“THE harvest truly is plenteous but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” How fitting are these words of our Lord to the situation that has now for long existed in New England. The currents of unbelief and indifference have left in their wake spiritual devastation. The multitudes are scattered abroad as sheep not having a shepherd. They are destitute of the ministry of that gospel which is the only power of God unto salvation.
It is the burden of this great need in the field that was once the home of the godly pilgrim fathers who there sought refuge from hierarchical tyranny, that constrained a small group of men to form, less than a year ago, “The Committee for the Propagation of the Reformed Faith in New England.” The purpose was to launch humbly, yet in confident reliance upon divine grace, upon the task of sending men imbued with intelligent devotion to the gospel into these needy fields.
The result was that during the course of last summer and early fall nine men were sent to this work. The number of weeks for each man ranged from sixteen to four. The average number of weeks for each was eleven. And in addition, during the course of the winter to the date of writing, two men have labored continuously on the field.
As regards personnel, all of the men who worked either in the course of the summer and fall or throughout the winter have been graduates or students of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.
The fruits of these endeavors have been in a signal sense gratifying. To the committee one of the most gratifying features was the self-sacrificing devotion and enthusiasm of the men and, to the men themselves as well as to the committee, the evidence given of the Lord's hand and blessing upon their labors.
Now, as our session at Westminster Seminary is drawing to a close, we are making plans for summer work to begin not later than May 15th, and to continue to the end of September. We are hoping that, in addition to the two men who are already on the field, we shall be able to place at least ten men from among our graduates and students. Various circuits are being arranged so that with the aid of automobile or bicycle each man may be able to cover a fairly wide area and thus have as many as four or five preaching stations at which services and Bible classes may be conducted either on the Lord’s day or on week days. Much attention will also be devoted to house visitation. By the arrangement of these circuits and by the provision on the part of the committee or of the men themselves with adequate means of transportation, one man will be able to cover four or five times the territory that one man covered last year, and that without any necessary diminishing of attention to each particular town or village.
It will have been noticed that the phrase, “Reformed Faith,” appears in the title of this committee. There is nothing for which the committee exists other than that which is comprehended in that phrase. It is for the propagation of the Reformed Faith, and that means simply the propagation of the whole counsel of God as revealed in His holy Word, the whole counsel of God as it respects faith and life. Its purpose is the evangelism which is not only consistent with the Reformed Faith but the necessary expression of it wherever it really exists as the controlling thought of the mind and passion of the heart. It is evangelism in pursuance of the Lord’s command, “Go ye, therefore, and disciple all the nations.”
In these times there is much evangelism that is clap-trap, much so-called evangelism that does not have the gospel, and much also of evangelism that, though evangelical in its general spirit and result, is not true to the whole counsel of God. It is the aim of this committee to foster and further evangelism that will not be dependent upon the sensational for its appeal or success, but evangelism grounded in the conviction of the absolute sovereignty and efficacy of the grace of God, evangelism among the degraded and ignorant, the indifferent and hostile, that does not fear to declare the whole counsel of God and to proffer to men lost and dead in sin the full and free salvation that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. It is confident evangelism because, though not given in the persuasive words of human wisdom, it depends for its efficacy upon the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. And thus the faith of men will come to rest not upon the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
We are conscious of weakness. We know something of the infirmities of others because we are conscious of our own. But grace overcomes infirmity. And most gladly, therefore, will we rather glory in our infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon us.
We are hoping this summer to send ten, perhaps fifteen, men. We trust that the needs of these men will be met, for “the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof.” We wish we had sufficient funds and men so that we could send a hundred. Even then we should only be touching the fringe of the need in this greatly unevangelized field. A great door and effectual is opened unto us. We pray for consecration in ourselves. We pray for the same in the men who will be sent, and for the baptism of the Spirit upon them. May they in true apostolic fashion turn that world upside down. But we also with deep earnestness solicit your prayers and interest. Precious seed; has already been sown and, we believe, will be sown. And may we not remind you as well as ourselves that “he that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him” (Ps. 126:6).
The members of the committee are the Rev. W. P. Green, 1626 Columbia Road, South Boston, Mass., Treasurer; the Rev. John Skilton, 371 Congress Street, Portland, Maine, Secretary; the Rev. David Freeman, 429 Wellesley Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Vice-Chairman; and the present writer, of Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Chairman. Such gifts as have been received for the work have gone in their entirety to the support of the missionaries. Committee members have themselves borne all the incidental expenses, and have given their services without charge. This same policy and method will continue to be pursued.