Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-01-15
AND STAGE.
Echoes From the Pulpit. For
eign Missions as Treated
Last Sunday.
Actors and Actresses and the
Parts They are Playing in
the World.
FOREIGN MISSIONS.

sermon delivered Dy rev. Il. Z, Armstrong
Sunday, Jan. 8
Mark XVI, Is. Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every
creature"
Foreign missions: This lie a world
wide subject. 1t is the supremely in-
portant question of the age. No other
matches IL in the largensss OF its scope,
the subllmity Of its aim or the grand.
eur OF its success.
While the nineteenth century has
been one Of unparalleled progress 10
invention and art, yet greater and
grander than all examples Of material
growth and DEVELOPMENT have been
the success Of foreign missions ia
heather lands with their present and
far reaching influence on the ages.
Foreign missions are the forerunners
Of European and American civiliza.
ton, wherever introduced. The ex-
plorations of our American Stanley
would hardly have been possible, had
1t not been for that world-renowned
missionary. David Livingstone.
For one TO speak Of want Of success
OF foreign missions in heathendom
during the last quarter Of q century is
TO confess lamentable ignorance.
/. The divine warrant for foreign
missions. The church is disobedient to
the command Of her risen Lord, and
untrue TO her mission II she is not q
missionary institution. Christ Him,
self was missionary to this world.
He came on mission Of mercy to this
sin.cursed world, and 1t was foreign
mission on which He came. He came
to q foreign country, bringing the
good news Of salvation to the perish
ing, aud when His divine mission was
accomplished, as he stood on Mt
Olivst just prior to His ascension, He
said unto his disciples, 'Ys shall be
My witness unto the uttermost part Of
the EARTH" The spread Of the gospel
Is given into the hands Of human
agents and preached.
The great missionary hero Of the
fret century was Paul. He was spec
tally commissioned to the heathen
world. The greatest missionary 90.
tivity since the first century has been
in our own century. The church has
awakened to q wonderful missionary
zeal.
Down the centuries she hears her
founder saying, with divine earnest
ness, "Go preach the gospel to every
creature" To be a Christian is Il
have missionary spirit. There can
be no exception to this. 1 say 1t de-
liberately. IL we have no interest in
foreign missions We are not Chris.
tlans. Christianity is Q missionary re.
ligion, and Christianity is q universal
religion; II Is not simply one Of the re-
ligions of the W orld. but II 10 intended
by it's author 10 encircle the globe.
Max Muller well says: "The very
soul OF our religion is missionary. pro-
gresslve, world.embracing; it would
cease to exist IL II ceased to be mis-
sionary." We hear sometimes of q
narrow church, and q broad church.
The narrow church thinks chiefly oi
those nearest US. The true broad
church seeks to save the whole world
III. The success OF foreign missions
The success Of modern missions Il
akin to the romantic In Its wonderful
ness. Go visit the Sandwich Islands
There you find o people ChristisnizeC
who half century ago were living IL
q savage and barbarous state. They
have been reformed and transformed
They have been evsngelized and civ
ilized.
| 1t Is less than thirty years since Pro
testant missions fairly began In Japan
and now Christianity promises soor
TO be the dominant religious force ol
the country, the national religion, the
nominal religion OF the government
Indeed the outlook is 80 hopeful In
Japan that there is promise that be-
fore the dawn Of the twentieth cen
tury, the country will be rs thorough
ly evangellzed as our own land
(which after all 10 only nomlnally
Christian.
Then look at Madagascar. Altho'
the missionaries and native Chris
tlans for many years were subjected to
violent persecution, yet since 1857,
when there was change OF Queens
the progress has been very rapid. The
blood OF the martyrs proved to be the
seed Of the church, and now In a pop
ulation Of two aud Q half mlllloni
there are 100, 900 protesting Christians
and the work Of extending Christian