Missionary alliance 1888.pdf - DSpace

14INTER-SEMINARY '[I~8tONARY ALLIANCE.other. The story of its origin is a most inspiring example of missionarydevotion andzea!, but too long to be told at this time. Suffice it to say,that In the last century a sturdy young Scotchman, a graduate of theUniversity of Edinburgh, was sent out by John Wesley a. a missionaryto the unevangeJlzed regions of North America; and that in thischosen work his life was spent. IIis son, J ohn D~mpster, born in 1794,Inherited the gifts and characteristic heroism of the father, and becamea missionary, first in the wildernesses of Lower Canada, and later inthose of South America. In consequence of broken health he returnedfrom Buenos Ayres in 1842; but his spirit burned within him for theopportunity to train up other workers who should go into all the worldand preach the gospel to every creature.For ftve years, with tongue and pen, in public and in private, hepleaded, without ceasing, for the founding of a training school for thepastoral and missionary candidates of the Methodist Episcopal Church.In the face of indifference, and even of ridicule and opposition, he persevered.He took upon himself the burdens of a solicitor of gifts,traveling from state to state, and even in Great Britain, to glean theslender contributions which rendered possible the establishment of thisschool in Concord, New Hampshire, in the year 1847. Nor was successhere in New England enough to satisfy his grand conception ofthe coming needs of his Church and country. In his thought he constructeda chain of like institutions to stretch across the vast unsettledspaces of the continent; the second was to be located in the vicinity ofChicago; the third a little below Omaha on the Missouri; the fourthupon the Paclfic coast. To this last he hoped to give tho closing yearsof his life, together with the sum of $15,000, the accumulated resultsof his life-long economies.It was a. magnificent. program, a master-piece of world-embracingfaith. PrOVIdence permItted him to complete the part which relatedto New England, and to duplicate it at Evanston, a suburb of Chicago.But a month. before he was to start for the Pacific coast to make sureof the foundIng of the last of his projected seminaries the voice of theMas~r was heard, saying: It is enough; come up high~r . Nor did hismagnIficent dream fall of accomplishment Othe h d h k~ . r ans~ tawupD work, and the theological seminaries at Greencastle Indiana ateDver, Colorado, and at Los Angeles, California ha;e made ~hischain of Schools of the Prophets from the Atlantic ~ the Pacific moreperfect and more potent than even he had dared to h 111 .has extended onward throu h . ope. oreover, Itg As .. and Europe, and now engirdles theglobe.Such is the debt of our Bosto Th I .n eo oglCal Seminary- such the debto f th eologlcal education In the Methodist E .vll1ld m1nlonary the son r i' P'SCO pal Church to one in-, 0 am SSlOnRry from Edinburgh niversity..,•.\DDHESS Qlo"' WELCQM E • HiNor has our school been unfaithful to her heritage of mi88ionaryzeal and hope and prayer. I am told that it has the honorable distinctionof having been among American institutions, the very first to introduceand to ma.intain continuously annual courses of lectures in thetheory and history and economics of Missions. These courses, oftenextending through the entire year, have borne abundant ·fruit. Theschool has sent missionaries to nearly every quarter of the globe.Many of them are to-day at their posts. In at least one graduatingclass, arrd that a large one, every member offered himself for missionaryservice without stipulation even as to field. What a blessed inspirationis diffused in school and church by such heroic action! But our pastcan not suffice us. And among the many reasons why we are glad tomeet and greet you, this certainly is one, because we trust your wordsand prayers will contribute to make the missionary spirit of our Institutionricher and more fruitful than ever in the past.I come now to greet and welcome you In the name of the pastorsand churches of Boston and its suburbs. Their fraternal interest hasprovided you with this spacious, conveniently-located and historic auditorium;t heir cordial hospitalities you will experience in every placeof entertainment.To many of you it will seem like walking amid the historic sanctuariesof the Old World to visit t he Old State llouse with its inestimablyprecious coll ections; the Old South Meeting House, the forum ofOtis and W"rren; to stand in Faneuil llall, the world-famed" Cradleof Liberty;" to climb the Monument of Bunker Hill, and thank Godfor all it signifies; to seek out the Old North Steeple, from whichshone out the signal light which started upon his midnight ride theimmortal Paul Hevere. We welcome you \V1Jo come from Dewer portionsof our country, to all the in piring experiences of the patriot pilgrimas he comes for the tirst time to ground so hallowed. We alsowelcome you to our newer temples of religion, and patriotism, and art,and learning-: but while we do this, we beg you to remember thatamong the proudest of our treasured memories as a ChrIstian city uretheee: that here was the home of the pioneer of Indian mission~, JohnEliot; that here from its beginning has been the home of the pioneerof American foreign misHionary societies, the American Board of Commissionersfor }I'oreign :Missionsj and that from Boston wharves, therelong went forth more m issionaries to the dark continents of earth thanfrom all other American ports taken together. It is in no boastful spiritthat I allude to these facts; itisonlyto heighten, if I may, the enjoymentwhich as lovers of missions you may find in visiting this city of thefathers and fore-fathers of so much that makes our common countryglorious.In conclusion, 1 beg to say a word upon one point, the profoundsignificance of which I have never seen alluded to in any reference to