The origin and history of missions; a record of the voyages, travels, labors and successes of the various missionaries who have been sent forth by the Protestant societies and churches to evangelize the heathen / Compiled from authentic documents ... by John O. Choules and Thomas Smith.

  • Choules, John Overton, 1801-1856.
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The origin and history of missions; a record of the voyages, travels, labors and successes of the various missionaries who have been sent forth by the Protestant societies and churches to evangelize the heathen / Compiled from authentic documents ... by John O. Choules and Thomas Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, remain for our consolation, whilst we carry forward their labors. It ought not to be forgotten, that if success has been great in the incipient stages of our missions to the heathen, we may rationally expect brighter results from future and more matured operations; although I am far from supposing that the perfection of human wisdom in device or action, will avail any thing, separate frojn the blessing of God. To form a proper estimate of mission- ary labors, it should be recollected, that a considerable part of past effort has been devoted to “ a vast apparatus of means for attack and defence.” Transla- tions of the Sacred Scriptures have called out the best energies of the ablest' missionaries. ^ Now, translations of Divine Truth, and the production of elementary books, are but means ; yet, to use the language of the late secretary of the Lon- don Missionary Society, “ they are ends as well as means ; they are legitimate objects of Christian labor ; many of them will not recpiire to be done again, and the man. who has accomplished them ought not to be considered by his brethren as having lived in vain.” ' It is'delightful to mark the growing interest which the church of God displays in the conversion of the world. The good news from far countries, which is continually received, rejoices the hearts of a multitude, who give God “ no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the whole'earth.” Intel- ligence so important is embraced with avidity by all who are able to appreciate its value. As it is impracticable, however, without devoting much time, atten- tion and money to this object, (without, in fact, purchasing, arranging, and carefully perusing bundles of reports, volumes of magazines, letters, journals, and memoirs of missionaries, with various other sources of information,) to obtain any thing like a correct and luminous view of the societies which have been organized, and the triumphs which they have achieved in this noble enterprise ; it is believed that an impartial and connected account of the various missionary societies now in existence for the spread of the gospel among the heathen, will have a claim on the attention of the religious public, as peculiarly calculated to revive pleasing recollections, to animate to fresh effort, and inspire joyous hope in reference to a cause which has been so signally owned by God. Anxious to extend the knowledge of those great events, which, in recent years, have begun to realize the visions of ancient prophecy, I have endeavored to furnish a work, which, though moderate in its limits, and accessible to all ranks by its mode of publica- tion, may form a repository of missionary intelligence, and present a sort of- panoramic view of those various societies, which, differing from each other in