great Apostle of the Gentiles, after he and Barnabas had been specially separated by the Holy Ghost for this work to which they were called. By their efforts during the first of these journeys, the Word was carried through the island of Cyprus, and into many of the principal towns and cities in Asia Minor. On the second, after revisiting and confirming those who had been brought to the saving knowledge of the truth in the different parts of Syria, Cilicia, Phrygia, and Galatia, we have an interesting circumstance recorded for our instruction. It appears to have been the impression of the apostles that their labours were to be confined to Asia; but we read that they were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, and "they essayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them not." This seeming check, however, was only put upon them that a larger field for their exertions might be presented to them. The vision of the Macedonian, praying that they would come over and help them,2 opened a new continent to their missionary enterprize, and then it was that those celebrated places of ancient Greece were visited by the messengers of life and salvation, and in the midst of the profligate city of Corinth a church was established of those "that were sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints," and from Mars Hill, in Athens itself, a city wholly given to idolatry, was heard the voice of one who proclaimed to them Jesus and the resurrection of the dead." I In But there is one thing which is likely to be lost sight of in a cursory reading of the Acts of the Apostles. I refer to the fact, that these visits of St. Paul were not mere hasty transitory visits. At Corinth, for instance, he abode some time, maintaining himself by the labour of his hands."s Ephesus, he continued two years, so that all they who dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks; and we gather what was the nature of his labours from his discourse, addressed to the elders of the church in that city, in which he reminded them, "that publicly and from house to house he had testified, both to Jews and Greeks, repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ;" and that not only disputed he daily in the 1 Acts xvi. 7. 2 Acts xvi. 9. 31 Cor. i. 2. + Acts xvii. 22. 5 Acts xviii. 3. school of one Tyrannus, but that he also visited the houses of his converts, and "shunned not to declare unto them the whole counsel of God." Here, then, we have just a specimen of the missionary zeal of the first Christians as taught us in the Acts of the Apostles. But there is another fact to which we must also call your attention. Whilst the inspired historian is silent as to the missionary labours of others among the first Christians, it is very evident, from different sources, that they also abounded in the work of the Lord. Thus we read, in the Epistle to the Romans, of those whose faith was spoken of throughout the whole world.2 It is not known by what instrumentality the Gospel of Christ was carried to the Metropolis of the world; but when St. Paul was taken there for the first time as a prisoner, he found brethren at Rhegium, and others came to meet him at Appii Forum, so that he thanked God and took courage.' And again, he addresses his Epistle to the flourishing church at Colosse, of the members of which he implies that they had not seen his face in the flesh. And though the journies of Peter, Apollos, and others are not recorded, yet it is evident that they had visited Corinth and Antioch1 for the purpose of spreading the knowledge of Christ; and that which St. Paul says of Titus, is doubtless applicable to all of those holy men when he asked the Corinthians, "Walked we not in the same spirit, walked we not in the same steps?" Another interesting circumstance may illustrate the extent to which missionary operations were carried in the first century, and the blessing accompanying them, whilst, at the same time, it shows us that we are not to be discouraged when the Lord, for the present at least, closes the door against an entrance into any particular district. We have seen how it pleased God to order that Paul should not preach the Gospel in Bithynia, and yet so early as the very beginning of the second century, about the year 106 or 107, a letter was written by Pliny, the celebrated heathen naturalist and traveller, to the Emperor Trajan, in which, speaking of Christianity in that district, he says, The persons informed against are of every age and of both sexes, and the contagion 1 Acts xx. 27. 66 2 Rom. i. 8. of the superstition hath spread, not only through cities, but even villages and the country." In short, by the close of the first century, the Gospel had penetrated to the farthest limits of the then known world. In Spain, in Britain, on the coast of Africa, and in Parthia and India, the Word of God was preached in the very earliest times; and, though "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble were called," yet so great was the influence obtained by the truth as it is in Jesus over numbers in the middle and lower ranks of life, that, notwithstanding all the persecutions and prejudices which were stirred up against it, the Gospel prevailed, and souls were added daily to the church of such as should be saved. My dear friends, I have thus given you a very brief and imperfect sketch of the wonderful spread of the knowledge of Christ, through the blessing of the Lord on the efforts of the early teachers of the truth. It is most certain, that the miraculous events which accompanied the preaching of the Gospel were made the means, in many instances, of furthering its success; we do not dwell on the convincing evidence which these facts afford us that the work is the work of God, and that the Gospel is truly His message to us, because this is not the subject before us. But although these miraculous powers are withdrawn, the Lord is not absent from His Church; we still have the fulness of the promise, "Lo, I am with you always;" and "the Lord's hand is not shortened that He cannot save, nor His ear heavy that He cannot hear." I now, therefore, proceed to show you how this missionary zeal is to be considered by us as our example, and to point out some few characteristics which especially belong to it. And, first, we notice, that these zealous servants of God, while devoting all their energies of mind and body to carry out, in its full and universal extent, that command of our Lord which spread the wide world before them as the field of their labours, never lost sight of the importance of an individual application of the message of the Gospel to the hearts and consciences of those who heard it. Thus the Apostle, in writing to the Colossians, speaks, not only of the hope of the Gospel, as preached to every creature under heaven,' but of 1 Col. i. 5, 6. the fruits which it never failed to bring forth wherever the grace of God was known in truth. And again, in that statement in the Epistle to the Corinthians, "The love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead," how earnestly he presses home the practical heart-stirring conclusion, "that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them and rose again." My dear friends, this I believe to be one of the vital springs of missionary zeal, to unite with an interest in all the world, an individualizing sense of the pressing necessities of the soul of each person for whom we are concerned. Secondly, a peculiar characteristic of this zeal was, that it was a burning zeal in spite of all hindrances and difficulties, persecutions and trials. Hear the Apostle's account of himself, “None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God." I need only refer you to the 11th chapter of the 2d Corinthians for an account of the sufferings which he endured willingly and joyfully for the cause of Christ. Oh! my young friends especially, why is it that we are in so much want of missionary labourers now? Alas! while there is far less of danger, difficulty, and trial connected with the work in our day, how is it that there is less of singleness of eye to God's glory, less willingness from love to Him to spend and to be spent in his service? I speak thus as one taking a deep interest in the working of the Committee of our Missionary Society, as taking a special interest in the case of those who come forward and offer themselves for the work. I do entertain a strong hope that our Young Men's Society will be made the means of supplying us, not only with funds, but with missionaries, missionary candidates, missionary students. The men whom we want are just young, zealous, single-hearted men of piety and intelligence, devoted to the cause of Christ, who are willing to give all diligence to learn and improve in our Institution here, that they may go out fitted by the grace of God to make known among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Many of our best missionary candidates have been first interested in the work by 2 Acts xx. 24. 1 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. means of information supplied at our meetings, or by reading the publications of our Society, and I would that it might please God to make these Lectures instrumental in stirring up real, practical missionary zeal amongst you, of calling forth such a thrilling sense of the contrast between the rich privileges which you enjoy, and the condition of your fellow-sinners in heathen lands, passing away into eternity, never having heard the Word which alone could "turn them from the power of Satan unto God," that some may be constrained to offer themselves for the noblest work which can engage the powers and the energies of man. And let me assure you that there are pressing grounds for this appeal, for there never was a time when we stood in greater need of men of piety, of faith, of self-denying love, than we do at present, to carry on the missionary work. But, thirdly, we may notice another characteristic of primitive missionary zeal. It was truly a zeal according to knowledge. It was a zeal arising from the experimental knowledge of the power of Christ and of the love of Christ. We find the Apostle going forth determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified,2 amongst those to whom he preached. We find him insisting upon the Gospel of a free justification only through the merits of Jesus Christ, by faith in Him alone, as the Gospel, in opposition to another gospel, which is not another.3 How ardently he speaks of the blessing of union with Christ, and being risen with Him, and quickened together with Him"! It was what he had known and experienced, and as he believed, so he spake. What he had himself found Christianity to be, that, and nothing short of that, he desired for his converts. Throughout his writings we trace no hint of one religion for the many, and another for the few; on the contrary, we find him earnestly warning and teaching every man, that he might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:5 and in his fervent petitions, recorded in the Epistle to the Ephesians, we learn how he wrestled with God in prayer for each one of those converts, that all might "know the exceeding greatness of the power which worketh in them that believe," and "the riches of the glory of Christ's inheritance in the saints.” 6 And just so long as this view of the truth of God was bright and clear in the Church, missionary zeal prevailed and mis |