Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1911-06-07
Worldwide Missions.
BY REV. T.. F. CONNOLLY,
Mark 1915 and Rev. 3 IS.

the port, just sailing into harbor after
the fight with wind and waves. True
opportunity is always God given: BE
hold have set before YOU an open door
and no man can shut it." But doors
unentered do not remain open, and if
God once shuts, no man can open, and
we may knock in vain. Unused oppor-
tunity never returns: it is forfeited for
ever. One fact is plaiu open doors now
challenge Us 10 enter every land. Be-
fore us stands the opportunity of ages
The rapid and sudden multiplication
and accumulation of these openings COM
pei us to wonder and adore, for He who
only doeth wondrous things is mt work
and so the iron gates open of their own
accord before His messengers and her
aids. A few facts, which are leaders of
vast host, show that God is on the
march, and summoning His church to
follow. With the swift touch of God .,
He has opened the world, and given to
the church the chance to occupy it for
Christ.
Keeping in mind that our theme is
missions, we select some OF the remark
able features of our own age, all of
which are gigantic in character and cos
mopolitan i'll extent, and which consti-
tute in our day seven of the wonders of
the world.
We mention, first, World Wide Ex-
ploration. If we are to preach the
gospel TO every creature we must first
go into all the world, and this has not
been possible to any previous age as it is
to ours, for all the world has not hither-
TO been accessible or even known. At
last the trackless pathway of the ocean
has been crossed and the penetralia of
the continents reached. Land and sea
yield up the secrets of six thousand
years. Navigation and exploration
have been so thorough that we feel sure
that no continent is veiled, nor even one
island undiscoved The frozen poles
have been forced to unbar the gates of
their ice castles and the flag of the
triumphant explorer is unfurled on their
crystal battlements For the first time
since the world began man knows his
own habitation and domain. SO then
The fiji st condition of worlds evange-
lization is its exploration; and, because
the prows of our ships, plowing furrows
in every sea, have made the vast oceans
harvest fields of commerce because the
dauntless explorers have pierced Asiatic
forests and African jungle, traced the
rivers to their source, and scaled the
mountains to their brow because the
exclusion and seclusion of hermit ma
tions have been invaded and the veil
rent in twain before their closely guard
ed fanes and shrines because the public
sentiment of mankind forbids locked
gates and sealed ports, the way is open
as never before for the gospel Of the
Son of God.
We note, second, "World- Wide Com
munication." This naturally follows,
but not of necessity, for doors, wrested
or wrenched open by sheer force, are
closed almost as soon as opened. In
this case, however, the iron bars of re-
sistance have been broken down ,Eand
the two leaved gates have yielded 60 the
gentler touch of diplomacy as well as
the harsher hand of war-to the still
small voice of commerce as well as the
louder threat Of compulsion. Bonds of
union have been braided out Of mutual
treaties, and barriers that stood firm for
ages have been razed TO the ground, or
fallen, like Jericho walls, without a
blow.
Facilities for mutual contact and com
munications are so multiplied and mar
velous that we scarcely recognize our
own world. Within the century steam
ships have diminished distance, by
shortening time to less than tenth
of the period required for ocean voy-
ages. Steam carriages cross the con.
tinent so swiftly that the limited ex-
press needs but continuous track TO
run round the globe in three weeks,
and the black horse not only climbs the
steep mountain side but bores its way
through its rocky heart, bridges river
chasms tramples down thickest forests,
and dares alike Sahara sands and
Siberian SHOWS. Thepostal union bears
letters and papers from the great cen
ters to the remotest outskirts of the
earth in six weeks and the telegraph
wire and ocean cable yoke Gods light
ming to human thought, flash news to
the end of the globe and, threading the
vast body polite with its mysterious
system of censor and motor nerves
electricity makes the whole world thrill
with instantaneous intelligence.