Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

THE

MISSIONARY OBSERVER.

JULY, 1883.

Home and Foreign Missions.

BY REV. J. BUCKLEY, D.D.

ARE we not doing too much for Foreign Missions? Would it not be better to divert some of the funds appropriated to foreign work, and devote them to the home field? One sometimes reads or hears questions of this kind. Some would unhesitatingly give an affirmative reply, while others who would scarcely be able to go so far, have a lurking suspicion, though, as I deem on altogether inadequate grounds, that the work abroad has a disproportionate share of attention. I commend to the candid consideration of all such the following thoughts. Only let me premise that Home and Foreign Missions should never be placed in opposition to each other; and never will be by the judicious advocates of either. The work of Christ in every land is one work. It is to preach the gospel of Christ, sweetly constrained by His love, and joyfully anticipating the recompense of reward in His blessed presence. It is to convert sinners from the error of their ways and to save souls from death. It is to multiply the triumphs of Emmanuel, so that He may go forth "conquering and to conquer.' Without Christ we can do nothing either at home or abroad: but if Christ be with us, and give testimony to the word of His grace, we shall, wherever we labour, have the assured persuasion that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. Never let us forget that the work is one.

[ocr errors]

Now I ask all my readers to note that the work of Christ at home has received an immense impetus from the efforts to send the gospel to the ends of the earth. The evidence of this is far too abundant to be given in a brief article like this; but let us go back to the establishment of the Baptist Mission ninety years ago. One of the first objections which Andrew Fuller and the noble band associated with him had to meet when they talked of a mission to the heathen was, "You had far better go to the dark corners of our own land, where there are multitudes as really heathens as the inhabitants of India or Africa; go and preach the gospel to them." "We cannot admit," they replied, "that this is any objection to sending the gospel to distant lands;" but, they added, that since they had resolved on sending missionaries to the heathen, they had thought more and felt more about those at home who were without Christ; and under the impulse of quickened zeal and devotedness, when

274

MISSIONARY OBSERVER.

they had sent Thomas and Carey to India, they were stirred up to make new and special efforts to extend the kingdom of Christ at home. Nor was this all. Before there had been time to hear of success in India, yea, before they had heard of the arrival of the missionaries, they felt that the establishment of the mission had been a remarkable blessing to their own souls. "I bless God," wrote Andrew Fuller in his diary, "that this work has been a means of reviving my own soul. If nothing else comes of it, I and many others have derived spiritual advantage." But something else did come of it, and something very interesting and important something too that will be seen much more clearly by the bright light of eternity than amid the shadows of time. On this aspect of the case, however, all-important as it is, I do not now dwell. The point I wish to enforce is, that all who laboured to send the truth abroad were, whether pastors or people, alike richly blessed at home. And even Christians of the Mr. Fearing and Mr. Despondency class who were always sighing and groaning, and who if ever they took their harps from the willows, began to sing the doleful lines,

""Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought;
Do I love the Lord, or no,

Am I His, or am I not?"

even these, amid the blessed influences engendered by a great and noble enterprize, strangely forgot, for a time at least, their doubts and fears. How could they doubt whether they loved the Lord or no while they were striving and praying for the extension of His kingdom? In His name they now felt that they could rejoice all the day, and in His righteousness they were exalted.

The history of our own connexion furnishes pleasing evidence of the happy influence exerted by foreign work on the churches at home. We had no Home Mission till after the Foreign Mission had been established, and its first missionaries sent out. It will perhaps be said, we, or rather our fathers, had an Itinerant Fund; very true, but what was the work it did? and what the monies at its disposal? I have just gone over the old accounts for seven years of this Itinerant Fund, and find that the amount realized from all the churches during these years varied from £32 98. 3d. to £92 13s. 11d., the average being a little over £55! Before the establishment of the Foreign Mission there were no vigorous, enterprising, united efforts by the associated churches to extend the gospel at home. Only the year before its establishment (i.e. 1815) the Association considered the question, "Is it not the duty of our connexion to form and support an Itineracy, or Home Mission, the object of which shall be to diffuse the light of the gospel in the darkest parts of this kingdom?" And what does the reader suppose was the answer? "In the present state of the connexion we think it is not." Evidently it was a time of deep and general depression in our churches: the ministers were few, and very inadequately supported: the churches were discouraged, some of them disunited, and most of them lacking enterprise; but there were some who sighed and hoped and prayed for better days. Accordingly a special day of humiliation was appointed and was held at Wood Gate, Loughborough, in 1815. On this important day many salutary counsels and warnings were given by holy

*Minutes of Association for 1815, p. 15.

[ocr errors]

HOME AND FOREIGN MISSIONS.

[ocr errors]

275

and faithful men who have long been with God; and a memorable sermon was preached by one of the fathers* from the text, By whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small." (Amos vii. 5.) Now let the reader mark. "Jacob" began to revive amongst us as soon as Bampton and Peggs were sent to India. It was an epoch in our connexional history. It was the beginning of brighter days; and the new enterprise at once took hold of the heart of the churches as no former project had done-a hold which after the lapse of threescore years it still retains and well deserves. Its influence on the churches was most blessed. They had begun to do something for Christ abroad, and they felt that they must do more at home. The very next month our Home Mission was established; † and its first secretary-the late Mr. Frederick Deacon-in commending it to the support of the churches observed, "We would not have you alarmed with the idea that the society we now advocate and support will injure the Foreign Mission. We would not have her considered as the rival, but we wish to introduce her to your notice as the lovely sister of that invaluable institution, which so justly claims your anxious solicitude, and though not invested with her peerless and commanding beauties, is not the less entitled to your admiration and cordial esteem for her domestic attractions. Whilst the one boldly aspires to the conversion of the idolatrous Hindoos from the abominations and cruelties of paganism to the worship of the everlasting God, and the practice of the benign precepts of the lowly Jesus, the other modestly solicits your assistance in the equally important task of reclaiming British heathens from the error of their ways, and inducing them to become followers of the Lamb. Instead of proving injurious, she joyfully anticipates that one happy result of her endeavours will be a most material augmentation of her sister's resources, by bringing numbers into the church at home, who will join their efforts with those of her present friends; nor can she doubt but that their united exertions will prove in some degree instrumental in accelerating that glorious day, when the Redeemer shall have the heathen for His inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession.

[ocr errors]

we

One other illustration I must give. When the Freewill Baptist Mission was established in the United States, grumblers were found, like those who had opposed the formation of the Baptist Mission, and they were met in the same way. "O, we have plenty of heathen at home," they said; "let us preach the gospel first to them." "Very good," said David Marks, and the good men associated with him, will have a home mission too, and you shall have the opportunity of proving your faith by your works." And so their Home Mission was established; but I more than question whether its funds were much aided by these objectors-for you may as soon expect grapes from thorns as liberal subscriptions from grumblers of this class.

Again. The warmest friends of Foreign Missions have been the most zealous labourers in the home field. The founders of the London Missionary Society-Rowland Hill, Dr. Waugh, David Bogue, George Burder, and others were surely not unknown or undistinguished in evangelistic work at the close of the last century. The enlightened

*Rev. Robert Smith.

+ Bampton and Peggs embarked May 26th, 1821, and the Home Mission was formed at the Association at Loughborough which commenced June 26th, 1821.

276

MISSIONARY OBSERVER.

and earnest men that founded the Church Missionary Society-Simeon, Wilberforce, Venn, Thomas Scott, and others like-minded-were at least as anxious for the conversion of sinners at home as any of those who frowned on the new enterprise. Andrew Fuller, the first Secretary of the Baptist Mission, fought as valiantly against infidelity, and opposed as vigorously the false teachers in his own section of the Baptist denomination as any of his brethren who looked doubtfully on the mission in India. John Gregory Pike, the first Secretary of our own beloved Mission, was second to none of his brethren in diligent and successful labour with the pen and the tongue in furthering the good work at home. But why refer to these examples, which might be greatly multiplied, and which every impartial reader must admit to be perfectly conclusive. There is a much higher example. The apostle Paul "magnified his office" as the apostle of the Gentiles; but none of the apostles of the circumcision expressed their agonizing solicitude for the conversion of Israel in language so tender and touching as his. "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved," was the language of the missionary apostle.

It

Our Foreign Mission has been in a thousand ways a blessing to the churches at home; and no sorer calamity could befall the connexion than a declension of missionary zeal and devotedness, for be sure of this, that every benevolent and worthy object would decline with it. What a blessing the Mission has been to our Sabbath-schools! Hundreds of little friends, while collecting for its funds, have learnt the important lesson so desirable to learn in the morning of life, that we should not live to ourselves. The holy cause is one that blesses—yea, twice blesses-all its friends, young or old. Collectors and subscribers alike share in the benefit when they support it for Christ's sake. may be compared to the precious stone spoken of in the Book of ProverbsWhithersoever it turneth, it prospereth." Turn the precious jewel as you will, it sparkles with beauty and brightness. Its primary object is to bless those who are thousands of miles away;' * but in accordance with the gracious principles that mark the divine administration, it cannot do this without richly blessing all its friends and helpers at home. In sending the light of life to those who are sitting in darkness, they rejoice themselves in receiving more of its brightness. Missionary deputations, too, have often been a blessing to the churches visited, especially, it may be added, to those churches which are at the extremities of the connexion, and which are rarely visited except for this purpose. You have welcomed to your homes and your hearts missionaries, when driven by ill health from their loved spheres of labour. It has been very encouraging and cheering to them, and they have returned to their distant homes in the east with hallowed and grateful recollections of your Christian kindness; but has the benefit been all on their side? Have you no grateful memories of social Christian intercourse-of

"Chosen sacred hours,

And burning words that uttered all the soul"?

Have not the churches to which you belong rejoiced in the benefit? Have not careless ones been aroused, wanderers from the fold brought

HOME AND FOREIGN MISSIONS.

277

back, and the working members of the church received a healthy stimulus ? Have not your Sabbath-schools been the better for the missionary information which the children have received? I could answer these questions in part, but perhaps it is best that every reader should answer them for himself. I know that an incalculable amount of good was done in various churches by the annual visits of the first Secretary; and let us hope that the former days were not better than these, not forgetting, however, that every true man does the work allotted to him according to the gifts with which the gracious Master has endowed him.

In the life of the Rev. Richard Knill there is a singularly interesting narrative of good effected by special missionary services in Leeds before he left for India in 1815. Sorely against his will it was suggested that he should be ordained at Leeds, and when his tutor, Dr. Bogue, mentioned this, and asked him what he had to say to it, he felt disappointed, and replied, "My old pastor and his people wish me to be ordained at Bideford, and"- "And," said the Doctor, interrupting him, "you would naturally like to go; but you are public property now. We must sacrifice personal feeling if we wish to be extensively useful." On further consideration he expressed his cordial approval of the proposal. The services were deeply solemn and impressive. He remained a week or two in the neighbourhood of Leeds, preaching in the different chapels; and it is said "that great effects were produced in different congregations, and that many persons were added to the churches, who continued to adorn their profession." One important result of that visit was brought to the knowledge of Mr. Knill thirtythree years after in a singular manner. When attending a public meeting at Ludlow in 1849, one of the speakers, the Rev. Samuel Tillotson, a superintendent preacher in one of the branches of Wesleyanism, introduced into his speech the following account of his conversion:-"A great feeling of delight had been produced in my native town by a missionary being ordained there. I was a stout lad, and a bold blasphemer. One of my uncles was a godly man, a deacon of Mr. Eccles' church. He said, 'Samuel, there is a young man in town who is going abroad to preach to the black people, and he is to take leave this evening by preaching to the young; thou must go lad.' The chapel was very much crowded; but, being a strong fellow, I pushed my way, and got where I thought I should have a full view of him. We were all expectation. At last he made his way to the pulpit stairs. I watched him up into the pulpit. He was a tall, thin, pale young man. I thought, Is he going to the heathen? Then I shall never see him more; I will listen.' He read, and prayed, and then gave out his text, 'There is a lad here.' There God met with my soul; I yielded myself unto him. Next Sunday morning I went to a Sundayschool, and asked if they would have me for a teacher. They complied; and I soon began to pray in the school. Then I set up prayer in my father's family. Next they made me an exhorter; and God blessed me to the conversion of my own father and brother. I have now been a regular preacher in our body for thirty years, and God has smiled on my labours. I owe it all to that sermon. I have never seen the preacher since, and perhaps I may never see him; but I shall have a glorious tale to tell him when we meet in heaven."

« AnteriorContinuar »