The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-10-21
Should Pastors at Home Become Mis-
sionaries?

| am aware that the more common feel
ing at home is, that they who shall 60
abroad to do the pioneer work in spread
ing the gospel of Christ, must be yOung
men, in the freshness and vigor of early
manhood; and that they who have settled
in the ministry, have gained the love and
confidence of a parish, and have identi-
fed themselves with various efforts for
the intellectual and moral improvement
of the community around them, should
not sever the strong ties that bind them,
and seek foreign field, lest those whom
they have served should suffer loss. 1t
is also said that young men, fresh from
their studies, will acquire new language
more readily than older ministers.
"With this feeling, many pastors, no
doubt, as soon as they are settled, give
up all thought of ever going abroad,
even though their early convictions may
have inclined them to the foreign service.
No doubt the greater number of those
who 90 abroad should be young men, but
l fear that young pastors have not felt
their responsibility in this matter as they
ought.
Il am more and more fully convinced,
that very great want in the early mis-
sionary life of many who are sent abroad
is that practical wisdOm which can be
gained only By experience. The native
population expect, and have right to
expect, that those who are sent from
Christian lands to teach them the way
of life, will be men qualified for the work
men of sound Judgment and practical
common sense, as well as of earnest pie
ty; who understand human nature, which
is everywhere essentially the same; who
have knowledge of church organise
ton and government; who can meet, in
some good degree, the objections which
sceptics and infdels are ready to present,
as well as show them the errors of their
own false system of religion; and who
know something of economy, that they
may wisely expend the funds intrusted
to them. And they are very shrewd to
detect failure in any of these respects
True it is that no missionary is fully
qualified for his work when he first en-.
tiers it, as no man can he said to be fully
qualified for any neaO position; for he
must become acquainted with the work
itself before he can apply to it that wis
dom he may gave gained by experience
in other matters. But is it not reasona-
bic to suppose that one who has served
at least few years, as pastor of church
in America, and has gained that disci-
pline which such a service must inevita-
bly, bring, will be better prepared for the
work of the missionary, in all the re-
spects indicated above, than one fresh
from his studies, after a period of from
seven to ten years attention to books,
rather than to men9
with some noble exceptions, theo-
logical students, at the time of their
graduation, have much to learn by actual
contact with me1'-by living experience
in the work spread before them in the
lectures Of their professors; and in this
experience doubtless, all make some mis-
takes, the evil results CT which only
time, and the wisdom gained by those
mistakes, will cOunteract. But mistakes
in such work are much more danger
Gus in their results abroad than at home,
for here little or no allowance is made
for them. In the matter of church or
ganisation and discipline, the instruction
of the seminary can only furnish an
outline No definite rules can be laid
down for the many complicated cases
that will arise, perhaps more frequently
in the missionary work than at home.
1.-The discussion of multiform in6delity
in the lecture room is one thing, and the
actual contact with it, among its shrewd
and persistent advocates, is quite anoth-
er, The principles of financial economy,
so essential in the missionary work, can
be learned, perhaps, no where more
thoroughly than in country parish, on
small salary, requiring much Yankee
Continuance, and no little self denial, to
save the pastor from sad financial en-
barrassment, which would greatly hinder
his usefulness, and where constant study
and effort is necessary, on the part of
both pastor and people, that his flock
may learn by experience the blessedness
of independent self-support. In all
these respects, are not the arguments for
prospective usefulness in favor of him
who has had some experience in work
essentially the same as that before him ?
Another argument in favor of the
pastors becoming a missionary, is, as l
must regard it, just that which many
would plead as an objection, viz, the at
tachments already formed among his
own people, and his intimate connexion
with every good enterprise, so far as his
;nAuanca NAV axtend