The Divine Call for Missionaries

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go rus? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” — TIsaiah vi. 8. af

RETHREN, the heathen are perishing, and there is but one way of alvation for them, for there is but one name given under heaven among. whereby they must be saved. God in the glorious unity of his divine re is calling for messengers who shall proclaim to men the way of fe. Out of the thick darkness my ear can hear that sound mysterious nd divine, ‘‘ Whom shall Isend?” If ye will but listen with the ear of aith ye may hear it in this house to-day — ‘ Whom shall I send?” “While the world iieth under the curse of sin the living God, who willeth. not that any should perish but that they should come to repentance, is ing for heralds to proclaim his mercy; he is asking even in pleaderms for some who will go forth to the dying millions and tell the ndrous story of his love — Whom shall I send?” As if to make oice more powerful by a threefold utterance we hear the sacred inity enquire, “Who will go for us?” The Father asks, “Who will for me and invite my far-off children to return?” The Son nquires, “Who will seek for me my redeemed but wandering sheep?” ‘he Holy Spirit demands, ‘‘ In whom shall I dwell, and through whom all I speak that I may convey life to the perishing multitudes?” God the unity of his nature crieth, “Whom shall I send?” and in the nity of his persons he asketh, “Who will go for us?” Happy shall re be to-day if earnest responses shall be heard in this house — ‘* Here am J, send me.” It is ours, at any rate, very solemnly to put the tter before you, brethren in Christ, and while we shall try to plead ovyah’s cause we trust the Holy Spirit may be here, saying of one and ther, quite unknown to us, “Separate me Saul and Barnabas for the whereunto I haye called them.’’ Yea, may the constraining voice the special call of grace come to the ear of some here present who ll respond like young Samuel and say, “Here am I, for thou didst

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to ie éifer of service oe ‘by the prophet: sion and secondly, the vision of ordination which he aid more th his lips were touched. ‘Thirdly, we will speak open the Us and conclude by dwelling upon the earnest response. 1. Reverently, and with all our hearts attent, let us gaze A “VISION OF GLORY which Isaiah saw, It was necessary for him to

order that he might be brought into the condition of heart out one m ee rouls come the full consecration expressed in — “Here am I, sen Observe what he saw. He saw, first, the supreme glory of God.: Adonai,” saith he, “sitting upon a ‘throne, high and lifted up, and train filled the temple.” Was it J esus that he saw? Was this one oy the anticipations of his future incarnation? Probably so, for John writes in his twelfth chapter, at the forty-first Verse, “These thing

‘said Hsaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him,” — referring to t Lord Jesus Christ. We will not, however, insist upon that interp: tion, for the word Adonai, doubtless, included at times the wh head, and therefore the vision may have represented the Lord “revealed in visible form. As to his absolute essence, eye cannot be! the Lord, but he chooseth to make an apparition of himself; appeariz among men in such a form as may come under the ken of their ns - Now, ‘brethren, we know of nothing that will supply a better motiv missionary work, or for Christian effort of any sort, than a sight o or; -cavine. glory, This is one of the strongest impulses a soul -. Behold, O believers in the divine word, at this day the Lord God, ey aha ehovah, is not dethroned, but sitteth on the throne of his glor Son know him not, and others deny him and blaspheme him, but he is. God over all blessed for ever.

See the patience of his infinite majesty, — he sé/s in calm glory v his eternal throne. The nations furiously rage and imagine a vain

’ “he that sitteth in the heavens doth laugh; “the Lord doth have then ’ derision.” Still are his purposes fulfilled, and his soul abid, serenity; he is the same and of his years there isnoend. He sitt King, observe, upon a throne; he never renounces his sovereigt dominion. All things still feel the omnipotence of the reign of G “The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kings ruleth over all.” The rebellions of men, can they ever shake his firm dominion? No, but out of their wildest uproar he fashioneth or and by their most violent resistance he worketh his own purposes. all the Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice, let the multitudes isles be glad thereof. Still, despite all the hurly-burly of war, the wickedness of men in the dark places of the earth, and the de able blasphemies of the heathen against the Most High, the Lord sit onathrone which never can be shaken,

Nor is it a mean throne either, nor one of little dignity; it ia and lifted up.” It is not merely above all other thrones by greater power, but over them all by way of supreme dominion oy for he is King of kings and Lord of lords. I wish, dear brethren, as) get a olimpse of the ‘glory and power and dominion which belon: o

Most High, for if we did, though it would certainly humble u
very dust, yet it would fire us with a consecrated ne
en eet IE D NE CALL FOR MISSIONARIES.
Anas; ere a ‘ ‘

ee eet Meee oll net ale
+ up other gods; it would fill us with a sacred courage to

it would make us feel confidence in the ultimate success of the

‘now the Governor among the nations; surely the day shall come when all nations shall behold his throne and bow before it, and God shall be to be Lord over all, The God whom we serve is able to give

his cause and crown. — at a delight it is for us to think that there is no more for him the orny crown and the cruel lance and the contemptuous spittle, but

the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Because all power is given unto him heaven and in earth, therefore we are to go forth and subdue the

of her Lord, and rejoice therein, so that his power shall fill her, is train aforetime filled the temple. If we cannot behold his greatest

fumed smoke and the resplendent skirts of his robes, may be known among us and fill us with adoration. Did the posts of the door move

oration we bow before him who is Lord and Christ. Feat

- But then Isaiah saw also dhe court of the great King; he beheld theious attendants who perpetually perform homage, nearest to his me. He says, “Above it (or rather above him) stood the seraphims,”; implying that their feet rested upon the earth, or upon any other olid substance, but that they were stationary around and above the great

ras a body guard surrounding the throne of majesty. There were they, waiting to know his pleasure, on the wing ready for any errand, and

ttern for Christian service: as the throne of God becomes the impulse that service, so let these serve us as the model. ‘They dwell near the d, and even so should we; he is their centre and their bliss, even

ould he be ours. But I specially note that they were burning ones, or such is the meaning of the word seraphims, a term applied in the

of the great King were creatures of fire, ablaze with ardour; all glowing - ministers a flame of fire.” Jehovah, who is a consuming fire, can only fitly be served by those who are on fire, whether they be angels or men. nee that solemn question, “Who among us shall dwell with the

‘$. XXXiii. 14). None can do this but the man on fire with love divine.

you choose to take the text as referring to the Lord Jesus Christ,

Hebrew to the fiery flying serpents of the wilderness. These courtiers

d shining they worship him, “who maketh his angels spirits, his

ouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”

‘ing against these blind, and deaf, and. dumb deities to s almost too great an honour to pour contempt upon them; and kingdom of the living God. Since even now, while he reis his hand he sitteth upon a throne high and lifted up, and is even

ory to his own cause. Here is an impulse for us in all warring for

who bowed his head to death has left the dead, no more to die, and ascended to the right hand of God, even the Father; Godhaving highly ulted him, so that he now sitteth upon a throne high and lifted up., in fact, is the origin of our commission — “Go ye, therefore, and

‘h all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of

le under his feet. when will his church fully believe in the — a ies, yet we pray that his presence by the Holy Spirit, like the perthat august presence? Let our hearts be moved also as in lowliest —

King, poised in mid air in a circle, like arainbow round about the throne,

oring while they waited. These seraphim may furnish us with a —

In the presence of thane consuming
ness or indifference to exist, ‘they - wo
as courtier before the burning’ throne
burning spirit, and if we become pene ane nes: we shall

counted worthy to be employed on divine errands. Far hence, th all coolness of love and slumbering of spirit be removed. Maj ae make us, like John the Baptist, ‘burning and shining lights. These courtiers of God were burning ones, and ae are also pictur red

invisible, and seen only in vision — as havine six wings. ele are servants, full of motion, full of life. Some that I know of who profe to serve the Lord seem to have no wing at all, but are stolid and ina more like the sloth than the seraph, “having more weight than Those who come near him should be all in motion, quick, active, wil awake, energetic, ready to fly upon the Lord’s business with a might) swiftness; in a word, sixfold should be their wings, that they may noi tarry nor tire, nor linger nor loiter in the way. Have we such rea of mind as this? ahs ‘Having life and motion, these glorious spirits use their powers 1 i prudence and discretion. ‘They use not all their wings for flight, with twain each one covered his face, for even they cannot gaze upon dazzling brightness of Jehovah’s throne, and therefore in humble shan facedness of awe they adore with veiled countenance! “With twain’ covered his feet,” or his body, or his lower parts, for the seraph rem bers that even though sinless he is yet a creature, and therefore he: — ceals himself in token of his nothingness and unworthiness in th presence of the thrice Holy One. The middle pair of wings was us for flight, for:mere bashfulness and humility cannot offer comp ete

adoration, there must be active obedience and readiness of heart fo service. Thus they have four wings for adoration and two for active energy; four to conceal themselves, ‘and two with which to occupy the:

selves in service; and we may learn from them that we shall serve. best when we are most deeply reverend and humbled in his presence. Veneration must be in larger proportion than vigour, adoration must exceed activity. As Mary at Jesus’ feet was preferred to Martha an her much serving, so must sacred reverence take the first place, ant energetic service follow in due course. The angels do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word, and thus they excel: 0 eh excellence must lie in the same direction — the union of worship th work in due proportions. The covering of the face is as needful as t bh flight; the burning one is as seraphic in the veiling of his feet as in th

stretching of his wings. Let us pray the Lord to fill us with the di; enthusiasm which is the work of the Holy Ghost, and so make us bu t. ones; and then when he has winged us with sacred ener gy may he mal; us humble in mind, removing from us all vain curiosity, so that we s ral: not attempt to gaze with uncovered eye on the great Incomprehe * and taking away all unhallowed presumption, so that we use no pl bravado, but cover our feet in the solemn presence of the Holy 0) Let us ask God to make us ready to every good word and work, swift go anywhere and everywhere, as he may call us, being as it were winged in the service of our God.

holy, holy, holy. Praise him with ardour; be not content to call him might; raise again, and again, and again the sacred song. Adore not

‘inity in Unity be the object of your perpetual adoration.

“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Karly in the morning our song shall rise to thee;

- Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty! —

’ God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!”’

insect all things are at his beck. Hosts of birds migrate at his direcupreme dominion; their armies and their navies fulfil his decrees even, hen they think not of him. He is Lord of all. Exult in this, and £ your hearts be brave because of it. ‘Re And then dwell, that you may feel a missionary spirit, on that last part

none sense. * Jehovah of hosts is the fulness of the whole earth.” God is glorious all over the world; heaven and earth are full of the majesty of his glory, everything adores him except that wandering, wayward creature, man. ‘l’urn this ascription, for it may be so read, nto a wish: “Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.” Read. it, you please, as a prophecy: “The whole earth shall be filled with his ry,” and then go you forward, O ye servants of the Most High, with his resolve, that in his hands you will be the means of fulfilling the prophecy by spreading abroad the knowledge of his name among the sons of men. The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof, and he — must reign over it. Are you going to succumb to the modern theory that the world is never to be converted to God? Is human history to with the triumph of the devil over the church of God? Is the d about to give up the present battle of good with evil with feeble as the instruments, and are the conditions of the conflict to be ged altogether? Is the Holy Spirit to fail until an earthly kingdom t up for the Lord Jesus? Is the gospel never to spread among the

alone the Father, but the Son, and the ever-blessed Spirit: let the

While you praise his holiness do not forget his power, but adore him ‘Jehovah of hosts.” He is as great as he is good, as high ashe is oly, as potent as he is pure. He created the heavens, and the earth, nd all the host of them. Legions of angels do his bidding; hosts of lligences wait his call; all forces of nature, animate and inanimate, arch at his command; from the crash of thunder to the flight of an.

tion, hosts of fishes swarm the sea at his call, hosts of locusts and caterllars devour the fields at his order. His armies are innumerable, and

living things are in their regiments a part of his camp, which is very reat. Men also, whether they will or not, shall be subservient to his

Adore ye the holy God, perfection’s self. Whatever he shall do with yu, bless him, and call him holy still. Find no fault with his dispensations; never dare to quarrel with any of his ways. Holy, holy, oly, is he in all things. In creation, providence, and redemption he is —

holy once, but dwell upon the theme. Extol the Lord with all your the song, “The whole earth is filled with his glory,” for so it really heathen? Is Christ to come upon an unenlightened heathen world, with Mahomet the false prophet still unconquered, and the harlot of —

Rome still upon her seven hills, and all the idols in their places? Is the battle which now glorifies God by the weakness of man to be fought —

out in another manner? You may believe it if you will, and go to the beds of your inglorious sloth; but methinks there is something more worthy of faith than that, namely, that God will be victorious all along the line in the present battle and in the present style of conflict. By his church, his word, and his Spirit he means to win the victory; by the testimony of weak, feeble men to the gospel of his grace he means to conquer the powers of darkness.” Foot to foot with Satan has he stood since our Lord went up to heaven, near these two thousand vears, and he will not end this wrestling match till he has given his-foe a deadly fall, and the shout shall go up from a ransomed world, “Hallelujah! hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” Our prayers will never be ended till we see the desire of pious David fulfilled

when he said, “Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; amen, and

amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” We are

looking and labouring for that consummation, and we believe that we —

shall realize it, though it looks most improbable, especially just now when the heathen are converting our missionaries instead of the missionaries converting the heathen, when we have had bishops turned into ie

Zulus instead of Zulus into Christians, and several other instances less known to evil fame. We believe in the conquest of the world because we believe in the omnipotence of God. Nothing short of “dominion from sea to sea’ dare we ask in prayer or seek in service for our Lord Jesus. The idols must be utterly abolished, error and sin must fly before the light of truth and holiness, the ends of the earth must yet see the salvation of our God, and the whole earth must be filled with his

gin. a IJ. Let us tow turn our thoughts to THE VISION OF ORDINATION,

This man Isaiah was to go forth in Jehovah’s name, but in order to preparation for so high an embassage he must undergo a process peculiar but necessary. He was brought into a state, which to human

judgment would seem to disqualify him for all future usefulness, crushing the courage out of him, and leaving him like a bruised reed. By

reason of the glorious vision which he saw there was no strength left in him; he was cast down as low as he could well go with a sense of his —

own utter unworthiness, and felt himself to be less than nothing. In the presence of God he cried, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because IT ama man of unclean lips.” ‘ Alas, alas, alas,”’ saith he, “woe has taken

possession of my soul; I am destroyed by it.” Yes, dear brother, and —

this is our way to success: God will never do anything with us till he

has first of all undone us. We must be taken to pieces and made to

undergo a process very like destruction, and then we shall be new-fashioned according to a nobler mould, more fit to be used by our great Lord. J shall not regret if every brother here calied to the work of the

Lord shall feel as if he could not go on with it, and shall mourn daily his

incapacity, his unworthiness, and failure; for it is good for us to be laid — in the dust. Downward in breakage, in crushing, in grinding, in making into dust we must go, for this is the way to be made strong in the Lord,

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HE DIVINE CALL ¥0
A; 1h i Be che oh a
he wer of ight. The death of self is the life of grace.
ar then are we strong. We can only rise to ability Bey

rrands by being emptied of all self-sufficiency, and filled with — cient Spirit. ig ane, next, that he made a confession of sin while thus prostrate. 2 said, “I am a man of unclean lips.” Why does he lament the uncir-. meision of his lips rather than the evil of his heart? It was partly — sause he longed to join the seraphim in their song but felt his lips >; and yet more because he was a prophet, and therefore his lips the instruments of his office, and he was most conscious of sin e he felt most the need of grace. J know not that Isaiah had ever — sept back any part of the truth, or that he had spoken in uncomely — s, or that in his work of prophecy he had in anything been unfaithful, but yet he felt his shortcomings. There was nothing about that you and I could have seen to find fault with, but he saw it, — d felt it, and what minister is there that God has ever sent who — es not when he surveys his ministry feel that he is a man of unclean — Often and often does our soul say, “Oh that these lips had lane; they are poor, dumb things that will not speak aright. O that ad of flesh they were flame, that we might let fall a burning nt of persuasions, entreaties, and solicitations which should run. multitudes of men like fire in dry stubble.” But it is not so with we are often chill and lifeless, and so we are made to mourn that — have unclean lips. Who that ever saw the glory of God, or the of Christ, would refuse to join in this confession? geet ae And, then, this man of God felt also a deep sense of the sin of the. le among whom he dwelt. He cried, “1 dwell among a people of an lips.” I do not think a man can be a good missionary if he s as the sin that surrounds him. Unless it stinks in his nostrils, ess it makes his soul boil with holy indignation, unless like Paulhis art is stirred in him, how can he speak ax he should speak the messages God? Familiarity with evil too often takes off the edge of tender — ig; men readily cease to weep over the sin which is always before ir eyes. You may look upon the superstitions of Rome till you Imost admire the gallant show, and I suppose you may regard heathen temples till the majesty of their architecture may make you forget the — infamy of their purpose; but it must not be so: we must feel that we dwell among a people of unclean lips, and we must bear their sin upon — 7 hearts, repenting for them if they will not repent, and breaking ‘hearts over them because their hearts are as adamant against their 1. Only in such a frame of mind shall we be fit to go forth in God’seg ind do you notice that he had a sacred awe upon him because of the me presence? You see how bowed down he was because his eyes had n the King, the Lord of hosts. O favoured servant of God! Esaias, thou art honoured above thy fellows to behold God’s throne and glory! What would not you and I give if we might but have stood in the mple and peered within the doorway, and gazed into the smoke, and have 1 some glimpse of the brightness; but fe never exulted in it, on the trary he cried. “Woe is me!” There is no thought of the dignity which the marvellous sight has lifted him, but deep in the dust he

Pans
oe cries, “La am undone, for. a es seen the King,

Now this awe-full sense of the divine presence is

man serve the Lord fitly and acceptably. Forget tha

you, forget that you live in his presence and are his servant, A

- from im, and you can be careless, you can restrain your zeal nd

conscience may be at ease; but let a man only feel that God sees hit a ie and know that he is under his immediate puldsnce, and Gar Wi

Nicti it is done in heaven. He will put forth all his energies, ee se God should be served with our best; but conscious that: ‘when he

humble, as those should be who are in such: a ‘presence.. by thy Holy Spirit give us an overpowering sense of thy ore If thou wilt but do this we shall be a tabernacle full of worship first, and of workers afterwards, and shall cheerfully adore t xe labour for thee. In this second part of. the prophet’ s vision the most notable the way in which God met and removed his servant’s infirmities, — unclean lips were his great impediment; where he most needed poy he most felt his infirmity, and so there came a seraph with the go tongs or snuffers, and took a burning coal from off the altar, and tor his lips with it. What does this mean? We have the explanatic “Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” the great sacrifice, the application of one of the coals which consu

I believe that most of my dear hearers have the application of the live coal to their hearts so as to. have been purged therewith, for. believe in him who died -for~us; so that we are resting in his - sacrifice. But in order to be prepared for service we want to have word yet again touching us till we feel the fire. We need fellows with the pangs and woes of Christ; we need to feel as if we too wis to be consumed for others, as he was consumed for us. The disin

may be willing to die for others too. We want just that. Did Ds 0 make you. feel. joy in your fellow men the other day when you read the poor men in the pit, and of their gallant deliverers? One rejoice that manhood could exhibit such heroism. “We can do no more,” =) some, “it is death to go into the pit again: we cannot rescue the p oC fellows, and it is idle to throw away life for no purpose.’ The bray men who had been toiling there in the bowels of the earth, ‘find in, themselves in the presence of almost certain death, might well hay stood back; but not so the bold Welshmen. One said, “Lf it isd to go and save them, I will go, death or no death,” and. then ot. came ved and said ree would go also. Had I been. Bnore ei a oul should have e a helpless to seetet but sin a should not ee lathe heartiest cheers and: most ardent prayers, nor aught else that have done, Assuredly since d esus ernie has died tor us, We a

eternal ruin. A coal race off he altar hie he was ccnstaneel 1D laid 0 on us that we may feel willing to make any sacrifice for h ade heat Rebe sate MR TO okie fe:; Bes Seotide ha VA; f ates eee ae i DIVINE CALL FOR MISSIONARIES, == * 249,

he souls of men. That touching of the lip was the Lord’sting the prophet on fire where the fire was needed. He wanted tered with the griefs of Christ, and burning with love to men’s — s, and he had such lips bestowed upon him by his God, and so was e fit to go and preach in the name of the’ Lord. este lere, then, is the true ordination for a Christian worker. ‘Yourself othing, lying in the dust with confession of sin; but yourself purged he great sacrifice of Calvary, and your tongue compelled to tell the because you have felt such royal mercy, such free mercy, such un-Akable mercy, that if you did not speak of it the very stones in the reet would cry out against you. You want this for your preparation, and if you have it, my brother, you have obtained your ordination from the great Shepherd and Bishop of your souls, and you need no other. III. When a man is prepared for sacred work he is not long before he receives a commission. We come then to think of THE DIVINE CALL. I feel in my soul, though I cannot speak it out, an inward grieving mpathy with God, that God himself should have to cry from his hrone, “Whom shall I send?’”’ Alas, my God, are there no volunteers or thy service! What, all these priests and sons of Aaron, will none of these run upon thine errand? And all these Levites, will not one of them offer himself? No, not one. Ah, it is grievous, grievous beyond all thought, that there should be such multitudes of men and “women in the church of God: who nevertheless seem unfit to be sent. on the Master’s work, or at least never offer to go, and he has to cry, Whom shall I send?” What. out of all these saved ones, no willing ssengers to the heathen! Where are his ministers? Will none of e cross the seas to heathen lands? Here are thousands of us king at home. Are none of us called to go abroad? Will none of carry the gospel to regions beyond? Are none of us bound to go? oes the divine voice appeal to our thousands of preachers and find no response, so that again it cries, ‘Whom shall I send?” Here are ultitudes of professing Christians making money, getting rich, eating the fat and drinking the sweet, is there not one to go for Christ? Men travel abroad for trade, will they not go for Jesus? They even risk ife amid eternal snows, are there no heroes for the cross? Here and there a young man perhaps with little qualification, and no experience, offers himself, and he may or may not be welcomed, but can it be true that the majority of educated, intelligent Christian young men are ‘more willing to let the heathen be damned than to let the treasures of the world go into other hands. Alas, for some reason or other, I am ot going to question the reasons, God himself may look over all his urch, and, finding no volunteers, may utter the pathetic ery, “Whom all I send, and who will go for us?” But there were the six-winged seraphim. Why did not the Lord send them? Ah, brethren, that he might have done, but it is not according to the order of the gospel dispensation, for he is pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe, and the preachers must be nen like the rest of mankind. It is great condescension on his part it he has chosen men, and unto the angels hath he not put in subjecion the world to come whereof we speak, but he has given this honour us, putting his treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be all his own. We ought to rejoice in this, but it is sad, — surpassingly sad, that from amongst myriads: of willing seraphim God’s ery should come to unwilling men, “Whom shall I send, and who will —

go for us?”

I call to your attention again the fact that this is the voice of the one: God, and it is also the question of the sacred Trinity: “Whom shall I

send, and who will go for us?” The Father, Son and Spirit thus —

question us, shall not the threefold voice be regarded?

Notice the particular kind of man for whom this voice is seeking. It — is a man who must be sent, a man under impulse, a man under — authority — “Whom shall I send?” But it is a man who is quite will-

ing to go, a volunteer, one who in his inmost heart rejoices to obey — —

“Who will go for us?”. What a strange mingling this is! “Woe is me if I preach not the gospel,” and yet “taking the oversight of the flock of God not by constraint but willingly.” Irresistible impulse and cheerful choice, omnipotent compulsion and joyful eagerness most mysteriously combine! We must have a mingling of these two. I do not know that I could put into so many words that wonderful feeling of

freeness and overpowering impulse, of necessity and freedom, but our experience understands what our language cannot express. We are willing, —

and yet. a power is over us; we are willing in the day of God’s power, Ma p §

coming forth as freely as the dew-drops from the womb of the morning,

and yet as truly the product of divine power as they are. Such must

God’s servant be. I wonder if I echo and re-echo the voice of God this morning whether it will find out amidst the thousands in this house,

and the thousands that may read this word, some loving responses in at

least.a few chosen hearts? “Whom shall I send?” — it is Jehovah’s —

voice. “And who will go for us?” — it is the voice of the bleeding Lamb, it is the voice of the loving Father, it is the voice of the ever blessed Spirit. Does no one leap up at this moment and freely offer himself? Must I speak in vain? Ah, that were a light thing — must the voice from heaven be in vain? Did the child Samuel reply “Here am I, for thou didst call me,” and will no full-grown man answer to the voice of the Eternal? With your hearts and consciences I leave it.

IV. Now comes the last point, and that is THE EARNEST RESPONSE, The reply of Isaiah was “Here am I; send me.” I think I see in that response a consciousness of his being in a certain position which no one else occupied, which rendered it incumbent upon him to say, “Here am J.” There was no one else in the temple, no one else saw that vision,

and therefore to him the voice of the Lord came as directly and per- ‘ sonally as if there were not another man in all the-world. “‘Heream I.”

Now, brethren, if at any time the mission field lacks workers (it is a sad thing that it should be so, but yet so it is), should not that fact make each man look to himself and say, “Where am 1? What position do I occupy towards this work of God? May I not be placed just where I

am because I can do what others could not?” Some of you young men especially, without the ties of family to hold you in this country, with- —

out a large church around you, or not having yet plunged into the sea

of business, you, I say, are standing where in the ardour of your first’ i love you might fitly say, “Here am I.” And if God has endowed you — with any wealth, given you any talent, and placed you in a favourable — ho should say, ‘Perhaps I have come ne as this; I may be placed where I am on. ender essential help to the cause of God. Here e Ta feel the presence of the glorious God; I see the his garments as he reveals himself to me, I almost hear the seraphic wings as I perceive how near heaven is to earth, and — in my soul I must give myself up to God. I feel in my own my indebtedness to the Christ of God; I see the need of the sathen, I love them for Jesus’ sake; the fiery coal is touching my lip on now: heream TI! Thou hast put me where I am; Lord, take me I am, and use me as thou wilt.” May the divine Spirit influence

ome of you who greatly love my Lord till you feelall this, =

n you observe that he makes a full surrender of himself. “Here Lord, I am what I am by thy grace, but hereIam; if lama

nan of one talent, yet here I am; if I am a man of ten, yet herel am; if in youthful vigour, here I am; if of maturer years, here I am. Have aie ‘substance? here I am. Do I lack abilities? Yet still I made not. n mouth, nor did I create my infirmities; hereI am. Just as” as I gave myself up to thy dear Son to be redeemed, so give I self up again to be used for thy glory, because I am redeemed, and not my own, but bought with a price. “Herel am.” — ne

uiah gave himself up to the Lord none the less completely because rrand was so full of sadness. He was not to win men, but to seal doom by putting before them truth which they would be sure to t. We read, “And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, derstand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the

f this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; —

hey see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand 1 their heart, and convert, and be healed.” Thank God ours is not ard a task; the Spirit of God is with us, and men are turned fromness to light. Ought we not to be all the more eager to go? It is, point of great weight, an argument most telling. Do not refuse to feel wer, but yield yourselves up to God, seeing that he calls you to the = happy and blessed work which even he himself could commit to

- Then comes Isaiah’s prayer for authority and anointing. If we read is passage rightly we shall not always throw the emphasis upon he last word, “me,” but read it also thus, “Here am 1, send me.” He is willing to go, but he does not want to go without being sent, and so the ayer is, “Lord, send me. [ beseech thee of thine infinite grace ‘me, open the door for me, and direct my way. I do not need to e forced, but I would be commissioned. I do not ask for compulsion, t I do ask for guidance. I would not run of my own head under theion that I am doing God service. Send me then, O Lord, if I may 0; guide me, instruct me, prepare me, and strengthen me.” ‘There is combination of willingness and holy prudence — “Here I am; send.’ I feel certain that some of you are eager to go for my Lord and ster wherever he appoints. Keep not back I pray you. Brother, ke no terms with God. Put it, “Here am 1; send me — where thou yilé, to the wildest region, or even to the jaws of death. T am thy aldier; put me in the front of the battle if thou wilt, or bid me lie im debtedness to Jesus, by the terrible condition of the heathen, and.

of Christian love, “ak am 1; send me.”

the: trenches; give m g
or give me silently to
fortresses. Use me as thou wilt; se
to thee; only here I am, thy willing aor eo (
thee.” That is the right missionary spirit, and may God be
to pour it out upon you all, and upon his. people throu
world. To me it seems that if a hundred were to leap up and ea
exclaim, “Here am I; send me,” it would be no wonder. By t

awful hell whose yawning mouth is before them, ought you not ereamI; send me”? The vessel is wrecked, the sailors are. ing; they are clinging to the rigging as best they can; they ae washed off cne by one! Good. God, they die before our eyes, ai there is the lifeboat stanch and trim.. We want men! Men to man boat! Here are the oars, but never ‘an arm to use them! W. b “be done? Here is the gallant boat, able to leap from billow to billoy only men are wanted! “Are there none? Are we all crayens? is more precious than the gold of Ophir. Now, my brave brethr n, ’ will leap in and take. an oar for the love of Jesus, and yon dying And ye brave women, ye who have hearts like that of Grace will not ye shame the laggards, and dare the tempest for the love in danger of death and hell? Weigh my appeal in earnest and for it is the appeal of God. Sit down and listen to that sorro

then respond, “Ready, aye ade ready for anything iat wl hich Redeemer calls us.” Let those who love him, as they per - around them the terrible token of the world’s dire need, ony in an agor