Training and Equipment of Missionaries: The Need of Faith, Where It Should Be Centered

TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT OF MISSION- ARIES.

THE NEED OF FAITH— WHERE IT SHOULD BE CENTERED. BY EDWIN F. PARRY, RECENTLY OF THE PRESIDENCY OF THE EURO- PEAN MISSION, LIVERPOOL.

of a New York preacher of some prominence It is related

that when he began to preach he could not draw many to his church to listen to him. He had observed that theatres were always well filled, but his church never was. This gave him an idea, and he remarked to a fellow-clergyman that he was going to "make a break," and then disappeared for a while. He found a man who made a business of training actors for the stage, and to him he applied for instructions. The trainer suspected the occupation of the minister and shook his head and said "I never train clergymen, so cannot take you as a pupil." When pressed for a reason he said: "You would not do as I tell you, and if you did they would expel you from the pulpit." But the applicant insisted that he would do as told and take the risk. And the trainer proceeded to give the minister his first lesson, which was about as follows, as related by the minister: "You were educated all wrong according to our standard of speaking. All ministers are," began the trainer. "I believe you," I promptly replied. "You speak from a little box pulpit high up?" surmised the teacher. "Yes, sir," came my answer. "Will you agree to abandon that, and have a large platform like a stage for you to walk around on to talk to men from?" "Yes, sir," was my reply, with some hesitation, as the ghosts of ministerial propriety glared at me from the unchanging past. "However, Mr. Clergyman, the greatest difficulty to remove I

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will find in yourself rather than in the church building. There is

not a thing you have been trying to do but is wrong. Do you believe in this book" picking up a small Bible — "that men must know its truths?" "Yes, sir, I do." "That if men would be saved they must receive these truths? That the choice of life or death is here?" "Yes, sir." "That thousands will go down to death unsaved unless you teach them to receive Christ?" "Yes, sir." "And this is the way you go about it." Changing his quick, nervous, earnest ways to great deliberation, he straightened up to his highest, seemingly, buttoned his coat, touched up his hair, slowly adjusted a pair of glasses, dropped his arms by his sides and began a "Dead March in Saul" pace to the imaginary pulpit. A face of chalk would have made as much expression as his, as he calmly opened the book and read in a perfunctory way some scripture. He cleared his ministerial voice, and, turning to the minister, said: "Mr. Clergyman, did I do it justice?" "Yes, too true to life," I said. He came back to my side, unbuttoned his coat, put on an alert look, strode to his pulpit, opened the book with earnestness, and, with flashing eye and fervid voice, read scripture, making my blood tingle. His very hair seemed to believe and speak, his flesh to creep as if pent with a great message. He talked as if he stood between the living and the dead, as if for the last time; as if earth as a grain of sand were being lost on the shores of oblivion, and frosted and palsied all the achievements of man. If lifeless with dignity before, he was now all life, all eloquence. He stopped and said, "Mr. Clergyman, will you do like that?" I said, "I will try." He said "Note this you ministers express what you believe in : :

such a way that people do not believe you believe it, while we actors express what we do not believe in such a way that people believe we believe it." If the truth were known it would be discovered that many

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ministers do not believe all they express, or what they read from the scriptures. The trainer's criticism of sectarian ministers' preaching should not be applicable in any way to the missionary who has the true gospel of Christ to proclaim; and there should be no necessity on the part of one who teaches the gospel to assume the character of an actor in order to make an effective appeal to people's hearts.The nobility of his calling, the knowledge that he possesses the truth, the importance of the message he bears, and the grandeur of the gospel principles, as they appear to his mind, are sufficient to arouse the most sublime enthusiasm within his breast; and his utterances, inspired by the Holy Spirit, cannot fail to impress those who hear him. Faith is one of the most essential qualifications of a missionary. In addition to a firm belief in God and in the gospel of Jesus Christ —the message he is sent to declare — it is very important that he be fully assured that he is called of God through his appointed servants, and that he is truly authorized to preach the gospel and administer its ordinances. Having this assurance, he can rely upon receiving the assistance of the Lord, through the influence of his Holy Spirit, and can hope, with such aid and his own diligence, to succeed in his labors. The Latter-day Saint missionary, called as he is from any of the various avocations of life, may or may not at first possess all the qualifications of faith necessary to his success in the ministry. In many instances when first called, his faith is undeveloped. Being young, as is most frequently the case, the newly-called missionary is without the experience essential to the development of faith. While he has been taught to believe in God, and possesses a general belief in the gospel, he may not understand the doctrines of salvation in detail. But a simple belief in God and sufficient faith to obey the call made of him, will serve as a good foundation upon which to build. The experience which a young man usually receives while first engaged in missionary work is just such as is most suited to his requirements, and is of the very best character to cultivate faith. Having accepted the call into the Lord's service, naturally his desire will be to perform his duties faithfully and acceptably; and, realizing that he will be unable to do so without divine aid, he will feel humble and submissive. In this condi-

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tion of spirit, he is susceptible to the operations of the Holy Spirit. Under its influence, his mind becomes enlightened, and the principles he is engaged in studying and preaching, become clear to his understanding. Having his thoughts concentrated upon the things of God, the gospel becomes to him a most interesting study. Principles that once were but vaguely understood appear clear to his comprehension; and they appeal to him as they never did before. As new light dawns upon his mind, his faith is strengthened and his knowledge increases. He becomes imbued with a most ardent desire to bear testimony to what he knows concerning the gospel which is so dear to him. In his efforts to explain the truths of the gospel, both in public and in private, he experiences the fulfillment of the Lord's promises concerning the workings of the Holy Spirit — it brings things to his remembrance, shows him "things to come," testifies of Christ, etc. Just in the moment of need, he receives additional light, and thus his faith is being perfected. He learns to trust in the Lord, and to depend upon him for guidance. As he continues in his labors, he becomes more and more qualified for the duties of his calling; and he is rewarded for his services by the sweet satisfaction of an approving conscience. Such is the general experience of the humble missionary who goes forth in weakness, relying upon the Lord for guidance. Experiences of course differ according to the faith, disposition, training and previous course of life Some young of the individual. men go to their fields of labor with more or less doubt and misgiving as to the result of what they are about to undertake, while others proceed to fulfill the call made of them with implicit faith as to the outcome of their efforts. The writer has in mind examples that illustrate both of these classes. An instance of the first-named class was that of a young man called some few years ago into the mission field. While at home he had not, for a number of years previous, given any particular attention to spiritual duties. He attended religious services occasionally, but this he did more to gratify the desires of his parents, and through associating with others who were in the habit of attending meeting, than on account of direct interest on his own part in the services. And when his call came to take a

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mission he was influenced more to go, no doubt, by his parents, and friends and by public sentiment than by his own sense of duty or his desire for the work. He, however, like perhaps many others in a similar condition of life, decided to "go and try it." He did so, and it was not very long after reaching his destination in the

mission to which he was assigned, before he became fully convinced of the divinity of the work, and labored with interest and enthusiasm, and his efforts were not without encouraging results. Not always does the faith of young missionaries develop into knowledge so readily. With some, the growth of faith is more gradual, and they strugle for months with their studies, performing their duties in a somewhat mechanical way, with but little satisfaction to themselves. But no missionary who has gone forth prayerfully and in the spirit of humility, earnestly desiring to get a testimony of the truth of the gospel, has failed to be rewarded with that desired witness. It comes to him sooner or later just as the Lord has promised: "If any man will do his [the Father's] will, he shall know of the doctrine." An experienced elder once related to the writer his first

experience as a missionary. He had gone abroad in obedience to the call made of him, feeling that it was his duty to do so, but not realizing that he had a knowledge of the truths which he would be expected to teach. When assigned to his field of labor, he went to work with this same feeling. He studied the scriptures, visited the people, spoke in public when called upon, but for some time did not feel that he could truthfully testify to having a knowledge that the gospel is divine. One evening, he went with his fellow-missionaries to hold an out-door meeting. At first a feeling of dread took possession of him, thinking he might be called upon to speak, and in his condition of mind he was reluctant about performing the task. But soon after the meeting began, an entirely different feeling came over him. The Spirit of the Lord rested upon him, and it appealed to his mind as never before. As if audibly spoken, these words came to him: "The gospel is true; Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and you know it, so do not be afraid to testify to it." From that very moment, he did know it. He was so strongly convinced that he wondered why he had any doubt of it before. Instead of shrinking from the

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duty of speaking, he now became so desirous to bear testimony to what he knew that he could scarcely wait until there was an opportunity for him to do so. After that, was no trouble for him it

to bear his testimony with earnestness and power, and to put his whole soul into the labors required of him as a missionary. Some missionaries proceed to their fields of labor with full assurance from the commencement that success will attend their efforts. A somewhat amusing incident, which occurred a few years ago, shows the trusting faith possessed by such men. A man called at a conference house in Great Britain in search of old clothing. One of the elders brought out an old pair of trousers for which he consider he had no further use. He was oifered a shilling for the pair, and was about to accept it when a newly arrived elder exclaimed, "Let me have the trousers; I will give you a shilling for them." It made no difference to the owner who got them, so he sold them to the last bidder. "They will do to wear while baptizing people," the purchaser remarked, with a feeling of confidence that they would be in frequent demand; but his companions, some of whom had had considerable experience in that conference without seeing many fruits of their labors, smiled at the assurance he had that the investment was a profitable one. As time rolled by, the elder found occasion to make use of the trousers a number of times, for, during his missionary career, he baptized between forty and fifty persons. There is danger of missionaries placing too much confidence in their own ability to preach the gospel, rather than trusting in the Lord. Those who have, by the assistance of the Spirit, been enabled to preach with great freedom and fluency, sometimes forget themselves and feel that their own ability has been the cause of their success. But such persons generally learn by unpleasant experience that it requires constant humility and faith in the Lord to effectually proclaim his word to the people. It is not always

the young and inexperienced who have this feeling of self-confidence. A man of middle age, and one who was prominent as an ecclesiastical officer in the place where he resided at home, was once performing missionary labor. He proceeded with considerable confidence in his own ability to expound the doctrines of the gospel, feeling that his experience at home qualified him fully for his work.