The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-10-05

The Board Of Foreign Mis-
SiOns in Session at City
Hall.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND
DAY AND PAPERS READ.

FORENOON. WEDNESDAY
President Hopkins was promptly at his
post, and called the meeting TO order and
announced the 9th hymn,
"From all that dwell below the skies"
which was sung TO the grand "Old Hun
dred' with the additional aid of the cornet
played by Frank l.. Collins, of Portland,
which will during the remainder of the ses-
sions accompany the service of song.
Prayer was offered by Rev. Edward +.
Packard of Dorchester, Mass.
The minutes of the session yesterday were
read by DIR. Means.
The following telegram was read by DR.
Means.
ENGLEwooD, Ill. Oct. 3
The Chicago Association of Congregation
al churches now in session at Englewood,
Ill, greeting Our association was led in
prayer by DIR. Arthur Little, at 5 p. m. ask
ing that Gods blessiI might rest Upon our
honored Society. that all of its sessions may
be characterized by the Spirit of Him who
gave his life TO save lost meu of every ma
tion under heaven. 1.-The Lord make his
face to shine upon thee and give thee
peace, Numbers 6-25, 56.
BY order Of the Association
J. G. ARMSTRONG, Registrar.
.Oc,~ 1882.
Rev. DR.. Alden, Home Secretary, read
special paper on the Missionary Heritage of
the Present Generation;
THE MISSIONARY HERITAGE OF
THE PRESENT GENERATION.
By Rev. E. X. ALDEN, D. D., HONE SECRETARY.
The fundamental principles Of the missionary
work are the same throughout all generations.
Once for all time was the great sacrifice offered
upon Calvary, designed for all nations and
lindreds and people and tongues, sufficient
for them ALL Once for all time was the great
command issued by the risen Lord, $50 We
into all the world and preach the gospel to
every treasure" Once for all time, in accord
ance with the divine promise, the Holy Spirit
descended from heaven to EARTH to abide with
the church of Christ an energiZing presence
and power, until the day of final triumph.
All the resources of Omnipotence are thus
accessible to the Lords people in every gen.
Grafton, under all circumstances, in their
endeavcrs 10 fulfill the sublime trust COM
mitted to them as herads of the great salvation,
even ITO the utmost parts of the earth" Unto
them all is revealed the efficacious "world of
reconciliation; unto them all belongs the
power of prevailing prayer; all alike may
WELD with the same invincible energy "the
great and precious promises"
THE FUNDAMENTAL OBLIGATION.
No yeason therefore exists, so far as pro-
visions of divine grace are concerned, why
any generation of the believing children Of
God, accepting these provisions, should not,
during its own day, flood the world with
divine light This was the responsibility rest
ing upon the first generation of the Christian
church during the apostolic era; nor were the
men of that generation wholly unmindful of
their tlust and opportunity. The same
responsibility has rested upon each succeed
ing generation. Not specially to the men of
tie first century, or to the men of the
Nineteenth century, not particularly to
jewellers of the Eastern continent or to these
upon the Western, was given the final COM
mand of our Lord, but to every disciple of
every age and Of every cline. If any person,
anywhere, under any circumstances, has
received a definite missionary call, every per-
son has received it. As far as the invitation
has gone "If any man thirst, let HIM come
unto me and drink SO far has the command
gone, 'Let him that heareth say come"
This idea essentially underlies all genuine
Christian character. If Christian, then from
its very nature it is missionary, sympathizing
with Him who ''tasted death fer every man."
and bearing to every man the glad tidings.
Substantially, therefore, the same obligation,
the same responsibility, the same privilege,
and the same power, are committed to every
generation of the Lords people,
THE SUBSTANTIAL WORK.
Substantially, alss, it is the same work
which is to be attempted by each generation,
namely, the rapid, the vigorous and the wide
extended proclamation of the profFered saliva
ton to the uneyangelized of their own time.
TIE disciples of Christ during the first CEN
fury were accountable for the annunciation of
the good news to the utmost of their ability
to the people of the first century. The same
work for the second century may have been
easier OF more difficult; but, whatever it was,
it belonged to the men of the second century
And SO on to eur own day. Those who have
preceded us may have been faithful or faithless
in the fullflment of their special trusts. From
them we may have inherited either facilities
for the better accomplishment of our trust
or hindrances, or both. However this may
be, the work of our day is substantially the
same with the work Of every preceding day
he proclamation Of the same gospel clothed
with the same power, by men who Lave but
me earthly life i'll which to proclaim it, in be-
half Of men who have but one earthly life ii
which to receive it, 1.-THE disciples of Christ
during the first century did this work well fol
their contemporaries, then they accomplished
their main work. If they failed in this, what.
ever else they may have done, they failed as tt
their main work. And so with the seconC
century and the third, and so ON to the nine
tenth.
1t is fact to be emphasized that not prim
arily for succeeding generations arc we t,
live, however important our work may be a
related to the future, but primarily for the sal
vation of the men of our own day. Some o
them dwell in America, and some in Africa
some in China, and some upon the islands o
the Pacific; but they all belong to conten-
poraneous generation, and for these are tk
men Of to- day accountable, as their father
were for the men of their day and as the children
win be for those of the coming day. In tn
endeavor to accomplish this, work great change
will be effected in civilization, in education
and in culture. All the attendant blessing
OF Christianity will begin to appear and Il
flourish. But these must be made to help
and not permitted to hinder the main work
the widespread proclamation of the gospel t.
those who know it not. To allow the aggres
sive evangelistic work to linger in order tina
some subordinate work may be more fully de
veloped is to imperil both. Whatever els
waits or fails, we must not permit the commu
nicntion of the COED tidings to those VIII
have never heard them either to fail or t
wait. Our first, continuous, and absslutel
essential trust is to see to it that every perso
living on earth during eur day, as far as we
our generation can accomplish it, receives II
divine message. Whatever comes in as a he
to this main work is in the normal line
Christian obligation, and must be faithful
fulfilled. And whatever retards OF turl
aside, however desirable under other cond
tons, must be resolutely denied indulgence.