The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 03, March, 1887 — John Shaqi
The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 03, March, 1887Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 03, March, 1887
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
I am reminded of an incident in the lumber country. One of the
workmen, an exceedingly tall man, cut his foot with an axe,
literally splitting his great toe. A sympathetic little one
inquired anxiously, “Will it be long till you feel it? It is so
far away from your head, you know,” she added apologetically. The
pain in the Southern limb of the body politic has not reached all
the members yet. If it had, the fair hands that erstwhile scraped
lint would do as much as the women of Brittany did for the ransom
of Bertrand Des Guesclin, spin one day’s spinning; the men, who
gave themselves, would give a crumb of their cake to preserve
the fought-for Union. On the Church of the living God this work
must fall, by the people of God it must be done, if it is done at
all. There are people who have given themselves, who are in the
forefront of this battle. We do not all recognize that we, who
hold the Head and are all members one of another, live under the
rule of the Beloved, our New Testament David. “The part of those
who go forth to battle and they who tarry by the stuff shall be
alike”--alike in the cost, the danger and the glory of triumph.
Then, when we restore that which we took not away, the blessing
that multiplies falls upon us until we have not room enough to
receive it.
We must have our eyes touched with His eye-salve to see clearly
the Christ in these helpless ones whose hands are stretched out
to touch our hearts. Human nature, even renewed human nature,
has some queer inconsistencies. The way in which we fulfill
Scripture by turning everyone to his own way is wonderful. One
of our own ways is how much readier we are to give charity than
to pay debt. One of the best men I ever knew paid the new hands
in his establishment less than they could hire their board for,
and subscribed liberally to a home where boys could get plain
board at half price. Now, God’s way is: “The worker is worthy of
his meat.” This dear, good man believed he was doing something
religious when he gave the part he kept back from wages in
charity. This is an instance of a widely-spreading delusion.
Give, and give liberally, for the conversion of the polished
Japanese, the philosophical Brahmin, the filially-trained
Chinese, the monotheistic Mohammedan, the heathen of distant
Africa and the isles of the sea. You are right. The marching
orders of the Grand Army are: “Go ye into all the world and
preach the Gospel to every creature.” “All” and “every” cover
every inch of ground. Go on and prosper and the Lord magnify thy
work.
But, stay, there is here a debt to be paid, restitution to be
made. “Leave there thy gift before the altar, go thy way, first
be reconciled to thy brother, then come and offer thy gift.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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