Missionary alliance 1888.pdf - DSpace

soINTltB.SEM[NARY MrSSIQNARY AJ~ LI ANCE .is not" piece of putty, but endowed with that tremendous gift, ~r eedomof will and therefore self-elective of its courses, and constrainedto nothing i;respective of choice and motive. It is in distinct recognitionof this high endowment of your manhood, young brethren, that Iarray before you the Motives to Foreign Mission Work. I bow in joyfulassent to the sovereignty of the H oly Spirit in separating Paulsand Barnabases to this work, while still I declare to you my solemnbelief that your convictions are to be captured by rational methods.(It is, therefore, no perfunctory business to which I have consented, inresponding to your call to speak to this convention. God forbid!) Itwere a huge indecency and a gross offense for one to play the pulpitrhetoric in an hour like this, and simply seek to invest the subject ofmissions with Ihe charm of rhetorical art and graceful declamation.What I would like to secure, as spoil for the kingdom of God tonight,is a quiel, intelligent, Ihoughtful decision by a goodly number ofyou, thai, God willing, you will go as heralds of Ihe cross to some oneof Ihe dark suburbs of hell on pagan shores.1. Duty is the firsl motive I name, urging to the world's evangelization.Christ haa commanded it. This would seem to be the end ofall question about it wilh loyal souls. Letme try to set before you, brieflyGod's will on tbis matter . Of Christ's speech I cite ouly the words ofthe Great Commission. Mark their clear and wide significance. "Allauthority hath been given unto me in heaven ermd on ea1'th. Go ye,there forB, ancl di8riple aU the nations. . . . Ana lo, I nm 'loith youall the days, even unto the end of the world." Note the irresistible logicalsequence here. II Go ye, tlwTe/01'e, and disciple all the nations." 'Vhy"therefore?" BecausE\ aU power of rule or government in heaven andon ea.rt~ hath been given unto me--therefore, go yeo And go not toone nation or two or ten, but to II all the nations." And go, not limplyto preach the Gospel, but to disciple (til the nation., by preaching theGospel. And I, your almighty Lord, am with you" all the d"ys "_days of darkness and of light, days when the enemy shall come in likea tlo?d, days when Satan shall desire to have you-all the days I am withyou In your world· wide discipling unto the completion of the age tILeend ~f the world. Could will of God be plainer 'I COUld it h ' Iwarr.nt and base' C Id 't b . ave amp er• • OU 1 e tied to a more assuring and sUllpor"ingpromise?L'11 Le\:e cite another irresistible logical sequence in proof of God'sWI {'In 18 . ma.tte~. It OCCurs in Paul's epistle to t he Romans The:::Stt!: ~:~~s~~a: , ." Ihe~e is no distinction between Jew and Greek;him; for, Whoso:v.:sSh~~ C:I~ ~I, and is rich unto all that call uponsaved." Mark that t hi p~n the name of the Lord .hall berna cess premise, tled to that t hiGod makes no distinction b t . ma cess promise'aU. And rich in mercy t ellw:en natIOns. The same Lord is Lord ofoat at ca.ll Upon him. For, it is written,•T H E M OTI VES TO FOREIGN MISSIONARY WORK. 31Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Andnow listen and see how this infallible word.of God proceeds to fenceus in to the w ill of God by this series of inescapable logical interrogatives."How then shall t hey call on him in whom they have not believed?And how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard?And how shall Ihey hear without a preacher ? And how shall theypreach except they be sent?" I s God's will anywhere along that remarkablesuccession? T hen it is everywhere, at every step of theblessed way. If his will is concerned in any part of the plan, it Isconcerned in the whole. If it is his will that men should be saved,it is not one wbit the less his will that t he means should be used tosave thel':l. If he would have the end, he would have the means. Ifhe would have all men call upon him, he would have it made possiblefor all men to call upon him. The one thing that lies indisputably andeverywhere along that track is the will of God!' If his will is that theycall, it is his will that they believe. If his wiJi is that they believe, itis his will Ihat they hear. If his will is Ibat tbey hear, it is his willthat they have preachers. If his will is that they have prea0hers, itis his will that they be sent. And if his will is that they be sent, it ishis will 'fRAT THEY GO!Who? You" and you, and Y01f." sitting here to· night and unablebefqre God to name one consistent and abundant reason why youshould not go to preach Christ to the millions on millions of the perishingthat have never yet so much as even heard of him.And now recall the record of the infant church at J erus81em andAntioch, and hear the Holy Ghost saying, "Separate me Barnabas andSaul for the work wherbunto I called them," and see that infant churchwith scarcely a day's march out of .Judaism and idolatry, few in number.s,scant in resources, with a vast work to be done in Syria as thestrategic center and base of Gospel operations, as the home of Christ,the cradle of Ihe Gospel, the center of the known world, with much ofthis home-field still to be occupied-see that infant church, obedient tothe voice of God, laking these two out of its little band of preachers ofthe Word, and with prayers and benedictions, sending them forth tocarry Ihe Gospel to the heathen world. It is as if the P il grim F athers,after five or ten years of pren,ching Chri~t, should have taken some oftheir best and Benl Ihem right out into Ihe heart of this continent,among the idolaters of the wilderness, to carry to them the Gospel. Thuswe have this further lesson concerning God's will and foreign missions,viz., that there can.. be no possible need a,t home, when it will not be the l.Dillof God that men should go abroad.And now think of Ihe two who were thus picked out and expresslynamed by the Holy Ghost for the work of foreign missions- Ihe verychoicest of that little band of preaChers- Barnabas, already eminentas a son of consolation, gifted of God and successful; and Paul, schol-