The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-01-09
1.-THE EVIDENTIAL VALUE OF
CHRISTIAN MISSIONS"

Such is the title of the second vol
ume of the Cole Lectures before the
students of Vanderbilt University,
by Bishop Galloway of the M. E.
Church South.
1t is an able and eloquent discus
sion of the evidence to be derived
from the history of Christian mis-
sions for the truth and divinity of the
Christian religion. The origin of
Christian missions, the spirit of be-
nevolence in which they were born,
the love for humanity in which the
missionary movement had its origin,
is of the very essence of divinity.
"God is love" and he $50 loved the
world that he gave his only begotten
Son that whatsoever believeth in him
might not perish but have everlasting
life" Here we have an authoritative
statement of the divine origin of
Christian Missions, understanding
the word perish " as Universalists
understand it. They had their
origin in the infinite love of God.
Christ, the Son Of God and the Son
of Man, was sent by the Father on
the great mission of the worlds
salvation. Christianity is a mission
airy religion, the Christian church is
a missionary church, and the spirit of
Christianity is the missionary spirit.
The divine charter for missions is
to be found in the great commission
given by Christ to his disciples to go
"into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature; to go and
teach or disciple all nations, "baptiz-
ing them in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost" This
is the divine call of the church to mis-
sion work, as it is the divine estab-
lishment of the Christian ministry.
In the plan, purpose and work of
the church the two are inseparable.
They are both grounded in the divine
philosophy of salvation which makes
the knowledge of faith in, and obed-
fence to, the truth necessary to save
man as rational and moral being
from all error and sin. To apply this
divine philosophy to the work of sal
walton, the truth must be taught or
preached before they can know, be-
lieve and obey it. This demands
ministerial and missionary work. 1t
is divine truth presented in human
thought and human language by the
good men and women that God has
ordained as the instruments of saliva
ton.
The existence of the Christian
missions proves that the church has
been filled with the spirit of God
and Christ. 1t is the evidence that
it is divine institution, and doing a
divine work. The missionary spirit
aud enterprise of the church shows
that it is of divine origin, bears the
divine image, and is sent of God on
divine mission. The men and women
who go as missionaries show that
they are filed with the divine spirit
of benevolence and are controlled by
divine love. 1t is the practical argu-
ment for the divinity of the Christian
religion.
The success of Christian missions
shows that Christianity is not local,
ethnic or national, but universal
religion. 1t reveals its practical adj
agitation to all men, of TALL races, all ma
tions, all ages,-of all degrees of
culture, of all stages of civilization,
ofall forms of government, and of all
grades of society. 1t is religion
that can go everywhere, live in all
climes, speak all languages, and
bless, elevate, comfort and save all
tribes, kindreds and peoples. The
success of missions shows this to be
conscious experience, an historical
fact, living reality. 1t has made
prophecy history, and promise expe-
fienee