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point out the substantial progress made in Mission
work in the past few years, which encourages
us to press into the Open Door. There has
been slow, but steady, gratifying progress along
every line of Christian effort, the educational,
medical and evangelistic schools and colleges arc
advancing. Medical work is growing. Last year
the highest number of patients treated in one day
at Ilwaianfu was 199; this year it rose to 231.
Of late there have been remarkable revival
meetings in many parts of China, showing the
outpouring of God's Spirit with power. At Soocliow,
formerly considered one of our hardest
fields, a union evangelistic meeting was held for
four weeks and 1200 persons were reported as
having given in their names, desiring to become
Christians. This means much to those of us who
vividly remember the old days of mobs and
curses and revilings in Soochow. God is blessing
His work in many places and encouraging
us to no forward.
The Church needs to perceive that God is calling
us vow to arise and embrace the splendid
opportunity He is giving for the e'vangelization
of the great Chinese nation. lie is calling us to
do greater things, to realize that we are far below
the measure of our duty, and should work
on a scale commensurate with the opportunity.
That every Christian has a call; every one a part
in this work, and that success depends on all
uniting together and doing their full duty. At
present it is estimated that only one Christian
in five is dong any work, and that all contributions
to missions are given by one-fourth of our
church membership. Think what could be done if
the other three-fourths would do their part! At
the Battle of Trafalgar Nelson's message to the
fleet was, "England expects every man to do his
duty!" The brave seamen responded and did
their duty, and the result was the most glorious
victory England ever won. The message today is
?"The Lord Jesus Christ expects every one of
you to do your duty for the salvation of China
and of the whole world !" If each does his or her
part, the triumph of the Gospel is sure. God help
us to realize our responsibility and our privilege,
that we are co-workers with Jesus Christ in saving
the world!
RELIEF?OR DEATH.
BY ROBERT DABNEY BEDINGER.
The following is an extract from a letter received
by the writer from Dr. L. J. Coppedge,
Medical Missionary to Africa. It was not intended
for publication, but we take the liberty
of quoting it with the prayer that it may arouse
the church to instant action.
' * Today I received letters from Morrison indicating
that affairs have gotten very serious on
our mission. A few days ago I got about the
same news, from Prichard. Morrison and two
#
of the other missionaries are all in bad health.
Of course they are generally overworked, but
now they are really in danger. I have advised
Dr. Chester that, unless reinforcements reach
our field within six, or eight months, at the
outside, another death may probably be expected
on our mission. Please do all you can to get off
4-U? ??j. ? 1? ? *? ?1
?ii.iiiii lnt; iifai six weeKH or two monins
Do not delay. Another missionary's life may
depend upon your acting promptly."
A number of volunteers have heard this clarion
call and have responded by offering themselves
to the Committee to be sent out. "We wish
so much to go at once. "We want to go speedily
to the relief of our sorely pressed brethren yonder
in the thick of the fight. We long to be at
our work, preaching Jesus to those who have
never heard of Him. Must we tarry here, for
HHfk ' >' '
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE S
luck of funds, while our brethren yonder sink
slowly into the green? God forbid!
Brookneal, Va.
BACK TO THE CHURCH.
In The Literary Digest of July 15th, is
found a significant article headed: "More
Church Or No Church." The title is a quota
tion from Tlie Christian Work and Evangelist
(New York), and ocelli's in the striking statement:
"It has come to that point, that there
must be more Church or no Church."
This article concerns itself chiefly, if not
altogether, with the growing development of
moral and religious agencies outside the Church,
social reform, settlement work, good government,
philanthropic endeavor, and a hundred other
good things, with which many church people
are identified, in earnest and engaging effort.
There is some encouragement to hope for a
check and a charge in the current, when the
drift is recognized and exploited in a secular
journal.
The Church is a part of the revealed scheme
of grace. Not, as Rome says, of saving power,
but, as the Reformed Faith has always emphasized,
the divinely ordained means of securing
and conserving the salvation of men. As
the institution for calling the elect out of the
world and training them for glory, it is grounded
upon the wisdom and authority of Christ. As
such, He committed to it the word and
ordinances. As such, He equips it with organization,
sufficient for Doctrine, Discipline and
Distribution.
Voluntaryism, in promoting Christianity, for
the conversion of men and for their growth in
the Faith, is asserting itself increasingly,
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iu uugnau 3)juniMUg umibieuuum. 11
is the Y. M. C. A., the Y. W. C. A., the Y. P.
S. C. E., Lay Evangelism, the Laymen's Movement,
et id ovnne genus. Of course, as good men
and women are identified with these organizations
and the word of God is employed with
more or less loyalty, in their activities, good iS
done.
But that is not the question. The important
thing is that they, one and all, drain the Church
of life and energy. A plant may have a large
number of succors springing up around it. They
partake of the nature of the mother-plant and
bear some fruit after her likeness. Do they not
exhaust the vital energy of the main stalk? Dr.
B. M. Palmer once said to the writer of this
article: ""Well, it seems as if the Church of
Christ has become nothing but a great Matrix,
to give birth to societies." What a wise Christ
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Iiv nuo. xxvw aau iu mtlU^ U1
us, that the Southern Church has been caught in
the drift, and is fast losing its distinctive character
as an organized agency for spiritual ends,
under the wise guidance of her authoritative
Lord!
Is it too late to stop and turn about ? Let the
word go out: "Back to the Church!"
From all organized activity to do the work,
which Christ organized the Church, as such, to
do, "Back to the Church!"
From all agencies for the world's Reform,
when Christ has organized the Church to seek
its Regeneration, "Back to the Church!"
From all voluntary movements,' half and half'
partly in and mostly out of the Church's organized
and authoritative life, movements really individualistic,
movements under the guidance and
control of their self-appointed leaders, movements
that indirectly influence and indeed
directly dictate, as to the Church's policy and
proceedure?from all such movements however
well-meant, however temporarily successful.
"Back to the Church!"
JSntaw. Alabama
O U T H [ August 2, 1911
SHALL I GO OR STAY?
A Wokd to Ministers Asking This Question.
rev. geo. l. leyburn, d. d.
Not long since I received a letter from a
brother minister whom I greatly esteem, and
who has been preaching for 12 or 15 years. He
said the above question had been raised in his
own case, and he had been giving it serious
consideration, stating his reasons therefor. In
reply, I gave him "mine opinion" somewhat at
length, and largely as the result of observation
and experience in an active ministry of
more than 40 vears. Of this letter lie was kind
enough to say, that what I wrote had been of
real help to him and a comfort to his wife, and
then added: "By the way, your letter is such a
helpful one, and gives counsel so much needed
by so many that are in my case, that if you
could make it impersonal by some omissions,
it would be a blessing to many young ministers
if published. Only last week 1 had a letter from
, expressing just about the
same ideas I had expressed to you, about moving
from his present field; and on all sides there
is the same feeling of restlessness." Here is
the genesis of this article, and my prayer and
heart's desire is that it may prove a "blessing"
to some who read.
THOSE DIRECTLY INTERESTED AND ADDRESSED.
This article then is not a general one intended
for all alike; and what follows is not specially
addressed to all ministers?the whole ministerial
class, nor to those who are nlr?#>n/tv
wmu5
stones"?though not exactly "Holy Rollers,"
nor to those who plainly ought to move, and
there are such cases of course; but though not
specially addressed, I hope that these all, and
others who are not preachers, may find something
here that will prove of interest and of
service. My message is rather and directly for
ministers not yet quite middle-aged, who have
been in their present charges eight or ten years,
and who are faithful, hard-working, conscientious,
successful pastors, some of them perhaps
in humble stations or "hard" fields, yet doing
a "good work;" men they are who, like the
infantry in an army, do best, most important
and effective work; and particularly it is for
those who are pleasantly located, their people
are satisfied, loyal and devoted, theirs is a happy
home and a prosperous work with steady, substantial
growth, and there is no apparent external
reason for a change; yet as with the two
mentioned above, there is this feeling of restlessness,
and the question will present itself
with greater or less frequency and persistence,
" After all, will it not be better that I go elsewhere?
Shall I go or stay?"
reasons for this restlessness.
Let no one say that such a question should
never arise, or imagine that ouch restlessness is
uncalled for, useless and wrong. For there are
causes which force this question upon almost
every minister, and often circumstances and conditions
such as make this restiveness "a good
and necessary consequence." "Without discussion
let me briefly mention some of them. To
begin: There is in every true minister'b heart
a laudable and scriptural ambition (see Paul's
3 ambitions, Rom. 15: 20, etc.) to do the largest
and best work of which he is capable?though
he may be a poor judge, of ten of what is really
best and largest for himself. Again: A wise
and good man once said to me, "As a general
rule I think a minister should move about every
ten years; it will be better both for him and the
church." For, he added, besides other reasons i
every man has his strong points, and in ten years
he should have developed and trained his peo