Report of a speech delivered at the 183rd annual public meeting of the society : held in St. James's Hall, on Tuesday, June 17th, 1884

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I E> R.ARY
OF THE
U N I VLRSITY
Of ILLINOIS

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REPORT OF A SPEECH

DELIVERED AT THE

183rd annual public MEETING

OF THE SOCIETY, HELD IN

ST. JAMES'S HALL,

On TUESDAY, JUNE 11 th, 1884,
BY THE

MOST REV. THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY,

PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY,

Revised hy His Grace at the request of the Society.

19, DELAHAY STREET, WESTMINSTER, S.W.

<xi'

SPEECH.

HAD hoped to give the whole of this afternoon to
the Conference of a Society to which I am most
deeply devoted, but I am sure I shall have your
approbation if I say that I am still more due to
my place in the House of Lords to consider a Bill which, I
trust, will bear importantly on the Temperance of the whole
kingdom — the Sunday Closing Bill for Cornwall. You will
perhaps, then, allow me very briefly first to thank the Secretary
for that remarkable abbreviated Report in which he flashed
us round the whole world. ¥/e shall thank Lord Carnarvon
for addressing us witli the voice of a statesman, of one who
speaks from his own observation of things, and who leaves us
with strong words of encouragement, based on experience,
which were well indeed taken up by the venerable Prelate
whom we salute with all our hearts to-day.

There was a time when George Herbert wrote —

" Religion stands a-tiptoe on our strand
Ready to pass to the American land," —

SO full of dejection were the hearts of men at that hour. And
what he looked for she did — she went, but yet she stayed ;
and her work, as we look across the Atlantic, is a work from
which we at home can take high courage, and, in spite ot
past discords, may almost say to the American Church, Matre
pulcJira filia imlchrior. Speaking as President of the Society,
it seems to me we have need of being helped as the presence
of the Bishop of Ohio helps us, to take a calm, strong, large
sight of our work. Looking upon the ever-widening and ex-
tending work of Missions, we have some fear lest, out of the

intense interest that is very rightly excited in novel parts
of the work, there should arise exclusive agitations in favour
of some one part of the field, tempting us to lose sight of what
should be the grand aim of the Society, to keep an equable
hand over all the Missions. I can never forget the wide terms
of our Lord's Mission to His Apostles, Trdarj rfj Kriaet : they
were to preach the Gospel "to all the creation."

Again I feel from time to time a little anxiety lest in our
ardour we should run into exaggeration. I do not find such
exaggeration in the publications of this Society, but I am
alluding to a handling of Missionary work which is becoming
too common. The great cause of Missions will not be served
by over-pathetic appeals, or by sensational writing about limited
and temporary phenomena. I have only just received a letter
from a Colonial Bishop lamenting the strained appeals made
by friends of his own diocese, as if there were not great cause
for gratitude, and as if encouragement were not more helpful
than despair. Here we have again to take a strong view of the
subiect. There was a time in our country when every church,
or at least a very great number of churches, had its special
shrine and devotions ; and there were pilgrimages here and
there, and votaries of this intercessor or that; every man had
his own pet saint ; and all this preluded a period of complete
breaking up. So it would be with us, I think, if we were all to
throw our interests into particular Missions, as we have been a
little in danger of doing, instead of taking a very strong general
interest in all Missions. Spiritual competition will lead to
spiritual selfishness, and while all selfishness is dangerous to the
character, spiritual selfishness is perhaps the most dangerous of
all, for it attacks us in that which ought to be the centre of all.
The true Mission spirit is a universal spirit. True Mission
work has two great characteristics. In the first place, it has
the characteristic of aggressiveness, an aggressive spirit which
cannot rest ; but it is a self-sacrificing spirit. The spirit
of Christianity is the very opposite of the spirit which
has been so eftective up to a certain point in Moham-
medanism. Mohammedanism has been a great religion and a
very aggressive religion, and it has made great sacrifices — but

all to self. It has sacrificed to itself women, peasantries,
resources, nations. For a time it lias prospered ; but when it
has eaten up all these, then it must stop and must die. The
spirit of Christianity is to sacrifice self to every one of those
things which Mohammedanism has sacrificed to itself. The
second characteristic of Christianity is tolerance — the toler-
ance of love, the tolerance of intelligence. When I look at the
Bishop of Lahore's Manual of Moral Philosophy, and see the
two first parts occupied with bringing out all that is noble
and good in the Philosophies of the East and of Greece, and
see that this is to lead to the third part, the true morality of
Christianity, I feel that therein the real spirit of Missions is
thoroughly understood, and that the history of the whole world
is looked upon as the ancient Christians looked upon it — as
a Preparation for the Gospel, not a thing to be despised and
thrown away. As Christ Himself came in the fulness of time,
so comes our teaching to those who have run through all that
they can learn without Christ, and then are in the position of
men who, by their great insight into the phenomena of nature,
are prepared to take in the phenomena which God reveals of
Himself. Aggressiveness and Tolerance together^ these should
be the symbols of this Society. If I may dare to use a
word which is often used in a cant sense, its members and
branches should take a "statesmanlike" view of the work.
The word often is corrupted to mean " cold and indifferent
under the show of impartiality." But the most impartial
statesman may have a real perception of and devotion to
what is true. What I mean to say is, that our work ought
to produce, and when it is w ell done it does produce, those
very characters in nations which the statesman most wants
to produce, but does not know how, and never will be
able to produce without Christianity. Christianity, and
Christianity alone, recognises the purpose of man on earth — ■
not only of the individual soul, but of human society. Was
not Las Casas a far greater statesman than the great Cardinal
in Spain, when he maintained that Indians had souls like
Spaniards, and that no soul of theirs cost Christ less than the
most accomplished soul in Europe ? He spoke of himself as

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having been for this doctrine of his " cursed like Paul, stoned
like Stephen, dragged from tribunal to tribunal," but in insight
was he not a far greater statesman than any of his time?
Let us turn to India, — and we cannot turn our eyes in that
direction without bemoaning the loss the country has sustained
in that holy, gentle statesman who has just passed away. He
has told us in one of his lectures that he meant to give a simple
report, such a report as any Roman Prsetor might have sent in
to Trajan or to one of the Antonines, and, speaking as a Roman
Praetor, he bore his testimony that no words could describe the
rise which he had seen take place in the prospects of the future
of the great nations amongst Avhom he had lived, and he at
the same time pointed out how this was the work of a few
men who, with a very few grand exceptions, were of no emi-
nence, and w'ere of little account in their ow^n country, but w^ho
simply went and carried to these nations the message of the
Gospel. At the same time w^e had Gardner's Report on the
Trade of Chefoo, and he told us how, without becoming
Christians, wdiole populations were raised in tone and character,
and precisely such preparations made for a coming people,
a civilised, a law-abiding, honourable people, such as the states-
man would fain make if he knew how. All that was done by
the simple presence among the natives of Chefoo of Christian
people, not always living up to their light, but still living as
Christians, and showing how the very lees of Christianity are
better than the new wine of heathenism. This is no new
discovery. I never can forget the thrill with which I first read
the words of Cyprian, in which he put his finger on the precise
point. "Paulus vocandis formandisque gentibus missus" —
"Paul sent to call and to form the nations." He saw that
the work of Christianity, represented to him in St. Paul, was
in the time to come, not only to be the calling of individual
souls, but in reality the moulding of the nations.

Now will you let me say why I think that a great Society
like this has claims upon us of the very broadest nature, and
that we shall not be doing our duty if we do not support with
all our might its great objects? It seems to me that this
Society, being able to review the whole field, can focus the

questions before it in a way that no individual can do, and can
see the relative importance of this or that work of the Church.
It can proportion its grants accurately, and, what is most
important in contrast with special societies, it can give
temporary assistance, and is not bound to go on in some
one particular field. Let me give you an instance. I was
delighted to hear what the Secretary said about the Corea. The
Corea is a very important peninsula, destined to be important
to commerce, and estimated to contain 13,000,000 people.
Sir Henry Parkes has just concluded with the Coreans a treaty
in which he managed to get introduced as a stipulation
which could not be departed from, that British subjects must
have liberty to exercise their religion. More than that he
could not gain. The Coreans prohibited immoral books,
and the Christian Scriptures are understood by the people
in that sense. There is a weak government, and a fierce
people. They are very unruly, and it is quite certain that as
soon as we can we must Christianise their country. The pos-
sibility of Missions there will entirely depend on the tact and
wisdom with which British subjects^ live and exercise their
religion in the country. The question has excited the
greatest ardour amongst the Bishops and Churches in
China, who see the attractiveness of work there on account
of its difficulties and importance. Its millions of people,
its natural resources, its faltering government, and its
extreme hostility to Christianity, will require sagacity pro-
portioned to the future importance of such a country.
Application was made to the S.P.G., and the answer was
at once returned that the Society knew the whole importance
of it, and knew exactly what to lay out upon it, and it
was £2,000 per annum, which they had not got. In that
answer can be seen the advantage of a Society which has
full means of information at its command, so as to compare
one country with another, and an answer such as that is a
challenge to England to find £2,000 a year for the service of
the Society in this respect.

I said just now that I thought it Avas unfortunate to go into
exaggerations, and that I had received a letter from a Bishop,

7

speaking with pain of the reports 'set afloat, with the best
intentions, with respect to his diocese. They speak of floods of
people streaming into the country in numbers unparalleled and
in such carelessness about their faith that a minister of the
Gospel can only sit down and Weep. The Bishop says this is a
most mischievous representation. There is no need to weep,
but only to buckle ourselves to work for the future, and that
now is the very moment.

While all have rejoiced in Canon Anson's noble offer of
himself to go and work as a simple Missioner with a band
of helpers in that vast region, it is still more noble that, though
with great reluctance, he has surrendered his own cherished
plan for work, and, in spite of the regret we share with him^
he has placed himself trustfully in the hands of those who have
assured him that he can be still more useful as a Bishop, and
has placed his fund in the hands of this Society for admini-
stration. This is a recognition of the width of the view which
lies before a great Society in contrast with a limited individual
view.

May I now say a few words on the Mission to the ancient
l^estorian Church in Assyria. These people, under the
greatest difficulties, have kept up from the earliest centuries
their faith, orders, sacraments, and creeds, and do not seem to
retain any trace of their ancient heresy. The study of the
map alone will show how great is the advantage to peaceful
progress if a people placed as they are become sincerely
attached to England through the English Church. There are
two great agencies at work with the only object of absorbing
them into themselves, while the object of the Church of England
will be to strengthen, to sustain, and to keep them intact as
they have been from the beginning, and to render permanent
their devotion to England, for their very religion's sake. At the
earnest request of my predecessor, there has been sent out, not
a Missionary, but a Teacher to them, who possesses a singular
gift of languages and also of dealing with such a people, and
his presence has been the greatest comfort and help to the
Bishops, clergy, and people. It does not rigidly fall within the
province of this Society to maintain this work, but who does

not rejoice that it is able to spare a little sum of £250 a year
towards it, and that the Christian Knowledge Society gives a
similar sum ? Two young clergymen, or National schoolmasters,
are now wanted out there, and I appeal for earnest
and capable men to come forward.

In conclusion, to do wrong things in the Christian name is a
fearful sin against Christ, and to teach Christianity in a wrong
way is a great injury to the cause of Christ ; and as long as we
do these things a good Government may and must find fault
with us. But to do Christian things in a Christian way will
never cause disquiet. We are bound to do these things to the
uttermost of our power. For while we do them we are re-
placing man in his own place.

Even such considerations are enough to make us feel that
our work is a glorious work for mankind ; but it is far more —
it is a work of God through us.

Let us invoke the Lord of Missions to be with us ; let us
put ourselves in His hands. Let us rely, not upon the power
of man, but upon the loving Spirit of God ; using all gifts of
God to man, and showing by '' demonstration of the Spirit
and power " that God the Holy Ghost is with us.

tiOWDON : B. CLAY, 80NB, AKD TAYLOR, BBEAD STftKBT HILL.

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