The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-09
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
A Defense Of the Work by an Ala
 banaa Minister to Japan

The following letter is from Rev. R. E. McAlpine, who was reared in TaIladega
 in thiJ State, but has for some years l been missionary of the Southern Pres 1 byterian Church in Japan
 kaitor The Advertiser.
 I In an tditoral some months ago on 1 the question Of ransoming Miss Stone i from bulgdIian bri3ands, The Birming- l ham ASG-H.rald r>Ierred to the whole | matter Of missions to u7-Christian na- tionS In rather an unfriendly tone, seem 1 ing to class them in the same category | with the ancient cruSades. As this is a
 matter which interests a great many of ! your r6 aderS, and should, we believe, be or vital interest to all, will you kindly | allow a short discussion of the ques- 1 ton raised above.
 | nh4pply Tor themselves there are many people who do not think the ques- tiol netas discussion. They assume 1t as beyond question that of course il iJ a tociisr waste of men and nelns-!t IS mercy a wild goose chase" In response t. such persons this seems sIItloie: Arc you, sir, q Ch~itian or not? And the me ninc of Chritian is not merely a dweller in Christendom. as opposed to Turk or a heather, but one who | tru.ls Christ as his SLrlort who ack1oWi- CdgcS Christ his Lord. If you are not Christian then excuse the suggestion that you can never hope to !ofm an cplnion of much value in rtg ard to this
 subject. WhNt Because God word clear ly states: he natural man recetVeth
  they are tooiishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spir- ituaily discerned. U Cor. HE'D. The req sons TOT sending foreign missions being entirely spiritual, the unconVtrted man Is here plainly told that he can never hope to understand them. If he can't un- derstand enough of Jesups to accept linn as his own Savior 1t goes without say
 Ing that he Is not likely, to appreciate
 the reasons for sending the message of ,iPSuS others.
 ii, on the other hand, our Vis-a-vis con- fesaes himself follower of Jesus, then
 the question shoul4 be as easy of solu-
 don for him as 1t once wa for the Duke of Wellington. Whats your orders?
 said the hero of Waterloo. "ro go. was the reply. 'Than obey orders Would that all the professed followers of Jesus had the same military clear | ness of vision to see their "orders," and
 the ~same simple faithtnlness to obey | them. If anyDouy seriously wants to know the will of our Lord in the matter, he can learn it in two m..utes. He can hnd the clear command 60 ye into all the world and preach the gospel 10 every creature" Although this was audiby | spoken only to the apostles. yet neither did they themselves nor the church of that age ever 1ream of limiting that command 10 the eleven alone. Every Christian was a messenger, spark of living fire; and as the murderous blows of persecution fell, scattering them
 among the nations, they gladly went
 from land to land and from city to city. proclaiming the glad news which was to set man afame with life and love all
 over the rotten Roman Empire and con
 sume it's reeking filth forever. This was
 the plan of the Great Commander when
 He issued that world, ,mbracing order
 on His Ascension Day, Would that It had
 been carried out IS faithfully in each
 succeeding age! Then would there be no
 possibility today of raising a question
 as to the propriety of sending missions
 to foreign lands. Among reasons for such
 impossibllity one excellent one would
 likely be that all lands woud ong ago
 have been evangelized. But If perchance
 some still remained unreached. Christ's
 5oldiers would by this time have become
 so thoroughly trained to UT questioning
 obedience to His Great Command. that
 the thought of neslecting to carry the gospel to these other lands would strike