The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-27
Written FOR TIE DE~ocR11I
CHRISTIAN MISSIONS.
DISCUSSED FROM 4 S-3-E POINT
OF VIEW.
The Plain Commission.
BY REV G. a. ocLEsBY, SELMA, \. T..

ness to allow me to speak through your
columns 90 not understand that ]
am to have department, but that YOU
will publish my communications, pro
v1ded always that they be unobjection-
able. I shall try and not abuse this lib
erty and hope to be OF service to some
with me. or who may be Indifferent.
that "Charty that beareth al things ;"
You are not interested Your neigh
bor is. Perhaps you ought to be. Let
us study the question impartially and
see. After the first two or three artl-
cles the communications will he
more in the nature Of news from the
field" incident. IN the lives Of eminent
missionaries, interspersed with Scrlptu-
raj reasons for missionary enterprise.
| wish In the first place to set out
the Scriptural doctrine touching this
whole question: as far as it can be done
in a newspaper article.
THE GREAT COMMISSION.
Go We into all the world, and preach
the Gospel to every creature. Marx
IS -.
With christians there is no appeal
from the Bible, accepting its genuine
that it is what it claims to be. the word
Of God. We are ready to live and die
by it: From its utterances we never
dissent, to the sum Of its doctrines We
never demur. Above we have quoted
very plain, emphatic command given
by the captain Of our salvation. 1t i.
at once the plalnest, most positive,
most direct, and yet the most lncom-
prehens;ble of all commands. There
is not "big" word in lt-nOt one that
the most unlettered mind has not a
fair idea of, and yet who that has paus-
ed to study it has not shuddered at the
Of the task 1t imposes and
at the indifference OF the major part Of
those who claim to be christians? !
know there are some who sincerely be
lleve that our Lord did not mean that
the church should undertake tc evangel-
lze the world, saying, when God
wants the heather to have the gospel,
He Will give it to them without your
help" But we are confronted by a
command with only one side to it. 1t
is our duty to obey. II you can limit
the meaning of the terms of this com
mand then you may ''rest upon your
oars, but by what authority would you
attempt such a thing? In a future ar
ticle we will show that God would not
allow the apostles and early christians
to restrict his meaning. If the Mas
ter had said: "GO We into all the world
except China and preach the gospel to
every creature except Chinese, you
could have no difficulty in understand |
ing that. But he did not except the
Chinese, nor the japanese nor the At
ricans, nor the Indians. 90 ye-that
means movement, enterprse-intO all
the world. "As ye go preach" Preach |
the gospel, the old-fashioned PLAIN Cos
''every creature" We have nothing to |
do With results "Whether they VIII |
hear or whether they will forbear," is |
no part of our question. Our duty ends
when we have kept this command by
going, through our representatives and
in person. into all the world and preach
ing the gospel to every creature, and
not short of that.
The test of our fidelity to, and love
for Christ, is obedience. IF We love
me keep my commandments" If We
keep my commandments, We shall abide
IN ny love; even as I have kept my
Fathers commandments and abide in
hi. love" He that hath my COM
and keepeth them, he it is
that loveth me and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and / viii
love him and will manifest myself to
him. "He that loveth me not keep
eth not my sayings" How will your
life stand such test as that, my broth
er? For years YOU have ignored the
one supreme. all comprehensive COM
mand Of your Lord. His was not a
lite of waiting. but of varied and un-
ceasing activities. His was a life of
conflict with the powers OF darkness
and Of cea.eless toll for the salvation of
men. It was after the sore temptation
OF the wilderness and ali that life of
sorrow, in which be was rejected by his
own, reviled, abused and inSulted bv
his enemies, and misunderstood by his
friends, after Gethsemanes awful night,
and Pilates hall with its mock ,be
and scourge and crown Of thorns, and
by CalvaIy's CORY cross and Joseph's
tomb, that he came to his disciples as a
glorious cOnquerer, made perfect
through suffering, and proving his