The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-06-16
ADDRESSES.


ADDRESSES.
Before this report was adopted, addresses wer
delivered on the subject of Foreign Missions.
Rev. Prof. Woodrow, Treasurer of tn,
Executive Committee of Foreign Missions
was introduced, and proceeded to address
the Assembly substantially as follows:
The proposed action of the Assembly ha
a specific reference, and he would say few
words as to the nature and extent of thu
work.
The command of Christ is that his people
teach the Gospel to the whole world. Blu
is our little Church charged with the duty o
preaching the Gospel to the whole world
If so, may we not well shrink back from sucl
a mighty task? If so, it will be our duty
to preach Christ to at least some ffteer
or twenty millions of our race. If we do il
not, then they will go down to the grave no
having heard the glad tidingS of salvation
1t is gratifying fact to all, that we nov
have eleven persons preaching Christ to the
Indians, in our Southwest, while there are
four brethren preaching Jesus in China, on
the other side of the globe, and another is
soon to join them. Two are soon to sail for
South America, to join one already there
and in Papal Italy, long oppressed, we have
sister at work for the Master. But what
are these among so many? In one Presby-
terry in South Alabama, there are nineteen
preachers; but we have but nineteen to send
to more millions than all the jewellers in this
broad land.
We are only in the beginning of this
great work. There are documents here in
the Annual Report to the Assembly that
proclaim our shame, by the blank columns
in the reports by Presbyteries. Not one
half of our churches have any share in thi:
work. Alas not nearly all our Presbyte
ries have given a dollar to this blessed
cause.
TwoinquirieS here are appropriate; canwe
shall we provide means to sustain those who
90 to the heather? and shall we continue on
in this work until all that here profess tC
love and obey Christ shall aid in preaching
the Gospel? until all the Presbyteries, auC
all the members of the Church do their duty
in this matter?
But though little has been done tC
what ought to have been done, there has
been some improvement in the past year
That the churches have not done more is moi
your fault, nor mine. Where Gods people
have been informed and exhorted on this
subject, they have never failed to respond
to the call. Knowing the pastors of given
churches. he could tell beforehand what to
expect from their people The ministers
were to blame for the terrible blanks Oppo
site so many churches.
Have we the ability to sustain the twenty
ministers already on foreign soil f? There is
no doubt on that matter if we have given
ourselves, our hearts, and our all to the
Master. Then it would be easy to support
double that number; yes, if ministers dc
their duty, ten times that number. There
is one woman in the State of Alabama, who
works for her living, and who gives more
than any one of 1900 churches from the
Ohio to the Gulf, and from our Eastern to
our Western border, except twenty-five
Though she lives by her own toll, she gives
more than whole Presbyteries with more
than three thousand members.
Has she done more than her duty? MOI
more than many others can do.
He would not appeal to the wall of suffer
ing coming up from suffering heather
world, but raise their thong hts to higher
stronger motive, even the love of Christ.
The audience then united in singing two
stanzas of the Missionary Hymn
" From Greenland icy mountains
ADDRESS OF REV. T. E. CONVERSE.
The work of the Church involves two
great departments, the conservative and the
aggressive. The conservative maintains the
Church where already planted and seeks
additions to its strength and numbers from
the children to its present members, and
from families dwelling near. The aggres-
siye department is the work of the Evan
gelist it goes forth to places where the Cos
bel is unknown, and seeks to plant churches
in places where formerly there were none.
Throughout the whole Gospel economy,
from Adam TO the present day, these two
departments of work have received more or
less attention. But in the amount of atten-
ton given to the latter-the aggressive work,
a very great change occurred at the time of
our Lords ascension. And it is, and has
ever been, characteristic mark of the Chris
dispensation, as distinguished from the Mo-
siac and Patriarchal, that the aggressive
missionary work is made more prominent.