one year he had formed nine, with 741 converts; in less than three years the nine had grown to thirty, with 2,000 converts. He did his work without salary, and when the English Government offered him a position, with large compensation, he at once declined, tho his poverty was such as prevented him from taking his wife with him in his missionary tours.—Pierson, "The Miracles of Missions."
(2057)
See Sacrifice for Religion.
Missionary's Gallant Action—See Courage,
Christian.
Missionary's Liberation—See Intervention,
Divine.
MISSIONARY TESTIMONY
Mr. Darwin was not regarded as a Christian, but he had the greatest respect for good in Christianity, and was candid enough to acknowledge it. This is the way in which he answered some shallow critics of foreign missionaries:
They forget, or will not remember, that
human sacrifice and the power of an idolatrous
priesthood; a system of profligacy unparalleled
in any other part of the world;
infanticide, a consequence of that system;
bloody wars where the conquerors spared
neither women nor children—that all these
things have been abolished, and that dishonesty,
intemperance, and licentiousness
have been greatly reduced by the introduction
of Christianity. For a voyager to forget
these things is a base ingratitude; for should
he chance to be at the point of shipwreck on
some unknown coast, he will most devoutly
pray that the lesson of the missionary may
have extended thus far.
(2058)
F. A. McKenzie, the well-known foreign correspondent of the London Mail, says, in the London Christian World:
A stranger stopt me, one day. "I can not
understand," said he, "why you, a newspaper
man, should advocate missionary work; it
is not your business. Why do you meddle
with it?"
"I do so because I am a Christian imperialist," I replied. "The white man's civilization is the best the world has seen, and the white man's civilization is rooted in Christianity. I know that every missionary is an active campaigner, not merely for a new theology, but also for a new life, based on the foundation-stone of our civilization—the cross. I want the white man's ideas to triumph not for the glory of the whites, but for the betterment of woman-life and child-life throughout the world."
(2059)
Missionary Work—See Song Effective.
Missionary Work Admired by Atheist—See
Atheist's Gift to Missions.
MISSIONARY WORK AT HOME
Whitefield found himself in the presence
of what seemed an urgent and overwhelming
call to preach. Here were the Kingswood
miners, a community ignorant, vicious, forgotten,
who, beyond all others, needed the
care and teaching of the Christian Church,
and yet were left completely outside, not
merely of its agencies, but even of its very
remembrance. When Whitefield was setting
out for America some wise and keen-sighted
friend said to him, "If you have a mind to
convert Indians, there are colliers enough in
Kingswood."—W. H. Fitchett, "Wesley and
His Century."
(2060)
MISSIONARY WORK, VALUE OF
Belle M. Brain tells the following in her book, "The Transformation of Hawaii":
A visitor to the Hawaiian Islands a few
years ago said to King Kamehameha V:
"Really now, don't you think things are in
a worse condition than before the advent of
the missionaries?"
"I leave you to judge," answered the king. "Since you have come into my presence you have broken the ancient law of tabu in three ways. You walked into my presence instead of crawling, you crossed my shadow, you are even now sitting before me. In the old days any one of these things would have cost you your life."
(2061)
MISSIONARY ZEAL
If all Christians had the willing zeal of these poor South Sea islanders, the world would soon be converted to Christ:
On one occasion Mr. Williams explained
the manner in which English Christians
raised money to send the gospel to the
heathen, and the natives of Raralonga exprest
great regret at not having money that
they might help in the same good work of
causing the Word of God to grow. Mr.
Williams replied: "If you have no money,
