Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-03-08

after all worldwide mission is only
an answer to a worldwide need.
The authority for missions is "God
manifest in the flesh" But what
flesh? The flesh of the Anglo-Saxon.
We are wonderful people. Let us
freely admit that we are the most ,,
virile race upon the earth; that our in
stitutions are the best; that we possess
the bulk of the worlds culture and re-
hnement; that we are the subjects of
the best government; and are the most
ingenious and inventive and wealthy.
But how came we to have this premier
position? We are only the great-grand-
children of heather and barbarous
fathers. We owe our superiority to
the remaining heather nations to the
fact that the Gospel was first preached
to US. Wonderful We are But we
are not the sum total of the race of
men. "Who do men say that 7 the
Son of Man am?" The son Of what
man? Of Abraham? Of the Anglo
Saxon? OF the man Of India? Or Of
Africa? Or the man Of the islands of
the Sea-: Ine TflannUUu OF humanity
was in the flesh of Jesus, and fall
back upon the humanity of Christ as
my authority for a worldwide mission.
And that is what makes me confident
that the Gospel is the power Of God
unto salvation to India and China and
Africa, to the islands of the sea. Not
that we hope to make these peoples
but pale copy Of the Anglo-Saxon: but
that we shall develop that gift of
thought and heart which God has
wrought into their texture, and that
they shall be patterned, not after us,
but after the Son of Man. The au-
thority for missions is found in uni
| versal hunger of the heart.
So much then for the authority for
foreign missions. Now speak of their
| aim and inspiration. And this is a
! phase Of the subject which is not al
ways clear in the public mind. have
| read in missionary paper, even, that
| if foreign missions are to accomplish
| permanent results, we must aim at the
| total reorganization Of the whole social
| fabric of the countries into which we
60 Now that is an evil doctrine. You
can find nothing to Justify it in the his
tory, nor in the experience of the
church. nor in the example OF our Lord
and His apostles. They did not aim at
feconstructing the social fabric, but at
tmplanting the life of Christ in the
human heart. They sought to renew
the lives Of men, and they knew that
these new lives would demand new
social combinations. They knew thai
no human tyranny could exist where
Jesus Christ was King.
We must not confuse the immediate
sim with the secondary aim. nor will
the ultimate result of missions. There
10 no work in all the world SO powerful
to accomplish secondary results as thl
work of foreign missions. OF course
the habits are changed and the civi,
Nfe reorganized. But that is not tn,
Immediate aim. The immediate ain
10 not social nor civilizing. but reiig
; ious. And had rather, rs Mr.. Spec
says, "Plant one seed Of the life o
Christ under the crust Of heather lif
. than cover that whole crust over witt
. the veneer of our social habits, or tn
J vesture of Western civilizatio W
5 are trustees. but not primarily Of bette
. social customs. but of life which vii
shape it's own civilization.
The aim of missions is evange1iza
. ton, and that is the publishing in al
e the world Of Gods glad tidings. TIL
| aim is to make Christ known in all th
l. 1
) does not shift our responsibility,
S does tighten our burden. 1t does nc
K remove the obligation to hasten wit
a the proclamation Of Christ. but it doe
d relieve us of the impossible burden
n converting the world. We cannot co1
u vert q single soul: how shall we col
IL vert the world? But we can preser
8 the Gospel in such way to. ever
t sorl in all the world that the respons
It | biIity for what is done with it sha
It rest no longer upon the church M
$. upon any person in the church. b'
s. upon the man himself. We can so pr
s sent the message Of evangelZatie
ID that we can fling the Responsibility f
III the worlds conversion back uDon Gt
ir Himself, for He alone can renew
or human heart.
b; do not preach mon missions b
ls cause 1 want to challenge your symp
lie thies for the philanthropic resul