86 The Fundamentals formation might be secured in these respects, the peoples so affected—as the present condition of Japan demonstrates— would have been brought no nearer to God than they were before. For, while it is always true that Christianity civilizes, it is never true that civilization Christianizes. It would appear from the above, if souls are to be reached, if men are to be made inwardly right, if the things which make for eternal security and blessedness are to be obtained, that divine motives, leading to divine methods and results, must prevail. This is the reason why God sets such high motives before the Church. He would have Christians look high in order that they may live high; and He would have them live high in order that they may lift others equally high. It is supremely important, therefore, to discover from the Scrip tures what the divinely given motives are» Our starting text indicates that Paul felt that these could be expressed in one phrase: “The love of Christ”—that is, Christ’s love for us— “constraineth us.” But other portions of the Word indicate that the Spirit expands the thought so expressed, the one motive including several others. May we anticipate suffi ciently to say that these motives appear to be three in num ber. I t is our purpose to consider these, one by one. A FIRST MOTIVE During the earlier portion of the ministry of Jesus on earth, that is, between His baptism and crucifixion, He spoke very little about missions; but during the later portion, that is, between His resurrection and ascension, He spoke of noth ing else. This last is a striking and impressive fact, espe cially as there were many other matters, in those last days, about which His disciples might have wished to have Him speak and with which He might have desired to occupy Him self. It is evident then, during the forty days of His ascension, that one theme was uppermost in His mind and that one bur den lay most heavily upon His heart. His redemptive work
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