"Motives in foreign missions"
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MOTIVES IN FOREIGN
MISSIONS
GRIFFITH JOHN D.D.
MOTIVES IN FOREIGN
MISSIONS
/
BY REV. GRIFFITH JOHN D.D.
NEW YORK
STUDENT VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT
FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS
1909
Copies of this pamphlet may be ordered
from the Student Volunteer Movement,
125 East Twenty-seventh Street, New York
City, at 5 cents each ; 40 cents per dozen ;
$2. 50 per hundred ; express charges prepaid.
Motives in Foreign Missions
By Rev. Griffith John, Hankow, China
HERE should the emphasis be
VV placed in our advocacy of the
missionary enterprise? Why should
men give of their silver and their gold
in order to carry on this enterprise?
Why should men be asked to devote
their lives to this work? What is the
grand motive which should be used in
our attempts to move the churches to
greater activity and the missionaries to
deeper consecration in this holy cause?
I. Should we place the emphasis on
the relation of the missionary enterprise
to the advancement of secular knowl¬
edge? I have heard appeals made for
missions on this ground, and there can
be no doubt as to the great utility of
missions in this respect. It would be
impossible to say how much the various
departments of secular knowledge owe
to foreign missions. Take geography,
history, ethnology, philology, and such
subjects. The best and most reliable in-
formation that we possess in these de¬
partments has come to us through the
missionaries. Then, too, the heathen
nations of the world are indebted to the
missionaries for nearly all the knowledge
which they possess on these subjects.
This is a good thing in itself, and we re¬
joice in the fact that foreign missions
have done so much to enlarge the sphere
of human knowledge on every subject
touching the world and its inhabitants.
But we dare not place the emphasis on
this fact in our advocacv of missions.
An individual here and there might be
touched by an appeal made on this
ground, but it would kindle no enthu¬
siasm in the hearts of men generally.
Men will not become missionaries for the
sake of promoting the growth of secular
knowledge nor will the churches give of
their wealth for this purpose.
II. Shall we place the emphasis on the
relation of the missionary enterprise to
the advancement of commerce? I have
heard appeals made on this ground; and
there can be no doubt of the utility of
missions in this respect. The mission is
the friend of legitimate commerce always
and everywhere. While it sets its face
like a flint against trade in opium and
fire-water and all such abominations, it
joyfully welcomes the honest and hon¬
orable trader and prepares the way for
4
him. Missionaries are pioneers of trade
and commerce. They are the promoters
of civilization, learning, and education
wherever they may be, and these things
breed new wants which commerce sup¬
plies. Look at Polynesia, Madagascar,
Africa, and other countries, and see what
missions have done for trade. But we
dare not place the emphasis on this fact.
The commercial motive is altogether too
weak, too low, too outward to move men
to consecrate themselves and their means
to the cause of missions. We must have
something far loftier, far stronger, and
far more inward. Men will not become
missionaries for the sake of advancing
the interests of commerce; neither will
the churches give of their wealth for this
purpose.
III. Shall we place the emphasis on
the relation of the missionary enterprise
to the advancement of civilization? I
have heard appeals made on this ground,
and I have heard of men subscribing to
missions because of their utility in this
respect. Darwin became a subscriber to
the work by reason of what he saw with
his own eyes of the civilizing effects of
missions. I have heard also of men re¬
fusing to subscribe to missions in China,
on the ground that the Chinese were sup¬
posed to be a civilized people.
That the missionary enterprise is a
5
great civilizing agency is a fact which
cannot be questioned. Look at the
South Seas. There you see the wild can¬
nibal turned into a lamb, the ferocious
savage sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed
and in his right mind, and the debased,
brutish pagan transferred into a heaven¬
aspiring and God-loving man. That is
not only religion but civilization also.
Referring to the great change which has
been wrought in the moral and social
life of the natives of Tahiti and New
Zealand by the missionaries, Darwin
writes: “ In a voyager to forget these
things is 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 mis¬
sionary may have extended so far.”
Turn to India. There, self-mutilation,
human sacrifice, the burning of widows,
and other cruel practices have been
swept away, and this is to be ascribed
in a great measure to the influence of
the modern mission. Speaking of the
missionaries in India, Lord Lawrence,
late Viceroy of India, said, “ However
many benefits the English people may
have conferred on India, the missiona¬
ries have accomplished more than all
other influences combined.” There is
nothing in its line in the history of the
world that can compare with England’s
6
secular work in India during the past one
hundred years, and yet Lord Lawrence
did not hesitate to speak of the work
of the missionaries in India as surpas¬
sing all others in point of importance.
As for Japan, it was in 1854 that the
first treaty was concluded between it and
any Western power. Since then the
Land of the Rising Sun has been stead¬
ily moving toward the civilization of the
West, and becoming more and more as¬
similated to Christian nations; and this
is to be ascribed in a very great measure
to the influence of the modern mission.
The progress of Japan in Christian civ¬
ilization has received a wonderful illus¬
tration in the recent struggle with China.
I am not referring now to the material
improvements, as demonstrated by the
marvelous strength and efficiency of her
army and navy, though that must be ad¬
mitted to be one of the great marvels of
the age. What astonishes one is the
wonderful moral progress brought to
light by this conflict. Their well-
equipped commissariat and thoroughly
efficient medical department; the careful
provision made, not only for their own
sick and wounded, but for the sick and
wounded of the enemy also; their Red
Cross Society, and the humane treatment
of the prisoners taken in battle—all these
things are new in Japan, and they are
7
the things which fill the hearts of all
Christian workers in the Far East with
wonder and gratitude. When, 300 years
ago, the armies of Japan swept over
Korea, the spirit of carnage and plunder
was unrestrained. The ears of 3,600
victims, slain in a single battle, were
brought back to Japan and exhibited as
trophies of the cruel conflict. The same
spirit would have prevailed in this war
but for the influence of Christianity. I
do not mean to say that the Japanese as
a people have adopted Christianity as a
religion; that, as yet, they have not done.
And I do not mean to say that they are
likely to do so, either to-day or to-mor¬
row. It is impossible to foresee what re¬
ligious developments may take place
there in the near future. But they have
come into vital contact with Christian
methods; they have come under the in¬
fluence of Christian teaching; the spirit
of Christianity is moving them; Chris¬
tian ideas are taking possession of them;
and they are putting on Christian civili¬
zation with a rapidity and a thorough¬
ness which astonish the world. Again
I say that this is to be ascribed, in very
great measure at least, to the influence
of Christian missions.
“ Humanity,” says Colonel Denby,
formerly United States Minister at Pe¬
king, “has not devised any better, or even
8
as good, engine or means for civilizing
savage peoples as proselytism to Chris¬
tianity. The history of the world attests
this fact. In the interest, therefore, of
civilization, missionaries ought not only
to be tolerated, but ought to receive the
protection to which they are entitled
from the officials and encouragement
from all other classes of people.” Thus
there can be no doubt as to the great
value of Christian missions in this respect.
It is getting to be seen more and more
clearly every day that “ among the cult¬
ure forces of the world Christianity is
the most powerful,” and that the Chris¬
tian missionary, instead of being an
enemy, is the best friend of science, of
commerce, and of civilization. For my
own part, I do not believe that apart from
Christianity there can be such a thing
as true civilization. Are the Chinese a
civilized people? No, and never will be
as long as they remain unchristianized.
The riots and massacres of recent years
go far to show that their much-vaunted
civilization is little else than veneered
barbarism. This is an important fact, a
fact on which due emphasis should be
placed. Still the main emphasis cannot
be placed on this fact. The civilizing
motive, though a true one, is far too
weak to move men to lay themselves and
their property on the altar on behalf of
9
the heathen. It is too weak in itself to
rouse the conscience and touch the hearts
of men. Men will not become mission¬
aries for the sake of civilizing the heath¬
en, neither will the churches give of
their wealth for this purpose.
IV. Shall we place the emphasis on
the moral and spiritual condition of the
heathen? This is a more important con¬
sideration. The moral and spiritual con¬
dition of the heathen world—its dark¬
ness, its immorality, and its hopelessness
when viewed from the human standpoint,
is sad beyond description. The heathen
are living in sin and dying in sin. They
are without God, without Christ, with¬
out hope. Now this is a solemn fact,
and the true missionary cannot but place
a solemn emphasis upon it. But even
this cannot be regarded as the grand,
central motive. It is a strong motive;
but it is not the strongest. It is not pow¬
erful enough to carry us on to the end
and to victory.
(i) It is not strong enough in itself
to take the missionary to the field; it is
certainly too weak to keep him there.
The moral and spiritual condition of the
heathen often creates strong aversion,
deep loathing, and an intense desire to
retire to a safe distance from the abom¬
ination. In itself it tends to repel rather
than attract. What, think you, would be
10
the effect of an attempt on the part of
the missionary in China to fix his eyes
on the bad and vile in Chinese life and
character? Would it not be the creation
within his breast of a strong sentiment
of distrust, contempt, aversion, detesta¬
tion, despair? Would it be possible for
him to go on and work for them? Pity
for the heathen is a good motive; but
the missionary cannot depend upon it as
a permanently operative, motive. There
are times when love and pity seem to die
down in the heart of the missionary as
he comes into close contact with the bad¬
ness of heathenism. What holds him fast
in the midst of so much that tends to dis¬
gust and repel? I will answer that ques¬
tion hereafter. In the meantime I will
relate a little anecdote. “ Let me give
you a piece of advice,” said a missionary
of some years’ standing at Hankow to
a young brother who had only just ar¬
rived at the place; “ I advise you to try,
as fast as possible, to learn to love the
Chinese for Christ’s sake, for you will
find it very difficult to love them for their
own sake.” That was sound advice,
based upon practical experience. Please
do not misunderstand me. I do not
mean to say that it is impossible to love
the Chinaman for his own sake. There
are men among the converts for whom
I feel the deepest personal affection. I
11
love them, and they love me, and, thank
God, the number of such is increasing
every day. Still, what I have just said
is perfectly true.
(2) Moreover, the moral and spiritual
condition of the heathen does not pre¬
sent a motive strong enough to move the
home churches to do their duty. “ How
is it possible for me to bring myself to
love and pity the Chinese? They are so
far away, and I know so little about them.
How can you expect me to feel an in¬
terest in them, and make any sacrifice
on their behalf? They may be morally
and spiritually in a state of great desti¬
tution, but how am I to realize their con¬
dition? How can you expect my heart
to flow out toward them in love and
pity? ” So spoke one of the most
thoughtful of our Congregational minis¬
ters to me when I was at home the last
time. I felt that there was much truth
in what he said and made an appeal to
him on another and a higher ground—
an appeal to which he quickly responded.
We must have something more than
pity for the moral and spiritual condition
of the heathen if we would carry on this
great missionary enterprise wth unflag¬
ging energy and see it crowned with
success. The work must be done, and
the sacrifices must be made, not for
their sakes, but for the sake of Another.
12
V. Shall we place the emphasis on the
success of the modern mission? The em¬
phasis is often placed on this considera¬
tion. The past triumphs of the Gospel,
and the success of missions during these
one hundred years, are often adduced as
the grand argument why men should
consecrate themselves and their substance
to the missionary enterprise. The cry
for success is loud and persistent, and
there are men who profess to give only
to success. That the Gospel has won
great triumphs in the past is a fact that
cannot be denied and this supplies good
ground for perseverance. Success in¬
spires confidence, and it is quite right
that we should point to the success of the
modern mission in our advocacy of the
cause. But it is not the motive. The
apostles had to start on their glorious
mission without this motive. The fathers
and founders of our great missionary so¬
cieties had to enter on their grand en¬
terprise without this motive. Many a
missionary has had to toil on for years
without this motive. Carey had to
labor on for seven years before bap¬
tizing his first convert. Morrison had
to do the same; and at the close of a
laborious career of twenty-eight years
he could not boast of ten converts.
Thank God for success; success is sweet
and inspiring, but we find that we have
13
often to work without success, and some¬
times in spite of failure. What is the
motive? What is the motive that impels
the missionary forward in spite of diffi¬
culties, dangers, and adverse appear¬
ances?
What is the motive with which to
arouse the churches to do their duty
apart from all considerations of success,
nay in spite of failures should they be
called upon to do so? Where shall the
emphasis be placed?
The emphasis must be placed, I think,
on the relation of the missionary enter¬
prise to Christ.
(i) And, first, to Christ’s command.
“Go ye, therefore, and make disciples
of all nations.” “Go ye into all the world,
and preach the Gospel to every creat¬
ure.” That is the Great Commission;
and that is our work. “Make disciples
of all the nations;” “preach the Gospel
to every creature.” That is the work
of the missionary; that is the work of the
Church. The missionary is in China, not
to promote the growth of secular knowl¬
edge ; that will follow, but he is there not
for that purpose. The missionary is in
China, not to promote the interests of
commerce; that will follow, but he is
there not for that purpose. The mis¬
sionary is in China, not to promote the
cause of civilization ; that will surely fol-
14
low, but he is there not for that purpose.
The missionary is in China, not to pro¬
mote the aggrandizement of any ism
whatever; and I, for one, cannot pray
that that may follow. The missionaries
are there, not to make Methodists, or
Baptists, or Congregationalists, or Pres¬
byterians, or Episcopalians, or Luth¬
erans. They are there to preach the
Gospel, to make Christians, to bring that
great people to Christ.
“Go ye, therefore, and make disciples
of all the nations.” Go conquer the
world for me. Carry the glad tidings
into all lands and to every ear, and do
not stop till all the nations shall have
embraced the Gospel, and enrolled
themselves my disciples. That is
Christ’s command, and that is our work.
Yes, and that is our argument also.
Christ commands; it is our duty to
obey; we have no choice in the matter.
As long as we acknowledge Christ to be
Lord, we are bound to go on with this
work. In defending the cause of mis¬
sions, we dare not take any ground
lower than this. Neither is it safe to do
so. “Does it not strike you,” said Sir
Robert Hart to Dr. Virgil C. Hart, “in
reading the Chinese Classics, that there
is much good, and much to be admired
in the Chinese system ? Would it not be
well to leave well enough alone?” Dr.
15
Hart replied that, “if this was so, then
the Chinese did not live up to their pre¬
cepts.” That was a good answer in its
way; but it is by no means the answer.
If there were no other answer the mis¬
sionary enterprise would soon come to
an end. But there is another answer,
and an all-sufficient answer.
As to the Chinese system being well
enough. I will not deal with that point
now, save to say that I utterly deny that
the Chinese system is “well enough,”
and that it is my firm conviction that
China will never be right while this sys¬
tem lasts. But the right answer to that
question is this: “Would it be well to
disobey Christ?” That is the question
which the missionary has to consider.
It is not a question of letting “well
enough alone”; but a question of obey¬
ing or disobeying Christ. Christ wills
it; and we dare not disobey. That is our
position.
“It is the will of God!” That is the
motive selected by Peter the Hermit
when he wanted to arouse Europe to
rescue the Holy Land from the hands of
the infidel. With that one sentence he
stirred the whole of Christian Europe
from its very depths, and kindled an en¬
thusiasm such as history rarely presents
an example of. “It is the will of Christ!”
That is our motive. Let us put the em-
16
phasis on that; and with that motive let
us arouse the church for a grander cru¬
sade, and strengthen our own hearts for
new and nobler achievements.
(2) The relation of the missionary en¬
terprise to Christ’s dominion and power.
“All power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth. Go ye therefore.” All
power in heaven is mine. All the re¬
sources of heaven are at my command,
and shall be used by me for the further¬
ance of your enterprise. All power on
earth is mine. The world is mine—the
whole of it. The heathen have been giv¬
en to me for my inheritance, and the ut¬
termost part of the earth for my posses¬
sion ; and in order to conquer it by your
agency, all power in earth is given unto
me. I have power over all persons, all
possessions, all principles, all move¬
ments. They are all in my hands, they
are all under my control, and they will all
be made conducive to this glorious ob¬
ject—the evangelization of the world.
Go ye therefore. Let the emphasis be
placed on that glorious fact. Christ is
Lord of all. He sits on the throne
of the universe, and wields the scepter
of universal dominion. He must reign
till all His enemies become His foot¬
stool. Let us rest on that fact.
(3) The relation of the missionary en¬
terprise to Christ’s presence. “And lo,
17
I am with you alway, even unto the end
of the world.” “I am with you all the
days.” You feel your weakness and in¬
competence. I am with you to strength¬
en you, to guide you, and to furnish you
with all necessary power. You will
have your lonely days. I am with you
to brighten the most lonely of your days,
and to fill your hearts with my peace.
You fear for the safety of the cause.
Fear not. Be of good courage. I have
overcome the world. The battle is mine,
and the victory is certain. You are
weak; but I am mighty. “I am with
you all the days.” Let us rest on that
great fact—Christ with us every day,
and every hour, and every moment of the
day. Let the emphasis be laid on that
promise.
(4) The relation of the missionary
enterprise to Christ’s love. “The love
of Christ constraineth us.” Paul was
the prince of missionaries, and such was
his experience as a missionary. With¬
out the love of Christ he could have
done nothing; with the love of Christ
filling his heart he could do all things.
“The love of Christ constraineth us.”
(a) The love of Christ to me, personally,
constrains me to live to Him and for
Him. He died for me ; and I will die for
Him. He lives for me ; and I will live for
Him. I will work for His sake; I wil!
18
suffer for His sake. There is nothing I
would not do to please Him. He is my
Lord and my Savior. He loved me with
an everlasting love. He gave Himself
for me. I owe Him an infinite debt, a
debt which is always due, and which I
can never pay. All I can do is to lay
myself on the altar, and say: Lord
Jesus, take me as I am, and use me for
Thine own purpose and glory. “The
love of Christ constraineth me.” That
is a grand motive. The love of Christ
to us, to each one of us personally. Let
us place the emphasis on that great fact,
(b) And then there is the love of Christ
for the world—for the Hindus, for the
Chinese, for the Japanese, for all men.
“God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son.” “He died for
all.” “He is the Savior of all men.” It
may be hard sometimes to love the
heathen and make great sacrifices on
their behalf. You may not be able to
do it for their sake. Do it for Christ’s
sake. Think of the love of Christ for
them, and love them through His love.
Look at them through the eyes of
Christ; His eyes are all-pitiful. Feel for
them with the heart of Christ, which is
ever tender and compassionate. People
at home say that the heathen are so far
away; that it is difficult to feel a deep
interest in them and their concerns. Be
19
it so. But Christ is near, and it ought
not to be difficult to feel an interest in
Him and in His great redemptive pur¬
poses. “The love of Christ constraineth
me.” Let the emphasis be placed on
that great motive. Paul found it there.
Why should we not find it there also ?
I have often thought of Paul and the
Yang-tze together. On its way to the
sea, the mighty stream has to encounter
many obstacles, and flow in varied chan¬
nels. In its upper courses, its bed in
many places is uneven and narrow. But
it never stops. Now it dashes against
the rocks like a mad thing, and now it
rushes through the narrow gorge at
a mill-race speed. Then it emerges
into a wide and even channel, and
flows quietly, calmly, and majestically
to the sea. But its flow is ever on¬
ward, continuous, irresistible. Try to
turn it back, and you will find it
impossible. Ask it to stop—and it will
tell you that it cannot. Ask it why; and
it will reply: “A mighty law has taken
possession of me, and is carrying me on¬
ward. I cannot help myself. The law of
gravity constraineth me.” So it was
with the great apostle. The love of
Christ, like a mighty law, had taken pos¬
session of him, and was carrying him on¬
ward. He could not turn back, he could
not stop, he could not help himself.
20
“The love of Christ constraineth me.”
His was a wonderful life. One sentence
explains it all: “The love of Christ con¬
straineth me.”
Christ’s command, Christ’s commis¬
sion, Christ’s presence, Christ’s love—
these four combined make a mighty
motive. This must ever be the grand
central motive in the missionary enter¬
prise. Other motives may come and go,
but this abideth forever. It can never
change, it can never grow weak, it can
never become obsolete. It is perma¬
nently operative and all-sufficient. Let
the church of God throughout the world
place the emphasis on this motive, let
the motive become a living force in the
hearts of all the missionaries, let it be¬
come a living force in the hearts of
Christ’s disciples generally, and the re¬
sult will be universal triumph. It will
be triumph in Africa, triumph in India,
triumph in China, triumph in Japan, tri¬
umph everywhere. Before the close of
the twentieth century, great voices will
have been heard in heaven saying, “The
kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord and of His
Christ.”
