Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-10-27
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
Prayer Meeting Topic For the Week
Beginnina Oct. 81. 1903.

NsSEtsf4 stRtS OF IN9 WEEK
6esinnins Oct. 81, 1903.
Tcpic--Heroes Of missions in the is
lands.-Isa. xxi. IA; is-2a
The striking mission verse Of these
paragraphs Is. Blessed are We that
SOW By all waters. that send forth
thither the feet OF the OK and ass
lisa. xxi, 20). Palestine had its dry
and wet seasons. In the dry season
the soil Of the banks and nearby land
became baked and hard from the gun
When the approach Of rain was dis
cerned this hardened hand was broken
up by the feet Of the OK and the ass-"
Seed was scattered, and when the tor
rents came and the streams overnowed
their banks the seed sank into the
softened soil and brought forth fruit
But the prophet here praises breadth
of sowing-@beside all waters" Tie
reason Is clear. II the sowing were
limited In extent the place selected
might for some reason be unfruitful.
But II 1t were sowed along all banks
and streams 1t could not all be I'M
productive; hence he would be blessed
or happy who '-sowed beside all wa
ters," for he would be assured OF
crop somewhere, II not at one place.
then at another. The same principle
applies to the sowing OF spiritual seed
the word Of God.
1t must be sowed everywhere. beside
an waters, for we know not where it
will produce results and where IT viii
not. God alone knows this, and He
assures us that our sowing will not
be in vain Some seed may fab on the
beaten path. some among thorns, some
on the rocks. but some In a worldwide
scattering will fall upon good ground
and bring forth good fruit.
II we SOW beside all waters the is
lands cannot be neglected, for they are
entirely surrounded by water. More
over, they have had special need OF the
gospel. Living almost alone in scat
tered parts of the great deep, island
ers have usually sunk to the lowest
depths Of moral and spiritual degrada-
ton. The lowest forms OF civilization
and Of religion have existed among
them. Cannibalfsm has widely pre-
vailed. Vessels from other parts OF
the world have been wrecked. and
those aboard have been cruelty mis-
treated and murdered. Such being the
state Of affairs, they who have car
ried the gospel to many islands have
been heroes indeed All ulay be called
''heroes Of missions" Many OF them
have faced death frequently. and many
today wear the crown of martyrdom-
John Williams was heroic Island
missionary as well as the pioneer In
the work In 1916 he went TO the So
ciety islands and later. while trying
TO SOW the gospel seed In the New
Hebrides. was murdered by the ma
tives, who mistook him for q cruel
trader. Patterson, the bishop OF Mel
anesia, was put 70 death by the ma
lives.
John G. Patton passed through untold
horrors in the New Hebrides and more
than once stood face to face with
death. Lyman and Munson In 1884
went to the East Indies and were al
most Immediately murdered by the In
habitants OF Sumatra. Robert Chal-
mers labored In New Guinea for years
In constant danger from cannibals and
PRISONERS. At last he was murdered
by a tribe on his first visit to them
with the gospel. These are only few
names Of the long roll Of heroes OF
missions to islands. Yet their endur-
ance Of perils and death should lead
rs to reconsecrate ourselves to the
cause Of missions by an waters.
The heroism Of these and other brave
men has been wonderfully successful.
They died, but the seed they planted
lived and produced abundant results.
Paurs first missionary fruits were
among the islanders Of Cyprus Eng
land was transformed from barbarism
by the gospel Patton in his long Life
Of service in the New Hebrides did
great things for God and his benighted
island people. The conversion Of the
islands OF New Zealand, Madagascar,
the south sea islands and Hawaii D.
illustrates the miracles Of modern mis-
sions. In the least expected places
God has wrought His most wonderful
works. What an encouragement this
should be to missionaries and their
supporters!
BTHLE READINGS.
\ Nah. /, Is; Pa Il; Xxi, 1913; lisa
Xiii, 1-13; II, 1-6: Matt. xviii. 10, 20;
Marx xvi IS: John III, 16; Acts iii.
LIZ; Rom. Z, 12-15.
Future Of Christian endsavor.
Secretary william Shaw at the St
Paul Christian Endeavor convention
said: The future Of the great Christian
Endeavor movement IL In Gods hands,