The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-04-19
MISSION SERVICE LAST NIGH
An Eloquent and Able Address by Rev
John Il. White.

The congregation of the Baptist Tab
ernacle church last night began a week s
study of the subject of Missions.
Owing to the revival now in progress
ut the First Baptist church, the at
tendance last night was not so large as
usual, but the exercises were OF Il most
interesting and instructive character.
A most eloquent and able address on
Blessings That Come to Us from Civ
ing to Foreign Missions was delivered
by Rev. John e. White, Corresponding
Secretary of the Home Mission Board
of the Southern Baptist convention.
Il am sometime impressed" he began,
when / consider the stupendous work
before us-the vastness of heathendom,
whether it is not a good thing not to be
Il christianto have no responsibility on
one for all these dying nations. When
Il man becomes christian he takes upon
himself, not only his own salvation, but
that of all mankind. This thing of being
Il christian is something serious; and yet
it's not a sad thing. True religion has
vitality in it, has power III it, has a
bounding joy and throbbing might III il.
This is what makes religion such Il seri-
Gus thing.
The matter of missionary and anti
missionary is not a question that you
can vote for or against at will. 1t Ks a
question that you settle before you be-
come christian. If you follow Christ
you cannot be against missions. If you
stand for Christ you must stand for
what he stood for"
Mr.. White now enumerated some of
the blessings that come from missions:
Il Blessing of real discipleship or
being in accord with the divine pattern.
He who is not right with God must
suffer. Learn of Christ, how to see as
Christ saw, to sympathize as he sympa-
fllized to forgive us he forgave. to 30
about doing good as he went about doing
good-this is real discipleship.
God himself is missionary. All sacred
history is full of instances of his giving
out his strength and showing his power
to bring man to him and make him love
his maker. God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son that who
soever believed on him should be saved
Gods love is exactly measured by the
salvation that he has provided, God SO
loved the world How shall we escape
il we neglect so great salvation.
Christ was always giving himself
lie was no dead reservoir, sucking in life
from those around: but a fountain send
ing out life and blessings to the world
No one touched him but that his life
went out with yitalizing force.
why on the cross he gave Joseph
his body, he gave his mother to John,
he gave the soldiers his clothes, and to
his disciples he gave his peace.
~. Blessing Of obedience If God had
one thought above every other thought
it was that of giving the gospel to the
world. 1t is the one most vital thing in
Christianity. Better be wrong on all
else than on this: Go We and preach the
gospel to every creture.' Disobedience
of this, Gods last commandment, is
without excuse. Restore unto me the
joy OF my salvation? Get afire with pa
triotism for God, as the people OF this
country now are over the blowing up
of the Maine. Don't sit quietly by and
see Gods Kingdom invaded. In this
lies true happiness-enthusias and
obcdient well-doing.
1T is not a question of whether the
heather are going to be saved without
the gospel. 1t is: Can ! be saved and
not give the heather the gospel" The
anti-mission spirit rs an anti-ehristian
spirit The life of Christ was mission
AIRY in all that it stood for and all he
died for.
IS. Human fellowship or sympathy
with lost mankind. The human race is
one great brotherhood, all bound up in
one destiny and Christ the nucleus, the
centre, around whom we are gathered
You must have love and sympathy fol
your fellowman. With GOD it's not 4
question of dollars and cents. You car
love as thoroughly and sympathize aS
much as John ID. Rockefeller or George
Vanderbilt. Where love is not there Is
no growth, but chilly. heartless atmos
phere."
Mr.. White spoke of the decadence OF