MODERN MISSIONARY CRUSADE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14274, 13 August 1910, Page 7

MODERN MISSIONARY CRUSADE.

ADDRESS IN TIMARU. To evangelise the world within the present generation seems a stupendous task, but towards the successful accomplishment of that object the Laynieu'ii Missionary Movement, started jn America, is aiming with a confidence characteristic of the age. Clearly and as concisely as possible Dr W. H. Pet- I tit, of Otago University, explained the nature of the cru.sade to a gathering of 25 persons in the Wesley Hall classroom last evening, when Mr H. Eaton presided. The movement, said the speaker, was really a century old, and was directly connected with the awakening of the Christian church to the fact that missionary enterprise was the prime purpose of its being, and with the names of William Carey Morrison, Livingstone, McKay and others. From the times of those early missionaries they passed to the origin of tjie ctudent volunteer movement sonic 24 years ago, when Mr Moody convened his great conference in America. Rapidly the movement hail spread through America, from seaboard to seaboard, through Canada, England and Europe, and in 189G it had been taken up by Universities in Australia and New Zealand. Now Christian students were being sent as missionaries to the far places of the earth to spread the word of God, but it was felt that the strength of the movement would have to increase four or even live fold to prove the truth of their watch-word "The evangelisation of the world in this generation." Great changes had taken place in the world, new lands had been opened up, and there were consequently rmarkable and unparalleled opportunities for the Christian Church. For example they had the awakening of Japan, a nation which had set itself rapidly to learn all that Western nations could teach them, and as a result .was now ranked as one of the leading nations. Unfortunately the church had not taken full advantage of the opportunities afforded by this transformation, and now some of the leading men in Japan, men of wealth, power and influence, were in- ?, "d* o materialism, and opposed to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. To-day the same changes which had taken place m Japan were taking place in China ami India, so it was evident that the Christian Church must push forward with the splendid work of teaching the word of God in these countries. From China military and naval commissions had been sent to t*ermnny and England to learn what they could m the arts of war and recently an Imperial edict swept away the whole system of Confucian education establishing one on the most modern hues. , Old customs, barbarous and cruel, were being stamped out and the country was entering iroon a new hie. In India, though less rapidly than in China, changes no less real wro taking place throughout a great «»P'ro. The whole country was " in \ state of unrest, politically and socially Th educated classes were demanding n k>eater share in the government of • the land, and millions of outcast and lower caste., people were coming to r<-nli-e that ir, the message of Christian, it.v they had hope, hi Turkey too new [levelooments had take,, place mak n" •* a land or liberty. Tneso Vou tries «;ere seeking for light, and they wmld either be moulded on the lines of firs't \T ° r binder the hi s,t timv would be n menace to the whole world, under the latter a bless-

iug. It was the great responsibility of the Christina Church to say which of these alternatives was to result. To do its work thoroughly the church required the assistance and intelligent interest of the business man, and that was the reason of the Layman's Missionary movement, formed after several American business men had visited a number of mission stations. The movement had four planks, (1) prayer, (2) study, Qi) work, and (-1) giving, and it was interdenominational. The speaker then concluded by referring to the good done by this movement in America; and emphasised the point that churches there which contributed on increased scales to foreign mission work found their own home debts growing [ less by reason of the livelier interest.

The Revs. Caldwell, Baumber, and Hunt, Messrs Eaton, Vogeler, Young, Newington and Howard spoke in support of the movement, and on the motion of the Rev. Mr iiaumber seconded by the Rev. Mr Buchanan, it was unanimously agreed that ''This meeting affirms its conviction that a branch of the Laymen's Missionary movement should be formed in connection with the congregations in Timaru and district, and expresses the hope that each congregation will appoint two representatives to act on a committee." — The ]{( v. A. E. Hunt was appointed secretary pro tern, and the meeting closed with a vote of thanks to Dr Pettit.