The Church and Foreign Missions By REV. H. E. FOX, M.A. Prebendary of Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London Late Honorable Secretary of the Church Missionary Society F o r e ig n m is s io n s is a sub ject on which the Church still needs a large amount of teach
sheep,” as well as the “sheep of the house of Israel.” All souls are His, and therefore, when we are true dis ciples of the Ford Jesps Christ, and of the same mind with Him, it will be our desire, our burning desire, our passionate zeal, that these. “other sheep” should hear His voice and be brought to God through Him. What is the great object? That His Church going into all the world to preach the Gospel everywhere, every human being should have at least an opoprtunity of knowing that He is the Saviour, and that His Church requires from these people so evangelized a public confession of Him as their Ford in baptism, and that they should be found to obey Him in all the things that He has left for us as our duty. The Church’s business is to preach and teach neither more nor less, but only that which Christ has commanded us to do. ' That is the great object. The last message of the Ford’s is surely the first busi ness of the Church. Next, the result. And this, again, I am afraid, is forgotten. Very often I hear that text quoted by preachers: “Fo, I am with you.” Christ has, may I say very reverently, conditioned His presence with His people on obedience to His command. “Go ye . . . . and lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the age.” H ot V can we wonder at the weakness and failure we see everywhere? Thank God for the blessing He has given. The more I think of the blessing God has vouchsafed, the more I am amazed at His patience with and love towards His rebellious people. But think what the Church might have done with the Ford present among
ing. There are a great many believ ing people, I know, real Christians, who regard Missions as a sort of sep arate department, if I may call it, of Christian service. They can be just as ■ good Christians when taking no particular interest in Foreign Mis sions as those whose hearts are set upon it. I think all will agree with me- that this is a profound mistake. It was not the attitude of the Church which the Ford Jesus left, which was baptized at Pentecost, and went every where preaching the Word, an'd it ig nores completely the whole principle of what, for want of a better word, we still call “Foreign Missions.” Never let us forget that there is no -such thing as Foreign Missions in the sight of Jesus Christ. As He looks down upon this world we are all one. Just think for a mbment about the cost, and the object, and the result in the Ford’s own parting message to His Church. Why are there such things as Foreign Missions ? Why should there- be any? In the closing verses of St. Matthew 28 we read, “All authority has been given to. Me.” Christ, therefore, is the supreme Ruler in all things—for He has the pre-eminence in all things—God’s will is not being done. Surely that must be a burden upon Christians—and it ought to break our hearts if we only thought of it properly—that there are masses of people, not merely indi viduals, all over the world, including many in our own land, who do not recognize the supremacy of Jesus Christ. There we start. Christ claims all souls as His own, the “other
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