaggerations con-
cerning lions and wild beasts of the jungle. But the
most barbarous of savages have a conscience that
may be reached by the light of truth. To a fierce
chief Mr. Motiat spoke of resurrection and future judg-
ment. The idea was new and tremendous even to a
heathen mind. " What," he exclaimed', " are these
words about ? Will my father arise ? Will all the
dead slain in battle arise ? Hark, ye wise men, who-
ever is wise among you, the wisest of past generations,
did ever your ears hear such strange news ? " But as
the light of revelation dawned upon his savage mind,
and conscience spoke of deeds of rapine and murder,
appalled by the thought of meeting the victims of
many heartless cruelties, the barbarian sought to
silence the missionaries. " The words of the resurrec-

AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

tion," he said, " are too great to be heard. 1 do not
want to hear about the dead arising. The dead
cannot arise ; they must not arise."

For South Africa the day dawns ! Darkness of
heathenism is being gradually dispersed by the ad-
vancing light of Christianity. Manifold are the
evidences of amelioration. Regions through which
once white men dare not attempt to travel are now
intersected by safe thoroughfares. Churches and cul-
tivated lands furnish evidence of religion and of pros-
perous industry. Unwritten sounds have been gath-
ered up and formed into a grammatical language.
The Bible has been given to Kaffir and Bechuana, and
thousands of natives are able to read the Old and New
Testaments. At Kurumen the sable compositors in
the printing office are the very men who a few years
Itefore would have been grasping the blood-stained
spear, and revelling in deeds of slaughter. In the early
(lays of mission effort a few enterprizing traders pene-
trated to the heart of an uncivilized territory. But
the very idea of traffic was turned to scorn, and not a
single purchaser could be found. Now, European
manufactures to the value of three or four hundred
thousand pounds sterling annually pass through the
mission stations into the interior, imported and ex-
changed by the people who a few years ago had no
conception of the utility of commerce.*

To the men and women who led the van of evan-

* 8ee Rev. Dr. Muffat's address at Mildmay Conference, 1878.

100

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

gelization, exhibited the power and purity of the
religion of Jesus, set to the savages around them an
example of the sweetness and attractiveness of a
Christian home, inculcated and exemplified the spirit
and precepts of peace and goodwill, translated the
sacred Scriptures and laid the foundation of a native
literature, secured the erection of commodious places of
worship and the establishment of efficient schools,
trained a native agency to such an extent that were
every foreign missionary to retire from the field the
work would still go on — to the founders of this
great and glorious movement we accord the recog-
nition that is due to saints and heroes. Their names
shall be had in everlasting remembrance.

The explorer of Eastern and Equatorial Africa
enters a new and densely-populated region. A spacious
and magnificent territory, abounding in material re-
sources, can scarcely be surpassed in any other part of
the world. Apparently it is a rich reserve for the
African race, and seems designed by Providence for
some future and marvellous development. But the
deep shadows of heathen superstition rest upon this
land, and upon its interesting races the blight and
desolation and unmitigated curse of slavery have
heavily fallen. Through means of an inhuman traffic
in flesh and blood, with all its accompanying evils,
scenes of almost Eden loveliness have been changed to
pandemonium. This sum of all villanies is at its
worst in the interior of Africa. Hunting parties,
selected from the more warlike tribes, are furnished

M '

AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

101

with firearms by Arabian slave dealers. As the ordi-
nary weapons of the natives are bows and arrows, a
murderous musketry fire produces an immediate panic.
There is no alternative in the customary raid but to
fiy and be shot down, or to stand and submit to a
bondage worse than death. Many scenes of horror
were witnessed by Dr. Livingstone. They were
pathetically said to " harden all within and petrify the
feelings ;" and, as he beheld the " tears of such as were
oppressed and had no comforter," he could find no
relief except 'in the remembrance that "He that is
higher than the highest regardeth." An incident lifts
the veil from fearful outrages upon common rights of
humanity. One of the finest of the interior tribes has
a home on the banks of the beautiful Lualaba river.
The market-place is a wonted resort for amusement
and social intercourse. One day an armed half-caste
and sinister-looking Arab, and a band of ruffian
followers, came suddenly into the midst of this peace-
able and pleasant scene. Suspicion was at once excited,
and the worst fears were speedily realized. Beneath
the whole heavens a more villanous deed was not to
be witnessed than that which was suddenly enacted
on that sultry summer morning. Deadly fire was
opened upon the helpless crowd, and volley succeeded
volley with terrible effect. Gaps were rapidly made
in the mass of two thousand human beings, and
slaughter was indiscriminate. Through the murderous
bullet of the assailant, or by plunging into the deep
river, hundreds lost their lives. " Shot after shot

■■ ■

102

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

II!:

continued to be fired on the helpless and perishing.
Some of the long line of heads disappeared quietly "
beneath the water ; " whilst other poor creatures threw
up their arms, as if appealing to the great Father
above, and sank." Villages were set on fire. " As 1
write I hear the loud wails on the left bank over
those who are slain, ignorant of their many friends now
in the Lualaba. 0, let thy kingdom come ! " *

The extent to which this infernal business is carried
on, and the enormity of the evil, may be inferred from
the fact that no less than fifteen thousand agents are
employed by one flourishing Egyptian city, Khartoum.
They are engaged solely for the purpose of ensnaring
and enslaving human beings. Marching through the
night, in some part of the Nile basin, they steal upon
an unsuspecting village, and fire the grass huts. As
the sleeping occupants seek to escape from their flam-
ing habitations, the men are shot down, and the women
and children are secured as slaves. The necks of
mothers and maidens are thrust into a forked wooden
pole and securely lashed, while the children are attached
by ropes, and thus a living chain is formed. By
secret paths the pitiable procession marches to the
coast. There, like bales of merchandise, the almost
heart-broken captives are crowded together into tlie
hot and stifling air of the pestilential slave-dhow.
There is a dreary uniformity in the main facts of
African slavery. " The tale was almost invariably one

* Dr. Livingstone's Last Journals, July 11th, 1871.

AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

103

of surprise, kidnapping, and generally of murder —
always of. indescribable suffering on the way down to
the coast and on the dhow voyage."* Then, it has been
affirmed that for each marketable slave that reaches
the sea-board, at least ten lives are lost in the interior
of the country. It is estimated that, through the terri-
tory of the Zambesi and Shire rivers, the Lake Nyassa,
the Rovuma, and other hunting grounds, during a long
and uninterrupted period, this vile traffic involved
annually the death of half a million of human beings-
Details such as these are saddening and sickening to
thought and feeling. But they belong to the sum of
Africa's wrongs, and give meaning to the Macedonian
cry, " Come over and help us." These facts enable us
in some measure to realize the nature of missionary
obligation : " to bind up the broken-hearted, to pro-
claim liberty to the captive, and the opening of the
prison to them that are bound."

Eastern and Central African missions are compara-
tively in their infancy. But the beneficent effects of
evangelical agency and influence are already apparent.
The slave market at Zanzibar, which received annually,
and passed over to Arab traffickers, from twenty to
twenty-five thousand persons, has been broken up,

• Sir Bartle Frere. For the main facts connected with the " East
African Slave-Trade," the deeds of Arab traffickers in human flesh and
blood, the markets in which slaves are sold, and countries, chiefly
Mohammedan, through which the captured Africans are dispersed,
see "Report on Sir Bartle Frere 's Mission to Zanzibar," presented
to both Houses of Parliament, 1873.

'1 ;

104

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

^ )

and selected as the site of Ihe Universities' mission
premises. Cheering tidings reach us that the Living-
stonia enterprise has succeeded in stopping the slave-
trade around the seven hundred miles of the Lake
Nyassa coast; from which, in fornier times, accom-
panied by all the atrocities of the system, nineteen
tliousand slaves were annually carried off. " All I can
add in my loneliness," said Dr. Livingstone, as he
sorrowed for the wrongs of the captive, " may heaven's
rich blessing come down upon every one, American,
English, or Turk, who will help to heal the open sore
of the world ! " * These touching words of the great
missionary explorer have been appropriately inscribed
> on his tomb in Westminster Abbey ; and through
these, as the best friend of Africa, " he being dead yet
speaketh."

The people of Central Africa give promise of capa-
bility for improvement. Dr. Livingstone's judgment
was rarely at fault, for sympathy with humanity in
all its forms only quickened his perception, and his
estimate of the interior tribes was almost always
favorable. Nsama's people, resident in the lovely
country to the west of Lake Tanganyika, are enthusi-
astically described. Many of them are said to be
handsome in form and feature, and to exhibit as per-
fect a phrenological development as could be seen in
an European assembly. An impression that the true
type of negro was to be found in the ancient

* Blaikie's Life of Dr. Livingstone, p. 464.

'iHIlt

AFUICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

105

nission
Living-
3 slave-
e Lake
accom-
lineteen
lU I can
B, as be
heaven's
merican ,
)pen sore
the great
inscribed
tbrousjb
dead yet

Ei^'vptian, rather than in the coarse ugliness of the
West Coast, received abundant confirmation. " The
African races are of a type ditferent from wliat Euro-
peans are accustomed to associate with Ir.gli and
polislied civilization, and undoubtedly some of their
f'iist(Mns are barbarian ; but the African races are open
to be toned down, moditied, and improved upon as
were the primitive customs of Europe."' *

Central Africa is all a surprise. Instead of a dreary
waste of burning and unsheltered sand, as had been
supposed, it has broad lakes and rolling rivers, healthy
upland^;, and a rich tropical foliage. And it is quite
as marvellous a thing, where the traveller iiad ex-
pected to come into contact with inferior types of the
Imiiian family, to meet the swarthy but comely chil-
dren of the sun, dwellers by the great inland seas. To
tlie African races a noble continent has been a.ssigned,
and we cannot but believe that a i;reat future is in
reserve for christianized Africa.

In the earlier period of the world's history, physical
force prevailed. Men of sinew and muscle commanded
distinction. Then came the age of intellectual achieve-
nient. Mental qualities and attributes still exercise a
(loiiiinatin<; intluence. But are there no intimations
of a purely moral and spiritual superiority ? Are we
not possibly nearing a time when culture of the soul^
graces of character, and the beauty of holiness shall
win the most trenuine admiration .'' Then shall Africa

K f;v

Contemporary liirinc, Deceinher, ISS2.

lOG

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

i f

have her turn ! In many attractive qualities, suscepti-
bility of moral nature, exuberance of feel in<:^, fervor of
passion, intensity of affection, glow of enthusiasm, love
of music, ecstasy of song, instincts of religion, and
rapture of devotion, the finer type of the negro race,
as found in the populous lake region, can scarcely be
surpassed. Surely the day of redemption draws nigh !
Relieved from slavery, purified through faith, ennobled
by Christian culture, a long-despised people may
come to furnish some of the best and most beautiful
specimens of a sanctified humanity. Swarthj' tribes
shall rise in the scale of an exaltetl civilization. Right
and rank, in council and congress, will be recognized
and awarded. Europa and other leading members of
the great human family can then welcome the long
exiled one, and say, "It was meet that we should be
glad : for this our sister was dead, and is alive again :
and was lost, and is found."

Everywhere the light is breaking I A period of
dreary monotony is passing away, never to return.
Unexpected facilities are afforded to travel and IratHc.
The Nile and the Ni^er, the Coni;o and the C'oanza,
the Zambesi and the Shire, and other great rivers,
form magnificent natural highways to the very heart
of the continent. Nor is it easy for us to grasp the
significance of such a fact. The mighty (.'ongo alone,
with its tributaries, drains an enormous and den.sely
populated region of eighty thousand s([uare miles.
On central lakes, the Nyassa, the Tanganyika, and
the Victoria Nyanza, steam and other foi-ees of civili-

AFIUCA AND ISLKS OF THE SEA.

107

epti-
or of
, love
, and

race,
sly be
\\\^h '.
lobled
may
tutiful

tribes

)Ci;nizecl
bers of
le long
)uld be
again :

riod of
return.

iratHc.

'oan/a,

rivers,
■y heart
asp tlie
lo alone,
Idensely
n\iles.
Ik a, anil

,f civili-

/,ation bejjin to be utilized in the interests of relisjion
and coninierce. It is worthy of reniendirance and
record that missionaries have been amonirst the fore-
most and most heroic of African ])ioneers. They
have mostly formed the vanguard of this great move-
ment of the century ; and when the history of human
progress shall have been written, many a page shall
glow with the splendor of their names. But such
achievements are all too great for the chronicles of
earth, and doubtless thev are inscrilted before the
eternal throne.

The area of uncivilized heathenism is not Ixmnded
exclusively by the limits of the Dark Continent.
Deep shadows still rest upon adjacent territory, and
lie thick beneath the ben<ling Southern Cross. From
Africa we turn to the Isles of the Sea. Oil' from the
African coast, across the Mozambic^ue Channel, lies the
magnificent island of Madagascar. Until a few years
ago, it was the scene of darkest heatlienism. " So you
will make the Malagasy Christiaos," said the Governor
of a French island to the pioneer missionaries. " Im-
po.-isible I They are brutes, and have no more sense
than irrational cattle." But tlie martyr Church of Mada-
ijascar has won and now worthi'.ly wears the crown
of modern .spiritual heroism. In ;1S,S(I, the hist of a
hrave missionary cohort, Johns and Bakt'r, by the
merciless edict of the heathi'ii Q\iecn Ranavalona,
were driven from the capital and the island. Hut
amongst the native converts Avere soine that exhibited
an extraordinary courage and steadfa stness of purpose

108

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

and profession. Though forsaken, they still met for
religious worship. Foremost of this noble band was
Rafaravavy, a lady distinguished for intelligence, rare
beauty, and great purity of character. She and her
companions sometimes walked a distance of twenty
miles into the hill country ; and there, amidst the
sounding aisles of the dim woods, or on the calm
mountain summit, they sang hymns of praise to God.
But furious persecutors were on their track. The
gifted and gentle leader of the Christian company of
confessors was put in irons, beai-ing the significant
name of " causing many tears." Records of the little
Malagasy Church began to be written in blood. Mul-
titudes of people were summoned by the roar of
cannon to gaze upon scenes of suffering and endurance,
which the annals of martyrdom had nothing to surpass.
Men and women, because of the steadfastness of their
Christian faith, bound in cords, wrapped in soiled
matting, choked with rags to prevent their testimony,
were committed to the flames, or hurled from the edge
of the sharp Ampamarinana rocks. During those
daj's of fiery persecution, mauy converts obtained the
crown of martyrdom, and went up to join the noble
army of martyrs before the throne of God. " More
Christians irere iiut to death tLcn there luere Chvistiani^
on the island when the 2^crsecittlons commenced and
the inissionaries irere banished !"

But thirteen years ago, heathenism was suddenly
hurled from its barbarous and bloody throne. Another
and a no^^i'^r Queen, Ranavalona, burnt the national

AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

100

suddenly
Another
national

idols, and publicly expressed her preference for the
Christian relifjion. Her coronation mottoes were
mainly selected from the Malaijasy version of the
Holy Scriptures : " Glory to CJod," "Peace on earth,"
" Goodwill to men," " God with us."' Idolatry was
suddenly aban<loned. Idols were brouudit by thousands
from their hou.ses into the street or square, and there
consumed to ashes. Slavery has since been abolished
by royal proclamation. National lei^Mslation is per-
meated by the spirit of Divine precept. Madai^ascar
now stands out to the view of the Church and the
world as a glorious monument of what the gospel of
Jesus Christ can speedily accomplish for the purity,
elevation, and salvation of an uncivilized heathen
people.

There are other (hark places in the lieathen world.
The demon-w^orship of the Battas, amongst the moun-
tain ranges of Sumatra ; the cannibalism of the dark
and roaming Dyaks, which pollutes the fragrant gi'oves
of beautiful Borneo ; the degrading superstitions of
the natives of New Guinea, in the Southern Pacific ;
and other abominations of uncivilized heathenism
abundantly illustrate the annals of human depravity.
But, on the face of the earth, there are not to be found
tribes or races of people more utterly vile and
inhumanized than many of those that have already
been sought out and cvanuelized.

Once New Zealand was regarded as one of the least
promising of missionary fields. Samuel Marsden and
Samuel Leigh, in 1813 and 1819, went there as the

THK MACEDONIAN CRY

pioneers of ( 'liiirch of Enijland and Wosley.'in missions.
Thcv had to witness unnaiiieable atrocities and al)Oiiii-
nations. The peo])le were savafje cjinnibals. A single
incident may siiflice for illustration. Two rival chiefs,
Hongi and Hinaki, met in deadly feud, and Hinaki was
slain. The contpieror, Hongi, sprang forward instantly
ami scooT)ed out and swallowed the dyiuLT warriors
eye ; and then, plunging his knife into tlie throat of
his victim, he filled his hand with the copiously-lli)W-
ini; blood, and «lraid< it with exultinu' satisfaction.
What a contrast do we find in the case of an old N«nv
Zealand chief, converted in middle life I He lived
consistently : and, when his last end (h'ew neai .
gathered his friends around liim, and sang an ancir-nt
song of his country. But all knew that the words liad
a new meaning, and that they were transfigure*! into
the liglit of ilie gospel. A maiden in search of her
lover went out in her frail canoe. She went down the
dark river, and on to fast and foaming rapids. Steep
rocks closed in on either side, and tlirough the black
pass the waters flowed into a wide sea. But still the
maiden was not afraid, for she looked forward all the
more to a meeting with him she loved so well. 'J'hus
the dying chief told how the currents of life weiv
minirlinef with the ocean of eternity. But he feared im
evil. To die was irain. The bark of his immoital
spirit would soon reach the shining shore, ami he
would be with the blessed Saviour forever.

When John Hunt and his heroic wife landed on the
shores of Fiji, the captain of the vessel was compelled

A nut A AND ISLKS OF THE SKA.

Ill

iSions.
bomi-

chiet's,
ki \va>
itantly
irriors
roat oV

V-Ht)\V-

t'actioii-

1(1 N'.'NV

e IivcmI
V near,
anc'u'nt
n-ds hatl
red into
1 of lu'V
own tlu'
, Steep
le 1)1 ack
still tkr
1 all the
1. Tims
ii'e Nveve
"eat'ed n'»
iinniovtul
aii'l ke

led on tke
ioinpelk''^l

in .self-tlofcnce to put loaded iiiu.sket.s into tlie hands

of 1

lis men.

Nature was robed in almost peerless

beauty. The sky was serene, and a sea of crystal
clearness laved the coral strand. Islands were frini^ed
with an ex(juisite tropical foliaj^c If there was an
elv-sium on earth, it must siu'elv be liere ! But man
was vile beyond description. The tall and ferocious
savages, with painted bodies and bushy heads, a spear
in one hand and a club in the other, that rushed down
to the shore, were probaldy fresh from a cannibal feast,
and read}' for any sliudderini,^ deed of inhumanity.
At that time whole villai^'es were depopulated, to
provide human ile.sh for the constantly recurring
repast. The language of that group contains no word
for corpse, Itut one that signifies " a body to be eaten."
Fiji '^ islanders had a bad reputation over all other
heathen people." Their abominations were unnamc-
able. Tiie Rev. Robert Young, who went as a mission-
ary deputation to "the Southern World " in 18.33, in
reminiscences of his visit, depicts many a dark scene.
After a reference to Lakeml)a and Viwa, he tells how
he proceeded to Mbau, the capital of the countiy, and
" doubtless the greatest hell upon earth." Six ovens
were show'n to him in which eighteen human beinijs
had been recently cooked, in order to provide a feast for
some distinguished stranger. Remains of the horrid
repast were still to be seen. A large stone at the door
(jf one of the heathen temples, against which tlie
head, of manv victims had been da.shed, still bore the
marks of blood. No wonder that the pen faltered,

112

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

and that tliu writer was compelled to pause in his
narrative. " Tliere are scenes of wickedne-^s, forms
of cannibalism and depravity in that country which
cannot l)e told." Dire were the doinjjs of heathen
Fiji. But what an amazini:^ chanrre has been wrought !
That group of islands has been christianized, ceded to
Great Britain, and constitutes the advanced post of
her commerce in the Southern Pacific. A distinguished
naval ollicer, during a visit to those islands, noted
striking way-marks of progress. At a religious ser-
vice, conducted with reverence and spiritual feeling,
it was known that every man present had been a can-
nibal up to fifteen years of that time. A venerable-
looking chief, once the most sanguinary and ferocious
in that terrible land, Bible in hand and spectacles on
forehead, followed the subject with eager and devout
interest. Tlieie was a fatal oven, not twenty yards
away, in which human bodies had been baked for the
savage feast. A tree, covered with notches, to mark
the number of victims, still perpetuated a record of
dark and evil deeds. And yet, according to the testi-
mony of the late Governor, Sir Arthur Gordon, " the
people of Fiji are now a Christian people."

A missionar}' of the London Society, in contrast
with a later scene, graphically describes a first night
spent in New (Guinea. On this earlier occasion there
were fires gleauiinn; throuixh the groves of cocoa-nut
trees. The evening was soft, but the sultry air thrilled
with the cries of helpless women. Heathenism, in its
foulest and most repulsive forms of cannibalism and

AFRICA AND ISLES OF THE SEA.

113

led to
ost of
lished
noted
IS ser-
eeling,
a can-
erable-
rocious
Lcles on
devout
: yards

iminlerous racjc, was all around, and thcro was none
to help or restrain. Seven years later, in the course ot"
which the softening and transform ing power of the
gospel had been experienced, he noted the change.
There was the gleam of tires in the same cocoa grove.
But instead of shrieks there were sweet songs of praise
to the Redeemer. Converted natives love their hymn
hooks. They were now engaged in evening worship,
and sweet melodies floated upon the evening air. Thus
the promi-e finds fulfilment: "The wilderness and
the solitary place shall be glad for them ; and the
desert .shall rejoice and blossom as the ro.se. It .shall
blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and

smging.

An attempt was made in 1875 to reach the debased
and cannibal savages of New Britain and New Ireland.
The principal agents in the enterprise, in addition to
an intrepid English missionary and his noble wife, were
earnest Fijian and Samoan converts. Natives of the
South Sea have generally consi<lerable force of charac-
ter, and when brought thoroughly under the influence
of the gospel are ready for pioneer service. " By the
blessing of God," writes Professor Geden, " upon un-
told labor and suffering, the ancient triumphs of the
cross have been repeated in these long neglected
groups of the Pacific Islands; and, at this time, only
seven years from the first landing on tliem of Christian
missionaries, it is not too much to say that the old evil
things are passing away, and that all things promi.se
to become new. Many of the people, by an evange-

114

THi: MACKDOXIAN CUY.

lioal conversion that would liavc marie the hearts of
St. Paul and St. John to leap for joy, have l)een turned
from darkness to li<rht."*

E(jually sii,Mial has been the success of the London
Society's mission to numerous islands of the Torres
Straits. At Saibai and Dauan the natives are clothed;
for in the South Sea the wearin<^ of suitable apparel
is re<;arded as the badixe of Christianitv — an outward
and visible sii^^n of an inward and spiritual i^^race.

Apparently one of the most hopeless schemes of the
Christian Church was the attempt to ovauLielixe the
aborigines of Australia. Once the Papunns had that
great teri-itory in po.s.session ; but now, numberiiiL;'
only some thirty or forty thousand, they f(jrm an iii-
signiticant element of the expanding southern popula-
tion. Beyond comparison even with Es(juimaux ami
Bushmen, the natives of Australia are at the lowest
level of degraded humanity. Their language has no
equivalent for such words as faith and foigivencss.
truth ant] honesty. A vague notion of a good and
evil spirit exists among them ; but no religion, not
even that of idol worship. Low and loathsome in
habit and aj^petite, it is scarcely a matter of suiprise
that even Christian people were dubious as to the
result of cflbrts for their material and moral improve-
ment.f But the gospel is the power of (Jod unto sal-

* London Methodist liecordor, November, 1882.

t A brother of the writer, by whom features of the work have
been describeil, is at present the Secretary of an Australian Asaoi:ia
tion for the Improvement of the Aborigines.

\^y

AFRICA AND ISLES OK THE SEA.

11')

ts of
.rnt;(l

'orres

iUkmI;

)parel

twanl

r>.

oi" the

/e the

,1 that

iberiiii;-

an in-
popiila-
vix aii'l

lowest

lUS !»•'

vcness,

)(1 ami

111, 11 "t

oinc in

suvpvisi'

to tlu"

inprovi'-

into sal-

rt-ork liiive

vati(>Ti to cvcrv on«' tliat Ix-liovotli. Divint' uracc lias
touched and roused even the lonix-dorniant faculties of
the T'apuan. Under the influence of Christian teach -
ill<^^ accompanied by the energy of the Holy (Ihost,
hitent forces have been developed. When the Mora-
vian Bi.shop De Schweinitz looked at the photograph
of one of the earliest converts, an assistant at tlu;
Khenezer Mission, and heard of the fervor of his
prayer and the inipressiveness of his .sermons, he
"could .scarcely believe that this man had been a
naked .savage, squatting in the .sand and roasting
lizards for his food, ioinini; his countrvmen in the
vilest abominations, and livinji as near to the state of
the irrational creation as it is po.ssible for a human
bcinjj to reach." *

The .signal triumphs of the gospel, in the lands of
uncivilized, heathenism, demonstrate a continued elR-
cacy and an ahiding adaptation to all the variations
and conditions of the human race. Tt purifies and
consecrates the highest culture, and it also elevates
and ble.sscs the most deeply-.sunken tribes of earth.

A characteristic sermon, on the general spread of the
gospel, was preached by an eminent evangelist of the
last century. An attempt was made to trace out the
probable course of .spiritual effort and influence, and
of the conver.sion of the world to Christ. It was sup-
posed that the heathen bordering on the frontier lines
of Christendom would be the flrst to be led to worship

Evanijclica/ Allinvcf, 1873, p. 021.

THE MACEDONIAN CRY

God in si)irit and in truth. Tlic Ood of love 'would
then prepare a pathway for His messengers into the
polar regions, the deepest recesses of America, the
interior parts of Afnca, " yea, into the lieart of China
and Japan, with the countries adjoining them." liut
one " consi<lerable difficulty' still remained. There
were uncivilized people bej'ond the range of commer-
cial enterprise, and apparently inaccessible to the mis-
sionaries of the cross. " Such are tlie inhabitants of
the numerous islands of the South Sea, and probably
in all the larger branches of the ocean. Now, what
shall be done for these outcasts of men ?" * The Poly-
nesian and other groups of islanders in the Southern
Pacific had an evil reputation. They were distant
from the abodes of civilization. Such was the active
ferocity of their nature, and the debasing character of
their customs and superstitions, that the venerable
preacher concluded they would be the last of all the
dwellers of the earth to receive the gospel. But yet,
in those dark and distant isles of the ocean, missionary
enterprise has won its brightest wreath, and Chris-
tianity has chronicled some of its most magnificent
triumphs.

The people of the Pacific Islands, as they have ex-
perienced the regenerating power of the gospel, have
made amazing bounds in the direction of cultured
manners, remunerative industries, interchange of com-

Weslcy's Scnnonx, Vol. VI. of Works, p. 28U.

At'RICA AND ISI.KS OK TIIK SEA.

117

rnfxlitU's, and tlie arts fin«l amenities of national and
social life.

"The voice of the world shouts its rliorus,
Its pjvan for tliose who hiivi- won."

And shall we not (ixpre.ss our <^ratitnde for mis-
sionary achievement and proi^ress? If apart from the
power of the cross, the processes of civilization had
proved equally potent and successful for the amelior-
ation of the human race, would not tlie world have
rinii,' with plaudits? Had merely ethical inculcation
softened and subdued the barbarities and f«'rocities of
cannibal tribes, mij^dit not elocpience have pronounced
its iflowinjx euloijiums? If an anthroi)olo<xical scheme
and policy had been productive of such beautiful and
beneficent results, what garlands would have been
woven for the promoters of the enterprise ! The heroic
men who have formed the van;:^uard of the missions
may not win or wear the distinctions of earth, but they
sliare in the exultation of the Apostle: "Now thanks
be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in
Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of His know-
ledj^^e by us in every place."*

* It has been mainly through the light of missionary agency that
the miseries of uncivilized heatlienism have come to 1)L' understood ;
and, hence, in previous pages, there has been repeated reference to
pioneer enterprise. The pn.'out nspi-ct of missions will form the
subject of a subsequent section.

(:■■

if I?:

, r

■

" Scarcely any one man liaK a clear conception of the internal
operations of the numerous Societies in the Old and New Worlds,
in Africa, Australia, and the South Seas, Many know much about
this or that licld, some are familiar with several fields, but no one
eompreliends them all : tlie materials of knowledge are scattered
through hundreds of periodicals, and the statistics change with
almost every mail."— i'/'o/. ChrinUieh.

't!'«l(

MODERN MISSION'S.

119

MODIUIN .MISSIONS AND MISSION STATIONS.

internal

\Voria«,

Lich about

ut no one

scattered

uigc with

HAT of luodern Protestant missions ■' To wliat
extent has the Church of Christ, in fultihnent
(if liaUowed obligation, responded to the world-wide
Mticedonian appeal ? How did this evangelical move-
ment originate :* What societies have been organized
1)V the leadinu' denominations { What missian stations
are at present occupied, and in what force ? What
are the most important tabulations, and what special
successes have been chronicled ? In answer to nuni-
iTous (|nestions, an attempt may be made to summarise
a tV\v main historic facts, and to make the circuit of
mission stations.

Modern missions, now expanding into proportions
of gi-eat magnitude, belong largely to the ])resent
(vtiturv. It is interesting, however, to trace back to
ail earlier date the development of a missionary spirit.
I'crliaps the first attempts at I'rotestant propaganda
wiiv a Swedish mission to Lapland and an arbitrary
ttlort of Dutch cinnamon traders to convert the
Ijuddhists of Ceylon to a profession of the faith of
<'lirist In 1 G.S 4, Robert Junius began a temporarily
successful mission to the island of Formosa. The
interesting mission of John Eliot to the Indians of
Massachusetts, into whose laui^uao'e the New 'IV'sta-

120

THE MACEDONIAN CRV

ment Wras translated, the precursor of niinierous mis-
sionary versions, was commenced in 1G46. New-
England colonists were deeply iuiV)ued with the idea
of conv^erting the heathen tribes of the continent.
" The propaf^ating the gospel," wrote the founders of
Salem, " is the one thing we do profess above all to be
our aim in settling this plantation." An early State
seal of Massachusetts bore for its motto the Mace-
donian cry : " Come over and help us." The religious
enthusiasm which marked the periotl of the Common-
wealth in England was productive of missionary spirit
and purpose. On July 27th, 1C48, an ordinance passed
in Parliament to constitute a " Society for the Propa-
gation of the Gospel in New England." According to
the recital of the preamble to that missionary measure,
" the Commons of England assembled in Parliament,
havinir received intelliu^ence that the heathen of New
England were beginnihg to call on the name of the
Lord, felt bound to assist in such a work." One of
Oliver Cromwell's proposed measures for the promotion
of the Protestant religion, that miuht have been carried
into effect had his life been spared a few years longer,
was the formation of a Coiigregatio de Propaganda
Fide, with secretaries paid by State, and the Chelsea
College fitted up for its reception.

The present " Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel in Foreign Parts," organized in 1701, intended
chiefly for the benefit of colonists, was an outcome of
Puritan Parliamentary deliberations. A Danish mis-
.sion to Southern India was commenced in 1705 ;

MODERN MISSIONS.

121

mis-
S^ew-

idea
inent.
jrs of

to be

State
Mace-

iiiuon-
T spirit
passed
Propa-
ding to
leasure,
lament,
of New

of the

One of
emotion
h carried

longer,
wganda

Chelsea

of the
intended
come of
ish mis-
n 1705;

founded by noble men, Ziei^n'nljalsjf and Plutclio, fol-
lowed by the apostoHc Schwartz. Full for a time of
hrif^ht promi.se, that Halle-Danish mission was para-
lyzed by German rationalism, and its glory departed.
Hans E'fede.of Dennivirk, havinjx read .scanty accounts
of Greenlanders and their hardships amid the Arctic
frosts, was roused to an enthusiastic interest for their
spiritual welfare, and determined to brave the discom-
forts of polar life. The Greenland mission was begun
in 1721.

Moravian missions, so noblv signalized, date from
1732. Under the direction of Count Zinzendorf, a
number of Protestant exiles gathered at New Hern-
liutt, and were educated for evangelical enterprise.
When the community numbered only six hundred
persons, they began the first mission beyond the sea,
and live months later a second missionaiy sailed to a
foreign shore. From " the Lord's Watch," to those
that needed them most, there went out a succession of
faithful messenirers of salvation. Within five years as
many missions were founded, in spite of heat and
cold, ministerimr to slaves in the West Indies and to
Hottentots in South Africa, seekinii'a home auKJiiLr the
ice-bound fiords of the liard and dreary (Jreenland
coast, most forbidding fields of labor were selected.

" Fired with a zeal peouliiir, they <hfy
The I age and rigor of a polar sky.
And plant successfully sweet ^Sharon's rose
On icy plains, and in eternal snows."

Moravians have recently celebrated their l;~Oth mis-
sionary anniversary ; and, with exceedingly limited
9

122

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

resources, out of their munificence of spirit and the
abounding of liljerality, they now sustain tlircc hun-
dred and fifteen missionaries in the foreicjn field.
" The missionary thought," says ])r. Tliompsou, " grew
witli their growth ; it had a conspicuous place in all
their plans and movements ; it is the staple of their
literature; it was prophetically symbolized in the
ancient Episcopal seal of their Church — on a ci'imson
ground — a lamb bearing the resurrection cross, from
which hangs a triumphant Imnner, with the motto :
Viclt annus 'iwdev ; earn sequamur : (Our Lamb has
conquered : Him let us follow)."

In 1784 the distinguished pioneer of Wesleyan mis-
sions, Rev. Dr. Coke, made the first of his sixteen
Atlantic voyages. Fired with the idea of a universal
evaniielization, he lon<xed for the winiis of an anijel
and the voice of a trumpet, that he might proclaim the
gospel east and west, north and south. On Cln-istmas
mornini]:, 178G, the flaminof evanmlist landed on the
shores of Antiijua, and beiian a crloriouslv successful
mission to the negroes of the West Indies. To the
last the missionary fire of Coke knew no abatement,
and he found a grave in the depth of an Eastern sea,
on the way to India.*

The Baptist Association which met at Nottingham
in June, 17U2, was signalized by a memorable and now

* The work of Wesleyan missionary enterprise, fi)r more than a
double decade under the immediate charge of Dr. Cuke, was more
fully organized by the formation of a society in 1S13.

MODERN MISSIONS.

123

the
uin-
leld.
rrcw
I all
tlieir
. the
iiison

from
lotto :
i\) has

n iiiis-
ixtcen
iversal
I angel
lui the
•i.stnias
on the

ces

To the

,emcnt,

rii sea,

ino-ham
nd now

,ic than a
was more

liistoric missionary sermon. The preacher was William
Carey. An inspirini^ passage was read from Isaiah :
" Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch
forth the curtains of thine habitations : spare not,
lengthen tliy cords, and strengthen thy stakes ; for
tlion shalt break forth on the right hand and on the
left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make
the desolate cities to be inhabited." They must expect
great things from God, and attempt great things for
(!od. A genuine missionary lire blazed out in the
>ermon. The enthusiasm was contagious, and led to
grand results. On the 2nd of October, in the parlor of
Mrs. Wallis, at Kettering, Northamptonshire, a handful
of Baptist ministers met to devise means for the world's
conversion. It was a day of small and feeble things.
The faith of the men was sublime. A IMissionary
Society was formed that day, and the year following,
I7!)'i, the first missionaries sailed for India. On his
way out to the East, still fired with the expanding
idea of missionary enterprise, Carey sent back an
earnest appeal to the people at home. Aspirations
were not bounded by the necessities of India, or even
of all Asia. Africa was but a little way from
England, and Madagascar a little further on. South
America and the numerous and larixe islands in the
India and China Seas would not, he hoped, be passed
over.

At a meeting of the Independent or Congregational
ministers, held at Warwick, June SOth, 1703, a mis-
sionary question was proposed for consideration :

124

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

" What is the duty of Christians with respect to the
spread of the gospel ?" It was felt to be a solemn
obligation " to employ every means in their power to
spread the knowledge of the ^ pel botli at home and
abroad." A resolution was adopted in favor of the
organization of a Missionary Union, and it was decided
that the first Monday evening of each month should
be set apart for prayer for the success of all denomi-
nations in their attem])ts to spread abroad the know-
ledge of salvation. Two years later, 1795, in further-
ance of the same views, the London Missionary
Society was founded ; composed at first of members
of several evaniielical communities, it was soon left to
the management of the Independents. Under the
leadership of Simeon of Cambridge, Venn, and others,
the Church Missionary Society was established in
1799. In 1S04 a few Cliristian men came together
in a London business ofKce to devise means for giving
tlie Bible to destitute parts of Wales. But why not
for tlie world ? Born of that sudden inspiration,
the British and Foreign Bible Society was at once
organized.

The enterprise of the Church jias at ditt'erent times
been directed towards God's ancient people. There
has been the longing of many a he-irt, " that the
salvation of Israel were come out of Zion !" • This
feeling has found practical expression in the organiza-
t'ijii of several societies : the London Society for Pro-
moting Christianity among the Jews in LSOH, the
Church of Scotland Society in 1^40, the British

'fl

MODERN MISSIONS.

125

Pro-

\^, the
liitish

Society in 1842, the Mission of the Free Church of
Scotland in 1843, and other societies, A measure of
success has attended these laudal)le etibrts. One
hundred thousand Jews have been baptized into the
faith of Christ. But have Christians on the whole
been sufficiently solicitous for the salvation of all
Israel ? "To the Jew first" was the apostolic idea of
spiritual enterprise. Are not many bright hopes and
anticipations bound up with the fortunes and promised
restoration of the covenant race ? " Now, if the fall
of them be the riches of the world, and the diminish-
ing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more
their fulness ? "

A movement amonrj the students of a New Enjxland
seminary led to the organization of the first missionary
society on the American continent. The saintly mother
of Samuel I. Mills had early dedicated him to Cod;
and, when converted, his thoughts turned to missions.
One day, as several of the students met to hold a
prayer-meeting in a neighboring grove, a thunder-
storm drove them to the shelter of a haystack. There
the question of missions was discussed. The gospel
ouiiht to be at once sent, throuLrh some of their own
number, to the dark heathen of Asia. This matter
became the subject of earnest prayer. A marble shaft
crowns the historic spot. But the resolve of that
band of five students found a more endurinfj memorial.
It led to the formation, June, 1810, of the American
Board of Foreign Missions — a society which has sent
out well-nigh two thousand missionaries; whose agents

Mil

1 ■ 1

I i

W<f I V

126

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

liavo rcMluced to writing; no less than twenty-six dif-
ferent lan^qiages, and made numerous translations of
the Scriptures, tlic hiborers of wliieh have been sig-
n.ullv successful in the work of conversion, and have
" raised nations from the lowest forms of heathenism
to Christian civilization."

The earlier history of the modern mission move-
ment — the daring and splendid programme adopted,
the conspicuously inadequate means at the disposal of
the promoters of the enterprise, and the suldime faith
and heroic fortitude of the missionary pioneer — forms
a theme of almost unrivalled interest. " There arc
few things in human history that wear an aspect of
higher moral grandeur than the opening of what are
now our i^reat missions. Among the glories of tlie
century is none greater than this." * Bare statement
conveys but little idea of actual expansion. Feeble
and thictuating efforts have grown up into strong and
systematized action. Each succeeding decade has
shown continuous progress. Seven societies have
been multiplied to seventy. Instead of the faint
glimmer of a few struggling missions, scarcely reliev-
ing the darkness of heathenism, the ]\fA\t of twentv
thousand stations stream out upon the earth.

"On mountain tops the watch -fires glow,

Where scattered wide the watclunen stand ;
V<>ice eclioes voice, and onward fhjw
The joyous shouts from every land."

T/ir lUth (Hillary, by Robert Mackenzie, Frank. S(|. Ed., p. 'AS.

MISSION STATIONS.

127

In ordtT to obtain an adecjimtc impression of mis-
si(^nary enterprise, in its truly magnificent proportions,
it is necessary to glance over the entire field of opera-
tions. A visit to the pi-incipal stations takes us round
tlie world. Ten years ago the missions of the Mi'tho-
(iist Kpiscopal (Jhureh were "the travel posts" by
whieli a inissionary statesman and liis companions
made the circuit of the fdobe. Westward from New
York, tliey crossed the continent, halting for a brief
space at the ^longolian mission on the Pacific Coast.
An ocean voyage brought them to Japan, atlbrding
intercourse with the brethren at Yokohama and Jeddo ;
thence to China, and the missions at Foo-Chow, Ivu-
kiang and Peking ; thence westward to India, Turkey,
and home; "still facing the setting sun, journeying
by the signal iires of mission stations, and to the min-
strelsy of mission songs,"

Taking Canada as a geographical centre and start-
ing-point in our missionary outlook, a field of stern
toil lies to the north; for men have braved and borno
the snows of Labrador and the rigors of the frozen
zone. Greenland's icy mountains have been celebrated
in story and song as the scene of inevitable hardships
and of indomitalile zeal. That enterprise was the
morning star of the modern movement. It is nearly
a century and a half since the brave Scandinavian,
Egcde, accompanied by his not less heroic wife, left a
little Fatherland pari.sh and sought the stormy and
frost-bound regions of the Arctic. Faith and patience
were long and sorely tested by the stupidity of the

128

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

natives. r>ut at last tliore camo a inenioraMe day,
when torpid sensibilities were touclied, a fountain of
feeling unsealed, and the succes.s of the mission assured.
The work remains to this day. Greenland has seventy
missionaries, and a Christian connnunity of twelve
thousand ijeople.

The missions of North America generally, through
all their history and across the continent, have been
siirnalized bv deeds of intrepidity and heroism. No
work could be more arduous than that of reaching the
roaming tribes of the Great Lone Land, in their pagan
hardness. But, at an early period, wherever the Hud-
son's Bay Comjmny established its "storm-beaten sta-
tions," James Evans and other pioneers drove their
dog sledires, and the trading posts became centres of
religious iiiliuence. The work is still perpetuated by
men of like consecrated character and purpose. John
McDougall emulates the spirit and treads in the steps
of his sainted and immortal father. The mission of
Thomas Crosby to the Indians of British Columbia,
like a pillar of tire suddenly kindled in a dark place,
bri'ditens a long line of Pacific coast, and claims the
attention of wandering heathen tribes. Dr. Sheldon
Jackson is known beyond the limits of his vast charge
as " the apostle of the Ilocky Mountains."

The irreat southern field has had less of the romance
of missions than some other sections of this American
continent. But the present outlook is full of hopeful
interest. Missionaries are making good their position
in Mexico. That country was entered fourteen years

MISSION STATIONS.

120

day,
in oi
,urecl.
^enty
vvelve

rongb
J been
1. No
ng the
pagan
Huu-
:en sta-
e their
ntros of
ated by
John

\-\c steps
ission of
)Uunbia,
k place,
linis the
Isheldon
It charge

:omance
tnierican
hopeful
I position
len years

a;-'(). Eiglit Protestant societies, with one liundred
and fifty agents, now report ten tliousand converts,
from a mass of ten million of spiritually degraded
people. Trade luis recently received an immense
impetus; and, side by side with the revival of com-
merce, through beautiful Mexican valleys, "the streams
of salvation are already flowing in deeper and swifter
currents."

The prevailing religion of Central America, with its
several miniature republics, comprising an aggregate
population of two million and seven hundred thousand,
is that of Roman Catholicism. An English Wesleyan
mission has been sustained for several years at
Honduras. The Moravians have seven stations along
the Musquito coast, and over a thousand members. A
gracious revival of religion has been experienced
during the past year and several hundred members
added to the communion.

There are few lands of sunnier or richer tropical
beauty than those of the West India Isles. But at
the commencement of the century the world had
scarcely a fouler spot. Society was fetid with crime ;
" a black amalgam of European and African vices,
combinins: the crossness of the one with the fire of
the other." Missions were an experiment. The men
who led the van bore in their bodies the marks
of the Lord Jesus. But as the facts of slavery and
of social life came to be known, the heart and
conscience of England were aroused. Voices were
heard across the deep. A signal fiame was seen to

VM)

THE MACEDONIAN ('H\.

Iturn l)(.'iH'atli a darkencMl sky. Kloiniciit incn dr.
mauih'A tliat the shackles should be struck oil' from
the slave, and that throuf^di relii^nous instruction some
reparation should ])e made for loni^^-contiiiued and
grievous wron*,'. Since then those islands have been
brouj^dit under the inHuence of Christianity, and can
scarcely be re^^arded now as nnssi(jns in the proper
sense. A new history lias been be^^un. 'I'hree hundred
ministers of several denominations re])ort " eiLrhty-five
thousand communicants, and two hundred and iifty
thousand regular attendants at the house of God."
It is somewhat disappointing to notice, in a cruise
through the archipelago, that pulpits are generally
occupied by foreign preachers. Have the ranks of
West India converts failed to furnish suitable material
for a native ministry?

As we touch the continent, an Indian mission of
Britisli Guiana, begun forty years ago, sends a gleam
of lifjht across the waves. A missionary of the
Propagation Society, in the early part of 1 SSI, bap-
tized fourteen hundred natives; and he believes that
there are few cases, "where so many at a time, with
so little to tempt them, have sought admission into
the Christian Church." The Moravians began their
work at Paramaribo over a century acjo. Thev have
a strong station, thousands of adherents, and are
responding to an earnest appeal from the Bush land.

A magnificent territory almost as large as Europe,
with a population of eleven million, forms the empire
of Brazil. The hope has long been cherished, as the

MISSION STATIONS.

131

i\t'n tl*'-
[)tV from
,c)n some
Lied au'l
ivc been
, and can
le proper
I hundred
i.^dity-iive
and lU'ty
of God."
L a cruise
(foneraUy
ranks ot
,1c material

ronli, of elosei' contact witli Protestant civilization
and connnerco, that a hri^jhter and 1 tetter era would
lie inaiii^Mirated in tlie reli<,'ious life oF that land. But
Romanism <lominates liere in its most intolerant and
superstitious form, and certainly the I*apal (Jhurch

torm
liHs little rea.son to be

prouc

I of its spiritual achieve-

ine

nt>

" Pray for South America!" Such was the re(|uest
recently forwarded to the monthly jtrayer concert of
one of the j^reat missionary ('hurches. The spiritual
(k^titution of nine republics and ten nations were
touehingly described; their hopeless moral condition
culling to the keepers of God's oracles with tlie Mace-
donian voic(! : Come over (ind help us. Missions on
the Jjrazilian coast, at Montevideo and Buenos Ayre.s
on the Plata .sliores, at Rosario in tlie interior, and at
a few points on the West Coast, are still few and far
lietween; and yet "from these centres the lines nuist
'JO out to evan<'elize the continent." The l^razilian
work is carried on under the auspices of Presbyterians,
Conr;re<Mtionalist.s, and Southern Methodists. Mis-
sionaries of the Northern Methodist Church are said
to be doincj an excellent work in the South-Eastern
republics. Presbyterians and Congrefjationalists are
plantini^ their stations along the West Coast, and there
Dr. William Taylor is working out a great experiment
in the line of a Pauline method. The South American
Missionary Society has given the gospel to Patagonia,
at the extremity of the continent, to the Falkland
Islands, and to Terra del Fuego. The exclamation of

132

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

Humbolt's guides, as — from tlio boaiitit'ul constella-
tion of the Southern Cross, which sets the sign of our
redemption in the heavens — they noted the morning
hour, finds application in a spiritual sense to the
nations of South America: "Midnight is xmst : the
Cross bends /"

From the continent we take our course to the island
world of the Pacific. Polynesia, marnj islands, l!»et
like gems in the crystal sea, presents a scene of unique
beauty, and of rare missionary interest. A century
has witnessed m.arvellous changes. When first dis-
covered, and made known to the civilized world,
darkness and barbarism everywhere prevailed. The
people were savage, superstitious, and grossly vile.
But the power of the gospel has there been gloriously
exhibited. What thrilling and triumphant memories
are associated with such names as Tonga and Tahiti,
Samoan and Society Isles ! " In more than three
hundred islands of eastern and southern Polynesia,"
says Dr. Mullens, " the gospel has swept heathenism
entirely away." Former dark rites are now no longer
practised. Heathen legends have vanished. Tribal
wars have ceased. Son2:s of the cannibal feast have
given place to the sweet strains of the Redeemer's
praise. Fields are cultivated. Commerce prospers.
Law is recosfnized Native Churches are fjenerously
supported. " The work of missions may be said to be
practically over."

Sixty years ago, Tonga had not a single convert to
the faith of Christ. Three missionaries of the London

MISSION STATIONS.

133

:^nstella-
n ot* our
morning
J to the
)a8t : the

,he island
ands, ^et
of unique
^ century
first dis-
;cd world,
iled. The
■ossly vile,
ffloriously
memories
ind Tahiti,
,han three
Irolynesia,"
beathenism
Iv no longer
led. Tribal
feast have
Redeemer's
:e prospers,
generously
,e said to be

convert to
the London

Society, who first made the attempt to reclaim the
fierce .savages, were murdered. But there is scarcely a
vestige of heathenism now left in that group.

Tlie islands of Fiji, as we have seen, were inhabited
by a race of ferocious cannibals ; but, through a mar-
vellously successful Christian agency, twenty-five
thousand of the.se natives have been enrolled as com-
municants of the Wesleyan Church, and one hundred
thousand assemble regularly for public worship. "You
pass from isle to isle,'' under the intelligent guidance
of Miss Gordon Gumming, " certain everywhere to
find the .same cordial reception from women and men.
Every village in the eighty i.slands has built for itself
a church, and a house for the native teacher or preacher.
Can you realize that there (ire Tiiore than nine thousand
Wesleyan churches in Fiji, at every one of which the
services are crowded by devou congregations ; and
that the first sound that greets your ear at dawn, and
the last at night, is that of hymn-singing rising from
each dwelling: at the hour of morning and evening
wor.ship."

To the north-west of Fiji are the Nev/ Hebrides, a
mission field of the Presbyterian Church of Nova
Scotia ; where on the blood-stained island of Eromanga
the immortal John Williams and the Gordons of these
Provinces were martyred. At Aneityam a marble
tablet has been inscribed to the memory of Rev. John
Geddie ; " When he landed in 1848, there were no
Christians here; and when he left, 1872, there were
no heathens." The vivid description of this mission-

'« Is s

iff!

1.S4

THE MACEDONIAN TRY.

ary's first experience in his selected field will loncf be
remembered by Nova Scotia audiences. A cannibal
cbicf, afterwards converted to God, lurked around
his hut on the niijht of his arrival. The savaire
was intent upon murderous purpose. But a power
which he could not understand, and which was felt to
be as a strange spell, restrained his hand ; " and there,"
said the missionary, producing a polished battle-axe,
" is the weapon with which he intended to perpetrate
the deed." Further to the north, on the island of
Nukapu, of the Swallow group, a great missionary
bishop of the Church of England, John Coloridgo
Patteson, met a martyr's death in 1871.

Crossing the equator, leaving Micronesia on the
left, we halt at the Sandwich Islands, where Captain
Cook was murdered in 1779. Hawaiians were formerly
heathens of a low and disgusting type. Abominable
vices and habits were tending to national deteriora-
tion, and to a rapid diminution of population. Such
was the condition of the Sandwich Islands, when, in
1710, a small missionary party sailed from Boston for
the purpose of bringing the inhabitants under the in-
fluence of Christianity. The patient faith and per-
sistent purpose of the men and women who fultillod
that mission claim a permanent record. Success was
ecpial to the most sanguine anticipation. Civiliza-
tion was introduced. The people were christianized.
Churches became self-supporting, both in regard to
men and means. Native ministers were ordained to
the pastorate of influential congregations. This was
the work of fifty years. The mission has closed,

> s

MISSION STATIONS.

I.S5

lon<^ be
anniVjal
arouiifl
savai^c
\ power
s felt to
d there,"
ittle-axe,
3rpetrate

island of
issionary
Coleridge

having been struck off from the roll of the American
Board. The entire cost of turninfj this little nation
from idols to serve the living God was " greatly less
tlian half the cost of one iron-clad ship of war," less
than half the annual value of the country's increasing
commerce. Hawaii has the banner church of the
Protestant world, numbering between four and five
tlionsand communicants. A jubilee sermon, June
IS70, in memorial of deliverance from heathenism and
the introduction of Christianity, was preached by a
native pastor. It would be pleasant to linger on
thrse isles ci the ocean, where a nation has been born
in our day. Jjut we have many stations to visit, and
must embark for " the Land of the Risinrr Sun."

The favored empire of Japan, in which we begin to
meet and mingle with the forms of Oriental life, is
the newest tield of modern missions. The first mis-
sionaries to enter the country, after the unlo';king of
treaty ports, were those of the Protestant Episcopal,
Preslnterian and Reformed Churches of America, in
is')!). An exceedingly effective and successful work
was oi'ganized by the American Board in lISGO. Con-
tingents were furnished by the Methodist Episcopal
Church of the United States in 1873, and also by the
Methodist Church of Canada. "We entered Japan,"
says Dr. Cochi-an, "just as the time was ripe for
Christian work.''* Twenty diti'erent societies are

* Tlu' iiiiiiii facts connected with the opening of Japan are tersely
sununarized. In Dr. George Cochran, in papers fmni.shiMl for the
'-'((iiadia)! Mdhodist Marjazint', Decemlter, 1880, and Tlu Missioiinry
Outlook, January, 188.'^.

136

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

laboring harmoniously tof^ether in this land of the
morning, for the evangelization of thirty-five million
of people. A public service was held in Tokio, April
18S0, at which fourteen societies were represented, to
celebrate the consummation of a complete translation
of the New Testament into the Japanese language.
The aggregate statistics of missions, as published in the
report of the Evangelical Alliance of Japan, for lScS2,
comprise one liundred and forty-five missionaries,
one hundred and forty-nine ordained and assistant
preachers, seventy-one theological students, and nearly
five thousand communicants. The week of prayer at
v,he commencement of 1883, was followed by a very
blessed outpouring of the Holy Spirit, resulting in a
more rapid accession of converts than had been
previously known. An open liible and a Pentecostal
baptism arc Japan's best hope. Yes, the day breaketh!

Corea, "the Land of Morning Calm," to the w'est of
Japan, with a population of ten million, intense ad-
herents of Confucius, is slow to open her gates to the
messen<]:ers of salvation. There is no missionarv sta-
tion to attract us to the shores of that peninsula, and
we pass on to the vast and populous empire lying on
the south-eastern slope of the Asiatic continent ; an
immense territory, numbering over seventeen hundred
walled cities, and an estimated population of nearly
four hundred million.

A great and fjrowinc: work is b^ing done for China.
Four hundred missionaries, including physicians and
ladies, are fulfilling a blessed ministry, and ai'e extend-

MISSION STATIONS.

137

i the

lilUon

April

[,ecl, to

ilation

(Tuaf^e.

[ in the

r 188*2,

:)naries,

ssistant

[ nearly

rayer at

f a very

ing in a

ad been

rvtecostal

(veakethl

3 west oi

,ense ad-

^es to the
nary sta-
sula, and
lying on
nent ; an
hundred
of nearly

lov China.
Icians and
re extend-

ing their efforts to the interior of the provinces. It
took ten years to increase the first ten converts to a
force of two hundred and twenty. But during half a
decade, from 1877, communicants have increased from
thirteen to twenty thousand. Between three and four
hundred schools have been established, and other
agencies are employed for difTusing gospel light. Pro-
fessor Legge, of Oxford, claims that in thirty-five years
Chinese converts have been multiplied two thousand-
fold, the rate of increase being greater year by year.
" Suppose it to continue the same other thirty-five
years, and in 1913 there will be thirty-six millions of
couimunicants, and a professedly Christian population
of one hundred millions." Such statistical studies and
estimates have a certain value. They have a basis of
asceitained fact. But the most essential laws and
forces of spiritual dynamics are not to be measured or
tabulated. The residue of the Spirit is with God.
China shall be visited with a Divine glory.

Glancing away to the adjacent island of Formosa,
with its three or four million of people, the light of a
noble and successful mission gladdens the vision.
Twelve years ago, one Saturday afternoon, without
any knowledge of the language, a missionary of the
Presbyterian Church of Canada, Dr. McKay, landed
on the Forrnosan coast. What a moving tale of toil,
trial, and triumph he has now to recite ! After four
months he began to preach in a new and difficult
tongue, and five months later a native convert accom-
panied him on a missionary tour. Other converts
10

138

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

were won. Fierce persecution had to be encountered.
Martyrs died for the truth. Savages clamored for the
blood of the intrepid mii,sionary, but he seemed to be
shielded by an invisible power. The son of a chief
and four others were shot and decapitated ; and over
their graves Dr. McKay in.scribed a monumental
stone, " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord."
Still the word of the Lord grew and prevailed. Twenty
churches have been planted in the northern part of the
island, and as many native preachers have been raised
up to make known the ^ocprd to their countrymen.

The Asiatic coast Hue brings us to an important
peninsula lying between (Jlilna and India. It com-
prises Siam and Burman, with their connected terri-
tory, and a population of some fifteen million. Siam,
" the Kingdom of the Free," receptive of Western ideas,
has yet to know the truth which can really secure the
hijrhest freedon\. Buddhism is there enthroned, and
its splendid temples are sustained at an annual cost of
twenty-five million of dollars. Missionaries of the
Presbyterian Board bear the banner of evangelical
enterprise in Siam. " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly,"
is the prayer of a Laos missionary's devoted wife,
" reveal Thyself to those poor benighted ones." The
work of the Baptist missionaries in Burmah has won
wide and well-deserved renown. The names of the
sainted Judson and his gifted wiv^es " will be remem-
bered in the churches of Burmah in future times, when
the pagodas of Guatama shall have fallen, and the
spires of Christian temples shall gleam along the
waters of the Irawaddy and Salwen."

MISSION STATIONS.

119

nen.
portant
It corn-
el terri-
Siam,
n ideas,
cure the
led, and
cost of
of the
ngeUcal
uickly,"
ed wife,
The
has won
s of the
3 reniem-
les, when
and the
Aong the

From the peninsula we pass on to the islands of the
Indian Archipelago, Sumatra, populous Java, spacious
Borneo, and the deep bays of Celebes, with a popula-
tion of nearly thirty million. The Mohammedan
religion very largely obtains ; but there are exceptions,
as in the Buddhism of the Philippine group. Propa-
gation and Dutch societies have stations at Sumatra.
Thirty Dutch missionaries seek to establish the Re-
formed faith in Java. Rhenish societies have made
a beGfinnincr in Borneo. Celebes is said to be the most
prosperous mission of the Holland Churches, having
important stations and thousands of converts among
the Malays of the peninsula. But up to the present
time the strength of evangelical forces is palpably and
painfully inadequate to the great work of bringing
those beautiful islands beneath the benign influence of
the gospel of Christ.

New Guinea, to the east of the archipelago, is inha-
bited by a Papuan race of people. It is one of the
largest islands on the globe, and probably one of the
darkest spots of heathendom. Not much was really
known of the place or the people until the missionaries
of the London Society planned their campaign about
ten years ago ; except that the climate was deadly,
the tribes savage and degraded, and the coast one
that seamen sousfht to avoid. But couraijeous mis-
sionary exploration has won the high encomium and
medal of the Royal Geographical Society, and has led
to the discovery of a superior type of people — in the
interior. Already strong stations have been planted

^!P

140

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

along the line of immense coast, and the gospel will
doubtless follow rapidly in the direction of recent
exploration.

The great insular continent of Australia, to which
in geographical order we next arrive, is the home
of three million of enterprising people, destined
at no distant period to the possession of a mighty
population. At the commencement of this century,
in common with Tasmania, New Zealand, and adjacent
islands, it was engulfed in deepest night. The
country was little noticed except as a penal colony.
No one dreamed that in so short a period it was to
become the scene of a prosperous commerce ; bound to
the rest of the civilized world by rapid and continuous
communication, lines of superb steamers, and fleets of
sailing ships. The first record concerning the heroic
pioneer of Wesleyan missions, Samuel Leigh, was to
the eftect that he had sailed for Australia eighteen
months before, and had not been heard from. Aus-
tralian Christianity, as represented by the leading
evangelical denominations, exhibits a commanding
character, having thoroughly organized agencies and
institutions, and numerous missions to surrounding
groups of islands. There is said to be " a larger pro-
portion of well-educated people in the Australian
colonies than among the same number of people at
home, and their religious feeling is fully equal."*

A pleasant sail over an equatorial sea, fanned by

Stafinticfi of Protestant Missionary Societies, 1872, p. 96;

MISSION STATIONS.

141

will
icent

vhich
home
stined
ligV^ty
ntury,
Ijacent
The
colony,
was to
ound to
itinuous
fleets of
e heroic
J was to
[eighteen

anned by

5,P-

breezes from spicy isles, takes us to the coral strand
of Ceylon, " the celebrated Taprobane of other ac,'es."
Were it not for the exhibitions of human depravity,
this sunny and voluptuous island might be regarded
as a paradise ; but the exquisite beauty of scenery
must not render us insensible to the vileness of man,
and the need of regenerating energy. Ceylon was
early selected as a missionary field. Episcopal and
Wesleyan societies are doing a strong and successful
work.

Thought turns eagerly to India. That ^reat southern
Asiatic peninsula may well be regarded as the Ther-
mopylae of modern missions. "India won," said the
late Bishop Thompson, "and Asia is saved." This
magnificent territory extends from Burmah to the
distant Indus, and from Ceylon to Cashmere, a distance
of two thousand miles. There is very much land to
be possessed. An immense population, one-sixth of the
human race, chiefly owns tlie supremacy of Queen
Victoria, and has a special claim upon the thought and
sympathies of British Christians. Earlier contingents of
the missionary army forced their way in the face of
all but insuperable obstacles. But there has been a
visible interposition of Providence in behalf of the
cause of India's evangelization. Conditions have
hopefully changed. The Churches have not been slow
to acknowledge the hand of God as it was " seen over
against them," or to take advantage of new and
auspicious openings for the spread of the gospel.
Twenty-eight societies, represented by over a thousand

142

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

missionaries, are moving in the harmony and vigor of
concerted and aggressive action. Up to the close of
the first half of this century, 1851, there were only
about ninety thousand Christians in Hindustan ; but
an aggregate of nearly half a million is now reported,
one-third of whom are communicants.* Each period
exhibits an increasing momentum of missionary effort.
Two facts challenge special attention. Returns for
the decade ending December, 1S81, reveal the hopeful
fact that in these ten years the number of converts
and of native ministers has been doubled. "None of
the European or American Churches can exhibit such
an increase." The Anglican Mission at Tinnevelly
continues to be signalized by its accessions of converts.
During the year 1882, one thousand and eight hundred
persons were baptized, upon the profession of their
f j,ith, by the Rev. I. S. Clough, of the Baptist Telugu
Mission. Five hundred natives, in a body, have lately
applied for baptism at a Wesley an station in the
Madras Presidency. The second Decennial Confer-
ence, composed of missionaries from every part of

* The Gospel in all Lands, February, 188.3.

* Statistics, prepared for the Calcutta Decennial Conference,
indicate the increase of the decade :

NATIVE CHRISTIANS.

1871. 18S1.

India . .224,2o8 417,372

Burniah 62,729 75,510

Ceylon 31,376 35,708

Total.... 318,363 528,590

COMMUNICANTS.

1871.

India 52,816

Burmah 20,514

Ceylon 5,164

Total

issi.
113,32:)
24,929
6,843

78,494 145,097

i! !(

MISSION STATIONS.

nror of

Dse of
5 only
i; but
ported,
period
J effort,
rns for
hopeful
onverts
None of
Dit such
inevelly
converts,
hundred
of tVieir
Telugu
lately
in the
Confer-
part of

Conference.

TS.
1.

116
)14
164

113,325

24,929

6,843

194 145,097

India, was held at Calcutta early in January, 1S83.
Thanks were offered to God for the unparalleled
succe.ss which had crowned the toilers in tliat land.
"That which in popular phrase is calle«l evangelical
Christianity," wrote an observer of the assembly
gathered on the banks of the Hooghly, " is a mighty
power in the Empire, full of vitality and energy,
intensely aggressive, org.inized and equipped for vic-
tory, and on the march to the goal of certain
success." *

From India the pioneer missionary has crossed the
border line to Afghanistan. Four millions of Af-
ghans, though claiming a descent from the ten tribes
of Israel, are followers of the Arabian prophtt. The
Church of England station at Peshawur has a mem-
bership of ninety converted Mohammedan.s. A noble
boon to the Afghan is the Pushtu translation of the
New Testament ; forming, as in many other cases, the
foundation of a Christian literature. The conversion
of a notorious robber, Dilawar Khan, on whose head
the British had set a price, furnished a striking illus-
tration of the transforming power of the gospel, and
of the influence of genuine Christian character. Two
hundred of the Moslem population are said to have
been " led by him, at least intellectually, to renounce
the faith of Islam, and to accept the teachings of God's
word."

The light of the Persian sky has faded. No longer

* India Witness, January 6th, 1883.

if:

144

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

do the wise men from the East bring their offerings of
gold and frankincense and myrrh to the slirine of the
world's Redeemer. The cold Crescent, not the star of
Bethlehem, " the bright and morning star," .shines over
the land of the Sophi. The population of four and a
half million, though mostly Moslem, includes a few
Jews, and about 70,000 Armenians and Nestorians.
Missionaries of the Church of England follow in the
labours of the saintly Henry Martyn, whose name and
memory are imperi.shably associated with missionary
enterpri.se in that Eastern field. The strong missions
of Persia are those of the American Presbyterian
Church. They have recently been favored with a
gracious revival, in which .some Jews and many Nes-
torians have been brought to a knowledjje of the
Saviour. Translations of the Word of God bring
within the reach of all the people of Persia a treasure
more precious than the pearls of Or muz.

The great Arabian peninsula, with a population of
some nine millions, extends from the Persian Gulf to
the Red Sea, and from the Gulf of Aden to the
borders of Syria, on the Mediterranean. The Arabian
people, endowed with intellectual qualities of a high
order, full of force and fire, were first to accept and to
propagate the creed of the Koran. To them " Mo-
hammed delivered the scymeter, as the instrument of
his apostolate," and the rapid success of the new faith
must have been in a great measure due to the splendid
qualities of the Arab race. When shall the fiery
children of the desert be won to the Redeemer's cross (

MISSION STATIONS.

145

i^s of
)f the
itar of
IS over
and a
a few
orians.

in the
ne and
iionary
lissions
yterian
with a
fiy Nes-

of the
1 bring
treasure

ation of
Gulf to

to the
Arabian

a high
,t and to
in "Mo-
jnent of
lew faith

splendid
|he tiery

[•'s cross (

The Bible has been rendered into the flexible Arabic,
the sacred language of Islam, "an accurate and elegant
version." Otherwise little is being done to promote a
purer faith :

"Sec where o'er desert wastes they err,
And iieitlier food nor feeder have,
Nor fold, nor phice of refuge near,
For no man cares their souls to save."

In Asiatic Turkey, where there is much to detain
us, and where a great work has been begun, a very
different state of things obtains. The dominant re-
ligion is Mohammedanism. But the population of
sixteen million incl,ude3 numerous communities of
Christians. Turkey in Asia comprises lands of sacred
interest : Mesopotamia and Armenia, Bashan and Pa-
le le, Syria and Asia Minor; the sites of Nineveh
p Jabylon, the mountains of Ararat and I^'banon,
and the ancient cities of Dama.scus and Jtiijsalem.
The Holy Land is still defiled and degraded by the
tyrannies of the Moslem. The lioof of the Turk is
said to wither every green thing, and nowhere else
has the invad»^r left a more desolate track than in the
Lord's land. Missionary work has at different times
been prosecuted with a good deal of enthusiasm among
the Jews of Palestine. Many faithful laborers have
gone forth weeping, bearing precious seed. The Church
of England has a bishop resident on Mount Zion, and
mission stations at Jerusalem, Jaffa, Nablous, Nazareth,
Gaza, and ancient Ramoth Gilead. But the promised
day of Israel does not seem yet to have come. The

146

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

lli

H|j

1 I

Jews are still a scattered people, and in some lands
the bitterness of exile knows but little abatement.
The pathetic lament of the Hebrew prophet, calling
for pity and help at the time of the captivity, is still
the Macedonian cry of the daughter of Judah, as she
weeps beneath the palm tree: "Is it nothing to you
all ye that pass by ? Behold and see if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow ?"

Amidst scenes and surroundings of Bible interest,
the missionaries of the American Board have made for
themselves f noble record, and have challenged the
admiration ot every section of the Christian Church.
For several years the work, which has now expanded
into proportions of magnitude and importance, has
been prosecuted at an annual expenditure of $150,000.
The mission has a force of fift}-four ministers sent out
from home, fifty-seven native ordained preachers,
nearly one hundred lady missionaries, and some five
hundred other helpers in various departments of evan-
gelistic and educational enterprise. A line of stations
stretches from the boundaries of Persia to the banks
of the Bosphorus, on to Bulgaria south of the Balkans,
and from O routes and Aleppo to the borders of the
Black Sea. Through translation of the Bible, a great
•work has been done for Western Asia. An eminent
living missionary has taken part in the preparation of
Armenian, Armeno-Turkish, and Bulgarian versions.
The Word of God has been given to a large portion of
the Ottoman empire. On the banks of the Nile,
throughout the deserts of Arabia, by the rivers of

MISSION STATIONS.

147

lands
ment.
ailing
IS still
as she
,0 you
be any

\terest,
ade for
red the
bhurch.
:panded
ice, has
150,000.
[sent out
eachers,
Dme five
of e van-
stations
banks
Balkans,
of the
a great
eminent
^ration of
versions.
)ortion of
he Nile,
rivers of

•s

Babylon, at Ur of the Chaldees, in the land of Genne-
saret, amongst the ruins of the Seven Churches of
Asia, the sacred Scriptures have been unsealed, and can
be read by the people in their own tongue.

Oriental Churches scattered over a wide region must
always excite a deep interest. Christian sects exist in
the very heart of great Moslem communities. Arme-
nian, Nestorian, Copt, and especially Greek, Churches
are found in Persia, Turkey, Egypt, and Syria; in
such citiea and centres as Aleppo and Damascus, Cairo
and (Constantinople. In spite of Mohammedan hate
and determined attempts at proselytism, numerous
communities have maintained for centuries a strug-
gling life and organization. Although exhibiting an
inferior type of Christianity, such sects bear a sacred
name, maintain some forms of spiritual worship, and
are the depositaries of revealed truth. To Mussulmans
they represent the religion of the New Testament.
Hence it was thouijht at the outset of mission work
that, for the conversion of the Mohammedans, an at-
tempt must be made to reform the Oriental Churches.
Could the golden candlesticks be relighted, and Arme-
nian and Greek worshippers become true witnesses for
Jesus, the reflection of gospel truth would shine over
vast spaces of As'a, and an eflfective agency might be
extensively ' utilized. But there has not been any
great quickening of Oriental Christianity, and the
later policy has been that of independent organization.

It is no longer a capital offence, as it was a few
years ago, for a Moslem to change his religion. Re-

••MiJNHiWHM

148

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

cently, at Beirut, a prominent follower of the Prophet
became a disciple of Jesus. Appeal was made to civil
authority, and an injunction obtained. Arraigned be-
fore a legal tribunal, and threatened with the conse-
quences of turning renegade, he was permitted to bear
a striking testimony to the truth. Taking a copy of
the New Testament from beneath his robe, amid the
breathless silence of the court the convert read the
first chapter of St. John's Gospel ; and with intense
earnestness he spoke of the true Light, of the Word
made flesh, and of the Lamb of God that taketh away
the sin of the world. But, while a certain amount of
tolerance has been granted by law, drawbacks and dis-
abilities of conversion are such as to prevent any
except the most decided inquirers from making a
public renunciation of Islam, or a profession of the
Christian faith.

There are siji^ns, however, of a waning Crescent-
The march of Moslem armies has been described as a
thunderbolt of war; but the cloud that bears the
burning bolt must move on or be dissolved. Political
unity, the result of conquest., has long formed the
citadel of Mohammedan strength. Religion and poli-
tics are fused. Threatened disintegration of Turkish
power must therefore be regarded as a hopeful feature
in the problem of access to Moslem populations. Should
Mohammedan? cease to be a political power, buttressed
by great European empires, the Koran may come fairly
into competition with the Bible, and detected impos-
tures of the false Prophet lead to an examination and

MISSION STATIONS.

149

rophet
o civil
led be-
conse-
to bear
[^opy of
aid the
jad the
intense
le Word
th away
nount of
and dis-
ent any
aaking a
»n of the

Crescent-
bed as a

bears the
Political

rmed the
and poli-

)f Turkish
ul feature
Should
buttressed
ome fairly
ted impos-
nation and

acceptance of the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
unity of the Godhead appeals to Islam sentiment, forms
an initial base of accordance, and may lead to common
ground in regard to other fundamental truths. Only
let pure Christianity and the Arabian imposture be
brought into candid comparison, and prejudice must
melt away. The Moslem worshipper of the One God
shall be led to believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God,
the Saviour of the world.

The Crescent must surely fall before the Cross. A
venerable mosque at Damascus, once a Christian
church, and in par^an times a heathen temple, psr-
petuates a record of prophetic hope and anticipation.
An inscription on its portal, carved in Greek charac-
ter, proclaims the permanence of the Saviour's spiritual
empire. Centuries of Mohammedan fanaticism and
deep hatred to Christianity seemed to contradict the
silent prediction. No follower of the Nazarene was
permitted, during a long dark period, to tread the
courts of that sanctuary. But when missionaries of
the Presbyterian Church entered upon their enterprise
in that ancient city of Syria, they deciphered the i *
scription, and had faith to believe it true : " Thy king-
dom, Christ, is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy
dominion endureth tliroughout all jjenerations."

There is said to be a Moslem belief that the latter
days shall witness a universal apostacy f rom the Islam
faith, and that the Koran shall cease to exist. Are
not the evanfjelical Churches summoned at once to the
occupancy of new fields, and to the achievement of

150

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

ill i I

greater spiritual conquest? Obstacles are all but
innumerable. The work is great. Missions to Mo-
hammedans ought to possess a distinctive character.
Responsibility is not to be left to a section of the
sacramental host. No single denomination should bear
the brunt of assault on the faith of Islam. Let the
whole line advance !

Christianity has vested rights in Mohammedan
lands, many a claim which she cannot forego. An old
traveller, Von Schubert, musing at the mosque of St,
Sophia, experienced an emotion of sadness. The
thought of a long desecration produced a feeling
somewhat resembling that of a Northman, whose son,
at Algiers, was found wearing the garb and leading
the life of a Turkish renegade. The followers of
Jesus had not dared since its surrender to enter that
once renowned sanctuary of the Christian faith —
through which the magniticent Te Deum had been
wont to resound, — and only when passing had ven-
tured to glance into its courts. How long; must the
minstrel wait outside the prison walls, like Caeur de
Leon, till they from within should strike up the well-
known hymns of praise and thanksgiving ? " The
minstrel of thy Saviour tarries long. And thou, old
belfry, thou art but small beside the minarets and
golden crescents ; but when thy voice returns to thee,
it shall sound over sea and land like the call of the
muezzin."

There is a strong temptation, as we near the iEgean

MISSION STATIONS.

151

i hut
) Mo-
•acter.
)f the
dhear
]et the

medan
An old
B of St.
The
feeling
5se son,
leading
jvers of
,er that
faith—
,d been
,d ven-
lust the
'ijnur de
e well-
"The
|iou, old
ts and
|to thee,
of the

iEgean

or the Bosphorus, following in the track of the first
great missionary, crossing the Straits from Asia into
Europe, to pursue a still westward course. Philip-
popolis and Salonika, where St. Paul preached the
gospel, are occupied as mission stations. But tho
unspeakable Turk still rules, and the Christian hears
the voice as of old : " Come over into Macedonia and
help us."

A Mediterranean voyage takes us to the African
continent. The Barbary States, extending from Mo-
rocco to Egypt, are said to comprise over fifteen
million people, of whom four hundred thousand are
reported " Christians " of some sort, three hundred
thousand Jews, and the rest Mohammedans. Except
in the case of missions to the Jews in Algiers and
Tunis, very little is being done to lead those erring
ones into the way of life. Once along the northern
border line of the African continent, as we have seen,
there were flourishing Christian Churches. But that
" green strip " was long ago desolated by the sands of
Moslem invasion. Was the cause of failure to be found
in the fact, as some believe, that the early Churches were
satisfied to be lights only along the shore, and that
no attempt was made to carry the lamp of salvation
to the benighted ones of the interior ? Missionary
churches do not die. Only through unfaithfulness to
her responsibilities could African Christianity be con-
quered by fierce invaders.

For purposes of spiritual conquest Egypt must be

152

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

regarded as one of the strategic points of Africa.
It is the stronghold of Arabian slavery. The river
Nile forms a connection with the interior of the
continent. Here, too, may be found the Tel el Kehir
of Mohammedanism. The great university of Cairo,
with its three hundred attaches, enrols an attendance
of ten thousand students ; and from El Azrah, as
emissaries of the Islam faith, educated bands find
their way to the centre of Africa, to the eastern part
of Asia, and to the Isles of the Sea. With the excep-
tion of six hundred thousand Copts, the five and a
half million of people in Egypt proper, and the nearly
eleven and a half million of annexed territory, are
Mohammedans. The United Presbyterian Church
prosecutes an influential Copt mission on the Nile,
and the Church of England is reorganizing a mission
to the Moslem population. The victorious banner of
a British host should be succeeded by the sacred
standard of the Cross. Wonders shall God work again
in the land of Zoan. " The Lord shall be known in
Egypt, and Egypt shall know the Lord."

Ethiopia, in which the London Society has a mission,
has frequent association with Egypt in the language
of prophecy. An Abyssinian Church claims a Chris-
tian name and character. But the light that once
was in her has become darkness. No part of the world
has more need of the gospel than the regions of the
Upper Nile.

Zanquebar and Mozambique, along the eastern coast

MISSION STATIONS.

153

irica.

river
,f the

Kehir

Cairo,
ndance
;rab, as
tds find
rn part
e exccp-
e and a
le nearly
tory, are
Church
the ISile,
la mission
manner of
sacred

ork again

known in

a mission,
language
lis a Chris-
that once
the world
Ions

istern

of Africa, have yet to be occupied by the advanced
posts of Christianity. But the little island of Zanzi-
bar, adjoining the continent, forming a convenient
base for interior enterprise, is held as the headquarters
of the Universities' Mi.ssion. The old slave market,
where in recent years there was an annual sale of
thirty thousand slaves, has been turned into a scene
of beneficent influence, forming the site of a church,
mission-house, and schools. Thirty-four European
missionaries, and a number of native evangelists, con-
stitute an effective corps for the prosecution of aggres-
sive enterprise. From the sea coast a line of stations
has been carried towards the central lakes. The
grave of Bishop Mackenzie, a missionai-y hero, is three
hundred miles inland. But that way-mark is only on
the threshold of new and accessible territory. " Be-
yond and beyond," said his successor, Bishop Steere,
another brave leader whose brief course has been
tinislied. " lie nations after nations, until the mind is
overwhelmed by the vastness of the work before us."

To Madagascar, the magnificent island on the east
of the Mozambique Channel, must be awarded the
crown of modern missions. Facts in regard to the
rapid abandonment of idolatry, especially in the
central provinces, are well known. Equally extra-
ordinary have been the accessions of converts to the
Christian ranks. The London Society reports an
aggregate of twelve hundred churches, five thousand
native preachers, eighty thousand communicants, and
11

mmm

154

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

not less than half a million of adherents. A million
of dollars has been contributed, during a single decade,
for the spread of the gospel. Malagasy Christians
realize a sense of responsibility in regard to the pro-
motion of the Saviour's work; and, at the Mildmay
Conference, the belief was expressed by a Madagascar
missionary that these churches would rise to the level
of yet greater things, and take their share in the hope
and hazard of winning the continent for Christ.

From the eastern coast, missionaries have penetrated
to the interior of Africa ; and, in a marvellous manner,
central regions and races have become accessible to
Christianity. The Church of England has reinforced
her oft-shattered and depleted ranks, and extended
her mission posts to Victoria Nyanza. A promising
Blantyre Mission of the Church of Scotland has been
planted on the healthful heights of the Shire region.
In memory of Africa's best friend., a noble and fitting
monument, the Free Church of Scotland has started
successfully her Livingstonia enterprise. Eight years
after its discovery, in October 1875, the sparkling
waters of the Nyassa burst upon the view of the
Scotch pioneer missionaries. The Hundreth Psalm,

"All people that on earth do dwell
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice,"

seemed to have a new beauty and depth of meaning
as its notes floated over the blue waves of the spacious
lake. Two steamers, the Lady' Nyassa on the Zambesi

MISSION STATIONS.

155

iUion

Bcade,

stians

e pro-

^Idmay

Lgascar

le level

tie hope

t.
netrated

manner ,
ssiblc to
einforced
extended
promising
has been
te region,
nd fitting
as started
ght years
Sparkling
w of the
psalm.

){ meaning
Ihe spacious
ke Zambesi

and Shire rivers and the Itala on Lake Nyassa, form
an easy route from the coast. Beyond the northern
shore of the Nyassa, deeper into the interior, an
explorer pushes on to the Tanganyika ; a great inland
sea, on the eastern and western shores of which,
amidst a dense population, the London Society is
planting its vigorous missions. Does not the day
(lawn for Africa ? Fron the east and the west
pioneer forces are pressing to the heart of the conti-
nent. The watchword has been sounded: "Foriuard
to the ccntrn !"

South Africa was early a storied land of missions.
The Moravian brethren sent their first missionary
to the Hottentots in 1737, and they have now thirtj--
ninc laborers in the field ; while one of their stations,
Mamre, has a roll of one thousand and three hundred
communicants. The London Society, with headquar-
ters at Kuruman in Bechuanaland, has twentv-two
missionaries, a strong staff" of native helpers, and a
large membership. United Presbyterian and Free
Churches of Scotland carry on an influential work in
KafiVaria. Wesleyan missionaries, entering the field
at an early period, starting from the Cape, have
extended colonial and native stations to little Nama-
qualand on the one hand, and to the Zulu country on
the other. One hundred stations of the Church of
England Propagation Society comprise colonial and
native missions. The American Board has an en-
courajjinjr Zulu cause. Dutch and other missionaries

156

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

I
'11 ! i I

:■ a

labor in the Transvaal. Several Continental societies
have agents in South African territory.

Western Africa, following the coast line from the
south, completes the circuit of mission stations. Mis-
sionaries of the American Board have inaugurated a
new enterprise at Benguela. English Baptists are
steaming up the Congo to a thickly-populated central
region, and the Livingstone Inland Mission forwards
evangelists by the same route. What an immense field
opens up for the diffusion of the gospel in the vast
Congo valley! It is computed that in order to furnish
a single missionary to the thickly-peopled towns and
villages, scattered over each hundred square miles, no
less than nine thousand men would be needed. The
reflection of missionary watch-fires can be seen over a
dark region at the mouth of the Niger. Wesleyan
and Church of England societies maintain their
stations along the line of the Gold Coast and at Sierra
Leone. More than one hundred and twenty messen-
gers of the gospel, during a period of forty years, have
succumbed to the effects of deadly climate,

"And their low pillow has been tiie strange soil
Of that distant and grave-dotted strand."

But the work has not been in vain in the Lord. Com-
municants of the several stations now number thirty
thousand.

As from the shores of Africa we embark for this
Western continent — such is the magnitude of the work

MISSION STATIONS.

157

)m the

Mis-

cated a

sts are

central
orwards
nse field
the vast
> furnish
wns and
miles, no
ed. The
en over a
W^esleyan
un their

at Sierra
messen-
[ears, have

soil

yet to be accomplished — the Macedonian cry, heard
from many lands, still sounds along our course, and
mingles with the murmur of the mighty main. Souls
benighted plead for light and help.

"ChristiauH, hearken: none has taught them
Of the Saviour's love so dear ;
Of the precious price that bought them ;
Of the«iail, the thorn, the spear.

Ye who know Him,
Guide them from the darkness drear."

When shall " the wail of the billows of humanity,"
from the lands of idolatry, from .scenes of Mo.slem
superstition, from Asia and Africa, and from the Isles
of the sunny South, be turned into a shout of rejoicing i

J)rd. Com-
Iber thirty

Ik for this
If the work

rr^

"There is yet no more than time to open an enterprise so vast.
IJiit already there are materials from whicli it is possible to estimate
the prospects of the missionary enterprise, and tlie gi-andeur of tho
results which its success must yield," — Robert Mackrnzif.

\uil

PROGRESS OF FOREIGN MISSIONS.

159

VI.

ise so vast.
to estiinatL'
uleuv of tlie

PROGRESS AND RESULTS OF FOREIGN

MISSIONS.

THE missions of this century, as far as can be ascer-
tained from available and reliable data, began
with a membership of not more than fifty thousand.
But now missionary communicants are estimated at
over half a million, and nearly three and a half million
of adherents have been won from heathenism. Such
an exhibit is full of encouragement. Ratio constantly
increases. Reduplication is marvellous. The acces-
sions of a single year are larger than was the aggregate
of converts at the commencement of the century.

A brief statistical summary is all that can be at-
tempted on this page. Central and South America,
including the West Indies, with a population of over
thirty-tive million, where four hundred and thirty
commissioned messengers of the cross are seeking to
respond to the Macedonian cry, began the present
decade with a return of twenty-five thousand com-
'^ •"' bs, forty-three thousand scholars, and eighty
id attendants on public worship. Asia, an im-

en territory, stretching from the Sea of Sinim to
aie Hellespont, and from the sands of Arabia to the
snows of Siberia, with a population of eight hundred
million, in wh" h two thousand five hundred mission-

lili

160

THE MACEDONIAN GUY.

aries are sounding forth the word of life, seeking to
turn men "from idols to serve the living and true
God," is credited with nearly two hundred and forty-
six thousand communicants, two hundred and eighteen
thousand scholars, and three hundred and forty-three
thousand adherents. Oceanica missions, comprising
several groups of islands, where a brave band of conse-
crated men, inclusive of a proportionately large native
element, are seeking to win bright trophies for Jesus,
aggregates one hundred and twenty thousand com-
municants, seventy-five thousand scholars, and iive
hundred and thirty thousand nominal Christians.
Africa, with two hundred million of people, where,
includinfj Madagascar and Mauritius, nine hundred
missionaries proclaim the gospel of peace and good-
will, presents a roll of nearly one hundred and sixty-
five thousand communicants, over ninety-eight thou-
sand scholars, and five hundred and eighteen thousand
worshippers reclaimed from the baseness and bai uari-
ties of heathenism. European missions, comprisinjr
stations in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Bul-
garia, and some other places that sorely need a second
Reformation, where seven hundred evangelists are
seeking to propagate a purer faith, return ninety-six
thousand communicants. But even these summaries
are far from being exhaustive of the whole field of
missions.* Some of the most important features of

* "Probably," says Dr. Dorchester, in his valuable and suggestive
statistical exhibit of missions for 1880, "more than 20,000 stations
are occupied. More than 40,000 laborers, lay and clerical, are in

PROGRESS OF FOREIGN MISSIONS.

161

ng to
[ true
forty-
rhteen
-three

prising

conse-

native
r Jesus,
,d com-
nd iive
ristians.
;^ where,
hundred
ad good-
id sixty-
rht thou-
thousand

buL oari-
)mprisinjT

key, Bul-

a second

lists are

inety-six

ummaries

e field of
atures oi

>d suggestive

,000 stations

lerieal, are in

missionary progress, and many great and glorious
spiritual results, do not admit of tabular exhibit.

SeverrJ years ago a writer in the Tmies complained
that the reports of the several foreign missionary
societies were not made up in a satisfactory manner.
There was said to be an " absence of those facts, those
details, that account of results," which generous con-
tributors " require in ever}'' matter they take in hand."
But no longer can there be any cause for dissatisfac-
tion on that ground. Statistics are abundantly tabu-
lated. Leading principles and details are so grasped
and grouped as to become mutually illustrative and
explanatory ; and, in marked contrast, with most
impressive effect, they are projected against the dark
and discouraging background of a preceding era.

The most exhaustive summaries, however, in this
period of expansion, must soon be out of date, and can
only be valuable as way-marks of progress. The vast
impetus of advancing evangelical movement necessi-
tates constant revision of numerical statement. But
there are some special results of modern missions that
can never lose their significance, and to which the

the foreign fields, '31 missions not reporting the former and 51 not
reporting the latter item — probably 45,000 at least of these laborers.
From 356 of the 504 missions we have 857,332 communicants reported.
Returns from the remaining 148 would doubtless swell the aggregate
to over 1,000,000. These figures do not include nominal converts
from heathenism, but enrolled Church members. The nominal
adherents or hearers, reported in about two-fifths of the missions,
are 1,813,596 — probably about three and a half millions in all." —
Problem of ReligiotLii Proyv^ss, pp. 487, 488.

162

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

publication of annual and decennial returns only chal-
lenjjes renewed attention : —

The area of enterprise has been immensely enlarged.

There was a contraction of Christian work, in even
the comparatively recent past, which is not easy for
us to understand. A most chilling subject, at any
time between the decline of the Puritan and the rise
of the Wesleyan movement, was that of the world's
evangelization. Two centuries ago a number of gifted
and godly ministers were silenced in England, ex-
cluded from the pulpits of the Established Church.
Saintly Richard Baxter grieved greatly for the loss of
such a ministry. But the chief sorrow was in the
fact that these men could not be utilized as mission-
aries to the heathen. He was led in this way to
ponder the question of obligation in relation to the
great commission. England had been wont to absorb
his thoughts ; or if the rest of the world was con-
sidered, a prayer for the conversion of the Jews was
almost all. But when he came to understand the con-
dition of the heathen nations, ^heir need of the gospel,
and "the method of the Lord's Prayer," there was noth-
ing so heavy upon his heart as the thought of the
miseries of unenlightened lands of the earth. Even the
calamities of his friends or of his country could not
affect him so much as the case of heathen, Mohamme-
dan, and ignorant people of dark and distant regions,
' Could we but go among Tartars, Turks, and hea-
then, I should be but little troubled for the silencing
of eighteen hundred ministers at once in England;

PROGRESS OF FOREIGN MISSIONS.

163

chal-

irged.

even
sy for
t any
le rise
vorld's

gifted

nd, ex-
;;;hurch.
> loss oi
in t\ie
mission-
way to
^ to the
o absorb
vas con-
ews was
the con-
he gospel,
|a\t,s notli-
t of the
Even the
;ould not
obamme-
t regions,
and bea-
silencing
England ;

which maketh nie greatly honor Mr. John Eliot, the
apostle of the Indians in New England." It is diffi-
cult to realize that, as late as the seventeenth cen-
tury, with the exception of a little strip along the
eastern seaboard, this continent of America, the
whole of Africa, the teeming millions of China and
India, the greatest part of Asia, the lands of the Bible,
and the numerous Isles of the Sea, were utterly inac-
cessible to the missionary of the cross or any evange-
listic agency.

Even at the commencement of this mission century
the doors of lieathendom were almost everywhere
closed. It is well known that when William Carey
set his face towards the East no English ship would
tolerate a missionary passenger, and he had to sail
under the Danish tlaof. " If I ever see a Hindoo con-
verted to Jesus Christ," said Henry Martyn, in his
day, " I shall see something more nearly approaching
the resurrection of a dead body than anything I
have ever yet seen." Dr. Morrison landed at Macao
in 1807. The attempt to make Christians out of
Chinese Buddhists was generally regarded as a Uto-
pian and utterly hopeless scheme. It was stigmatized
as an "absurdity in hysterics, preposterousness run
mad, illusion dancing in the maddening frenzy, the
unsubstantial dream and vision of a dreamer who
dreams that he has been dreaming." The West India
slave continued to clank the chain of a bitter and re-
lentless bondage. Dwellers in the Southern Archi-
pelago were still enveloped in the impenetrable gloom

lis

164

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

of heathen night. Deeper than Egyptian darkness
brooded over the continent of Africa. It was claimed
to be yet an open question as to the capability of sable
races for elevation in the scale of civilization ; and, in
reference to the negro, James Montgomery met the
doubt by a pathetic plea :

" Since his wrongs began,
His follies and his crimes have stampt him Man. "

It was affirmed by politicians and officials of the East
India Company that were an attempt made to inter-
fere with the religion of Hindustan, insult would
be quickly resented, the people of India would sweep
away the Anglo-Saxon race and rule, with as much
ease as the sand of the desert is driven by an east
wind ; and down to the mutiny, 18o7, as tidings of
disaster reached the India House, a director exultingly
exclaimed, " Now we shall get rid of the saints!"
The thick wall of Chinese exclusiveness had l<^en
scarcely pierced. Oriental tongues were but little un-
derstood, and but few uncivilized lanfjua<jes had been
reduced to writincr.

Marvellous has been the change ! Barriers of ages
have been broken down. Antipathies are relaxed or
repressed. The world is everywhere accessible. South
Seas have been flooded with T ht. Africa is being
explored and claimed for Christ. From Cape Comorin
to the distant Himalayas, India is becoming a vast
and fruitful mission field. China, to her w^estern
mountains, and her northern wall, welcomes the

RESULTS OF FOREIGN MISSIONS.

165

j:ness
iraed
sable
id, in
t the

>e East

) inter-
would

I sweep

s much

an east

lings of

altingly
iaints 1 "

d l^^n
ittle un-
lad been

of ages
axed or
South
is being
Comorin
(T a vast
western
mes the

heralds of salvation. In lands where, within the
memory of living missionaries, through the prevalence
of repulsive and sanguinary rites and superstitions, the
people were oppressed, the earth polluted, and heaven
insulted, Christian consjreixations now jrather for
prayer and praise. There is also a prodigious growth
of intercommunication. Steam speeds the missionary
to his distant post, and electricity flashes back the
tidings of progress. " To me," says the venerable
Bishop Simpson, " all this portends the coming of an
era of universal light and glory."

Missions have added stirriwj and storied pages to
the history of spiritual achievement.

What literature of this world, in thrilling and ro-
mantic interest, can surpass that of modern missions ?
It was once said that the narrative of John Williams'
mission to the South Sea Islands might be regarded
as the twenty-ninth chapter in the Acts of the Apostles.
A writer in a current number of " The Gospel in all
Lands " says, " The achievements of the missionary
enterprises of to-day are only the Book of Acts con-
tinued on into the nineteenth century." The tours
of St. Paul and his companions, their intrepidity and
successes, form a fascinating part of the inspired his-
tory. But the writer of that narrative could not
chronicle all the acts of the Christian Church. There
is no sign or seal of completeness, no finish or fornmla,
at the close of the book. T'le record runs on from
Antioch to Galatia, and from the mission scenes of
Asia to the populous cities of Europe. Not for a

166

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

moment, to the very last verse, is there any abatement
of missionary spirit and interest: "preaching the
kinoTfJom of God, and teach ingf the thinjjs which con-
eern the Lord Jesus Christ." The history of magnifi-
cent enterprise, and of the spread of early Christianity,
thus closes with an apparent abruptness. As you
stroll amongst partially hewn blocks, scattered about
the quarries of the Nile, retaining in that salubrious
clime their freshness for long centuries, you almost
look for the workman to return with mallet and chisel,
and to complete the partially wrought column or slab.
Some such feeling one may have after an eager per-
usal of the Acts of the Apostles. We wait for more.
The cross has been victorious in voluptuous Antioch,
gorgeous Corinth, idolatrous Ephesus, and in imperial
Rome. But what of the spread of the gospel through
the provinces of Gaul and Spain ? Were not the vic-
tories of imperial legions surpassed by those of the
armies of the cross ? By what agency were fierce and
uncivilized hordes of " those northern and inclement
Scandinavian shores, which made the lordlv Roman
shiver when he named them," subjugated to the faith
of Christ ? We almost expect the inspired writer to
resume his pen, to chronicle new facts of apostolic
achievement, and to complete the marvellous narrative.
Is it not evidently the Divine idea that the sacred
record, acts of men who hazarded their lives for the
Lord Jesus, should be supplemented by reports of
evangelistic enterprise, and of soul-saving work,
until the great consummation shall have been won ?

RESULTS OF FOREIGN MISSIONS.

167

ment
T the
1 con-
ifi-

,crni

anity,
.s you
about
ibrious
almost
I chisel,
or slab,
er per-
)r more.
\.ntioch,
imperial
through
the vic-
of the
erce and
clement
Roman
[the faith
writer to
apostolic
arrative.
e sacred
Is for the
sports of
^cr work ,
en won ?

The history of spiritual achievement repeats itself.
Acts of the Apostles furnish an admirable model
for the reports of modern missions. Missionary
movements in the nineteenth century are simply a
reproduction of early Christianity. The first messen-
^ers of the cro.ss, as they left Antioch for the foreign
work, were " recommended to the grace of God," and
followed by the prayers of all the disciples. In like
manner, a consecrated band of men and women, re-
cently leaving American shores for China and the
eastern parts of Asia, were fervently commended to
Divine care and protection, and accompanied by the
prayers and hopes of many Christian people of the
United States. The incident of Barnabas and Paul
sailing away to Cyprus, and across the Pamphylian
Gulf, always retains its freshness and power. Later
pages glow with the grand enthusiasm of such mis-
sionaries as Carey and Coke, rocking on the mighty
ocean, and planning the conquest of new continents
for Christ. Opening chapters of the Book of Acts in
the New Testament tell of the martyrdom of St.
Stephen and of St. James, beaten with stones or
slain with the sword. Modern annals immortalize the
martyrs of Erromanga and Madagascar, and the names
of the heroic men who are falling at their post in
Central Africa. An indescribable charm is associated
with the first days of the gospel in Corinth and in
Philippi ; but the facts of Serampore and Kuruman,
and a hundred other places, furnish evidence of a
gloriously perpetuated apostolic succession. Through

168

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

ill

the zeal of mission Churches planted by St. Paul and
his fellow-laborers, the word of the Lord was sounded
out, " not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in
every place." A spirit of propagandisrn is beinj^ devel-
oped in the native Churches of India and South
Africa, of Hawaii and Tonga, that gives a noble im-
pulse to the onward movement of modern Christianity.
Yes, there is abundant material for suiiplementary
chapters to " the Acts of the Apostles."

It is sometimes complained that ihe statistical por-
tions of missionary reports arc not attractive. Would
any one complain that a page of a Parliamentary Blue-
book was duller than the latest work of fiction, or that
bulletins of battle were wantinjj: in "imaginative and
literary power and expression ? To the political econor
mist, statistical exhibits furnish information in the
most compact and available form; and, to hearts
strained by palpitating and protracted anxiety and
suspense, eager for the details of national conflict,
rhetorical flourish would seem sadly out of place.
Reports of mi.ssion work are put into business form,
so far as statistics and summaries are concerned. But,
between the lines, thoughtful men and women find a
world of meaning. Beneath the tabulated statements,
there are exhibitions of patience and intrepidity of
spirit, of unselfish and successful work for Christ,
that move the soul alternatel}^ to exultation and to
tears.

Apart from purely business reports, the Church has
a great missionary literature, which, for magnificence

RESULTS OF FOREIGN MISSIONS.

169

il and
underl
blso in
devel-
South
ble im-
iianity.
lentary

jal por-
Woukl
ry Blue-
i, or that
tive and
al econOf
n in the
hearts
ty and
conflict,
place.
ss form.
3d. But,
jn tind a
itements,
idity of
r Christ,
and to

lurch has
.niticence

)t'

of range, variety, romance of fact and incident,

touching; and thrillinnr detail and power, surpasses

all other publications of the age.* Dr. Jaboz Bunting
once said that he read the leading newspapers of the

day in order to understand the manner in which his
heavenly Father governed the world. Those who
would keep abreast of the marvellous changes that
aie being wrought in the earth, and who would mark
the victories that signalize the march of spiritual
empire, must ransack the records of evangelical enter-
prise, and saturate their minds with the memorials of
missionary heroes.

Modern Missions have greatly enriched the hiogra-
l>hies of tlie Christian Church.

The Epistle to the Hebrews has a chapter of unri-
valled interest, which has been characterized as " the
Westminster Abbey of the New Testament." The
names of heroes of the Hebrew faith are there em-
balmed. Where shall we now find a succession to
that inspired bead-roll of immortal fame ? To what
sphere must we look for the noblest manifestations
of human life and heroism ? The men and women
who, far away from scenes of show and ostentation,
have consecrated themscilves to the missionary cause,

* Two new book-lists happen to be at hand, as these lines are
written, and they announce or notice such volumes as those of Dr.
Christlieb's " F )reign Missions," the magnificent " Ely Volame "
of Dr. Laurie, Bambridge's "Around the World of Christian Mis-
sions,'" Thompson's " Moravian Missions," " The Sunrise King-
dom,'' "Life in Greece and Palestine," and a " History of Indian
Missions on the Pacific Coast. "

■ I

"I"

170

THE MACKDONIAN rilV

to spend and to bo spent for Christ, constitute a
j^oodly fellowship. In spiritual resolv(! and intrepid
deed, tlie line of missionary succession streams and
bla/es with holy and heaveidy li^ht. Names of
peerless renown, Xavier and Schwartz, Kliot and
Ef^ede, Carey and Coke, Morrison and iMilis, Judson
and Marshman, Henry Martyn an<l IJe^inald ilcher,
Robert Moftat and William Sliaw, John Williams
and John Hunt, Alexander Duff' and ])avid FiivinjT-
stone, Coleridge Patteson and Charles Frederic
Macrenzie, John Oeddie and (yliarles New, James
Evans and George McDougal, mu>^t forcvn' shine in a
galaxy of splendor. " Read only the life of Patteson,"
says Max Muller, " the Bishop of Melanesia. It has
been my privilege to have known some of the finest
and noblest spirits which England has produced dur-
ing this century, but there is none to whose memory
I look up with greater reverence, none by whose
friendship I feel more deeply humbled, than that of
that true saint, true martyr, and truly parental mis-
sionary." *

The dust of another honored missionary has been
rendered to the mould in trophied tomb and temple.
A magnificent sepulchre was prepared for the mortal
remains of the great pioneer of African missions. It
was a fitting recognition which the world freely ac-
corded to daring and intrepidity, unswerving goodness
and patient achievement.

On Missions, Eel. Review, 1874, p. 263.

l?KSiri/rs OK KOllKIfiN MISSIONS.

171

tr('pi<l
\s niul
iKiS of
)t sin<l

HrlK«r,

/illiains
I.iving-

James
inc in a
ittcson,"
It lias
ho finest
ced dur-

lueinory
y wliose
I that of

ital mis-

Ihas been

1 temple.

lie mortal

Isions. It

:reely ac-

cjoodness

*' We saw thfin Inwor liiiii tt) rest :
Was liver luiinan bosom pressnl
]{y (lust iiioiu manly ? Or a namt!
Of liumblc origin and fame
Linked firmer to the lieart (»f man?
Or life's most transient human span
Crowded M'ith grander, nobler deeds?"

Ihit is there need to chant the re({iiiem, woavci tlie
cliaplet, or carve the monument of stone ^ Do not
deeds of missionary devotion find a higlier than
earthly record and recompense ? " An<l they tliat l)e
wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament ;
and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars
for ever and ever."

The names of a devoted sisterhood have been im-
mortalized by the inspired Apostle Paul: Phebe, "a
snccourer of many and of myself also ;" Priscilla, " a
helper in Christ Jesus ;" Mary, " who bestowed much
labor on us ;" Tryphena and Tryphosa, " who labor in
the Lord ;" the beloved Persis, " which laboreth much
in the Lord." But what New Testament record, " of
honorable women not a few," can surpass that of
modern missions ? Harriet Newell and Mary Cryer,
the wives of Judson, Mary Moffat and Mary M. Ellis,
Fidelia Fiske and Harriet C. Mullens, Dorothy Jones
and Rebecca Wakefield, and others whose lives have
been equally consecrated, heroines of the missionary
enterprise, may claim an enduring inscription. In
each case, the Saviour's approval is sure : " She hath
done what she could." " Verily I say unto you, where-

172

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

•

soovcr this f^ospel shall he preached throui,diout the
whole world, this also that she hath done shall l)e
spoken for a memorial of her."

MisHwnariea have made numerous I ranshdwiiH vj
the Bible into varied languages of the earth.

One of the most wonderful faets of modern mis-
sions, completely chan^dnj; the aspect and atmosphere
of the Christian world, is the immense; impetus given
to the work of disseminating the sacred Sciiptures.
It is not always easy to understand the stupendous
toil demanded for the work of translation. E({uiva-
lents for words freighted with evangelical significance,
such as sin, atonement, and righteousness, are exceed-
ingly difficult to obtain. The Burmese version of Dr.
Judson, regarded as a noble work, cost him nineteen
years of hard toil. Dr. Carey devoted fifteen years
of unremitting labor to his Bengali version. The
Arabic translation was a work of fifteen, and that of
Tahiti twenty years. Mainly through the unwearied
effort of scholarly missionaries, during the past eighty
years, the Word of God — or portions of the Old and
New Testament — has been rendered into numerous
living languages. Had there been no other mi.^.sion
results, this great achievement would alone have
constituted an ample compensation for the expen-
diture of life and treasure. Some one has said that
the most profound homage which may be offered to Ji
creature, reserved from genius and earthly grandeur,
from the soldier that wins blood-stained wreaths,
from the statesman that controls courts and cabinets,

RKSriTS OF FOREIfJX MISSIONS.

173

;iii«l I'roiii tlu' oiator whose tlioiinlits und words liirutlu^
ami Inirn, shall he ^nik-t'iilly \mid to liiui who tirst
makes a wide-spoken tonj,aie to utter words of salva-
tion.

There were thouf,dit to he at the commencement of
tins century, existinj,' in fifty lanj,aiages, about Hve
million coi)ies of the Scriptures. But in 1882, a sinj^le
year, the issues of the; J^ihle Society, and of tliree
kindred institutions, aggregated nearly five million of
copies. The Word of Ood has been rendered into
no less than three hundred lannruaijes and dialects,
comprising the speech of nine-tenths of the population
of the globe. Is not the Bible the modern gift of
tongues ?

As in the mystic river of sanctuary vision, the life-
giving streams of sacred truth are progressive and
t'tiicacious. The waters deepened in their How, to
the ankles, to the knees, and up to the loins, not too
deep for a man to wade through, from brink to brink.
But, suddenly, and without apparent cause, the river
became a mighty fiood ; " for the waters were risen,
waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed
over." There was also a marvellous efficacy in those
holy w^aters. "And everything shall live whither the
river cometh." Through waste and wild, deep
gorge and gloomy ravine, a wealth of tropical vege-
tation beautifies and enriches its course. The Dead
Sea, a region of sand, salt, and sulpliur, is pene-
trated and purified. Sluggish depths are healed.
"And by the river, upon the banks thereof, on this

174

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

side ami on that .side, sliall Ljrow all trees \'ov meat,
wh'jse leaf shall not i'ade, neither shall the fruit
thereof be consumed: it shall brinof forth new fruit
acc*. fding to his months, because their waters they
issued out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof
shaU be meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."

Missions have demonstrated the essential manhood
of degraded races.

It has been found that man everywhere has a ca-
pacity for the reception of spiritual truth. Carey
s' oke of iroinir "down into the mine" of dejjraded
hmnanity, and he and his fellow-laborers penetrated
to some of its darkest and foulest depths. Once it
was affirmed that nothing precious could be found at
such a level of baseness and depression. But mis-
sionary explorers have been richly rewarded. They
have struck rich veins, and have brought to the sur-
face treasures of splendid worth. The possibilities of
redeemod races have been proved. Through the power
and piocess of saving and sanctifying truth and grace,
fijems of immortal mind, freed from foul encrustation,
poHshed and beautified, flash with the light of
Christian graces and of an expanded intellect.

By what standard shall we attempt to measure the
importance of such a work? The Apostie Paul had a
profound imprcsbion of the worth of redeeme'l hu-
manity. Oace he was instruraeiital in the salvation
of a runaway slave, Onesimus, and the elation of feel-
ing produced by that success prompted liim to write
the Kpistle of Pliilemon. The conversion of one

RESrLTS OF FOREIGN MISSIONS. 175

licathni soul — a dusky child of the forest, a dark
dweller of ice-bound Labrador, a, Hindu devotee, a
savaixe Kaffir, a deiiiaded Mala<rasian, a barbarous
Tongan, a senseless Papuan, or a stupid Patagonian — is
worth more than the outlay demanded by the costliest
missions. The lowest of all these tribes may not only
be raised to a hifjher jxrade of civilization, but to the
dignity of sons and heirs of God. An eminent scien-
tist, Charles R. Darwin, while cruising off the coast
of South America, makinir the observations which
formed the found.ation of his lifework as a naturalist,
noticed the deLjraded condition of the Patagonians.
He was positive in discussion of the subject that they
were specifically diH'crent from the races of Europe,
and absolutely incapable of improvement. In later
years, as he came to understand the success of the
Church of England missionaries in promoting a Pata-
g(mian civilization, "he frankly avowed his mistake,
and gave his name as a subscriber to the funds of
the Soutli American Society — on whose books it still,
remains."*

Missions furnish evidence of the adaptation of the
(iosvel of Christ to all conditions of human need.

The gospel of Jesus Christ has been given to dark
idolaters of Oriental lands and to the forest wan<lerers
of this western continent, to the polar seal-hunter and
to the negro slave; and every wliere, fimid Arctic snows

*'l'li<' fiC't i.s \(>ii('lieil for liy a corrcspundDiit nl tin; Mniflii Mvr
<1 uardiiiii.

176

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

and at the burning tropics, it has V)een found effica-
cious, " the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth." As light to the eye, or melody to the
ear, exquisite in its adaptation, the gospel of Christ
finds its way to the human soul, and satisfies the heart
as nothing else can do. There was a time when
Moravian missionaries thought that the Esquimaux
were too dark and degraded to receive the sublime
teachings of Christianity. They must first aim at an
improved civilization. Moral precepts, and the first
principles of natural religion were earnestly inculcated.
But the experiment of years proved to be an utter
failure. No progress was made on that line of effort.
It was like ploughing and sowing on rocks or fields of
ice. But patiently they toiled in the laborious work
of preparing a version of the Gospels for Greenland.
One memorable day, natives lingered round John Beck
and questioned him about the writing. The Mis-
sionary read a few sentences, and for the first time in
that land announced the " faithful saying, and worthy
of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
w^orld to save sinners." As he spoke of the .sufferings
of Christ, his own soul was filled with emotion. Then
he read to the wondering listeners, in their own lan-
guage, the account of the Redeemer's agony in Geth-
semane. " How was that," asked one of the men, a
wild savage from the mountains, " tell us that again,
for we too would be saved ;*" Again, with softened
lieart and streaming eyes, they listened to the won-
drous stoiy of Jesus and His love; and, after their

RESULTS OF FOREIGN MISSIONS.

177

effica-
ry one
to the
Christ
e heart
e when
ainiaux
sublime
u at an
he first
;ulcated.
m utter
)f effort,
tiekls of
>us work
eenland.

AVontcd nianner, when struck «hnul) with aniuzenient,
they put their hands upon their mouths. One anxious
inquirer was savingly converted to God. This first
convert, Kajarnak, became a teacher to his country-
men, and to the end of his life adorned his profession.
The Moravian pioneers obtained a clearer idea of the
Divine method of savimj: men, savai^e and civilized,
and from that time resolved to preach nothing " .save
Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

In the mission of the brave and brotherly George
McDougal, there was an incident illustrative of the
power of the gospel and its adaptation to all classes
and conditions of men. The Missionary has gathered
a considerable congregation of Indians, many of whom
have been brought under the influence of Christianity
and civilization. But yonder on the outskirts of the
prairie audience is a fierce pagan chief who scorns
to accept a new religion, or to depart from the
traditions of his tribe. Paint and feathers, tomahawk
or rifle, still bespeak the savage. But the preacher
believes that his quiver contains a sharp arrow
that may cleave its way to the heart and con-
science of that rude barbarian. A telling sentence
rouses his indignant interest. " And what is it," he
demands, dismounting from his horse, and stalking
proudly up to the front of the missionary, " that you
have to tell nie that will make my heart glad ?" The
preacher understa».ds the Indian character and pas-
sionateness of purpose, but he lias faith in his message,
and believes it to be " good ti<lings uf great joy,

OTSaS5!-~ieW!B!HH!MH!i!

mtmmm

178

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

whieli sliall lu' to all people." There are chords i!i
that dusky warrior's soul, which, it' skilfully touched,
must respond to the truth ; and, in earnest and tender
tones and true, he tells of " Jesus and the resurrec-
tion." Hardness and scorn are concjuered ; and the
haughty chief, who perhaps had never shed a tear,
except at the grave of a darling child, astounded by
the words that the dead shall rise again, softens to
sensibility and contrite feeling.

" Never," says a lady-worker in the Eastern mission
field, ' has the old, old story seemed so sweet as when
it was told to those dark-eyed and darker-minded
women to whom it was not old. The lighting up of
dull faces, when first their hearts take in the wonderful
fact of a Saviour's love to them, and their eager
questionings in regard to the good news, lead to a
realization of the blessedness of the work."

But why should isolated instances of Divine and
saving powe** be selected and adduced ? Every mission
in every land exhibits the efficacy of the gospel.
When John the Baptist was in prison — a moment of
depression it might have been — he sent messengers to
the Saviour to know if he were indeed the Christ
that should come. " Jesus answered and said unto
them, Go and shew John again those things which yc
do hear and see : The blind receive their '^ight, and
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf
hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have tlio
gospel preached to them." Need we other attesta-
tion of the power of ihe gospel. Darkness is dispelled.

RESULTS OF FOREICiN MISSIONS.

179

(Is i!i
iclied'
euder
urrec-
id the
I tear,
ed by
ens to

nission
s when
minded
; up of
aderful
: eager
id to a

ne and
mission
frospel.
nent ot*
icrers to
Christ
d unto
ich ye
ht, and
lie deaf
ave the
attesta-
spelled.

Sinners are converted. IMoiunnents of mercy are
being daily multi})lied.

" Jesus the pri.sonei's fetters break.s,
And bruises Satan's head ;
Power into strengthless souls it speaks,
And life int(j tlie dead."

MtHsions malce imjwrtant contributions to commerce,
literature, (ind science.

No one can doubt the value of missionary contribu-
tion to the cau.se of civilization and the world's pro-
gre.ss. Even, if there were only financial tests to be
met, and evangelical enterprise had no sublimer
aspects, the gain lias been immense. Most of the
trade of Lairo.s, amountinij: to four million dollars a
year, according to the te.stimony of Sir T. Fowell
Buxton, is due to the industry of the christianized
natives of Sierra Leone. A century ago. Captain
Cook was murdered on the Sandwich Islands, and
missionaries found a degraded and savage people,
living in the surf and on the sand, devouring raw
fle.sh, and steeped in .sensuality. But now Honolulu,
the Hawaiin capital, is an important commercial port,
with a riourishinf; and leLritiraate traffic of uiree
million of dollars annually. It has been calculated
that every missionary in the South Seas creates on an
average a trade of fifty thou.sand dollars a year.
Leading merchants of London and Gla.sgow, believing
thi.,t commercially their investment will be a good
one, and that a groat impulse will be given to the
development of trade, have contributed to Central

ISO

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

At'rieun missions. b'o(jt])riiits of missionary jtioneers
uro a safe and sure track for tlie trader. A member
of the British Parliament, one of the merchant princes
of the sea-girt isle, standing up lately in the busy city
of ]\Ianchester, brought home the question to the
practical sense of business men. He claimed that in
the great metropolis of manufacturing interests, from
which productions of the loom were going out to
civilized and uncivilized parts of the world, there was
iiotliing undignified in the introduction or considera-
tion of the subject of Christian missions. Commercial
men might be appealed to even on subordinate grounds
to support this spiritual enterprise. The missionary
was the pioneer of mercantile interests. Many a
valuable market, for years and years to come, would
have been closed to their Lancashire manufactures
had it not been that heroic missionaries had first led
the way in an attempt to raise heathen people in the
scale of civilization. They were bound to support the
missionary societies very much more nobly than they
had done in the past. " I think," said Mr. Mason,
" that the obligation rests upon them as commercial
men, even as much as it rests upon them as Christian
men, to be more liberal in their contributions,"

The missionary, as he penetrates the stupidity and
barbarities of paganism, is followed by the plough, the
loom, the printing-press, the lighthouse, the telegrapli
and the railway. Every new mission to lands of
uncivilized heathenism, originated and sustaine<l by
the Christian Church, expands the wings of commerce.

RESULTS OF FOREIGN MISSIONS.

181

slips another belt on the complicated machinery of
modern civilization, and makes its influence felt in the
markets of the globe.

Science and literature have also been greatly pro-
moted. The stu<lv of numerous lanixuajres develops
linguistic and philological genius and aptness, and
hence the special value of missionary contril)utions.
"Nothing," it is said in regard to Livingstone, "can
he more telling than his life as an evidence of the
power an<l truth of Christianity, as a plea for Chris-
tian missions and civilization, or as a demonstration
of the true connection between religion and science." *
The Misffiondry Herald h; placed by an eminent (\vv-
man geographer, Karl Ritter, above all scientific maga-
zines as a repository of "scientific, historical, and anti-
(luarian details." The recently-published Ely volume,
devoted to " missions and science," furnishes a magnifi-
cent summary of material results. " Mission agents,"
says the Timefi in a recent editorial, " penetrate where
officials and private persons have no wish and no call
to penetrate, and they enable us to realize wants and
needs of whose existence we should often otherwise be
dindy conscious."

The valuable influenc*^ of missionaries, in the pro-
motion of national interests and the general good of
heathen communitit-^, has been repeatedly acknow-
ledged. It was the opinion of the late Lord Lawrence,
Governor-General of India, and one of the ijreatest

Dr. Blaikie's Life of David Livingstoiie, Preface.

182

THE MACEnoNIAN CRY.

aii<l Ijust inon tliat England over j^avc to her Eastern
empire, notwitlistanding all that the Government had
done for tliat countiy, that " missionaries have done
more than all agencies combined." " 1 speak simply
as to Hiatters of experience and ol)servation," said Sir
iiai'th; Frere, in 1(S74, "just as a Roman Prefect might
have reported to Trajan or the Antonines ; and I assure
you that the teaching of Christianity among a hundred
and sixty millions of civilizerl and industrious Hindus
and Mohammedans in India is effecting chatiges —
moral, social, and political — which for extent and
rapidity of effect are far more extraordinary than
anything you or your fathers have witnessed in modern
Europe." The Government of India, according to an
official document printed by order of the House of
Commons, acknowledges "the great obligation under
which it is laid by the benevolent exertions of these
six hundred missionaries, whose blameless example
and self-denying labors are infusing new vigor into
the stereotyped life of the great populations placed
under English rule, and preparing them to be in every
way better men and better citizens." *

Facts of missionary progress and achievement, ex-
tended area of enterprise, glowing narratives of pioneer
toil and triumph, exhibitions of heroism and saintly
devotion, translations of the Bible into numerous living
languages of the earth, elevation of debased tribes,
demonstration of the adaptation of the gospel to all

Report of Secretary of State, 1873.

KKSri/rS OF FOIJEKiN MISSIONS.

1 s;j

\j had
done
mply
d Sir

issure
ndred
lindus
igeh—
it and
r than
nodcrn
r to an

3USC of

under
f th^'se
xample
or into

placed
every

conditions of hniiianity, contri])ntions to science and
coninicrcc, and manifold advantacres resultin<' to the
cause of a conunon Christianity, furnish ahundant
warrant for ^a-atitude and hope. Even the want of
civilization has been no bar to tlie a«lvancenient of the
t^^ospel. The modern missionary, equally witli the
Apostle of the Gentiles, may say, " I am a debtor botli
to the Greeks and to the barbarians ; both to the wise
and to the unwise."

mt, ex-
Ipioneer
I saintly
Is living
tribes,
|l to all

" It is the dictate of a wise missionary policy to adapt methods of
lahor to the varied cireumstaiucs of ditlereiit fields. While tlie
general principles to he observed in the conduct of missionary worI<
may now he re<;arded as settled, an<l while the great object of
establishing self-supporting, self-propagating churches is kept in
view, the application of these principles must be suited to tiie
peculiar circumstani'es of each race and nation." — Dr. Clark.

MISSIONARY MKTIIODS AND A(;KNC1ES.

l.sr.

VTT.

MISSIONARY METHODS AND ACJENCIKS.

f'thoda r.f
^'hilo thr
liiry worU

object (if
; kept in

(I to the

rpllE main principles of missionary policy and ac-
X tion obtain an almost unanimous acceptance.
Unity is a marked feature of the movement. Jose])h
Cook, just returned from a visit to the nnssions of
Asia, was greatly impressed by the union of sentiment
amon<ij missionaries in Japan, China, and India.
" Soldiers who are face to face with the enemy must
close up their ranks. The conflict with ])aganism
l)rinfijs out into the vanjruard of the Churches the
hidden half of Christian unity." A nobler spirit of
catholicity has been amongst the most valuable of
reflex results. The Church, while weeping and work-
ing for the conversion of the world to Christ, has
grown richer in sympathy, more expansive and
generous in feeling. This is the oneness for which
the Redeemer prayed, " that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me." Missionaries deeply realize

"Our fears, our hopes, our aims, are one,
Our comforts and our cares."

In a " new model of missions," by the late gifted
Isaac Taylor, it was proposed to amubja'mate the sev-
eral missionary societies. A union of Protestant
denominations under one leadership would, it was

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186

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

believed, strengthen and consolidate their work, and
enable them to present an unbroken front to the
ranks of heathendom. Such a scheme, if at all prac-
ticable, might tend to greater uniformity, but scarcely
to more of genuine spiritual unity. In the meantime,
we are grateful for an almost complete unanimity of
thought and action.

Fundamental principles are accepted. It is agreed
that all men are sinful, exposed to wrath, and in need
of the mercy of God : " because we thus judge, that if
one died for all, then w^ere all dead ;" that the an-
nouncement of " a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord,"
is for all : " glad tidings of great joy which shall be to
all people ;" that " the glorious gospel of the blessed
God," in its wondrous adaptation, and in the sufficiency
of its provisions, meets the varied wants of redeemed
humanity, even to the le- el of the most debased : "a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation ;" that,
by the imperative terms of the Saviour's command,
the Church of Christ has been entrusted with the
duty of the world's evangelization : " that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in His name
among all nations ;" that, as the Church at Antioch
was required by the Holy Ghost to select and send
forth men for distinctively mission work, effort of a
costly character must be organized for the universal
promulgation of the gospel : " to all them that dwell
upon the earth ;" that the great promise of this dis-
pensation, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all
flesh," warrants Christian people to pray for and to

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

187

k, and
to the
il prac-
carcely
antime,
mity of

in need
;, that if
the an-
16 Lord,"
mil be to
I blessed
ifficieiicy
-edeemed
ased: "a
n;" that,
onimand,
with the
pentance
His name
Antioch
and send
ffort of a
universal
lat dwell
this dis-
upon all
or and to

expect all needed spiritual blessing, and the hastening
of the heathen world's salvation.

Missionary methods, based upon accepted princi-
ples of spiritual propaganda, should he practicable
and sufficiently broad to meet the demands of a ura-
versal evangelization.

Questions of method have been frequently mooted.
In the first flush of metropolitan popularity, having
been invited to preach the annual sermon of the
London Missionary Society, the late Edward Irving
denounced the modern mission movement. Splendid
declamation paved the way to a powerful impression
upon popular feeling. A compact organization, — with
its board of management, public meetings, and paid
agencies, — was said t" b<' a hindrance rather than a
help to the progress of ».': gospel. Machinery was
regarded as simply an evidence of the materialism of
the age, and of the degeneracy of the Church. Sys-
tems were cumbersome. They hampered the cause of
evangelization. Modern missionaries, the salaried
servants of Societies, subject to specific regulation,
were placed in contemptuous contrast 'with the first
messengers of the cross. Apostles of the primitive
Church were spoken of as free from human dictation,
guided only by the Holy Ghost. In a glowing and
impassioned strain, the great orator expatiated on
the sublimity of independent action. The true evan-
gelist, according to the preacher's ideal, breaks down
every bridge behind him, plunges into the heart of
heathenism, trusts to the Saviour for support as well

n.!

188

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

as for success, and leaves a track resplendent with
spiritual achievement. It did not seem to occur to
the gifted but erratic Irving that it was one thing to
go upon such a warfare armed with tongues of flame
and the power of working miracles, and another to
spend years of toil in the acquisition of unwritten
languages, for the means of access to a barbarous
people. In the one case there was immediate success
to strengthen the soul, and in the other years of pa-
tient preparation for a harvest that must be mainly
gathered by later reapers. But, in view of modern
conditions, the proposal of the preacher was visionary
and impracticable. Before we can listen patiently to
anything that would seem to discount or depreciate
the unselfish and consuming labors of such men as
Carey or Judson, Heber or Henry Martyn, Duff* or
Livingstone, Coke or Calvert, we must be satisfied
that there is some more excellent way. In the mean-
time, grateful for success in the prosecution of ordi-
nary methods, we must seek to lift them as nearly
as possible to the line and level of primitive and
apostolic work and result.

The subject of "Pauline methods of missionary
work," as proposed and pursued by Dr. William
Taylor, challenges consideration. It is claimed that
the evangelical Churches have largely restricted their
religious activities to the multifarious forms and de-
mands of the home work, that they have sent out a
comparatively slender force to make known the gospel
of Christ to the millions of heathenism, and that our

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

189

with
ur to
ng to
flame
ler to
ritten
parous
uccess
of pa-
nainly
nodern
lionary
itly to
>reciate
men as
Duff or
atisfied

mean-
ordi-

nearly
ive and

sionary
Villiam
ed that
}d their
md de-
t out a
3 gospel
ihat our

own countrymen resident in foreign lands arc largely
precluded from the programme of evangelization :
"The Churches have but two regular methods of
disseminating the gospel. One is by the gradual
extension of the home work, and the other is by the
authorized location of definite mission fields, the ap-
pointment of missionaries, and the appropriation of
money to support them, by the regular missionary
societies through their oflficials. Our remote dispersed
people are beyond the radius of the first ; and not being
heathens nor paupers they do not come within the
plan or provision of our missionary societies."* In
view of the fact that St. Paul and his fellow-laborers,
under the direct supervision of the Divine Spirit,
aimed at independent organization, and placed the
entire responsibility of Church administration upon
native converts, it is strenuously urged that mission-
ary Churches and charges should be thrown upon their
own resources In the first days of the Church, Jews
were scattered abroad, and became the medium of
access to the Gentile populations by whom they were
surrounded. Commerce and other exigencies and re-
quirements of modern civilization have thrown Eng-
lish-speaking people upon nearly every distant shore,
and it should be the policy of modern missions to
utilize that Christian element for the support and
diff'usion of the gospel among the heathen.
At the Shanghai Missionary Conference, in which

PaiUine Methods, p. 25.

190

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

J-

V ■■

eiiifhtoeii of the societies at work in China were repre-
sented, " where minor ditterences were forgotten," and
where the simple purpose was to consider " the policy
to be pursued and plans adopted for the overthrow of
the kingdom of Satan," this question of missionary
method and policy came up for consideration. The
earlier plali of evangelistic effort in that empire had
been to traverse wide spaces of country, preaching the
gospel to multitudes. But experience has now taught
the laborers of that land to restrict their itinerations,
to concentrate working force, and thoroughly to visit
a defined district. St. Paul found it expedient to
remain three years at Ephesus, and he continued at
Corinth for the consolidation of Christian work. The
men who know most of China, and who have been
eminently successful in tbeir efforts for the spread of
the gospel through the eastern part of Asia, find it
necessary to repeat their visits, and to " prolong them
on each successive occasion."

It may be presumed, where missions diflier so greatly
in religious character, social status, material resources,
and in their immediate surroundings, that no one
method can be rigidly or uniformly adopted. Colonial
missions planted in communities where language,
habits of life, and general conditions are much the
same as in England or America, may be made self-
dependent at the very earliest stage of their history.
There are also missions to mingled communities, Eng-
lish-speaking settlers or traders in the midst of multi-
tudinous forms of semi-civilization, where, through

j*i

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

101

repre-
," and
policy
row of
ionary
. The
re had
ng the
taught
rations,
to visit
ient to
lued at
c. The
7e been
)read of
find it
ig them

greatly
Isources,
mo one

Colonial
Inguage,

ich the
Ide self-
Ihistory.

5S, Eng-
multi-

bhrough

the influences and ascendency of a superior race, a
rapid transition should be effected towards self-sus-
taining organization. But where missions are planted
in the heart of heathenism, the conditions are essen-
tially different. Foreign missionaries have to conquer
languages, create a literature, translate a Bible, uproot
the superstitions of ages, and with their families form
the model of a nobler and purer social life.

The question of self-support comes to the front of
modern mission enterprise. To its fullest extent this
principle or policy finds application in every part of
the field, and enters into the missionary plans of all
the leading missionary societies. Most of the older
missions in different parts of the world have been
thrown very largely upon their own resources. A
series of questions was lately put by Joseph Cook to
large gatherings in ten representative cities of Asia.
Inquiry had special reference to this subject : " Ought
native Christians to be encouraged and instructed to
give a tenth of their income to the support of their
Churches?" " No, 7io^ yet," was the reply of many
leading and influential minds of the several evangelical
bodies. But a few mission-workers, especially of the
American Board, said "Yes." "One evening in Bombay
I was putting a series of questions to a company of mis-
sionaries and civilians, and this question about self-
support was among the inquiries. Scotch and English
missionaries, one after another, rose and opposed such
a pressure as is brought to bear upon native Churches
by instructing them to give a tenth of their income

192

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

for the support of their pastor ; but, finally, up rose a
converted Brahman from out of the Held of the Ameri-
can Board, and, in the most incisive, almost classic
English, nearly turned the feeling of the company in
favour of the American plan."* The problem of
pushing the principle of self-support, and of throwing
weighty financial obligations upon native Churches,
will doubtless resolve itself in the near future. But
" in the beginning of the gospel " there must be com-
munication " concerning giving and receiving."

Missionary methods create and comprise educational
forces and facilities. Dr. Duff, putting the impress of
a commanding mind upon the missionary policy
of India, infusing into intellectual enterprise a good
measure of his own intense and impassioned feeling^
was disposed to put education to the front, and to
make it the most evangelistic of appliances. The
class-room was to prepare the way for direct access
to the heart and conscience of the student. Preachers
of the various evangelical denominations, throu<,h
efforts for individual conversion, would engage "in
separating as many precious atoms from the mass "
as the stubborn resistance to ordinary appliances
would admit, he, by the blessing of God, would " de-
vote time and strength to the preparation of a mine
and the setting off of a train " which should one day
explode and tear up the structure of Hinduism from
its lowest depths. But, on the other side, at the

* Monday Lectures, January 29th, 188.3.

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

193

rose a
imeri-
classic
my in
em of
•owing
arches,
. But
e com-

itio7ial
)ress of

policy
a good
feeling,
and to
5. The

access
eachers
hrou^h

tge

•13

mass

)liances

lid " de-

a mine

)ne day

from

at the

recent Calcutta Conference, as the result of conviction
and experiment, it was urged that tlie great want of
India to-day is preaching. " Education is spreading,
breaking down the Hindu faith, and we must preach
the gospel to them at this crisis." There is clearly a
considerable margin for difference of judgment in
regard to guiding policy. What shall be the place
and proportion to be assigned relatively to evangelical
and educational agency and effort ? Unquestionably
the original command was to preach or herald the
gospel, to make a proclamation of the glad tidings of
salvation. The first messengers of the cross could not
but feel that their main business was to preach Christ
and Him crucified. " So from Jerusalem," said the
great missionary of the primitive Church, "and round
about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel
of Christ." There was a distinction of spiritual enter-
prise that could never be set aside in deference to
any human device. As a preacher of righteousness,
he magnified his office, and counted all thincjs but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.
But while the Apostle would not quench a single ray
from the light of that sacred story which gathers
round the cross, he sanctioned subordinate agency,
and gladly utilized each diversity of mental and
spiritual qualification and endowment : " For unto
one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom ; to
another the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit ;
to another faith, by the same Spirit ; to another the

W>^

194

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

gift of liealing, by the same Spirit;" to others the
interpretation of tongues, and other gifts.

Evangelistic methods demand adaptation. The
main purpose must be; through the process of indi-
vidual conversion, to secure a purified and elevated
national life. But it has been charged that, instead
of a civilization suited to the genius and condition of
Oriental character and life, missionaries have sought
to make English Christians, and in a great measure
have denationalized their converts. It was the belief
of Bishop Patteson that a mistake had been made in
the policy of Protestant propagandism : " Few men
think themselves into the state of the Eastern mind.
We seek to denationalize those races, as far as I can
see." There can be no compromise of the truth as it
is in Jesus. But Christianity is a spiritual system.
The gospel, as a message of salvation, should not be
encumbered with unnecessary social requirements.
Native usages of India or China, at all compatible
with the spirit and precepts of the New Testament,
ought scarcely to be condemned on the ground of being
foreign to Western ideas. St. Paul's tolerance of
national and race differences suggests a safe principle
of missionary action : " Unto the Jews I became as a
Jew, that I might gain the Jews ; to them that are
under the law, as under the law, that I might gain
them that are uuder the law ; to them that are with-
out law, as without law (being not without law to
God), that I might gain them that are without law.
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

195

weak : I am made all things to all men, that I might
by all means save some."

Missionary measures and methods should be framed
and adopted with a view to the utmost econoniy of
men and means Feeble and scattered efforts do not
effectively promote the cause of the world's evangeliza-
tion. Territory should be distributed. A principle of
non-interference should be sacredly regarded, for it
subserves the general good and growth of missions.
With easily-recognized exceptions, such as centres of
population, the several societies may find it expedient
to occupy different fields of labor. An admirable
report on "Waste in Foreign Missions" was presented
on the closing day of the London Methodist (Ecumeni-
cal Conference. Its suggestions are applicable to the
operations of all evangelical missions ; and, with such
changes of 'phraseology as the adaptation of a larger
field demands, it can with advantage be reproduced :

(1.) That any Christian body desiring to take up a
new mission field should, if possible, select one not
occupied by any other missionary society ; or, if the
field be large enough to admit of joint occupancy, a
portion of the field should be chosen not alread}'
occupied by other bodies ; or, if the work must neces-
sarily be intermingled, cities and towns not already
occupied by other evangelical agencies should be
by those proposing to enter ; always considering,
however, that it may be important to have centres for
each body in the capital cities of States and Pro-

; IB

196

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

vinct'H, arnl that some cities arc of such threat popula-
tion as to admit of joint occupancy. (2.) In case of
any trespass, real or imaginary, upon these guiding
pilnciples, we advise that the largest measure of for-
bearance and charity be exercised. Alienation or strife
in the presence of those whom we come to save must
be exceedingly disastrous. Let each case of alleged
interference be fraternally examined by the mission-
aries, all the considerations be carefully weighed,
and a decision reached that shall not be tainted
by any selfishness or desire for denominational
aggrandizement ; solely influenced by pure and noble
desires for the greatest glory of our common Master
and the greatest good of His kingdom. (3.) That
when different bodies of Christians, for any reason
have entered the same field, there should be the
frankest and most brotherly mutual recognition, and,
as far as possible, co-operation. Where this prevails
any evils that might possibly arise will be reduced to
a minimum, and beneficial influences might even arise
from the loving co-existence of the bodies in the same
field. (4.) We are not prepared to recommend any
general council of reference for the adjustment of such
cases. The evils complained of have not assumed
such dimensions as to warrant such a proposal ; in-
deed, from an examination of this subject, we think
the evil may be far less in extent than is generally
supposed, and we must look for the ultimate remedy
to the prevalence of the spirit of brotherly-kindness

if I

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

1J)7

and Christian wisdom among missionaries themselves,
and in the boards and committees of directors.*

A noble spiritual unity has been made and mani-
fested in the progress of missions. Exigencies of the
hour demand continued co-operation and mutual sup-
port. In their simultaneous movement, and in the
occupancy of strategic positions, evangelistic forces
ought to be a unit. From the world-wide watch towers,
of effort and aggression, there should roll up an ac-
cordant strain : " One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is above all, and
through all, and in you all."

Miasionainj 'plans must aim at provision for an
adeqvAite agency ; fm' the immediate exigencies of ^^ar-
ticular fields, and for the ultimate evangelization of
the whole heathen world.

A comprehensive missionary policy frames measures
of reinforcement, and looks well to means for a con-
tinued supply of laborers. An ordinary method is to
train men in the work. But should there not be also
a training for a special field ? Might not the acquire-
ments of returned missionaries be more generally
utilized in this department of preparation ? Some of
us can remember that not a few of the valuable and
permanent impressions of life were received from the
lips of such honored men, many of whom had hazarded
their lives for the Lord Jesus. Memory at this mo-

* See Proceedings of the (Ecumenical Methodist Conference, pp.
687, 588.

m'fi^sm

198

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

\v.

ment goes back to an eager group in a north of Eng-
land-grammar school. The members of that band
had been recently converted to God, and were speci-
ally susceptible to spiritual impressions. A graphic
and gljv/ing description of the work of God amongst
dark and benighted races of people moved their souls
to missionary enthusiasm ; and in more than one case
it led to the formation of purpose, and to life-long
results. In a course of twelve lectures, the touching
and triumphant story of a century and a-half of
Moravian mission toil has been recently told to the
students of Andover Seminary, and to those of the
Theological Department of Boston University. Would
it be possible for young men, whose love and loyalty
have been plighted to the cause of the Redeemer,
without a renewal of holy resolve, to remember such
examples of faith and patience, intrepidity and dar-
ing achievement ? Why should missionary addresses
of that eloquent and elevated strain and character be
restricted to the students of one or two theological
institutions ? Ought not the young men of several
such colleges, during the formative period of life and
purpose, to be made acquainted with the exigencies,
claims, and sublime aspects of missionary enterprise ?
Difficulties do not deter young men of character and
purpose from offering themselves for the most arduous
fields of toil. George Piercy, in his Yorkshire home,
was roused to sympathy for the perishing millions of
China, and offered himself for that mission. He was
not at once accepted, but such was the strength of

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

199

>f Eng-
tt band
e speci-
graphic
iinoiigst
eir souls
one case
life-long
bouching
L-half of
id to the
le of the
'. Would
d loyalty
ledeemer,
iber such
and dar-
addresses
tracter be
leological
)f several
E life and
xigencies,
iterprise ?
acter and
i arduous
ire home,
lillions of
He was
rength of

conviction and resolve that he disposed of what pro-
perty he had, sailed to China, studied the language,
began a new mission, and then renewed his offer to
the church. Now he ranks with the most honored
and successful missionaries of the eastern world. Has
not Christendom a thousand young men ready for any
evangelical enterprise, waiting for a summons to the
field and front of action ?

It seems strange that, in their influential seats of
learning, Protestant denominations have not done more
to utilize consecrated Oriental ^scholarship for the
benefit of missions. Roman Catholicism has its So-
ciety for the propagation of the faith. The Collegio
de Propaganda Fide, in Rome, standing on one side
of the Piazza di Spagna, founded two centuries and
a half ago, was designed by the astute and enterpris-
ing Gregory as a retreat for scholars, and a nursery for
missionaries. Professors are mostly selected from the
staff of mission laborers. Numerous languages are
taught. But the instructors are supposed to possess
other than linguistic qualifications. They burn with
an intense passion for spiritual conquest. An unat-
tractive building is the centre of a world-wide influ-
ence. A hundred or more of young men are there
under training for the foreign field. Each student, in
addition to incidental advantages, obtains an acquaint-
ance with the languages of the civilized or uncivilized
lands of heathenism which he expects to use in his
future mission. An organized scheme, under evangeli-
cal auspices, for turning to account the best services

J!'!

4i i

J'"'

200

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

of returned missionaries, might open to us new sources
of power and success.

Missionary methods should have regard to the rais-
ing up of a native ministry.

One of the leaders of Christian work in India
has put upon record his sense of the importance
of this subject. Were there but two missionaries
in his district, we are assured one of them should
give his time and strength to the great work of
training native agents. It is rightly concluded that
in clearing the forests and jungles of heathen su-
perstition, and in preparing the soil to receive the
good seed of the kingdom, they must look for na-
tive fellers, and also provide for them sharp axes.
" What," said a scornful Brahman to a solitary mis-
sionary, "you talk about converting India to the
Christian religion ? It cannot be done ! You might
as well," he said, pointing to a strip of wood, stretch-
ing away to the distance of twenty-five miles, " take
an axe and attempt to fell that forest." The pale-
faced teacher was prompt in reply. He could do it.
" But mark you, every stick I cut will be a handle for
another axe, and yet another, until the wood rings
with the strokes of the fellers, and every branch shall
be lopped off*, and every trunk shall be laid low."*

An opportunity was afforded during the visit of
Narayan Sheshadri to this country of listening to a
cultured Brahmin ; a convert to the faith of Christ,

*Rev. J. Walton's Speech, Exeter Hall, May, 1865.

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

201

purees
5 rais-

India
)rtance
onaries
shoulu
rork of
ed that
tien su-
iive the
for na-
rp axes,
iry mis-

to the
lU might

stretch-
5, "take

lie pale-
lid do it.

,ndle for

id rings

,ch shall

"*
iw.

visit of
tns: to a
Christ,

and an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church
in India. As with flexible expression, and almost
faultless diction, he discussed and defined questions
and doctrines of science and theology, one could not
but feel that through the agency of a native ministry
there must be grand possibilities in the future of
missions. Accustomed to a tropical climate, indepen-
dent of the necessities of an European civilization, a
native preaciier easily adapts himself to all the exi-
gences of the work. There is a vantage ground of
immediate access to the heathen mind. He penetrates
the reserve of his countrymen. Exposition and refu-
tation proceed from the standpoint of native thought,
and they attract by the drapery of fitting and familiar
expression. " Oh," said a veteran missionary " there
is that in the tones of a foreigner's voice which falls
heavy and cold on the ear of a native, whereas there
is something in the genuine tones of a countryman's
voice which, operating as a charm, falls pleasantly on
the ear, and comes home to the feelings, and touches
the heart, and causes its tenderest chords to vibrate."*
Any misgiving one might have entertained in re-
gard to the expediency of native agency yields to the
logic of facts. Twenty years ago the great Tinnevelly
mission of the Church of England had a staff of six-
teen European missionaries; but, now, with the excep-
tion of the bishop and three educationists, the preaching
and pastoral work of eight hundred and seventy-five

Li/f of Dr. Duff, vol. Ist, page 293.

ilill.

202

THE MACEDONIAN CRV.

villaj^es devolve upon converted Hindus. A Wesleyan
missionary of South Africa attributes the good results
of a recent and extensive revival to the earnest manner
in which a splendid band of local preachers had worked
and striven to brinj:^ the heathen to Christ. He avows
himself a staunch believer in the employment of native
agency, for the purpose of reaching the masses. The
converted Zulu has scarcely, it is thought, an ecj^ual
anywhere in the zeal with which he seeks the salvation
of his own people ; for soul-saving work is with him an
intense and consuming passion, and he exults to gather
new spoils to the Redeemer's cross. But no country or
race can claim a monopoly of material for an efficient
native ministry. What more beautiful character than
that of Joeli Mbulu, a Tongan preacher, as delineated
by Miss Gordon Gumming, could one expect to meet in
any land ? " The first to welcome us on landing,"
speaking of a visit to Bau, " was the native minister,
Joeli Mbulu, a fine old Tongan chief. His features are
beautiful, his color clear olive, and he has grey hair
and a long silky grey beard. He is just my ideal of
what Abraham must have been, and would be worth
a fortune to an artist as a patriarch^-l study." Through
scenes of cannibalism and dark and horrid practices,
for the space of forty years, Joeli persevered in his
arduous work, was ordained to the ministry of the gos-
pel, and charged with the oversight of a mission to a
separate group of islands. Tongans are naturally a
superior race " Better pioneers could not have been
desired. M . strong energetic character and deter-

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

20;]

sleyan
results
nanncr

3 avows

t' native

s. The

n e(^ual

alvation

[1 him an

:o feather

)untry or

I efficient

cter than

ielineated

o meet in

landing,"
minister,

itures are
rey hair
ideal of

|be worth
Through
practices,
led in his
k the gos-
[sion to a
^turally a
ave been
ind deter-

mination, keenly intelligent, physically superior to the
average Fijian, and therefore commanding respect,
they had always taken the lead wherever they went ;
and as in their heathen days they had been foremost
in reckless evil, they now threw their whole inHuence
into the scale of good. Foremost amongst these was
Joeli Mbulu, a man whose faith is evidently an intense
reality." The end of this man was full of peace, a
beautiful exhibition of the power of saving and sus-
taining grace. " The noble face lighted up as we
entered, and he greeted us as was his wont — with holy
and loving words. He was perfectly calm, and the
grand steadfast mind clear as ever." " He was quite
conscious to the very last, and the expression of the
grand old face was simply beautiful — so radiant as of

one without a shadow of doubt concerning the home
he was so near." *

Missionary methods ought to aim at provision for
an extension of medical agency.

It is impossible to ponder the facts of Christ's mission
and ministry without marking the prominence which He
has assiijned to works of healing. The Saviour minis-
tered to the bodies as well as to the souls of men. By a
manifestation of compassion He won His way to tlie
hearts of the multitude. " But that ye may know that
the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins,
He saith unto the sick of the palsy, Arise take up thy
bed and go into thy house."

At Home in Fiji, pp. 123 and 316.

8 'T

■ 7 ft' I ^

B TV ]'

I: W

204

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

11:

It was reserved for the American Board to attempt
the systematic introduction of medical practice as an
auxiliary to direct evangelical agency. Dr. Parker
led the way in IHlMi. His labors were crowned with
signal and decisive success. Medical agency, while
Christlike and beneficent in itself, can be made to
subserve direct spiritual results. To many thousands
of those who passed through the hospital of the
Canton medical mission the sublime doctrines of revela-
tion were announced and expounded, and thousands
of copies of the gospels distributed. An extraordinary
tribute to the value and influence of medical missions
may be found in the fact that a hospital under native
management has been recently opened at Kin Kiang.
Chinese officials acknowledge the great good that has
been wrought through the agency of Christian physi-
cians; but, in their proclamation, affirm that through
hospitals and charitable institutions the foreigners are
rapidly stealing away the hearts of the people. Even
the Times, not remarkable for enthusiasm on the sub-
ject of missions, congratulates the missionary societies
upon their achievements in this direction. " The com-
bination of the minister to the soul with the minister
to the bodily health is not an original, but it is
certainly a happy thought. The physican carries in
the healing art an infallible letter of introduction.
The penetralia of an alien religion, and an alien social
system, are thrown open to the doctor, whether man
or woman." Medical missions offer to the members of

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

20i

ittempt
:e as an

Parker
ed with
■f, while
[uaclc to
lousands
of the
)i revela-
^ousauds
.ordinary

missions
er native
in Kiang.
L that has
an physi-
i through
.aners are

le. Even
the sub-
societies

I The corn-
minister

Ibut it is

I carries in

Iroduction.

lien social

kher man

lembers of

a noble profession, glad to consecrate their acfjuisitions
to the cause of the Redeemer, a sphere of valuable
service. What course of life is more to be coveted
than that of treading in the footprints of Divine and
yet human pity and tenderness. The blessed Saviour,
moved with compassion, even on His way to Calvary
and the redemption of a world, often stayed His
steps for the purpose of healing the sick, ministering
to the helpless, or for wiping away the scalding tear
from the face of some bereaved and sorrowincr one.

Missionary methods must assign an important place
to the agency of consecrated Christian women.

Through the Zenana mission, and its closely related
departments of work, the Church has been led along
silently and unconsciously to a point where such an
instrumentality can bo utilized to an almost unlimited
extent. A terrible seclusion has been amonjjst the
wrongs which heathenism has inflicted on the women
of Oriental lands. The missionary use of the word
zenana has mainly reference to the home life of India.
It is that part of the house which belongs exclusively
to women, and to which they are cruelly restricted.
Once it was supposed that life in the zenana had many
attractions. There was an idea that a woman " within
the gay Kiosk " found much to gratify the sense and
to fascinate the fancy :

"She leads a kind of fairy life,

In sisterhood of fruits and flowers,
Unconscious of tlie outward strife
That wears the palpitating hours."

1 '

200

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

But the veil has been lifted from tlie zenana.

Uncounted millions are sulierinj; dejjradation from
inherited pagan customs. Of all the miseries to
which human life is subject in this sinful and sor-
rowing world, there is nothing more pitiable than
those of the immured daughters of India. The fact is
keenly realized. Many a mother would welcome
death for her daughter, rather than the wretchedness
of a life to which she seems irrevocably doomed.
There is nothing to soften the barbarity of exclusion.
No ray of brightness or gladness ever reaches or re-
lieves the interior of the dunsreon dwellinfj. Mind is
manacled. The noblest part of nature remains unde-
veloped, and the best capabilities of the soul are
dwarfed. "Ignorance," said a Hindu lady bitterly,
" is the ornament of women in our land." Life in the
zenana has no resources for alleviation or comfort.
Existence is a dull and dreary monotony. In case of
sickness, or of epidemic disease, there is frequently a
frightful and a fatal neglect. Such are the inexorable
customs of a Hindu home, that a skilful physician
cannot see his moaning and helpless patient, feel her
feverish pulse, or make himself acquainted with her
actual condition. There can be no communication
except through the medium of a slave; but an attempt
has been made, successfully, to penetrate the gloom of
the prison-house, to open the doors to them that are
bound. Christian ladies from western lands, with
requisite medical training, find access to the curtained

I f

MISSIONAKY MKTHODS AND AiJKNCIKS.

207

n from
ties to

nd soif-
le than
e fact is
(Velcome
jbeclness
doomed,
xclusion.
les or re-
Mind is
ins unde-
soul are
■ bitterly,
^if e in the
r comfort.
In case of
equently a
inexorable
physician
it, feel her
1 with her
tnunication
an attempt
le gloom of
em that are
ands, with
e curtained

recesses of the zenana. As anj^'ols of love and mercy,
the women .sent out from our C-liurches fulfil a sorely
needed ministry to their sorrowing sisters in India.
They hold in their hands the key of homes and hearts.
" I believe," says Dr. Valentine, " the female medical
missionary will relieve an amount of human suffering
that lies beyond the reach of any medical man, and
bring to a knowledge of the truth those that are shut
out from any other form of human agency." Thou-
sands, through this means, have heard tidings of the
great Healer and Helper of human souls, and their
hearts have pulsated with a new-found gladness. One
hundred million of woman to be reached by the zenana
missionary ! What a field for loving labor !

"Before their <luml) idols the prisoners are falling ;
Vainly, alas I to their gods do they cry;
With helpless hands lifted to you they are calling,

sister come ov^er and help us ere we die !

Come over and help us, come over and help us ;

sister, come over awl help us ere we die!"

' O why," wondered a Hindu woman, " have I not
heard of this before ? Why has no one come to tell
the women of my province :*" Wasted by long sick-
ness, she heard of one that had come from a far-ofH'
land to heal the sick, and to help the sufferer. The
" foreign lady " was in another province, but re-action
from hopelessness brought strange strength. By a
great effort .she reached the plains below. As the
medical missionary smoothed with soft touch her

208

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

fevered brow, counted her fitful and fluttering; pulse,
she whispered in her ear the story of Jesus and His
love, of the Saviour's mission to earth, and of the
home of many mansions. The wearj" one found refuge
and peace. But her latest plea, before passing away
to be with the Lord, was for yet unvisited heathen
homes : " Won't you send some one up among the hills
to tell these sweet words to the women of my
province?"

The Macedonian cry of the zenana finds a noble
response. One after another, ladies of refinement and
culture leave their attractive homes, renounce the
charms of social life, and go out to that distant land
for the purpose of ministering to the sick, caring for
the dying, blessing the little children, and of guiding
wandering and weary ones to the Redeemer and
Helper of human souls. A gifted English authoress.
A. L. 0. E., for the sake of this needed ministry of
love, has renounced large emolument and high literary
anticipations. Another accomplished lady, Lucille H.
Green, made a like sacrifice. She had taken her
degree from the College in Philadelphia, and prospects
were all bright for a successful career at home. But
all gifts were laid at the foot of the cross. The pine-
clad hills of New Jersey were exchanged for the
strange scenes and tropical plains of Hindustan,
and for the hospital with its dusky occupants. She
"sang her way across the sea;" and, in anticipation of
many hours of lonely watching, sought and found

MISSIONARY METHODS AND AGENCIES.

209

pulse,
dHis
I the
efuge
away
lathen
e hills
f my

noble
nt and
ce the
it land
ing for
guiding
er and
ihoress.

try of

iterary
cille H.

en her

obpects
But

le pine-
or the

dustan,
She

ition of
found

needed strength in the assurance of the Saviour's
promised presence :

"That holy Helper liveth yet,
My friend and guide to be ;
The Healer of tieimesaret

Shall walk the rounds with mc."

Unmarried ladies, having obtained a competent
medical education, are sent out to the East by various
societies ; and, in some cases, private means enable
them to go out at their own expense. By a single
mail steamer, a few months afjo, eijjht ladies from
America landed at Bombay. They were unattended
by gentlemen, and proceeded the same day to Allaha-
bad. From that city on the Ganges they would
separate, some going to Calcutta, and others to the
north-west. The growing extent of this work is
simply astonishing, and is rightly regarded as a re-
markable sign of the times. " If any one had said to
me, twenty-five years ago," writes that veteran of
Indian missions, Mr. Leupolt, " that not only should
we have free access to the natives in their houses, but
that zenanas would be opened in cities like Benares,
Lucknow, Agra, Delhi, Amritsir, and Lahore, and that
European ladies with their assistants would be ad-
mitted to teach the Word of God to them, I would
have replied, ' All things are possible to God, but I do
not expect such a glorious event in my day.' But
what has God done ? More than we expected and
prayed for."*

* Quoted by Dr. Christlieb from "Church Mission Intelligencer,"
Foreign Missiotis, p. 10.

l(i?IJ

I'.'

" It is easy to feel a generous glow, while we sing in the words of
Heber, —

' Waft, waft, ye winds, the story,
And you, ye waters, roll.'

But listen I The winds are sweeping, and liave ])cen sweeping from
the beginning over the peaks of the Himalaya, and on the shores of
Lake Tsad. Now it is the rustle of the breeze, now the shock of
the tempest ; but listen ? Does either sound on the ear the name
Jt'siwi ? The waves are rolling, and from the beginning have been
rolling, on the shores of Fiji and Japan ; but does either the gentle
ripple or the boom of the mighty wave, sound the word mi'rcy ?
No ; if the story be told, it micst he told by the voice of living men."
— Win. Arthur,

THE COMMISSION.

211

VIII.

00, OR SEND : THE COMMISSION.

'* A ND Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All
IX pownr is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I am
with you ahvay, even unto the end of the world.
Amen."

The last command o£ Jesus was definite and su-
preme. There could be no difficulty in regard to
interpretation. Had the commission been inscribed
on an angel's flaming scroll, and renewed from age to
age, it could not have been more clearly traced. The
parting words of the Saviour were to disciple all
nations ; to go into all the world, and preach the
gospel unto every creature ; to be witnesses in Jeru-
salem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.

The designation of Saul of Tarsus to an apostolic
mission was also explicit : " For I have appeared unto
thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a
witness both of these things which thou hast seen,
and of the things in the which I will appear unto
thee ; delivering thee from the people, and from the

(il

212

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

Gentiles, unto whom now 1 send thee, to open their
eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and
from the power of Satan unto God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among
them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

At Antioch in Syria, where' missionary enterprize
was first organized, a line of action was clearly marked
out for the future guidance of the Christian Church :
" As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy
Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the
work whereunto I have called them. And when they
had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them,
they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by
the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia ; and from
thence they sailed to Cyprus.''

Mission work demands strong men. Preachers of
commanding power and eloquence, the most prominent
men of the Church of Antioch, were selected as pio-
neers of the gospel in new lands.

The first missionaries did not act upon their own
responsibility. They returned to Antioch for the pur-
pose of reporting results. " And when they were come,
and had gathered the Church together, they rehearsed
all that God had done with them, and how he had
opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles." A most
important principle was then recognized. There was
to be no isolation of the foreign from the home work.

Under the direction of the Holy Ghost, the Church
prayerfully set apart efficient men for new and arduous
enterprize ; and, in sending them away, fervently re-

THE COMMISSION.

213

commended them to the grace of God for the work
they were expected to fulfil.

The Saviour's final command is the charter of Chris-
tian missions, and the action of the Church in Antioch
furnishes an infallible precedent for missionary ap-
pointment. Gospels and Acts are nnitually explana-
tory. The commission, as Divinely interpreted, means

"(JO, OR SEND."

From such an order there can be no safe deviation.
Less than this would not suffice for the exigjencies of
evansrelistic enterprise. By what agency shall the
message of salvation be borne to the world's perishing
millions ? Night and day the Church hears a sorrow-
ing Macedonian appeal. Shall that wail of weary
anguish pass by unheeded ? The great heart of hu-
manity throbs in response to a glad evangel. But
" how then shall they call on him in whom they have
not believed ? and how shall they believe in him of
whom they have not heard ? and how shall they hear
without a preacher ? and how shall they preach except
they be sent ? as it is written, How beautiful are the
feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring
glad tidings of good things !"

The mission of the apostles was to begin fro'tn Jeru-
salem. The first proclamation was made from beneath
the very shadow of Calvary. Home missions first of
all ! But even then the universality of the gospel dis-
pensation was made apparent. Parthians, and Modes,
and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and

214

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

ill India, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Plirygia,
and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya
about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and prose-
lytes, Cretes and Arabians, heard in their own tongue
the wonderful works of (iod. Other sentiments have
at times been propounded. " Charity begins at home !"
" The Greeks are at our own doors !" Aphorisms and
sarcasms have been frequently appealed to and per-
verted for mean and selfish purposes. " We have no
religion to spare," was the contention of a member of
the Massachusetts Legislature, in opposition to a mea-
sure for the incorporation of the American Board of
Missions. There was a fear that " if too much of the
precious commodity were sent away they would be
impoverished at home." But the reply in substance
was, that such was the nature of religion, the more
they gave away the more they had. Exportation to
the perishing ones of foreign lands did not exhaust,
but tended to the increase of, home religion and re-
sources.

When the evangelical enterprise of the Baptist
Church, in the early part of the century, began to
blaze out into a splendor that caught the wondering
eye of Christendom, many good people feared that the
movement would lead to denominational depletion.
" I think it my duty," said a prominent minister of
the body, in the exercise of editorial influence, "to
crush this rising missionary spirit." But he lived to
see that fears were groundless, and that a new epoch
in the diffusion of Christianity had been auspiciously
inaugurated.

THE COMMISSION.

2lo

ering

There is only one line of action by which the Church
of Christ can be led along to ultimate and assured
strength and success. Were she to cease from spiritual
enterprize the glory wo Id depart. Missionary move-
ment does not resemble a mountain stream, where by
repression a slender rivulet may be swollen to a strong
torrent. It is rather analogous to flame ; and, by being
pent up, a tire may be extinguished. " The very soul
of our religion is missionary, progressive, world-em-
bracing; it would cease to exist if it ceased to be
missionary, if it disregarded the parting words of its
Founder."*

'rhe commission has never been revolxd. But very
slowly has the Christian Church realized the weighty
significance of the charter with which she has lieen
entrusted. Sense of duty was long enwrapped in mist
and haze. The first attempt of William Carey to
interest his brethren in the subject of missions was a
failure, and was met by a mortifying rebuke. He
was told to sit down, and assured that when God was
pleased to convert the heathen it would be done with-
out his aid. But that is just what the Lord does not
do. A consecrated human agency is demanded for
the diffusion of the gospel. The tongue of fire, and
not an archangel's trumpet, is the emblem of an ap-
pointed ministry. "And all things are of God, who
hath reconciled us to him.self by Jesus Christ, and hath
given to us the ministry of reconciliation ; to wit, that

* Max MuUer "On Missions," Ed. Mag., p. 260.

'•• I > :

•!

216

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

God was in Christ reconciling^ the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them ; and hath
committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

The question of duty to the heathen world came up,
in 1796, for discussion in the General Assembly of the
Church of Scotland. Modern mission schemes were
denounced as visionary, " highly preposterous," and as
a sign of the restlessness of the times. Revolutionary
tendencies, it was feared, lurked in proposed forms of
united action, and the very constitution of the church
might he imperilled in such a movement. Who were
they, that they should attempt to interfere with re-
deeming plans, or the purposes of God ? Ought they
not rather to wait in patience and in prayer ? Nor
could they hope to turn the myriads of India from the
superstitions and habits of ages. Civilization must
precede Christianity. It was not to the dark and bar-
barous hordes of Africa and India, but to the polished
cities of Corinth and Rome, that St. Paul directed his
footsteps. Such was the reasoning of men whose only
business in life was to preach the gospel. The com-
mission was apparently ignored, and a strong feeling
of hostility to missions developed. But the spirit of
one evangelical leader in that memorable debate
was moved to an intense and irrepressible emotion.
" Moderator," said Dr. John Erskine, who seemed for
the moment to have caught the tire of some commis-
sioned prophet or apostle, " rax me that Bible ! "
Christ's supreme command was thrillingly emphasized
and the effect was as that of lightning from a clear

THE COMMISSION.

217

himself,
nd hath

came up,
,ly of the
nes were
J," and as
lutionary
forms of
be church
(Vho were
3 with re-
ught they
rer ? Nor
a from the
ttion must
k and bar-
e polished
rected his
Ivhose only
The com-
,nor feelir»g
e spirit of
»le debate
[e emotion,
leemed for
^e commis-
,t Bible!"
imphasizedj
rom a clear

sky. The assembly was brought back to first princi-
ples, and the law of the kingdom was searching to
heart and conscience. An unfavorable resolution was
adopted. But already the current of feeling had begun
to turn, and an adverse vote could never be repeated
in the courts of the Scottish churches. A new and
nobler era of missionary enterprise was near at hand.
" It was indeed a token that better days had come for
the Church of Scotland, when Chalmers and Duff were
contemporaneously making the whole country resound
with their noble pleadings — the one for the heathen at
home, the other for the heathen abroad." *

Even yet the force of the Saviour's command can
scarcely be said to have struck home fully to the heart
of the church. The weight of responsibility is only
measurably realized. Resolve and effort do not rise to
the level of solemn obligati<m. ]\Iany a Macedonian
appeal sweeps past unheard or unheeded. " Did the
church really believe the gospel to be as necessary to
the heathen as to us, there would be an end of guilty
repose. It would be easier to find rest in our beds
over the throes of an earthquake. The agonies of
Laocoon and his children, dying in the coils of a ser-
pent, were but pastime compaied with tho-e of the
church, until she had either unlocked herself from the
grapple of the conviction, or disburthened her con-
science by the faithful consecration of her energies to
the work of rescuing the world from its doom."-f-

* Life of Dr. Duff, Vol. Ist, p. 301.
t Dr. Olin's Works, Vol. 2nd, p. 385.

in il

218

THE MACKF)ONIAN CRY.

To go, means denial of self. The spirit wliicli this
cause demands is that of supreme abnegation. A
device, said to have been copied from an ancient
monument, an ox standing bet en plough and altar,
with a suggestive legend, ready for either, has been
adopted for the official seal of an influential Society.
The genuine missionary gives himself without re-
serve, for service or sacrifice, doing or suffering, life or
death. An ideal of consecration finds expression in
hallowed resolve :

"Ready for all Thy perfect will,

My acts of faith and love repeat ;
Till death thy endless mercies seal,
And make tlie sacrifice complete."

Missionary annals abound with examples of highest
herois-m. The first messengers of the cross, when
charged with fanaticism, went on in their glorious
enthusiasm, saying, " For whether we be beside our-
selves, it is to God." Bound for the dark East, Francis
Xavier knew not what things might befall him there,
and an impassioned utterance burst from " his lips. A
night vision passed before him. Millions of fellow-
men were perishing, and he longeti to rush to their
rescue. But there was a fearful ordeal of trial to be
undergone. One was scourged, another stoned, and
others committed to the flames. Would he brave all
that peril for the sake of preaching the gospel to the
heathen ? The zeal of the intrepid missionary was as
a Hiighty fliime in his soul, and he cried out, " Yea
fjOid, yet more ! yd more r

THE COMMISSION.

210

It would bo easy to multiply examples of resolve
and endurance. What deed of earth can better claim
an immortal record than that of the youthful Mora-
vian, who voluntarily became a slave for the sake of
securing access to the slaves of the West Indies ?
Appointed to the island of Jamaica, a mission to the
negroes on the plantations, he found the door closed.
A prohibitory Act had passed the local Legislature,
making it a serious crime for any person to attempt
the religious instruction of the slave population. Jiut
the heroic missionary could not abandon the piojcct.
He sold himself into bondage. The humiliation must
have been keen, but an opportunity was won of whis-
pering a message of salvation to unrequited children
of toil, and indignity was glory in disguise. Scars in
tlie service of the Kedeemer are a badge of distinc-
tion. That slave brand was highest honor: —

*' Than its traces never yet,
On old armorial hatchments, was a brighter blazon set."

In the earlier days of missions, a young girl of the
United States read of a remarkable work of God in
Burmah, and was fired with the thought of service
for Christ. " And I, too," was the resolve, " yes f too
will be a missionary to the heathen." But, for a time,
life took another direction. " Fanny Forester " be-
came a star of the literary firmament, and won both
fame and fortune. Then came a genuine surprise. A
whisper went out, indistinctly at first, afterwards
confirmed, that this favorite of society was to become

' I

220

THE MAf;EDONIAN CKY.

the wife of a distinguished missionary. The proposal
was met by an indignant protest. Had the full cha-
lice of popular applause been ottered in vain ? That
one who shone with such distinction in circles of
wealth and fashion should be sacrificed to the cause of
missions, and be borne oflT to grim Burmah, was
deemed an outrage upon taste, culture, and refinement.
" Does she deem that stern duty calls her to resign the
home and friends of her heart, the fame which she
has so gloriously won, nay, more, perhaps even life
itself, for the sake of the far-ott' heathen ? " But, in
repudiation of the charge of " madness," throwing
away her splendid gifts, she pointed out the folly of
those who were spending their lives in the pursuit of
earthly pleasure, and exulted to lay " laurels and life "
at the Redeemer's feet. Cost was counted. Her
father would never wait again for his daughter's
coming tread. She was to be regarded as with the
dead. But there was the hope of re-union in a land
of life and love, —

"Not sorrowing then cas now,—
Slic'll come to thee, and come, perchance,
With jewels on her brow."

For misnons the Church needs the very best men at
her disposal. The first and indispensable requisite for
this work is an intense missionary impulse. There
should be a burning passion for the salvation of souls.
Consecration must be complete. " A live coal," says
the prophet, " was laid upon my mouth." Isaiah's lips

THE COMMISSION.

221

coposal
U cha-
That
•clcs of
cause of
ih, was
inemcnt.
jsign the
hich she
even Uf^
But, in
throwing
i t'oUy of
pursuit of
J and life "
^ed. Her
aughter's
with the
in a land

)est men at
quisite for
Ise. There
Ion of souls,
coal," says
saiah's lips

were touched witli hallowerl tlanie. Iniquity was
taken away, and sin was purged. Sanctity was meet
preparation for service. "Also I heard the voice of
the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go
for us." Communion with God renders the soul res-
ponsive to such an inc^uiry. The air is full of voices
that men and women in their worldly moods do not
hear. The Prophet would not have heard the Divine
call in the temple, nor 8t. Paul the Macedonian cry on
the ^ijean coast, had not the attitude of the soul been
one of reverential solicitude. There can be but one
answer to sacred appeal : " Here am I, send me."
There must be no transfer of responfsibility. A
specially qualified and summoned messenger of salva-
tion may not plead, as Moses was tempted to do at the
burning bush, "O my Lord, send I pray Thee by
whom Thou wilt send." Should there be any lack of
enthusiasm ? " As My Father hath sent Me," the
Saviour said, " even so I .send you." We have been
accustomed to think of that Divine mission as one of
solitary grandeur ; and yet for each toiler, baptized
into the same mind, there is something of a like great-
ness in reserve. A mission to save .souls, possibly to
wreathe the Redeemer's royal diadem with an added
splendor, is enough to make even the fiery pulse of an
apostle beat into a deeper sympathy : " Unto me who
am less than the least of all saints is this grace given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the un-
searchable riches of Christ."

It was observed in reference to a graduating class

222

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

of ono of tlie United States (Iciioiiiinatioiial colleges,
comprising seventy students, tliat only seven entered
the ranks of the Christian ministry — one-tenth of a
band of young men "not undistinguislied by native
gifts and literary acquirements." A very large number
of intellectually-gifted young men, pledged to the cause
of Christ, enrolled in the membership of the Church, are
passing through the halls of various universities. An
abundant agency ought to be available for all the
exigencies of the home and foreign work. For such a
ministry, angels might willingly exchange their
thrones of light. Missionary consecration is the de-
mand and hope of the hour. The Master calls, and
the world waits.

Qualities of a high order are required for efficiency
and success. The men for this enterprise must be as
those that went with Saul to Gibeah, " a band of men
whose hearts God had touched." It is a glorious thing
for the Church when young men of Christian families,
educated at the best seats of learning, endowed with
intellectual gifts that might win distinction and ap-
plause at the Bar or in the Legislature, possessed of
a business capacity which ordinarily may command
success in a commercial sphere, impelled by sense of
duty and constrained by the love of Christ, turn aside
from the attractions and emoluments of professional
and mercantile life, and, seeing a hand that others do
not see, hearing a voice that others do not hear, pledge
all the possibilities of redeemed being upon the altar
of a high and hallowed purpose.

THE COMMISSION.

223

entered
ith of a
y native
; num^ier
the cause
lurch, are
tics. An
)r all the
i'or such a
:i(Te their
is the de-
calls, and

r efficiency
must be as
,nd of men
.rious thing
^n families,
[lowed with
on and ap-
lossessed of
command
I by sense of
,, turn aside
[professional
|at others do
hear, pledge
on the altar

It was a privilciTjo in earlier life, liaving offered and
been accepted for the foreign work, to associate with
a number of youthful missionaries on the eve of em-
barkation for a foreign shore.* They had been sum-
moned to meet the Missionary Committee in London*
with a view to an immediate appointment. From
diti'erent parts of the British Isles these young men
came together at the Centenary Hall in London. An
hour was spent in prayer. How vivid the remem-
brance of that day, and of that scene ! If ever the
Divine promise, " Lo, I am with you," was memorably
fulfilled to God's missionary servants, keenly sensitive
to accepted responsibilities, it was then. The place
seemed full of holy influence. Vows of consecration
were renewed, and needed help was earnestly implored.
Destination had not been determined. Few of the
number had any certainty in regard to appointment.
The field was the world, and the laborers stood ready
to enter at any point. In one case the son of an
esteemed Wesleyan Minister was named for Sierra
Leone. The station up to that time had proved ex-
ceedingly fatal to European missionaries, and was
regarded as a land of death, or " the white man's grave.'
There was a perceptible shadow upon his fine coun-
tenance as he came back from an interview with the
members of the committee. " Well, brother," the

• Medical examination in the case of the writer, it was understood,
inttuenced an appointment to tlie bracing climate of North America,
rather tiian to the enervation of tropical heat.

224

TIIK MACEDONIAN CRY.

usual (|ue.stion as each retuniod to the room, " vvliat is
your appointment ?" It was not what ha<l been an-
ticipated, nor tlie most congenial to feelinj^, but an
unrestricted offer had been made, and he could not find
it in his heart to intimate any sense of reluctance. It
must be of God. This {,nfted and esteemed missionary
was able to .say wliat many others felt, " But none of
these things move me, neither count I my life dear
unto myself, so that I might fini.sh my course with joy,
and the ministry which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God."
After a brief course of two years on the western coast
of Africa, he caught the contagion of fatal fever, and
was laid to rest in the mission graveyard. By the
earliest steamer, or sailing ship, others of that com-
pany voyaged away to distant spheres of toil ; to
Newfoundland and the West Indies, to West and South
Africa, to Ceylon and continental India, to Australia
and the Islands of the Southern Pacific.

The question of duty ought not to be left to the
consideration of any one class of workers in the
mission field. A Divine command crosses the path, or
lies along the line, of every life. To every man
according to his several ability is the law of obliga-
tion. No special ordination is requisite to the ful-
filment of soul-saving work. Openings for useful-
ness constitute a providential call to the needed
ministry. It has often been felt, especially in India,
where Biitish Christianity is represented by thousands
of civilians, that an insufficient influence has been

THE COMMISSION.

225

hat iM

m an-

)\it an

ot tind

cc. It-

iionary

lone of

ie dear

rithjoy,

he Lord

f God."

jrn coast

iver, and
By the

hat corn-
toil; to

nd South
ustralia

[t to the
in the
path, or
vqxv man
)f obliga-
the ful-
)r useful-
le needed
in India,
[thousands
has been

exerted for the promotion of spiritual enterprise. Not
solitary was the remark of an Indian Colonel, return-
ing home in company with a respected Missionary,
that during a long residence in the East he had ne\'er
witnessed a native conversion ; but he could tell of
notable hunting exploits, and of rare deeds in forest
and jungle. But then the clergyman, after spending
as many years beneath the same burning sky, and
with much experience of travel, had never seen an
elephant shot. The retort was to the purpose, and the
officer could only confess that the ordinary path of his
life had been away from scenes of spiritual eftbrt.

A decided change, however, has become apparent in
recent years. The roll of Christian workers in the
great British dependencies includes honored names
from each department of the public service, and from
the ranks of business men. As the motto of a common-
place book, on his way out to the Civil Service of
India, Alexander Brown adopted a stanza from Robert
Browning, written after passing St. Vincent. A line
was underscored :

" Here and here did England help me,
How can I help England I"*-

It is a noble thing to face colonial life as the repre-
sentative of a great nation, concerned for the best
social interests of the people, and not from a mere

* A. Brown, early departed, was the gifted sou of Dr. David
Brown, the emiuent Exegete of Aberdeen.

«J I

226

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

inerceriMry motive, or the greed of commercial gain.
But it is a still more laudable thing to take a step in
advance of patriotism, and to live unto Him who
died for us and rose again. To many a man whose
lot is about to be cast in a new land, an important
quest^'on may lie outside the range of personal con-
sideration. How can I best help these settlers or
aborigines of the colony ? By what means can I aid
the work of God in Japan or China, in Australia or
Africa, to which business may bind me for years or
for life ? Shall I not accept a commission from the
Church, enroll my name as a member of some pledged
band of Christian workers, and thus become an
acknowledged witness for Jesus ?

Have we not a right to expect new depai'ture in
missionary enterprise ? The time may not be far
distant when, with deepened sense of obligation, and
abundant facilities of travel, business and professional
men shall plan an occasional visit to the great mission
field. Incidental aid could be adjusted to the studied
flexibility of missionary organization. A few weeks
or months of such service might prove to be of incal-
culable advantage to a struggling charge, an aggressive
movement in some populous heathen city, or in an
attempt to break groui 1 on a new soil.

We can think also of another possibility of the
missionary future. Candidates for the ministry, at
or near the close of a collegiate course, and prior to the
accepted responsibilities of home work, may deem it a
duty and a privilege to spend a few months or years

THE COMMISSION.

227

tl gain.

step in
m who
L whose
iportant
lal con-
btlers or
;an I aid
tralia or

years or
from the
3 pledged
sconie an

)arture in
3t be far
ation, and

ofessional
at mission

le studied

ew weeks
of incal-

aornrressive
or in an

ty of the

linistry, at

)rior to the

J deem it a

IS or years

on a mission station. Robert Murray McChryne was
all the more Htted for settlement in Dundee when, in
the spirit of sanctified resolve, he made the record of
readiness for a foreign field : " I am now made willing,
if God should open tlie way, to go to India ; hero am
I, send me." " My missionary race was short," says
William Arthur, of the Mysore Mission. " God made
it so. But, looking back this day, I would not for the
universe have the brief space blotted out of my exist-
ence."

Our children should he early imbued with a mis-
sionary spirit. Many Christian men and women, with
this cause upon their hearts, are unable to enter a
foreign field. They are bound by indissoluble ties.
But may they not do a great 'vork, through the dedi-
cation of their children to the Lord's service ? At
twelve years of age, Hannibal of Carthage was sworn
upon the altar of his gods, and the vow of eternal
enmity to Rome breathed its spirit into a life of re-
lentless and indomitable purpose. Youthful decision
has often been influenced at the most critical moment,
and character shaped, from the consciousness of par-
ental solicitude. There need be no hesitancy in regard
to sacrifice of feelinjj. No hioher honor could the
Saviour confer than in claimins: our children for the
noblest work of earth.

The missionary addresses of Dr. Duflf, after his
return from India, were urgent in appeal to Christian
parents. He demanded, in the name of the Master,
the consecration of Scotland's most gifted sons and

228

THE MACEDONIAN CRY,

(laufjfhtcrs. Allusion was niado, on one occasion, to
the steadfast loyalty of a Highland father or mother.
One only son had been cheerfully given up to the
royal cause, soon probably to find a gory or grassy bed
on a wild moor or in some lonely glen. " But, oh, had
I ten, they would follow Prince Charlie." That was
the unswerving attachment to the unfortunate House
of Stuart. What, then, does the cause of Christ de-
mand? Shall Christian parents grudge their children
to the service of the King of kings? Before the
General Assembly, 1867, a most impassioned appeal
was made for the sustentation of missions. Overcome
by exhaustion, DufF fainted on the platform, and was
carried out to an adjoining vestry. " I was making a
speech," he said — coming to and wondering for a
moment where he was — " let me go back. I must
speak or die in the effort." The missionary veteran,
with massive brow and long white hair, tremulous
with emotion, stood once more before the immense
audience, and received an expression of homage that
gold could not have purchased. The vast congrega-
tion rose up as one man, and many eyes were wet
with tears, A responsive chord was touched in
the orator's final appeal: "Fathers and mothers of
Scotland, is it true that ye will not let your sons and
daughters go to preach the Gospel ? I spent twenty-
five years of my life in India, lost my health, and
have come back to die. H' it be true, I will be off"
to-morrow, and let the heathen know that if I cannot
live for them, I can die for them."

THE COMMISSION.

229

Qll, to

lother.

to the

,sy bed

ih, had

at was

House

L-ist de-

hildren

)re the
appeal

ir-ercome

md was

aking a

y for a
I must

veteran,

emulous

Immense
,cre that
ngrega-
ere wet
;hed in
ihers of
Ions and
itwenty-
|lth, and
1 be off
cannot

Appeal is sustained by an adequate incentive.
Earthly aim sinks into insignificance in comparison
with redeeming interests. Missionary motives arc of
the most inspiring and exalted character. By the
cross and passion of the blessed Redeemer, the great-
ness of Mediatorial purpose, the thrill of appeal at the
altar of consecration, a deepening conviction of the
grandeur of that cause to which we have avowed our
allegiance, the unspeaka])le worth of redeemed and
immortal souls, the solemnities of judgment and
eternity, we ire summoned to ponder the fact of
obligation. If the Spirit of Jesus be in us, can we
hesitate ? A converted native of Burmah was asked
to go as a religious teacher to a warlike tribe, where
the salary would not be more than a fourth of what
was paid to him as boatman. " No," was the reply of
Shapon, " I could not go to the Bghai for four rupees.
But / can do it for Christ." Was not the guiding
principle of that missionary offer a true one ? " Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory,
and blessinj;."

If to go for Jesus means much of sacrifice, there
shall be an abundant compensation. One aspect or
result of mission work has to be kept ever in view.
It brings a joy all its own. " I heard you speak about
heaven, last night," said an Ashanti convert to a
Wesleyan Missionary. " When I go there, I'll go up
to my Saviour, and fall down on my knees before Him,
and thank Him for having sent, a missionary. Then

230

THE MACEDONIAN CKY.

shall I go back to the gate, and wait till you come ;

and then I shall take you by the hand, and bring you
up to my Saviour, and say, There is the first man that
showed me the luay to the cross of Ghrid." Such a
thought may have been present to the mind of Henry
Martyn ; as, on the fly-leaf of a Persian New Testa-
ment, afterwards found with a converted Mohammedan
at Shiraz, he wrote, " There is joy in heaven over one
sinner that repenteth."

The missionary receives an assurance of final award.
" And Jesus said unto them. Verily I say unto you,
That ye which have followed me in the regeneration
when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his
glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging
the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath
forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or
motiier, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's
sake, shall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit
everlasting life."

I come ;

ing you
an that
Such a
fc' Henry
7 Testa-
mmedan
3ver one

,1 award,
nto you,
neration
le of his
judging
hat hath
ather, or
Y name's
1 inherit

I ii

" Realize to your own mind the nature of Christian dedication,
and the claims of Him m'')o calls for :r, and so far from giving
penuriously to His cause, you will take ever' increase of your sub-
stance into His presence and devote it to His praise; you will regard
every appeal which is made to your Christian benevolence as an
appeal to that solemn treaty which made you His, and you will honor
it accordingly ; you will deeply feel the penury of all riches as an
expression of your love to Him." — D)\ John Harrh.

MISSIONS AN1> MONEY.

•233

IX.

ledication,
om giving

your sub-
will regard
ence as an

will honor
iches as an

MISSIONS AND MONEY.

A PROBLEM of money confronts the Church.
Humanly speaking the question of the world's
evangelization is one of ways and means. How shall
adequate missionary funds be obtained ? Do Chris-
tians rightly recognize the duty and privilege of
giving for the support of the Lord's cause ? Obliga-
tion is universal.

Religious liberality in a subject of sncred inculcation.
The Jew, under the Theocracy, was bound by enact-
ment to cive a tenth of his increase to the service of
the Lord. A second tenth had to be held sacred for
the .support of the great national festivals. Once in
three years a third tenth seems to have been levied
for the poor of the land. It has been computed that
a Hebrew householder contributed from a fifth to a
third of his income to religious purposes. There was
one law tliat could admit of no exception : " And ye
shall eat neither bread nor parched corn, nor green
ears, until the self-.same day that j-ou have brought an
offering unto your God : it shall be a statute for-
ever, throughout all your generations, in all your
dwellincrs."

Still there was reserved a generous margin for free-
will and other offerings. A splendid liberality was
16

234

TJIE MACEDONIAN CRY

exhibited ])y the Church in the wilderness, and sub-
stance without stint brought to the treasury of the
Lord. " And they came both men and women, as
many as were willing-hearted, and brought bracelets,
and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold :
and every man that offered, offered an offering of gold
unto the Lord." A proclamation that giving must
cease had to be made throughout the camp. " So the
people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff
they had was sufficient for all the work to make it,
and too much." Repeated is the record of sanctuary
liberality : "Every one offered a freewill offering unto
the Lord." "As for me," said Salem's greatest king,
amassing treasures for the building of a temple, " in
the uprightness of mine heart I have v/illingly offered
all these things : and now have I seen with joy thy
people, which are here present, to offer willingly unto
thee." The same principle demands expression under
the gospel dispensation : " Freely ye have received,
freely give." " For if there be first a willing mind, it
is accepted according to that a man hath, and not
according to that he hath not." " Every man according
as he hath purposed in his heart, so let him give ; for
the Lord loveth a cheerful giver." " Remember the
words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed
to give than to receive."

Spontaneity imparts aroma to the sacrifice. Alex-
ander of Macedonia filled both hands with rich
perfumes, and threw the costly offering upon the altar.
Profuseness of expenditure in the service of the gods

MISSIONS AND MONEY.

23:

nd siib-
I of the
men, as
»racelets,

of gold :
y of gold
ng must

" So the
the stuff

make it,
sanctuary
ii-ing unto
,tcst king,
mple, "in
rly offered
li joy thy
Lngly unto
sion under
received,

a mind, it

and not

according

give

for

ember the
)re blessed

ice. Alex-
iwith rich
the altar.
)f the gods

was })elieved to be the surest pathway to success, and
to the accumulation of treasure. Should Christians
be penurious in the presentation of their altar gifts ?
Is it possible to imagine the meanness of counting
grains of incense lest a particle too much should go to
the sanctuary offering ? "I have no pleasure in you,
saith the Lord of hosts," as the people stinted their
gifts, " neither will I accept an offering at your
hands." A nobler era, of a distinctive missionary
character, must be inaugurated. " For from the rising
of the sun to the going down of the same, my name
shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place
incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure
offering : for my name shall be great among the hea-
then." '

Liberality tends to increase, not to impoverishment.
" Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the
first-fruits of all thine increase : so shall thy barns be
filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with
new wine." " With what measure ye mete it shall be
measured to you again."

A period of utter selfishness, in the history of the
Church, has ever been marked by spiritual dearth.
The people of a corrupt age kept back their gifts from
the altar. Indignant was the tone of Divine expostu-
lation. " Will a man rob God ? Yet ye have robbed
me. But, ye say, wherein have we robbed thee ? In
tithes and offerings." An occasional demur at the
demand of gold for the Gospel might suggest another
inquiry : Will God rob a man ? Does the great Lord

236

THE MACEDONIAN CRY

of all require anything in excess of our means ;* Are
not God's people challenged to the test of generous
gift ? " Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,
that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me
now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not
open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing that there shall not be room enough to
receiv^e it."

Once, in this matter of religious liberality, an ex-
periment was made in the Church. The result was
marvellous. Deficit had been the ordinary condition
of temple finance. Now there was an abundance.
Tithes accumulated. The treasury overflowed. Every
avenue of distribution began to be choked. Ministers
wore called to account for the immense surplus. "Theti
Hezekiah questioned with the priests and Levites con-
cerning the heaps. And Azariah the chief priest of
the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the
people began to bring their offerings unto the house
of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left
plenty; for the Lord hath blessed his people: and that
which is left is this great store."

The teachings of Inspiration are explicit in regard to
methods of giving for religious purposes.

Apostolic direction was given to the Churches of
Galatia and Corinth : " Upon the first day of the week
let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath
prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I
come." This was what Paley understood to mean as
being " charitable upon a plan." An objection should

MISSIONS AND MONEY.

237

? Are
jnerous
•chouse,
rove me
svill not
III out a
ough to

r, an ex-
sult was
condition
)undance.
a. Every
Ministers
IS. "Then
jvitcs con-
priest of
Since the
the house
have left
and that

d to

rcgcLT

jhurches of
If the week
God hath
los when I
to mean as
hion should

he anticipated at tlie outset of tliis oxplieutioii. It
may be claimed tliat St. Paul had reference to matters
of temporal relief, not to the duty of giving for the
support of missions. But does not the principle of
this injunction apply palpably to every purpose of
Christian liberality ? Specific statement lifts the sub-
ject far above the level of a local or incidental arrange-
ment. The epistle was addressed not only " unto the
Church of God which is at Corinth," but " to thom
that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints,
with all that in every place call upon the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours."

Contribution must be general : " Ev^ery one of you."
This order was accordino: to a former le<jal enactment :
" None shall come before me empty." Small amounts
swell the aggregate. Mites make millions. It is a
noble thino: when the Arthinsftons and McArthurs of
the old land, and equally generous contributors of our
own country, in proportion to their abundance, give
princely sums to the treasury of the Lord. But the
gifts of the lowliest are not to be undi^rvalued. Once
in temple teaching, Jesus " sat over against the trea-
sury." A deed of devotion which he there beheld won
the tribute of special recognition. " Many that were
rich cast in much." But there was one woman, with
a care-worn and patient expression, shrinking from
public gaze, that quietly dropped a small coin into the
chest. Such gifts were of scant account in the estima-
tion of .sacerdotal treasurers. That unobtrusive act
was unheeded of men, but it was approved of God.

! I "I

23.S

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

lili

The Saviour looked to the priceless love that prompted
the lowly ottering', and gift and giver were immortal-
ized. "And he looked up and saw the rich men east-
ing their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a
certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And
he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor
woman hath cast in more than they all : For all these
have of their abundance cast in unto the olterings of
God : but she of her penury hath cast in all the living
that she had."

He who spoke approvingly of the widow's mite
would not slight the gifts of childhood. " Every one
of you " must include the younger members of the
family. " The children gather the wood," is the sug-
gestive record of an ancient idolatry, " and the fathers
kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough to
make cakes to the queen of heaven." All kinds of
service were utilized. Upon a like principle should
the Christian Church secure youthful sympathy to
the cause of missions. Sabbath-schools ought to be
saturated with facts of gospel progress. The offerings
of nearly thirteen million of scholars, even on the
average of a cent a month, should form a valuable
addition to the missionary fund.

Giving to the cause of God should be systematic:
" On the first day of the week." Such a service consti-
tutes an act of worship. The day of the Redeemer's
resurrection is hallowed throughout the Christian
world. Hearts are constrained to reverential love.
The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive riches.

MISSIONS AM) MONEY.

230

nortal-
;n cast-
er also a
i. And
is poor
ill these
rings of
iC living

it's mite
/ery one
s of the
the sug-
e fathers
lough to
kinds of
e should
pathy to
ht to be

otterings
on the

valuable

fsteinatic :
ce consti-
cdeemer's
Christian
tial love.
ivo riches.

On the Lord's duy the claims of the Lord's treasury
are to be sacredly renienihered. To some business
men, the giving of money seems nearly related to

ilar concerns, and is regar<led as an intrusion upon
i/i»e sense and sacre<lness of Sahltath devotion. Tliey
\vt)uld fain exclude all allusion to iinance from the
sanctuary service. There is felt to be a taint of worldli-
ness in the mere fact of enforcing the duty of giving
for religious purposes. But such a feeling, less com-
mon now than formerly, springs from a defective view
of Divine rt:(|uirements. Consecration to the .service
of the Ijord admits of no reserve. The altar sanctities
the gift. Sabbath influence hallows the ottering.
1^ ^wly members of the ('hurch, priests by virtue of a

venly calling, minister of their substance unto the
Lov{\. The inceifse of a grateful heart accompanies
tlie sacrifice, and wafts its fragrance to tli*- skie.s.
Nothing is reserved. Substance and service are alike
ott'ered to God. The pray 'r is —

"Take iny silver and my gold,
Not a mitu woulil I withhold."

Giving ought to be lyroportwnnte : " As God hath
prospered him," It may be convcuiient, in dealing
with the statistical aspects of the subject, to speak of
averages. Jiat 2^>'op(jrtion and not arei^ar/e is the doctrine
of Scripture. Jacob set up his memorial at Bethel ;
and, by a solemn vow, bound liimself to a covenant
God: "Of all that thou shalt give me, 1 will surely
give a tenth unto thee." A later direction was explicit :

240

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

ill?

" They shall not appear before the Lord empty : every
man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing
of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee," The
tithe, as we have seen, the proportion of increase, was
a law of the Jewish economy. " To every man
according to his several ability" is the principle of
Christian obligation. Give as God hath prospered you.
But is there not some statute of limitation I Shall we
find it in the New Testament ? The first note sounded
in the gospel is that of good-will to men. " You are
surrounded by a. atmosphere of fervent joy and love ;
solicited by a feeling of which the deeds are every
good work, distributing, communicating, making sacri-
fices with which God is well pleased ; stimulated by
examples of Apostles forsaking all, individuals selling
all. Churches bestowing all, the deeply poor giving to
the poorer, and the Master giving always, storing
never ; and in the end giving Himself a ransom for
all."*

Motives to liberality in contribution are numerous and
urgent.

In the SecOiid Epistle to the Corinthians various
aspects of this subject are explained and enforced.
Aflect-ionate and earnest are the pleadings and exhorta-
tions of the Apostle. The spirit of inspired inculca-
tion belongs to all ages.

Ciiristians of the primitive Church were encouraged
to keep up the standard of liberality. A good beginning

* William Arthur on Gin iig, p. 110.

MISSIONS AND MONEY.

241

; every
blessing
5." The
ase, was
fv man
iciple of
ired you.
Shall we
! sounded
• You are
and love ;
ire every
ing sacri-
ulated by
als selling

oriving to
s, storing

,iisom for

nerous

and

IS various

enforced.

Id exhorta-

•d inculca-

mcouraged
beginning

had been made at Corintli. The impulse of Aehaian
deeds had been felt hy distant communities. Mace-
donia was a mission. A great trial of affliction had
tested the faith and steadfastness of the converts.
But a gracious stimulus had been received ; and, with
limited means, thev stood ready to help to the full
measure of their ability. " The abundance of their
joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches
of their liberality. For to their power 1 bear record,
yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of
themselves ; praying us with much entreaty that v. e
would receivo the gift, and take upon us the fellow-
ship of ministering to the saints." That Macedonian
record has been repeated in the history of modern
missions. Facts of native contribution often put to
shame the stinted gifts of settled and wealthy home
Churches.

The Saviour's example furnishes a supreme incen-
tive : " For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be
rich." How hearts thrill beneath the touch and power
of that appeal. Many a time as the ages have rolled
along, has it rai.sed the flood-gates of generous sym-
pathy. Never can we be insensible to the power of
the Redeemer's cross and passion :

" Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all."

There should be an assurance of equalitj/ in demand
and privilege : " For I meant not that other men be

242

THE MACEDONIAN CRY

)^:

eased, and ye burdened. But an equality, tliat now at
this time your abundance may be a supply for their
want." It was expedient that even an Apostle, in
his urgent plea, should furnish the fullest explanation
of the tran.saction. Missionary managers can always
afford to take their constituency into the most com-
plete confidence. A law of proportion is to be observed
in demand and distribution. Native Churches and
congregations must bear their share of financial
burdens. An efficient administration aims at equality.
But the exhortation has another purpose. Souls are
perishing. Millions are destitute, famishing for the
bread ot life. Jesus had compassion on the multitude.
Shall not something of the same solicitude and yearning
pity for mankind move the heart of the Christian
Church ? Think of the errinij and beniijhted ones,
whom Christ died to save, and Christians are com-
missioned to succour ! They range over western
prairies — roam over Russian and Tartar steppes —
crowd the banks of the voluptuous Ganges — stretch
out their hands from Afric's sunny and sorrowing
lands — wait wearily in the distant Isles of the Sea.
Is it nothing that we are permitted to take part in the
work of amelioration, and of salvation ? Not for all
the gold in every earthly mine would an earnest
Christian man or woman forfeit the right to a ministry
of love and mercy. There is equality of privilege.
All may have a share in the glorious enterprise. The
smallest labor is not lost. No gift prompted by love
to the Savioui-, and placed at His feet, seems large or

now at
r their
^tle, in
mation
always
jt com-
Dserved
les and
nancial
quality.
)uls are
for the
iltitnde.
earning
hristian
m1 ones,
re coni-
western
eppes —
stretch
rrowing
le Sea.
t in the
t for all
earnest
linistry
rivilege.
2. The
by love

MISSIONS AND MONEY.

24.3

arge or

small. The pierced hand of Jesus receives and hallows
each oflering. Yes, there is an " equality ! "

As an encouracfement to generous contribution,
there was a guarantee of economical disbursement.
The Apostle would not personally undertake the
administration of church finance, or the manajijement
of this special fund. No suspicion of self-interest
must shadow or diminish the force of earnest appeal
and of a faithful ministry. But the work was to be
entrusted to a thoroughly competent brother : " whose
praise is in the gos] ^] throughout all the churches ;
and not that only, but who was also chosen of tne
churches to travel with us with this grace which is
administered by us." In regard to ability and integ-
rity there was every ground for confidence. This
point touches a general principle or question of mis-
sionary finance. Administration must be competent.
It is a boon to any Society to secure men for its
executive that command unbounded confidence ; and
it does seem that special qualification accompanies
designation to office in this department of church
organization. A fear has sometimes been express •]
that contributions to missions cost too much to carry
them to their destination. But a " little arithmetic "
applied to the treasurers' statements, as furnished in
the annual accounts of the various societies, dispels
the doubt, and removes the ground for any sha<low of
imputation. "It is a very simple thing to find tlu^
percentage of expense, and we know no surer or more
convincing answer than for any doul)t('r to investigate
for himself."

24+

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

(Jontrildifcors to the relict' fund of the early church
were encouraged to expect a ijood and sure return for
their liberality. " But this," .says the Apostle, as the
exponent of a law which applies in full force to the
duty of giving for the support of missions, " He which
soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly ; and he
which soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully."
Assurance was given that, as their substance was
freely bestowed, God would make all grace to abound
toward them; that, "having all sufficiency in all
things," they might " abound to every good work."
Return was sure. They could not sow in such a soil
without the security of an ample harvest. " Now he
that ministereth seed to the sower, both minister bread
for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and
increase the fruits of your righteousness."

Christian liberality promotes the glory of God:
"For the administration of this service not only sup-
plieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by
many thanksgivings unto God." This argument ap-
plies also to the missionary enterprise. A character-
istic transition leads the mind up to the eternal
throne. Service promotes praise. From forest and
prairie choirs, redeemed tribes of Africa, groups of
Chinese worshippers, bands of Hindu converts, as the
result of missions, a rapturous strain ascends to
heaven. Each day enlarges the concert, and augments
the son<x. How valuable the sacrifices and services of
the saints ! A burning seraph might covet the
privilege of adding a grain of incense to the fragrance

MISSIONS AND MONKY

24.-)

church
,rn for
as the
to the
! which
md he
ifully."
ce was
abound
in all
w^ork."
h a soil
N^ow he
)Y bread
m, and

God:
ly sup-
also by
ent ap-
aracter-
eternal
est and
oups of

as the
ends to
lorments
vices of
/et the
asrrance

of pure and hallowed offerings. But the generosity of
an earthly giver is only a reflection an«l result of
Divine inuniliccnco : " Thanks be unto God for his
unspeakable <dft."

Missionaru contrUmtion deinands an iinraedwfe
aiKjmcntaiion.

Sanctified liberality has already exhibited many a
triumph over human selfishness. The penuriousness
of the Christian Cliurch, in a former time, was keenly
felt by thoughtful men. " Truly," said Lor«l Bacon,
" merchants shall rise up in judgment against the
princes and nobles of Europe; for the merchants liave
made a great path in the seas, unto the ends of the
world, and have sent forth ships and fleets of Spanish,
English, and Dutch, enough to make China tremlih; ;
and all this for pearl and stone and spices. But for
the pearl of the kingdom of heaven, or the stones of
the heavenly Jerusalem, or for the spices of the
Spouse's garden, not a mast has been set up." But
the missionary movement has been as the smiting of
the desert rock; it has unsealed fountains of Christian
liberalty.

The stream of evangelistic enterprise, traced to its
source, generally leads up to some spring of pure and
practical beneficence. At the Leeds Conference. 170f),
when Wesley deputed Boardman and Pilmoor to the
pioneer work of spreading the gospel in America, a
collection was made towards the expenses of the new
mission. The organization of the Kettering Baptists,
1792, was signalized by a financial effort. Indepen-

l^ilil ■

£t ■ ; i; 1 1 *: ; ■

illli:

i -i ', n'^BBj^L

::fl

■■iiMia.

24G

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

dents at Warwick, in the formation of a missionary-
society, followed the example of their Wesleyan and
Baptist brethren. Modern missions, at their birth,
were baptized by the spirit of liberality. Such contri-
butions may seem small to us, but, from what we
hnow of the originators of this work, they must have
represented a good deal of self-denial. Each decade,
however, marks a large increase in the scale of giving
for the support of missions. From a quarter of a mil-
lion, at the commencement of the century, the mis-
sionaiy income now reaches the annual sum of eight
million of dollars ; but, in view of urgent need, the
amount ouo^ht to be at once doubled and trebled. The
Cliurch might then multiply her agencies, and prepare
fol" the work of a universal evangelization.

Missions need money. Could there be a more
legitimate appropriation of surplus funds ? Even the
coinage of heathen Greece was stamped with the
emblems of religion. The Roman mint adjoined the
temple. Should not hoarded treasures of our time be
placed under contribution for the Lord's service ? Re-
sources are ample. Christian nations have abundance
of gold in their vaults. Do you doubt it ? Are not
rich mines of the earth, wealthy corporations, and the
commerce of the world, under their control ? Five
hundred million dollars, the net gain on a year's pro-
ductions, was the amount added in 1882 to the capital
of the United States. A tithe of this store w^ould
replenish the mission treasury. Talk of depletion 1
Giving, as a rule, has not yet been carried up to the

MISSIONS AND MONEY.

247

lonary
m and

birth,
contri-
hat we
^t have
decade,

frivini;
f a mil-
lie mis-
)f eight
ied, the
d. The
prepare

a more
Ivcn the
th the
ned t*he
iime be
Re-
ndance
A.re not
and the
Five
T s pro-
capital
would
pletion ;
to the

point of self-denial ; and, until the tide of religious
liberality shall flow in a deeper channel, or sweep on
with a swifter current, we may not expect to see the
reign of millennial glory.

Can any one reasonably object to the cod of mis-
sions ? Compare the outlay with the expenditures of
extravagance. It is a matter of statistical truth that
" the drink bill of Great Britain and the United States
alone is J?l, 450,000,000 a year — with twice as much as
the cost of the traffic." An Enijlish general election
costs the political parties of that country nearly as
much as the aggregate of annual expenditure for all
the missionary societies in the world. Trade returns
of the American Union include one hundred and
twenty-live million dollars for such goods as silks and
laces, twenty-five million for kid gloves, and five
million for ostrich feathers. Wealthy members of
Churches are known to expend large sums in fashion-
able entertainments. " We are told of weddings cost-
ing tens, and even hundreds, of thousands of dollars."
Easter floral decorations, in the superb ecclesiastical
structures of three or four large cities, are said to cost
two hundred thousand dollars, and all for a perishing
beauty and fragrance. How much in proportion ought
to be paid for the announcement of a risen Saviour to
the waiting nations of the earth ? One million of
dollars, according to the Herald, is spent by the excur-
sionists of New York on a single Sunday ; and the
cost of theatres and kindred amusements, to the plea-
sure-seekers of the same city, is put down at seven

■I

jj;

a ^\

■ Vr

i ^tf •*■*(

I'i

ll f

248

THK MACEDONIAN CRY.

million a year. Christian penuriousness, brought into
comparison with the lavish expenditures of luxury
and pride, becomes absolutely appalling to serious
thought. Acts of generous liberality obtain a suitable
record ; but a solemn and sorrowful truth needs none
the less to be flashed upon the conscience of the Church.
While mammon's altars are burdened with costly offer-
ings, and votaries of pleasure waste their gold, the
cause of the Redeemer languishes for lack of the means
that his followers could well afford to give." " I gave
my life for thee," is the appeal from Calvary; "what
hast thou given for me ?"

Facts of heathen liberality, with which missions
bring us into contact, have in them a promise and
potency of better things. Life and treasure are held
subject to the gods. A niillion of dollars has been
received in offerings, largely from the poor, at a single
Hindu festival. One form of idolatry costs China a
hundred and fifty million dollars a year. Rich Brah-
mans and Buddhists expend immense sums for the in-
creased magnificence of their temple worship. Shall
not wealthy Orientals, with their splendid ideas of
giving for worship, one day bring their contributions
for the service of the world's Redeemer? Eastern
worshippers opened their treasures at the Saviour's
birth, and "presented to him gifts; gold, and frank-
incense, and myrrh." Converted natives of the East,
thronging to the mountain of the Lord's house, may
yet lead the van of missionary liberality. "Then
shalt thou see and flow together, and thine heart shall

MISSIONS AND MONEY.

249

lit into
luxury-
serious
uitable
Is none
])hurch.
y offer-
3ld, the
B means
" I gave
; "what

niissions
Liise and
are held
^as been
a single
China a
ih Brah-
|r the in-
Shall
tdeas of
ibutions
Eastern
aviour's
[l frank-
;he East,
se, may
" Then
lart shall

fear and be enlarged; because the abundance of the
sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the
Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of
camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and
Ephah; all they from Shebah shall come: they shall
bring gold and incense."

" Thy ramr are there,
Nehaioth, and the flocks of Kcdar there:
The looms of Ormus, and the mines of Ind,
And Saba's spicy groves, pay tribute there. "

Shall Christians grudge their money for missions?
Dr. Livinfjstone believed Lliat the time would come
when, instead of profuse expenditures for pride and
luxury, rich men would count it an honor to support
whole stations of missionaries. A late merchant prince
of New York, of revered name and memory, made his
business tributary to religion, and was accustomed to
forecast with a view to probable appeals. "I have
found my ability to give," he said, " somewhat largely
the greatest luxury of my life. The money is laid by^
the call comes, and I am not tempted to the baseness
of inventing excuses." An esteemed Ohio doctor
prayerfully set apart a tenth, and then a fourth of his
income to the Lord's cause. A written pledge, found
since his death, covenants that the principal of his
fortune should not be allowed to exceed seventy
thousand dollars; and, as the Lord blessed him with
means "beyond what he had expected or desired," the
17

250

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

1 1

! Ill

> 8 ■

■1

aggregate gifts for .special religions purposes amounted
to over five hundred thousand dollars.

Mi.ssionary munificence knows no maximum. It is
rcfral after tlie manner of Araunah the Jebusite: Did
he not "as a king give unto the king?" Sacred
promise must be regarded as equivalent to supreme
command : " I will consecrate their gain unto the
Lord, and their substance to the Lord of the whole
earth."

"Thcday«, O brethren, roll rapidly on, when the shout of the
isles shall swell the thunder of the continent ; when the Thames
and the Danube, the Ti1>er and the I'hinc, shall call upon Euphrates,
the CJanges, and the Nile ; and the loud concert sliall be joined by
the Hudson, the Mississippi, and the Amazon, singing with one
heart and one voice, ' HALLKLrjAii ! Salvation ! Tiik Lohu CIod
Omnipotent KKHiNKTii ! ' " — Dr. John M. Mason.

"Come then, and, added to thy many crowns,
Receive yet one, the crown of all the earth.

Thou who alone art worthy ! —
Receive yet one, as radiant as the rest.
Due to thy last and most effectual work.
Thy word fulfilled, the conf^uest of a world.'''

— Cowper.

THE WORLD FOR CHRIST.

258

THE WOllLI) FOR CHRIST.

t of the
Thames
iphrates,
oined by
with one

ORI> C'OD

Cowper.

CHRISTIANITY is not a mere wave on the restless
ocean of human thought. The allegiance of the
world belongs to Jesus. Essential majesty is the
Redeemer's most radiant crown. It was his before
the world was, ere the white wing of the first created
angel had stirred the pure ether of illimitable space,
even from everlasting. But a diadem of mediatorial
right has also been purchased by the Saviour's cross.
The very thought of regal triumph is full of rapture,
and there is ample warrant for anticipation. Every
purpose connected with the exaltation of the Lord
Jesus demands an ultimate and acknowledged supre-
macy : " For to this end Christ both died and rose and
revived that he mi<fht be Lord both of the dead and
living." The world for Christ ! Is not the expecta-
tion a legitimate one ?

Missionary anticipation is sustained hy an accordant
/o of sacred irrediction.

"Sweet is the harp of prophecy ; too sweet
Not to be wronged by a mere mortal toucli :"

But, though under the restraint of such a thought, an
attempt mnv be made to unfold tin* significance of the

'["■^iiTT^:

IS :

''«';

254

THE MACEDONIAN CKV.

prophet Isaiah's opening vision.* " And it sliall conic
to pass in the last days that the mountain of the
Lord's house shall be established in the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills ; and
all nations shall flow unto it." The temple of ancient
worship, central to all lands, becomes, in this prophetic
scene, the type and precursor of a future spiritual
glory. Gleaming and elevated spires strike the won-
dering vision from afar, and the courts of the Lord's
holy house are thronged with worshippers. Natural
conditions and tendencies, as in the case of magnetic
force, or of water under the power of gravitation, are
reversed, and a living tide of humanity flows up from
the nations, into the Church of God.

" And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and
let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house
of the God of Jacob : and he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion she'll
go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem." Illumination shall be universal. In the
eighth century, when darkness was dense, St. Bene-
dict dreamt that he beheld the whole dark world
lightened by a solitary sunbeam. That which was

* "It is a common but erroneous impression that the missionary
spirit is almost entirely the product of the new dispensation, and
that )iot nuieh of it is to be found in tlie old. If sucli were really
the ease, the cause of missions would lose tlie aid of one of the most
powerful principles tliat now lie at its foundation. We can but
advert, in passing, to the further development of this principle in
tlie writings of Isaiah." Ckurek of Emjlaiul MdyaJio .

THE WORLD FOR CHRIST.

255

come
of the
of the
3 ; and
mcient
Dphetic
)iritual
e won-

Lord's
Statural
acfnetic
ion, are
ip from

ye, and
lie house

ways,

sh"ll

I from

In the

Bene-

k world

ich was

nissionavy
iition, ami
rere really
»f the most
e can but
•inciple in

onlv a beautiful vision to the Italian saint shall be
ultimately realized :

" The beam that shines from Zion's hill
Shall lighten every land ;
The King who reigns in Salem's towers
Shall all the world command. "

" And he shall judjTje amonf,' the heathen," continues
the prophet, in expansion of the mediatorial idea,
" and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat
their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into
pruning hooks." A super!) painting by Salvator liosa,
in one of the great galleries of Florence, indebted to
inspiration for the magnificent conception, exhibits
" peace burning the implem(3nts of war." In a mea-
sure the prediction has had a missionary accomplish-
ment. Hostile and warring tribes, bent on the exter-
mination of their foes, delighting in burning and
bitter feud and animosity, have been known to ex-
change their murderous weapons for the implements
of industrial pursuit. Converted South Sea islanders
have been seen to remove the barrel of the musket
from its stock, place it on the anvil, and beat it out
into a spade or hoe for the cultivation of the soil.
The smooth and polished rails of the stairway lead-
ing to a very plain-looking pulpit, in one of the most
spacious sanctuaries in the southern l^acific, affording
accommodation to fifteen hundred people, was literally
formed of spear handles, stained in many a sanguin-
ary struggle.

256

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

Luminous and lofty prediction also announces the
final overthrow of error, and the ultimate result of
spiritual agi^ression. Does the Church need encour-
agement, and the strength that springs from assured
success ? A glorious promise gleams on the inspired
page : " And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that
day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish. In that
day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols
of gold, which they made each one for himself to
worship, to the moles, and to the bats." The eternal
God declares that the heathen nations shall forsake
their gods, and that the idolatries of the earth shall
be utterly overthrown. This is a wonderful thing.
Even the destruction of one idol, around which super-
stitious feeling has closely gathered, as the climbing
ivy around some crumbling ruin, is a great achieve-
ment. When, throughout the Roman empire, the
overthrow of paganism was resolved upon, a stately
temple of Serapis in Alexandria was doomed to
destruction. It was one of the most magnificent
structures of heathenism, and the idol was of immense
proportions. It was announced by the priests that
whoever injured that temple or insulted the god
would rouse seven-fold thunders, and cause heaven
and earth to return to their primeval chaos. To a
people steeped in idolatry, an assault upon the deified
occupant of that stately shrine could not be thought
of without a tremor. But a stalwart soldier planted
a ladder afjainst the imafje, struck a viirorous blow
with his axe, and broke the spell of superstition.

THE WORLD FOR CHRIST.

257

es the
iult of
ncour-
.ssured
ispired
n that
[n that
s idols
I self to
eternal
forsake
,h shall
I thing.
1 super-
limbing
ichieve-
ire, the
stately
med to
niticent
lumense
sts that
he god
heaven
To a
' deified
thought
planted
us blow
rstition.

Thunder was silent. No burning bolt visibly scathed
the audacious assailant. A spirit of iconoclasm took
immediate possession of the multitude. The dumb,
impotent idol was hewn to pieces and dragged in
triumph through the city.

The destruction of Serapis, in the queenly city of
the Nile, signalized a victory for the Christian faith.
Such trophies abound. It would not be easy to
enumerate the heathen deities that have fallen before
the cross, as Dagon before the ark of God. Isis
and Osiris, Molech of Amnon and Chemosh of the
Moabites, Jupiter and AJinerva, turbulent divinities of
the Olympian heaven, "false gods of Hellas," Parthenon
and Pantheon, Thor and Woden of Teutonic worship,
have sunk into utter oblivion. At one time the idola-
tries of the world formed an apparently impregnable
entrenchment. " See if there be such a thinix : hath a
nation changed their gods ? " But the potent illusion
has been dispelled. The carved magnificence of classic
antiquity has gone to dust and ruin, to the moles
and the bats. Oracles are dumb, altars forsaken, and
the lips of old mythologies foreyer sealed.

" No more at Dolos or at Delphi now,

Or e'en at mighty Amnon's Lyhian .shrine,
Tlie white-robed priests before the altar bow

To slay the victim ami to pour the wine,
While gifts of kingdoms round each pillar twine.
Scarcely can the classic pilgrim, sweeping free
From fallen architrave, the desert vine.
Trace tlie dim names of their divinity ;
(!ods of the ruined temples, where, () where are ye?"

. 1

r '

1 tk.:<£UEi

258

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

Wlicre ? Have not these gotls, that made not the
heavens and the earth, perished from under the
heavens •? And so must it be with all the idols and
superstitions of heathen worship. " Bel boweth down,
Nebo stoopeth!" Sabianism and Soofeeism are yet
to be superseded by the true light. Mosque and
pagoda await transformation into Christian temples.
Crowns of Brahma and Buddha shall be laid at the
feet of the Divine Redeemer. '

Tlie bright page of prophecy must become a brighter
page of history. It may not be expedient to deter-
mine dates. Accomplishment is the only adequate
exponent of sacred prediction. But there ought to be
no indifference to inspired utterance. The subject is
fraught with encouragement. Ancient promise had
reference to heathen nations, as well as to Jewish
people : " It shall come, saith the Lord, that I will
gather nations and tongues ; and they shall come and
see my glory. And I will set a sign among them, and
I will send those that escape of them to the nations,
to Tarshish"— Spa.n, "Pul"— Asia, "and Lud "—
Africa, " that draw the bow, to Tubal " — Russia, " and
Javan " — Greece, "to the isles afar off" — Britain and
Oceanic islands, "that have not heard my fame,
neither have seen my glory ; and they shall declare
my glory among the Gentiles." " As truly as I live,
saith the Lord, all the earth shall )e filled with the
glory of the Lord." " And the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the
mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

hey

THE WORLD FOR CHRIST.

259

not the
ler the
iols and
1 down,
are yet
[ue and
Demples.
i at the

brighter
deter-
idequate
jht to be
ubject is
iiise had
» Jewish
it I will
Dme and
lem, and
nations,
Lud "—
f la, " and
;ain and
y fame,
declare
IS I live,
with the
ord shall
, for the
hall not

hurt nor destroy in all my lioly mountain, for the
earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as
waters cover the sea." " And the ransomed of the
Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and
everlasting joy upon their heads : they shall obtain
joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee
away." As the pillar of cloud and flame led the way
of God's people, in their march through the wilder-
ness, an abiding pledge of covenant faithfulness, the
brightness of sacred prediction streams along the
track of evangelical enterprise ; and, as an advancing
banner of light, inspired promise leads the van ot the
missionary host.

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Messianic themes glow with all the rapture of mis-
sionary anticipation. " For unto us a child is Vjorn,
unto us a son is given : and the government shall be
upon his shoulder : and his name shall be called Won-
derful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his
government and peace there shall be no end." " Ask
of me," was the covenant stipulation, " and I shall give
thee tht; lieathen for thine inheritance, and the utter-
most parts of the earth for thy possession." I 'niversal
empire in a worldly sense is a dream and delusion,
but the Lord Christ shall have an enduring supremacy.
" I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the
Son of man came with thf clouds of heaven, and
came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him
near before him. And there was given hini dijminion,

260

THP: MACEDONIAN CRY.

and i^lory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations,
and languages, should serve him : his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and
his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

Apostles are in full accord with the goodly fellow-
ship of the prophets. Some of the most magnificent
passages of the New Testament have reference to the
regal glory and final triumph of the world's Redeemer.
The head that once was crowned with thorns is
crowned with glory now. " That ye may know what
is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the
glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the
exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who be-
lieve, according to the working of his mighty power,
which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from
the dead, and set him at his own right hand in hea-
venly places, far above all principality, and power, and
might, and dominion, and every name that is named,
not only in this world, but in that which is to come ;
and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him
to be head over all things to the Church, which is
his body, the fulness of him that tilleth all in all."
The Saviour claims the homaije of a redeemed world.
"Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given
him a name which is above every name : that at the
name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
earth ; and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of CJod the Father."

THE WORLD FOR CHRIST.

261

ations,
[1 is an
ly, and

fellow-
lificent
! to the
leemer.
orns is
w what

of the
,t is the
,vho be-

power,
m from
in hea-
ver, and

named,
3 come ;
,ve him
rhich is

in all."
1 world,
d uiven
b at the
lings in

der the
!ss that

^'athcr."

The trend of providential movement is imi2')cd)ly in the
direction of inspired prediction.

The outlook is encouraging^. Conditions are favor-
able. Avenues are open. Mission watch-fires multiply
on the distant mountain-tops. The inspiration of hope
is the strength of the Christian Church. Banners of
the sacramental host blaze with the light of conquering
resolve. Signs of the times exhibit an extraordinary
coincidence. Providential and preparatory movements
pave the path to onward achievement. Angels of
light and love lead the way. Omnipotence is on the
side of militant saints. A power not of earth has
brought about changes that tend to the furtherance
and triumph of the gospel. " This is the Lord's doing;
it is marvellous in our eves." If, as has been elo-
quently suggested, superhuman agencies had been
employed, all would have admired and bowed down
before such a revelation of the purpose of providence.
Had heavenly legions been commissioned to minister
visibly on the earth, to remove political hindrances, to
open up highways to the isles of Japan and of the sea,
to the heart of China, to the centre of Africa, the
world and the Church would have been awed and con-
strained to wonder and reverential praise. But Divine
interposition has been none the less real, because the
way is in the sea, the path in the great waters, and
the footsteps not known. " Bulwarks of ages have
fallen down. The interior of continents not long ago
largely unknown to geography are at this time open
to missions. Events not arranged of men have opened

'ii

•ii

If!

262

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

all lands to rclijrious truth." Has not God been niani-
festly leading his people ? " He hath shewed his
people the power of his works, that he may give them
the heritage of the heathen."

During the earlier decades of this century, the
burden of missionary prayer was wont to be that God
would open doors, break down barriers, divide the seas,
dry up the rivers, and prepare a way for the heralds
of salvation. All regions of the globe are now acces-
sible to the Bible and the missionary of the cross.
Can we doubt that the march of providential move-
ment has been made to subserve the great work of the
world's evangelization ? The multitudinous thoroufjh-
fares of the Roman empire, and the spread of the
Greek language, heralded and prepared the way for
the triumphs of Christianity in the apostolic age. Art
and science, — spanning continents, forming pathways
across the billowy deep, eiicircling the earth with a
network of wires, utilizing steam and the mysterious
forces of electricity, — the growing power of commerce
and civilization, and the genius and enterprise of the
time, are aids and allies of the missionary movement,
eminently favorable to the progress and diffusion of
the gospel :

" Out of the shadows of night
The world rolls into light ;
It is daybreak everywhere, "

The question of Tueasures and means for the world's
evangelization has noiv to be seriously considered.

A proposition of such immense interest and im-
portance as that which relates to the universal diffu-

TIIK WORLD FOR CHRIST.

2()3

sioii of the tjospel demands patient and prayerful
tliought. The subject should be pondered in the li<,dit
of ascertained fact. Mathematical faith is not mis-
sionary faith. The problem of the world's salvation
has its " unknown quantity." We live under the
dispensation of the Spirit, and when required condi-
tions are met, the most sanguine anticipations may be
exceeded in the bestowment of promised })lessing.
But the project must be viewed, on one side, from the
standpoint of human agency and appliance. Is the
subject a feasible one ? What is demanded, in the
way of men and means, for the immediate undertak-
ing of such an enterprise ? The question was under
consideration at the meeting of the Evangelical Alli-
ance, in 1873. Dr. Angus thought it to be demon-
strable that with fifteen thousand missionaries at
work for ten years, and with fifteen thousand pounds
sterling to support them, the gospel might be preached
repeatedly to every man, woman and child on earth.
Fifteen thousand missionaries ! Does the proposal
startle the leaders of evangelical movement ? Is the
demand beyond the resources of the Church ? A
great country, leading the van of the world's civiliza-
tion, for the vindication of national honor, the con-
quest of a single fortress, or the occupancy of a
narrow strip of territory, sends as many men to the
field and front of battle. Abyssinian, Afghan, and
Egyptian e.-^peditions have a voice for the Church.
They speak eloquently in regard to effort, endurance,
and heroic self-sacrifice. There was never a hesita-

ii P

bO;

204

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

tion on the part of England's noblest sonsi. For the
service of sovereign and country, brave warriors have
stood ready to pour out their blood like water, and to
follow their colors on distant or perilous enterprise.
Surely, for the advancement of redeeming purpose,
the spiritual conquest of a world, there can be no
difficulty in regard to needed reinforcements ! Then

"send ten thousand heralds forth,
From cast to west, from north to south,
To l)h)w the trump of Jul)ilce,
And peace prochiim f rf)m sea to sea. "

Fifteen millions sterling for ten years ! The amount
would about equal the annual interest paid by two or
three leading States of Europe on the aggregate of
their national debt. Think of it in comparison with
the enormous cost of the liquor traffic to the people of
Great Britain and the United States ! The wealth of
any one or two of the leading evangelical denomina-
tions, if freely and fully consecrated to the Lord,
would amply suffice for every demand, and the mis-
sionary treasury could fear no depletion. An average
contribution of tivcnty-flre or thirty cents a week from
the communicants of the Methodist Church, in the United,
States and Canada, vxmld alone go far to meet financial
exigencies*

* An article from the pen of Dr. Burns, of Hamilton, in the Octo-
V)er and November numbers of the Canadian Mvthodist Ma'jazine,
18S.'i, is well calculated to rouse the slumbering conscience of the
Church, and to promote "a missionary revival."

THE WOHLI) FOR CHUIST.

265

or the
8 have
and to
irprise.
Lirpose,
be no
Then

imount
two or
;^ate of
»n with
3ople of
jalth of
Lomina-
Lord,
mis-
average
h from
United
nanciat

the Octo-
fatjazinc,
ce of the

Immediate requirements can be measurably deter-
mined. For the successful achievement of the work
proposed, one ordained missionary ought to be sent
out for every fifty thousand of the accessible popula-
tion of the heathen world. The people yet to be
reached by the gospel may be estimated at seven
hundred millions, and thus fourteen thousand mission-
aries must be added to the staff' of foreign laborers.
Then it is claimed that if the Churches would give a
dollar to missions for every five they expend on them-
selves, the message of salvation could be carried to
every heathen dwelling, and the Bible put into the
hands of every son and daughter of the human race.
" I plant myself on these propositions," says Joseph
Cook, " which I believe have the approval of great
secretaries of missions — one missionary for every fifty
thousand of the accessible pagan population of the
world ; one dollar to be expended for missions for
every five expended for ourselves." *

A prominent writer on modern missions pleads for
the summoning of an (Ecumenical Council, solely to
plan for a world-wide spiritual campaign, and to
mature measures for bringing the glad tidings of sal-
vation into contact with every human soul in the
shortest possible space of time. It is believed that
the world could be evangelized in twenty years, and
that before the close of this nineteenth century the

* The Vanguard of Christian MissiouB, Monday Lecture, January
29, 1883.

1»

2(50

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

rillli

\.\\ I "TlVd

gospel of tlif RedecDior might be given to every liv-
ing soul. The estimate of agency in this case is
exceedingly moderate. " At least ten thousand more
missionaries " are needed. " Let the field be mapped
out and divided, with as little waste of men and
means as may be ; let there be a universal appeal for
workers and for money, a system of gathering so
thorough tliat every giver shall be regularly brought
into contact with the Lord's treasury." *

The views of eminent exponents and advocates of
this great project, so far as they have been adduced,
are found to be in substantial agreement, and their
estimate of required agency sufficiently near for all
practical purposes. The bare suggestion of such an
achievement is enough to stimulate interest, strengthen
faith, deepen the fervor of prayer, arouse expectation,
and afford encouragement to continued and increased
effort. Were capitalists or business men to contem-
plate a scheme of national or international magnitude
and importance, no matter how enormous the proposed
expenditure, they would be expected to accomplish it
long before the end of the century. No difficulty
would be regarded as insurmountable. Funds would
be forthcoming, and the globe rapidly girdled with a
far-reaching enterprise. Shall the Church of Christ
hesitate to pledge herself to magnificent achievement,
or to plan for the world's salvation, and the universal
extension of the Redeemer's kingdom ? Should not

* Tlie Gospel in all Lauds, Oct., 1881.

THE WORLD FOR CHRIST.

267

ry liv-
;ase is
I more
lapped
m and
eal for
rinp so
)rought

ates of
iduced,
d their
for all
iuch an
mgthen
ctation,
creased
ontem-
Pfnitude
roposed
plish it
ficulty
would
with a
Christ
trement,
liversal
uld not

th(i grandeur and greatness of missionary enterprise
till every heart, furnish incentive to unwearied eflbrt,
and inspiration to hallowed resolve i* " For Zion's
sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jeru-
salem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness
thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation
thereof as a lamp that burneth." " The world for
Christ " must become the watchword of a host. " Set
up the standard toward Zion." " Lift ye up a
banner." The broadest, brightest, loftiest banner of
earth bears the blazon of .spiritual conquest. Then
let it be fearlessly di.splayed. Give it to the Church.
Entrust it to the Sunday-school. Unfurl it from the
pulpit. Bear it to every land. Fling it abroad under
the whole heavens. " And all the ends of the earth
shall see the .salvation of our God."

Missionary accomplishment must precede the second
Advent. " And the gospel of the kingdom .shall be
preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations ; and then shall the end come." The meaning
of the Saviour's important utterance has been well
brought out by an apposite illustration. There is a
ble.ssed sense in which the gospel shall be a " witness"
to the world. The metropolis of Scotland, in 1842,
made magnificent preparation for the reception of
royalty. Enthusiasm was unbounded. There was a
scene then witnessed by thousands, and long after
remembered. In Bible times they were required
to " set up a sign of fire in Beth-haccarem ;" and so on
this memorable occasion, as twilight deepened into

ijlii^l

208

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

i^.

night, from hill and height around the proud northern
city, there was i^ sudden and simultaneous blaze of
splendor. The noble Frith of Forth was all at once
illuiiiinated. Beacons and torches flashed their light
from Berwick to Stirling. That burst of brightness
way well understood. It was a token, a witness, to
all the people. The Sovereign was at hand. " So
shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." Signals
Of salvation are to be lighted in every land. Mission
watch-tires shall be a sign to all the dwellers of the
earth. " The gospel must first be published among
all nations."

Flans for the luoiid's evangelization should hf^
accorapanied hy jyraybvfov the icorld's conversion.
" Efforts for enlightenment and evangelization come
witliin the range of human agency and responsibility.
But the salvation of the world's multitudes is the
work of God, and can only be effected through the
energy of the Holy Ghost. Hence the necessity of
prayer 1 Continuity of supplication has been pre-
dittcid. " Thus saith the Lord of hosts, It shall come
to pass that there shall come people, and the inhabi-
tants of many cities : and the inhabitants of one city
shall go unto another, saying, Let us go speedily to
p?'ay before the Lord, and to seek the Loid of hosts ;
I will go also. Yea, many people and strong nations
shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem,
and to pray before the Lord." There shall be a world-
wide circle of prayer, a universal embassy to the
throne of Oninipoteace. Christendom shall be sup-

V. i

THE WORLD FOR CHRIST.

260

fthern
aze of
b once
• light
htness
less, to
"So
signals
lission
of the

among

dd he

on.

n come

fibility.
is the

gh the

sity of
p.ife-
1 come
nhabi-

ne city
dily to
hosts ;
lations

iisalem,
world-
to the
le sup-

pliant at the feet of Jesus, and " for him shall endless
prayer be made."

The Saviour taught his followers to pray that
God's iiame might be hallowed, his kingdom come,
and his will be done in earth as it is in heaven. The
prayer, " Thy kingdom come," in which we ask for
ourselves and all others the blessings comprised in
the diffusion of the gospel, and the universal reign of
Christ, is thoroughly and purely missionary in its
character and application. As a cloud of incense, that
breathing of desire rises from the lips of tens of
thousands of assembled worshippers. One could not
help feoling during the first week of 188'j, as in many
former years, that the most characteristic part of the
programme was mainly an expansion of the great
missionary petition. Christian people throughout the
world were asked to unite in prayer for all mission-
aries and others engaged in mission work, that they
might be filled with the Holy Spirit, and that great
success might crown their efforts; that all native
Christians might be kept steadfast in the faith, and
made earnest and efficient in brinofing souls to the
Saviour ; that many more faithful laborers might be
called and sent out l)y the Lord of the harvest ; that
the Mohammedans and heathens might be won to
Christ, and that the Jews might be constrained to
receive him as the long-expected Messiah. Repeated
request car. know no exhaustion. It shall continue to
ascend to the throne of the heavenly grace,and to unseal
fountains of spiritual blessing, until the utmost of in-

■'^srmf^/irm^'

270

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

jH'

spired anticipation shaU have been realized: "And
the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to
the people of the saints of the Most High, whose
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions
shall serve and obey him."

In prayer for the salvation of men and the conver-
sion of the world to Christ there should be an intense
realization of the Holy Spirit's essential otHce, as the
quickener and regenerator of human souls. The
great promise of God must be the dependence and
hope of the Church : " And it shall come to pass after-
wards, that I shall pour out my Spirit upon all flesh."
Scarcely had the Redeemer ascended to the mediatorial
throne when the baptism of fire was received. Wait-
ing suppliants were crowned with tongues of flame.
The sword of the Spirit, bathed in the lightnings of
heaven, pierced thousands to the heart. " And fear
came upon every soul : and many wonders and signs
were done by the apostles." Through dependence
upon God, the struggling Church renewed its strength:
" And when they had prayed, the place was shaken
where they were assembled together ; and they were
all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the
word of (xod with boldness." The first preachers of
the cross avowed the grcmnd of their sutliciency and
success : " For our gospel came not unto you in word
only, but also in power, and in the Holy (ihost, and in
much assurance." This is still the di.s])t'nsation of the
Eternal Spirit. Tlic first call for unite<l and universal

THE WORLD FOR CHRIST.

271

supplication, it will be rememljcred, was for " the effu-
sion of the Spirit of God upon all the churches and upon
the whole habitable earth." Every measure of mis8lv)n-
ary success is due to the gracious influence of the Holy
Ghost, and he alone can make the gospel effectual to
the salvation of men. It is still with the preacher of
righteousness as with the prophet in the valley of
vision : "Thus saith the Lord God : Come from the
four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain,
that they may live." Unaided human agency cannot
achieve success : " Not by might, nor by power, but
by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts." " Until tlie
Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wil-
derness be a fruitful field, and the fruit/: ul field be
counted for a forest."

Prayer has to do with movements that subserve the
progress and ultimate triumph of mediatorial purpose
and administration. A beautiful passage of the Apoca-
lypse indicates an intimate connection between united
prayer and the revolutions of earth : " And another
angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden
censer ; and there was given unto him much incense,
that he should ofier it with the prayers of all saints
upon the golden altar that was before the throne. And
the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers
of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's
hand. And the angel took the censer and filled it with
fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth : and there
were voices, aiid thunderings, and lightnings, and an
earthquake." Imagery comes from ancient sanctuary

:,^0mm'

ESTA^jmfj i ^^Mm^skfm m

272

THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

service. As the worshippers bowed in prayer, at the
morning and evening sacrifice, priests ministered at
the golden altar. Fragrance blended with petition.
Incense and prayer ascended together. Thus it is in the
ministry of our Great High Priest. The prayers of
his people, if earnest and sincere, are mingled with the
merit of an atoning and efficacious sacrifice, are hal-
lowed and wafted to the throne of God. Ascending
smoke, descending flame, and the resultant sweep of
revolutionary movement, indicate the prevalence of
the prayers of all saints. Even change and upheaval,
" voices, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake,"
are made to subserve the redeeming purposes of the
Lord Jesus Christ. They are instrumental in the
removal of obstacles. Forces of evil are by this means
swept from the field, and a way prepared for the wider
diflfusion of the gospel. Through the costly Crimean
war the gates of the Turkish empire were opened to
Christianity. From the terrible Indian Mutiny dates
a new era in th-i history of Eastern missionary enter-
prise. China was hermetically sealed, until the iron-
clads burst through the barriers of ages. Civil conflict
led to the abolition of American slavery, Tel-el-Keber
was the termination of the British campaign in Egypt,
but only a starting-point for spiritual enterprise.
Earthly movements sweep on to mediatorial consum-
mation. The kingdoms of this world must bbcome
the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ ; and he
shall reign for ever and ever. For this the Church
pleads and waits : " Come forth out of thy royal

THE WORLD FOR CHRIST.

273

chambers, O Prince of all the kincs of the earth .' Put
on the robes of thy imperial Majesty ; take up that
unlimited sceptre which thy Almighty Father hath
bequeathed thee ; for now the voice of the bride calls
thee, and^all creatures sigh to be renewed,"

Prayer on such a theme passes into praise. Three
thousand years ago, unsurpassed missionary strains
were chanted beneath the brightness of the Shekinah.
The heart of the royal Psalmist was full of Christ, and
longed its passion to declare : " He shall come down
like rain upon the mown grass ; as showers that water
the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish ;
and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from
the river to the ends of the earth."

The ground idea of this missionary hymn was
doubtless suggested by the configuration or limits of
Immanuel's land. But a resident of fair and favored
Canada can scarcely help thinking of another special
application. " From the river to the ends of the
earth :" from the rolling floods of Niagara to the icy
regions of the polar zone. " Dominion also !" Does
not the name of this new northern nation seem to be
prophetic of future and destined glory ; a foremost
place among the peoples that throng to the coronation
of the heavenly King '^ "From .sea to sea!" From
coasts of Acadia, tidal deeps of the Bay of Fundy, and
the majestic St. Lawrence, the jubilant strains shall
rise ; shall blend with the raptures of Ontario's lofty
praise, break the silence of Lake Huron'.'i shores,

274

THE MACEDONIAN CUY.

I l!:

I':

gather strength and volume from the peopled plains
and prairies of Manitoba and the North-West, swell
to the sources of the Saskatchewan and summits of
the Rocky Mountains, gain tribute from the valleys
and commercial gateways of British Columbia ; and,
as the voice of many waters, or the fulness of the
deep, the gladness of salvation shall sound and spread
" from sea to sea," from stormy Atlantic to bright and
tranquil Pacific.

The missionary psalm was the latest as well as the
loftiest ascription of the inspired bard. It was a

magniticent

FINALE.

" The prayers of David the Son of Jesse are ended."
No meaner subject could again rouse his spirit to
sacred song. That harp of Judah has been long
silent. J>ut the sanctuary strain can never die. The
rapture of praise to Christ shall fill the earth. "And
he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of
Sheba: prayer shall also be made for him continually;
and daily shall he be praised."

" People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on his love with sweetest song."

" His name shall endure for ever; his name shall be
continued as long as the sun r and men shall be blessed
in him : all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed
be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth

wondrous things.

And blessed be his jjlorious name

THE WORLD FOR CFJRIST.

27o

for ever : and let the whole earth be filled with his
j^lory. Amen and amen."

Passing years between, the eye rests upon " scenes
of accomplislied bliss." Promise and prophecy have
been fulfilled. The world has been won for Christ.

"One song employs all nations ; and all cry,
' Worthy the Lunib, for he was slain for lis I '
The dwellers in the vales and on the rocks
Shout to each other, and tlie mountain-tops
From distant mountains catch the flying joy :
Till, nation after nation taught the strain.
Earth rolls the rapturous hosanna round."

Ascriptions of earth, born of missionary sympathy
and prayer, are but the prelude of an eternal song.
" After this I beheld, and lo a great multitude which
no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds,
and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms
in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying —
Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the

THRONE, AND UNTO THE LaMB."

i '!

i '

APPENDIX.

Summaries and statistics are appended liere for the
sake of convenient reference.

1. An Estimate of the Population of the World,
According to Religions,

given in the diagram at the front of this volume,
was prepared for the Woman's Missionary Society of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and published by the
Rev. Dr. Sutherland in The Alissionary Outlook. The
blocks are shaded to show the followins relifnous
divisions : —

"^'^*h«» 855 millions.

Mohammedans jyQ

Jews

Romanists jqq

Greek Church 34

Protestants jjg

Total ,

,1,42.3

Another estimate, which in the main has been fol-
lowed throughout the previous essay, was presented at
the Cincinnati Convention. The aggregate, one thou-
sand four hundred and thirty-three million, agrees

i^^;

278 ' THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

witli the round total of the <'ininent German statists
for l<S8:i:

Christians, inchuling Protestants, (Jreek

Church, and Human Catholics, pln-^. . 440 niillioiis.

Jews 8 "

Moslems 1 75 "

Kralimans 160 "

Buddhists 400 "

Uncivilized Pagans 250 "

Total l,43:i

Each square of the diagram, it ivill he seen, represents
a million of population. As the result of faithful
toil, an important space has brightened ivith the pro-
gress of the century. But a glance over the dark Nocks
shews the vast extent of heathendom, and the need of a.
greatly increased agency. To give one missionary to every
oU,000 of the population, would require .!() for each
square, or million of people. Brahmans, Buddhists, and
heathens of yet uncivilized lands — loithout including Mos-
lems — aggregate at least 810 squares, or millions; and to
meet the demands of such an enterprise, up to the propor-
tion specified, vjould require JG,!JOO missionaries — IS, SOU
in addition to the ^,Jf.OO already in the fidd.

2. Latest Estimate of the World's Population : —

Drs. Behm and Wagner have recently issued a new
edition of their well-known collection of statistics —
" Die Bevolkerung der Erde." They give the total as
1,433,887,500, which is about 22,000,000 less than
their estimate of two years ago. They have concluded
that China, including Corea, has 371), 500,000, which is

APPENDIX.

279

55,000,000 lo.ss tlian thoy formerly suppowtMl. There
has thu.s been an actual increase of about .3.*i,000,000
in the population of the globe — an increa.se, however,
which must be spread over ten years, as many of the
recent censuses are decennial. For Europe, the pres-
ent population is rated at 327,748,400, .showing an
increase of about 12,000,000 over the previous figures
by the operation of the censu.ses. In Asia, making
allowance for the readjustment of the population of
China, there has been an increase of 20,000,000, the
present population being set down at 795,591,000. In
Africa the population is 205,823,200. In America
100,415,400. In Au.stralia and Polynesia, 4,232,000.
In the Polar Regions, 82,500.— il/is. AL, 1S8J, p. IG.

3. DiSTRIlJUTION OF FOREIGN MISSIONS.

We cull from Dr. Dorchester's tables the following
statistics with reference to the distribution of Pro-
testant Forei(;n Mission work in the different "reat
divisions of the globe, in 1880, so far as reported : —

h is

North America
South America

Europe

Africa

Asia

Oceanica

Total...

B 1

cipal
ons.

Stati

rin
tat

1 1

B-OJ

951

1,214

682

2.934

103

589

3,934

175

902

2,570 ,

2,i-,S7

1,471

504

5,705

12,209

C eS-

1,602

3,328

117

5.58

785

1,285

897

11,094

2,033

9,200

1,202

8,325

6,096

33,856

rtJ=

211,833
12,9S1
94,030
104,701
245,085
128.090

332,054
47,585
42,070
518,075
341,080
532,120

857,332 1,813,596

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THE MACEDONIAN CRY.

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Estimatinc^ for the Missions whose reports are not
obtained in those items, Dr. Dorchester gave for the
aggregate of " communicants " over 1,000,000, and of
universal "adherents" from 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.—
The Gospel in all Lands, December, 1881.

4. American and European Societies.

The Rev. Dr. Wilder, in the Missionary Review for
Nov.-Dec, 1882, gives the following totals of 100 dif-
ferent Churches and Societies : — American — Home
strength, 77,953 ministers and 10,165,976 communi-
cants. Missionaries : ordained, 844 ; lay, 77 ; women,
978. Native workers: ordained, 839; others, 7,359.
Native communicants, 197,102. European — Home
strength, 39,746 ministers, 16,538,877 communicants.
Missionaries : ordained, 1,756 ; lay, 548 ; women, 628.
Native workers : ordained, 1,118 ; others, 14,730. Na-
tive communicants, 377,619. To^ai- -Missionaries :
ordained, 2,600 ; lay, 625 ; women, 1,606. Native
workers: ordained, 1,957; others, 22,089. Native
communicants, 574,721. Income, $8,447,991. — Mis-
sionary Almanac, 1883, p. 16.

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