PUTIKI

[s. 627] : A town and port of North Island, carried on New Zealand, situated 79 miles S. E. of New Plymouth, on the Wanganui River, cro ed by an iron bridge 600 feet long. It is the principal port on the W. coast and has sawmills, woodenware factories, foundries, flour mills, etc. Near the town is a Maori college for the education of Station of Population, 5,000. native youths. the CMS, with (1903) 1 mi ionary and his wife, 16 native workers, 1 day school, and 320 pro The district appears in report fe ed Christians. sometimes as Wanganui. PYENG-YANG. See Phyenq-yang. life as his Master did, in order that the world may come to a loiowledge of the Gospel that saves. The conversion of men, the spiritual vitality of converts, the interest and enthusiasm of the Home Church will depend upon the quality of the Church’s representatives in the foreign At no point are carefulne and discrimination more important than at thfe selection of candidates, for if a high standard be not _mamtained, defeat and disappointment are inevitable. The qualifications that should be expected in a mi ionary do not differ e entially from those expected m any other true minister of the Gospel These quahfications have of Christ in any land. been so amply illustrated in the lives of eminent and succe ful mi ionaries, and so frequently portrayed in manuals and addre es, as to be field. familiar to all who are acquainted with mi ion In the Pastoral Epistles, especially, literature. but elsewhere in the New Testament as well, such prominence is given to these qualifications, and they are delineated with so much detail as Qnallflcatlons clearly to indicate their importance to the future church. The following are some of the characteristics specified as e ential to ministerial useful his hop must be anepileptos (I. Tim. iii: ne : 1. 7), both of which are 2) or anegkUtos (Titus i A: These terms mean, that translated “blamele .” his character should have nothing upon which an enemy can take hold, or against which he can 2. He must be ” apt to hurl an accusation. teach,” capable, by natural gifts and scholarly attainments, of imparting instruction to others. 3. He must be “sober,” having a calm, well balanced, judicial judgment, that can view a subject from every standpoint and reach deliberate and wise conclusions. 4. “No Striker,” a man who will not, under the impulse of pa ion, be provoked to strike back; who, when reviled, The experience of mi ions reviles not again. justifies attaching much importance to this “Temperate,” having feature of character..5. such a control of all powers of body and mind as can utilize them to the best advantage, resulting in that mental poise, that self-reliance which is the anticipation of victory. 6. “Vigilant,” having eyes and ears open to see and hear, and turn everything to good account. 7. “Zealous,” fervent in spirit — that enthusiasm that can concen— under the constraint of love. trate on one thing 8. An affectionate disposition (I. The . ii: 7-12) which wins affection in return and secures sympathy for the me age he has to give. Such references as these to mi ionary character are foreign fields, 610 may seem commonplace in comparison with visions and supernatural voices, yet they are the basis of ordinary human action, and through them the will of God is, for us, made known. The man whose heart is right with God, who wishes to present himself a living sacrifice and uses his intelligence calmly and unselfishly, will reach a decision as unmistakably from God as was the call of St. Patricli or Isaiah. The chief danger lies in the deceitfulne of the unwilling heart. Jesus Christ came not to do His own will. He had the single eye and saw clearly His commi ion and work. 2. The Holy Spirit was given to Him without measure. All His faculties were formed and developed in the Holy Ghost. His study of the Holy Scriptures and all His utterances were in the illumination and energy of the Spirit. When he entered upon His public ministry there was a special anointing, the Spirit descended as a dove and rested upon him. He was led of the Spirit into the wilderne to be tempted of the devil, and in the power of the Spirit He returned into Galilee. His miracles were performed in the Spirit, and His last crowning act His sacrifice upon the cro was done in the Spirit. “Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God.” That was the ideal life. In the truest — — and fullest sense the Spirit-filled life was His. Does the question arise whether such a life is po ible for His disciples? Let that question be scattered throughout the New Testament, and their careful study and cla ification will repay any candidate for this sacred calling. Instead of more minute inquiry in that dire cans we red by another. Did he not take upon Him our nature, and if so, are not both subject to the same law? In order to fulfil the purpose of His life the fulne of the Spirit was nece ary, as the light tion, however, it may prove even more profitable to gaze upon the features of the Master Himself, who was the great mi ionary and is the model Certain salient character for all mi ionaries. istics of His life may be regarded as e ential and fundamental, and, indeed, inclusive of all others of the sun is nece ary to the perfection of the flower. It is so with us. “Not by might nor by spirit,” is the condition of power, but by spiritual life, and of spiritual service. No combination of natural qualities, however distinguished, will compensate for the lack of this gift. that fill in a complete equipment. 1. Jesus Christ was called to the work. He was sent of the Father. “As the Father sent me, even.so send I you.” How that call is to be recognized and distinguished is one of the perplexities of many an earnest life, and an exceedmgly important problem. With the call of God a ured, to fall back upon, courage will not fail in the darkest hour, but without that certainty, there will often be misgivings lest after all there may have been a mistake. How can the mind of the Master be known in this matter? To Paul the call received on the way to Damascus was unmistakable. Anskar had his \asions and commi ions. Voices came to him out of the ineffable light, “Go hence and return to me with the martyr’s crown.” “Fear not; I am he that blotteth out thy transgre ions.” Francis of A isi heard a voice amid the silence of the Umbrian hills, “My temple is falling into ruins, restore it.” In the strength of that inspiration he not only became a mi ionary, but sent forth an army of mi ionaries, who counted it a privilege to lay Hence we are commanded to be filled with the “He giveth the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.” Altho our natures may have been starved and stunted, and have become irredown their lives for Christ’s sake. Some men, Erominent in history, who were epoch-makers, ave had such calls, but ordinarily men must reach their conclusions by proce es le impre ive. No two are cast in precisely the same mold, and each will be directed by heart and intellect, according to his own temperament. The weighing of such considerations as health, education, domestic claims, relative needs of home and my Spirit. sponsive on account of sin, yet to the humble Let it be store. seeker great po ibilities are declared with all solemnity and emphasis, that and without without this gift, the mi ionary a sense of its supreme importance, had better abandon his profe ion. His ministry will prove a disappointment and a waste. 3. Jesus Christ was mighty in the Scriptures. In childhood that became apparent. He breathed In the brief the atmosphere of the Prophets. record of His earthly life preserved to us, so many quotations are found as to indicate familiarity with every part of the Old Testament, to which He constantly referred as the Scriptures that cannot be broken. Such familiarity, needle to say, was not mere effort of memory, but a profound appreciation of the value and relations of truth, They were the result of habitual meditation. more precious than gold or silver, and His meditation all the day. To Him the Scriptures were divine in origin, and the final appeal, “What saith the Scriptures?” “Search the Scriptures;” “The Scriptures cannot be broken.” “That the Scriptures might be fulfilled.” He staked His all upon their integrity, and instilled the same con They, fidence into the minds of His disciples. m too, quoted freely in their epistles, and the addre es of Peter at Pentecost, and of Stephen 611 before the Council were but rehearsals of the Old Testament story. The Scriptures are the sword of the Spirit, the weapon used by the Apostles and by the Church in all the ages. There is no other weapon. The succe of any Gospel ministry must depend upon the ability to use the revealed truth of God. The mi ionary should accept it as axiomatic that his mind must be steeped in the truth, that his whole nature must be charged with a sense of the glory of the Me age, and the magnitude of the interests at stake. It ought not to be nece ary to say, and yet men need to be reminded that this does not consist simply in a loiowledge of theological books, nor even m an acquaintance with the mechanism of the books of the Bible, all of which may be very important in their way. It is an experience of the heart and life, so that, like the Apostles, he must speak it out. “We cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard.” 4. Jesus Clarist emptied Himself. He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant. By right His place was in the glory, wliere from eternity He dwelt with the Father. Yet He surrendered His place and on earth had nowhere to lay His head. He might have delivered e ays that would have become the literary cla ics of all the ages, but He emptied Himself of the right to speak and became an echo of the Father. “He that sent me is true, and I speak to the world those things which I heard of Him.” By nature He was the brightne of the Father’s glory, and yet that glory was laid aside, and He became obedient imto death. He who knew that all things were given into His hands, and that He was come from God and went to God, girded Himself with a towel and washed the disciples’ feet. He who could have commanded twelve legions of angels, allowed Himself to be bound and buffeted and scourged. He emptied Himself of His power. What an emptying that was, that He might in due time be exalted! He became the perfect High Priest through suffering, and now is seated at the right hand of God, a Prince and a Savior. This is hard doctrine. Wlio can receive it? The old nature dies hard. Yet it is the parting of the ways. The mi ionary who will talce up his cro and follow Christ this respect will share with Him the victory, while the otlier way leads to failure and defeat. Among the supposed sayings of Jesus, found in Egypt, is this sentence: “Unle ye fast from the world ye shall not find the Kingdom of Heaven.” Whether the saying is authentic or not its testimony is true. Love not tlie world, neither the things of the world; set your affections upon the things m that are above where Christ sitteth. The mi ionary life is exposed to peculiar temptations in this respect. He labors among a people intellectually and morally beneath him. He naturally shrinks from the closest identificatre es. He endured hardne and cultivated the graces of liumility and Christian charity that the ministry might not be blamed, and that the Kingdom of God might come. He emptied Himself before receiving the crown of righteousne that fadeth not away. 5. Jesus Christ had faith in the future. He had no misgivings as to the ultimate triumph of tlie Kingdom. His hopes were built upon the eternal promises that could not fail. He saw in vision Satan fall from heaven, and the judgment of this world, altho the work had only begun. The fulne of the Spirit clarified His vision and enabled Him to see tlie end from the beginning. The golden age of the prophets of old would dawn in due time, and He could leave the times and the seasons in His Father’s hands. In such a frame He could never yield to despondency and despair. Mi ionaries are disposed to, and many of them are afflicted with, despondency, and their conditions are often extremely discouraging. They are few in number, and seem so helple among so many. After years of toil the harvest does not Sometimes encouragements seem to be at hand, when suddenly tliey vanish as the early dew. Converts are disappointing, and public sentiment is against tliem. Tliey are the objects of unkindly criticism, and sometimes of hostile attack. Climatic and physical conditions are depre ing, and health is not buoyant. It is natural that under the strain body and mind should lose elasticity and hopes should die. Yet when that happens strength and usefulne are appear. impaired. It should not be so, and will not be so. their lives are anchored in the unchangeablene of the living and true God. The mi ionary is but a small part of a mighty movement, and his if His works will folreap wliat he has sown, but tliey will rejoice together. It is a winning conflict in which the Church is engaged, and the joy of ultimate victory should thrill and inspire every mi ionary with ever-increasing energy and hopefulne . 6. Jesus Christ had power in prayer. Prevailing prayer is c central law of His kingdom. Indeed, if in anything He might seem to be chargeable with rasli and extravagant statement, it is in this connection. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye sliall ask what ye will, and it sliall be done unto you” (John xv: 7). “Whatsoever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them” (Mark xi: This is surely giving men an unlimited 24). privilege of drawing upon infinite resources, yet it Is the plane on which He himself moved. At the gi\ive of Lt-,zarus He said to the Father, “I know that thou hearest me alwaj-s.” In that confidence His requests were made known. He lived in tliis as in all other respects up to the standard of His teaching. He understood the contribution will not be lost. low him. Otlier men may even He would have He so taught His disAs Andrew Murray quaintly says. He ship of better society. secret, and without it, failed in His mi ion. but where not ciples. tion with such people and craves the companion- It is a great temptation, resisted, an impo ible gulf is He must empty Himself that he may be filled. He must humble Himself that He may be exalted. He must become all things to all men that He may save some. Jesus made His soul an oHering for sin He went down to the depths that He might lift fixed between him and succe .; men up to God. The great Apostle strove in all things to be an approved minister of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in nece ities, in dis- Qnallflcatlons did not teach His disciples to preach but taught Is it not true that they who can them to pray. preach well are more in number than they who can pray well? The greater the gift the greater Never will the sacrifice nece ary to acquire it. the largest results be reached until the Church has a ministry at home and abroad that has been divinely taught how to pray. Some men stand out prominently in history who had, and because Q,Ttalifications Rajputana, they had, learned this art. The Acts of the Apostles are punctuated with prayer. It is from “Prayer Watch” that the remarkable the Louis record of the Moravian Church sprang. Harms and Go ner and Fliedner and Brainerd and Miiller and Hudson Taylor are admonitions as well as encouragements to the Church to take advantage of this power, which she is invited to Tlie extent of the field, the vastne exercise. of the work to be done and the inadequacy of the forces at work, ought to impre every thoughtful man and woman with that absolute dependence Church upon the help that comes from above. If men are to be bom into new life, it must be done through the creative power of the author of life. He hears and answers prayer; therefore, pray without ceasing. 7. One more qualification must be mentioned, as the most important of all. Jesus Christ acted under the constraint of love. It was love that impelled the Father to give His Son. And it was love that constrained the Son to give His life a Even as His Father loved ransom for many. Him, so did He love sinful men. That is the one motive that will abide. There are many other considerations, such as the civilizing power of the Gospel, the moral and spiritual condition of the heathen, commercial and political advanall of which have tage, the succe of Mi ions weight, but will not make and sustain mi ionaries, nor will they make a mi ionary church. When Peter the Hermit aroused Europe to attempt the rescue of the Holy Land from the of the — hand of the infidel, his battle cry was, “It is the God.” our bp.ttle cry. will of Christ is “It is the will of Christ” is The constraint of tlie love of alone strong enough to maintain this conflict. Dr. Griffith John says that he often thought of Paul and the Yang-tsze together. The great river in its way to the sea encounters many obstacles and flows in varied channels. Now it dashes against the rocks like a mad thing and then rushes through a narrow gorge at a wild race speed. It then emerges into a wider and more even channel, and flows quietly, calmly, and majestically, but it flows on continuously and Try to turn it back, and you will irresistibly. Ask it to stop, and it will tell find it impo ible. you it cannot. Ask why, and it will tell you, “Almighty law has taken po e ion of me and I cannot help myself. The law of gravity constrain eth me.” So with Paul, a mighty law, the law of love, took hold of him and he could not stop. “The love of Christ constrain eth me.” The same writer guotes the advice given to a “Try as novice by a senior mi ionary in China. fast as po ible to learn to love the Chinese for Christ’s sake, for you will find it very difficult to love them for their own sake.” The heathen are His and He loves them and for His sake even the most unlovely can become the object of our affection. A heart overflowing with much love will not find it hard to a ociate with the downcast and fallen, and will quickly a response. Love is the world’s need and hope. In conclusion, let it be said there is work for all and mi ionary training should vary with the cla of men and the work they are expected to do, yet the qualifications specified above should be common to all. Certain attainments in scholarship may be beyond the reach of some who, neverthele , would be useful in the foreign field, but all elicit 61S can acquire and none wiU be useful without the Christ-like spirit. There are many points of a physical, intellectual, and practical nature that deserve mention, and will claim the attention of earnest candidates, but need not here be detailed. On the other hand, there are points that deserve notice in order that they may be avoided, which, tho in themselves apparently trivial, have been stumbling blocks, and have brought disaster into many a mi ion. Good men have sometimes c under the influence of peculiar views as to questions of economy, or salary, or prophecy, that have impaired, if not wrecked, their usefulne . Better judgment might still have entertained these views, while not offensively obtruding them upon others, and thus the lo of influence would have been avoided. loving, prayerful spirit will A ever be on the alert lest the enemy gain an advantage. “Lo, I am with you always” is the guarantee of wisdom and guidance in every time of need. The mi ionary above all men needs to realize the apostle’s prayer “To be strengthened with might by His spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which pa eth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulne of God.”: Somerville (Andrew), Lectures on Mi ions and Evangeliza^ Hon, Student Volunteer Movement; CaU, Qualifications and Preparation of Mi ionary Candidates, New York, 190i; Ecumenical Conference on Foreign Mi ions, Vol. I., pp. 301-324, New York, 1900. QUDSHANIS. See Kochanes. ch116.xhtml q 630