National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-04-18

wealth by the rich, and the regular habitual CIV
ing to God, as one act and kind Of worship, by
rioh and poor1 And II u should be undertaken
on these principles could not any one Of hun
dred or more Of our parishes alone support the
African mlssiou7 And " this he so, may we not
charge u upon every one In this congregation 70
make II . personal duty to prevent the shame OF
having the Church's work In africa hngulsh Tor
the lack OF means7
fear that many Of Us would have to confess,
| N we were asked, TO no little apathy to the APP
| peals Of our missionaries aud their COMMITTEES,
| and even to the facts which now and then indi-
| cate 81 much-tor Instance, that account awhile
/ ago Of the MahOmcdan missions and their sue
cess In regions that should be ours u we think
| that over, with It's disclosures OF defenceless
need Of the gospel Of the Son OF God, there Ia no
| Christian heart among US but will be stirred.
But there are those who do not believe in foreign
| missions, and others who have not been pleased
with their administration In the Church, and
| again others who urge, what is true enough, that
we have them In our own land, for fall nations"
are coming to US, Il Ia said that within our own
borders We have so much more to do than any
other national church, and that we are yet In our
infancy as church and as nation; and that
when we look at Africa our doing Is 50 lnsiguin.
cant, and that little Is so hardly done with so
great cost Of health and life. and that now we
have i've millions Of the African race In our oSn
country peculiarly commended 10 our care. To
these and all objections, which you have heard
u you haze not uttered them, there Ia but one
answer-.we have no choice left The work Is
the Lords, and not ours. II was begun. as the
Church felt, under the impulse OF a missionary
awakening, which could only come from Him.
With all It's imperfections-and the aged servant
OF Christ who here to-day, believe, In answer
to his prayers, will share in sending his success.
scr, will freely own them-lt has been carried on
with constant tokens Of the Masters blessing
Ethiopia now stretches forth her hands unto
God-hanis with the broken shacklcs OF her long
misery still cllnglng to them to plead for her
and u Is part OF his answer 10 send us. this
Church OF ours, to occupy for him the region he
has opened 10 us. We have no choice, by breth-
rem. The Lords win must be done; the Lords
work must go on. II is he who sends our brother
N0Gala I'm hn "a hNN Inn Ia Ia 40
| human act or commission. Gods dOlngs we
| must not call great or small. They are above
| our judgment or comparison. We must work on
| In the corner OF the Held he has given u.s. aud II
| may seem to be very little work. But as In the
days Of Gideon II seems to be His divine thought
that u many were engaged in e, men might
that sends us Is with US; He will not leave us
alone.r Every soul won from the heather dark
ness for the Saviour, redeemed by his blood,
born again and renewed by his blessed spirit, VIII
/ repay the work through eternity; and when the
/ Lord Of the harvest, IN his own time, shall CON-
blne the results Of the work spent here and
| seed far aud wide, our work will be greater than
II seemed to us, because II was Ills, not ours.
2, The Church sends forth our brother to-day,
and wish to part that from the LOrls sending,
though In one view they are the same; for the
Church, while by Divine organization II Is the
body OF Christ, Is, In this present world, body
Of men, and, as such, II Is Ike any human society
sometimes am made TO feel that this obvious
fact Is forgotten to the Church's great loss. We
have not the esprn dH corps, nor the thorough or
ganiEation, nor the sense of mutual responsi-
bihty throughout the body, which In any other
society men count absolutely necessary. am
speaking, Of course, not OF the organization
which we ind In the New Testament and repro
duce In our orllnal, but Of the practical working
Of II, with which we have learned to be content
society Is formed for certain ends, for which II
nNes Its plans and modes OF work, and names it,
Officers and agents, assigning the duties and re.
spOnsbllities OF every one. Now, the work oil
one Of these Is not his own solely, hut the so
lat aNaIh U lNa
half Of the society, and Is entitled to the cooper
alton or sympathy Of all Its members, since Il Il
their work as well As his. ] know that our
Church Is not the only body Of men In which
agents fail TO get this cooperation and sym.
pathy. But know also that men judge Of the
life and efficiency Of any such body by the degree
in which It's members render them, and bear It's
interests In their hearts. And farther, that NO
society on earth has so much right TO expect
that Its work will be the concern Of all It's mem.
bers, as the Church, the body Of Christ.
Now, this divine society was founded with this
object among the foremost; that Il should 60
into all the world and preach the Gospel TO every
creature that II should teach all nations and
baptiLe them In the name Of the Father and OF
the Son, aud Of the Holy Ghost; and this object
Is made, by every dictate OF love and gratitude
as well as by precept the concern Of all It's mem.
bers. The head Of the Church, by his indwellinp
spirit, and the officers whom he commissions,
acting for them, arrange Its details, and place ts
chosen agents to do IT, My brethren, beg you
to remember always that the labors and cares OF
any one OF these are not all his own, but ours
also. Our own may be so absorbing that we sci
dom have much time or thought to give to his
But at least we owe him the recognition Of com.
mon interests and brotherhood owe him OuI
prayers, and II Gods providence so brings us to
gether, the further Kindness Of ready sympathy
and help. When the Church sends a man to q
post, It implies pledge and promise Of all this
He has gone for her, not for himself and II Is Z
heartless thing to treat such an one, or think Of
him, as II the Lords work In his hands were al
and only his own personal matter. There art
strange anomalies now In the position OF oul
hRU nj hRna Nnll aaI.E InIW0
OF our other clergy. They ind themselves bur.
dened with responsibilities without correspond.
Ing powers, and are held accountable for results
when they have no control OF means. In one
direction at least the laity, from their side have
equal reason to complain OF this. They are
pressed continually with calls for money fol
every purpose and Held OF the Church. Now We
have no financial system, no constant relation
between offerings to God and conservation o.
wealth on the one hand and wise expenditure,
on the other to further, not the vanity or luxury
, | OF congregations, but the corporate growth AM
strengthening OF the diocese, and OF the churcl
asa whole. venture to claim that this Ia re
| proach TO US, because VIC have In the New Tesla
ment the outlines Of the apostolic faith, and ye
are neglectlng IL. And will add that the twt
religious bodies In our land which are most pow
erful, and which, with questionable prOpriety ant
justice, are constantly held up for our instruc
, ton and example because Of their present sue
cess, owe II in the main to having the two thing
, whlchs have said we permit ourselves to lack
i organization and financial system.
But to return, though we have not strayed IA
Il have said this now, because plead for ou
. brother, that the Church which sends him fortl
! may hold him In loving and thoughtful rcmem
E brance. Africa Is far away, and when we hay
I only his letters, which many will not read, no
g even look for IN our missionary Journals is Their
/ not the danger that he will be left to carry OF
: the African mission almost AlOne7 Ills few nOb
helpers there, his own friends aud those who d
believe In foreign missions viii bear him In thei
: hearts. But, o, brethren, entreat you and tn
Q Church you represent TO fulnll the pledge yol
5 give him to-day In sending him Us your blshol
: TO West Africa. He goes for you, to do you
your behalf Let me tell him In your name tina
. you do not send him TO make bricks withou
I straw, and that II he inds himself compelled u
do that the loss will be your own, not his, ant
. the blame Of failure or ineflclencJ not his be
} fore the Judge. Note again the Masters word
: "He that sent me is with me; the Father hath
not left me alone" We give It to our brOthe
! for his stay and comfort, sure that Its preciou
promise will be kept for him. But look also a
lis reminder that the Lord, never leaving him
will know all OF our fidelity or failure In our par
OF his work. To the Master he will be our agent
our representative TO the end. II will be wei
, for US TO give him that same place In our mind
| and hearts always. God has made choice anon
, US and sent him. He might have chosen one o
US. Sometime place yourself, o brother II
Christ, where you ask this brother to go, and re
member the words Of the Lord Jesus, how h
said "As ye wound that men should 10 to you
, do ye even so to them"
II may be, my brethren, that some OF you hay
! missed from the text the last clause OF gu
! sAylours saying, Gle that sent me IL with me
the Father hath not left me alonei for do Away
! those things that please hlln." But that nts q
other lips than those which spake 1t, save In tn
J utterance OF plous Intention and prayer. Co
! In MS mercy, through his son, accepts our pur
: pose and effort as Its fulnllment We are al
sure to-day that 1t Is our brothers purpose, ant
that II will be his EFFORT 10 do always such thing
as please the Father. Now, II any one will plaCl
himself, as was Just now suggested, In charge o
J. | the African mission, very brief thinking will
: | snow him dlncultles in the work which he doe
not now suspect. Many OF US sometimes woul,
be glad N we could deal with SOILS to whom m
e Gospel Ia new and fresh, ds It must be 10 IN
u heather. II would seem to us privilege in lee,
J. 10 proclaim the unseaTChable riches Of Christ
Q and TO press his own blessed and easy coDdi
: | tons OF salvation, to call them so only for IN
u instant before men and women to whom no WOr
i used could have any nayor Of seCtarIan disput
or human assertlOn-to be able to administer tn
q sAcraments ordained by Christ himself WithOu
y the need Of defining their precise efficacy, or o
) upTootlng doubts, In spite Of his ordalnlnp
I whether they have any efficacy. Sometimes
would be like passing from sick room TO tn
fresh sunny air OF spring, 10 get away from al
the distortions and cOrruptiOns, the inconsls
: | tencies and pretences, the sects and parties o
our own land, and, may say, from the paTtie
= In our own Church. God be praised that OF lat
: we are beginning to see their needlessness an
evil, inasmuch as they help TO defeat the Lord
: dying prayer, and to go with the word OF life 4
G people who would hear II as a new wor
from Heaven. But before we envy GU
brother for his seeming advantage owe