The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-04-27
BY WILLIAM Il. ELLIS.

Is: lie.
BY WILLIAM 7. ELLIS.
One explanation given for the pres
ent interest OF laynen in the mission
airy cause is that the are not con
tent with a small life, clrcurHscribed
Dy the bounds OF their own secular
business. The spirit of the times i'm
pels them to seek a cosmopolitan in
fiuence. There has been preached
the doctrine of the lite ana
the doctrine of the simple lite. Now.
more popular than either. we hear
the doctrine Of the extended life.
This twentieth century mood chords
with the spirit Of the early Christian
church. Restless and Outteacnlng,
the first disciples sought to bear then
message as widely as they could. They
early caught a vision Of a church life
which was one, whether expressed at
home or abroad. They who abode
by the stuff should share in the honor
and reward equally with those who
went forth to fight. The missionary
enterprise was the Church's enterprise,
and not the peculiar undertaking Of
the missionary himself. This APP
pears plainly in the story recorded III
the Book Of Acts, and it depicts the
normal condition for q church.
Won and Winning.
The first formal and organized mis-
siOnary expedition OF the Christian
tIlQIcR Is IeldleO III inns lesson. S1S-
nificantly, the story begins with Il
statement Of the condition Jt the
church at Antioch. which had become
q center Of Christian activity, though
it in itself was the result of mission
AIRY endeaVor. 1t may Yet again
happen, as it happened II those early
days and often since. thai the. new
centers created by aggressive extern
sion work became in turn the main
headquarters of Christian power and
influence. Antioch had a strong
church, with prophets and teachers.
1t was & representative OF
believers. numbering both the high
and the humble. On its roll were
such distinguished names as Saul and
Barnabas and Simeon and Lucius. and
the fOster-DrOther Of Herod he
Tetrarch, The last named indicates
how one man may follow folly and
his brother seek wisdom.
The Antioch church was, at home.
strong in the missionary spirit. This
is the big concern of present day
Christendom. Once Christians pray
ed for open doors in the pagan world.
Now there are more open doors than
the church is willing to enter. The
one great problem Of Christian extern
sion today is the problem of the home
church,; her interest in the broader
work, her devotion and her spirit of
sacrifice. One may read many signs
that the ~providential awakening of the
non-Christian world, and the wide
flung doors Of opportunity, are being
followed by q widespread moving
upon the hearts of Christian people by
the Spirit of God, SO that the con-
seriousness Of Christendom is being
aroused to the meaning of these new
times.
A few days ago there met in To-
Tonto the first National Missionary
lNnnoraSS aXr.r occnro j1nI anv-Yrl1.O
Forty-tWo hundred strong men, rep
r~eSenting every part of the Dominion
and every walk in life, came together
to consider what is Canada's duty as
a nation toward the eVangeliZation OF
the whole world. A similar congress
is projected for the United States. to
be held in ST. Louis next March. Such
facts as these deserve to be written in
the same category with the annals of
the missionary movement that began
at the Antioch church.
Some Sent Men.
= No more important task ever en-
age a church's thought than the Sc
lection of her missionaries 1t used to
be q somewhat casual matter. Who
ever was moved to offer himself was
accepted for foreign service. Today
the great denominations are more
particular in the choice of their for
eign ambassadors than are the great
nations. The churches can better
afford to place in their biggest met
ropolitan puipits ~second-rate men than
they can afford to send such men to
the n~on-Christian world. The An
tioch church had q wholesome sense
of the gravity of it's undertaking. when
1T obeyed the call to set apart Rarna-
bas and Saul for foreign service.
Out of the heart of this strong and
strategic church were p1ucked its two
reading members. that they might go
forth on a mission. 1t was q call Of
goa. Inen, as now, the call came
~ tne picked men. Only such are
Qualified for missionary service This