The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-19
SERMONS FROM TWOPULPITS
Bishop Fosters Discourseto a Large Con-
gregation on 1.-THE Mission Field"
The Function of the Church as Viewed by
the Rev. DR.. Marine-The Masses May
Be Reached by Clown.
THE MISSION FIELD.

OC ACoCASu Ny o OlOWus
THE MISSION FIELD.
xne Discourse Delivered by Bishop Foster ut
Meridian Street Church Yesterday.
Bishop Randolph S. Foster spoke 70 large
audience at Megidian-street Church yesterday
morning, perhaps as large an audience as ever
gathered in that church. his subject being 1.-THE
Mission Field"
The mission field, he said, Is tine world. It
has happened to me, in the performances of my
duty, to visit nearly every mission field On the
planet 1t is a fact that no man can judge Of the
condition of people without personal observa-
ton. Ne amount Of reading no amount Of care
full study and thought can bring to the view
of the mind real conditions like visit among
them and a personal observation Of their state.
remember very well about fifty years ago-it
appears long time to some Of you to look back,
but not 30 long to myself and to the older per-
sons among ycu-when this country was greatly
stirred up from rim to rim in all the churches by
. proclamation from the principal men in the
several denominations who had become freshly
interested in missions-and had assumed until
then that the American churches were not irter-
ested In DISTINGUISHING all Christian people to
pray that the doors of the heather world might
be opened. 1t was fact that Christianity was
then barred from preaching to the heather
world; that practically, by direct legislation or
directly by invincible opposition, it was impossi-
bic to carry tho gospel to a large portion Of the
lands Of the world. ALI Asia was closed mp,
all Africa all the Roman Catholic countries
and those of the Greek Church, all Russia
and South America. all the islands of the sea- It
was at the peril Of life that man started to 60
20 these places of the earth to preach the gospel
Of the Son Of God. SO prayer and fast were
proclaimed. l remember that reverently joined
IN that fast in my early Christian manhood, and
prayed that God might open the heather world.
Those prayers were surprisingly answered
much more rapidly than the church found her
self able to fill the demands Of the answer The
cry came spontaneously, as it seemed, and with
in short period, from all these sealed-up lands
for the gospel Missionaries went out to them
and they were protected where their lives would
have been endangered. They are so protected
today that the whole world is open to the estab-
lishment Of the Christian church and to q Ger
ing of the Christian church. Not that there is
. perfect willingness in all lands to receive the
gospel; not that there is not much work to in
duce many of the lands to favorably hear Of the
Christian religion, but practically there lie large
wish all over the world to hear the gospel of the
Son OF God.
There are still places where q missionary
might find it inconvenient to live-places which
still have some perils-but generally mission
ary's life is secure, and, to certain sense, the
So hasp had int ho
The fields occupied by the Romish Church and
the creek Church are proper missionary fields.
IN some sense, just as heather lands. This
needs an explanation. It is sometimes q query
whether this is neighborly and brotherly; wheth-
or 1t is proper to carry Professionalism into So
called Christian countries under the control of the
Catholic Church, under the sway of the Greek
Church. You may say that the church should de-
vote herself entirely to the heather lands. There
are two answers to this One is an uucharitable
one and does not SAVIOR as much Of grace as it
should. The answer that the Romish Church is
in no sense church of God, and practically as
much in need of the gospel as any heather land,
is sometimes assumed and the same assumption
IL made of The Greek do not believe that a char
liable view; yet am constrained to believe that
there is great need that a differenttype of Chris
tianity should be presented to countries where the
Romish and Greek forms OF religion have
sway, not because there are no Christians
there; not because these churches are utterly non
forms of Christianity. They are medieval
churches, that remain as in the dark ages, before
the revival of learning, before the higher and
truer conception of Christian religion had gained
possession of modern minds, and because they
need the higher inspirations that are found in
the Protestant religion and in Protestant coun-
tries.
say again that therc are many true Chris
tians in the Catholic Church, and men of high
culture and piety in the priesthood Of that
Akr1N0 VAT dad hat fhAr nxdt ffpv,
of the Romish Church is a low spiritual condi-
sion; that it is degenerate form of Christianity
and that it will never rise into q better form
without external light from the Protestant
nigher and better phase into the bosom of that
great church. So it must be regarded as part
Of the mission field. The same is true of the
Greek Church For this reason all or
thodox Protestant churches have insti-
tuted some kind of missionary labor
and effort in Catholic countries-in Mexico,
Spain and France, in Germany and in Austria
wherever they have been allowed to enter The
churches they have planted are ighth for
the purpose of holding up better and truer
ight-not for the purpose OF graduating the
Catholic hurch. That in my opinion, never
will be done. There has never been such an
institution, SO mavelously organized. 1t yields a
power to-day greater than that of any Individual
lied religion in the world It has almost what IL
claims for itself-an eternity of eXstence-but
it must be purified and transformed. And it IS
being transformed. It cannot stand in the light
Of the age which has come, without rapid and
marvellous transformation. The condition of
the Catholic Church in our own country is as far
In advance of the old Romsh Church at the time
OF Luther's Reformation as it was in advance of
the heathenism with which it struggled in its
early days That great church may yet become
purified and glorious Christian agency in the
word. If it does who will regret itl
We have been encouraged from reports
from foreign lands. that we think the world In
about converted. It is q great delusion Yet
there is great work being done; enough to en-
courage and strengthen as in all that we may do.
It lie not by prayers offered in our Christian tenn
pies or in eur families that we may help those in
!, heather lands. We must carry them the truth
: In the forms in which God has given it The
transformation involves the presence of the BIZ
Bile; 1t involves the presence of the minister and
she presence of the church-the establishment
Of CHRISTIAN institutions We must carry the