Free Church Presbyterianism, by Rev. James Begg, D.D.
Closing Address: SPECIAL DUTIES AND DANGERS OF THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
Part 5: (Duties)
THE NECESSITY FOR A MISSIONARY INSTITUTE.
THE
same system of private residence and training might be adopted with
even more manifest advantage, by the establishment, as has been
suggested, and as I suggested several years ago, in addition to a
lectureship, of an Institute for the training of missionaries under the
charge of one or more of those who have returned from the mission
field, and this without in the least interfering with the attendance of
the students at the ordinary theological classes.
They might by this
domestic training learn much, without any great effort, — nay, it might
be made to some extent a recreation, in regard to the history,
languages, and manners of those countries in which they may propose to
labour, things only learned at present by a great waste of time,
strength, and money, in the mission field itself; Whilst the very
existence of such an institute would concentrate your strength, and
give a great impulse to the spirit of missions at home.
Rome, wise in
her generation, has such a central training institute in the Eternal
City, with students of all nations, ready to go forth upon her work.
She has even Gaelic students there, training for the work of Rome in
our own highlands. Such institutes also exist in England, although in
an imperfect form. If we had such an institute, we should not only, by
the Divine blessing, have a constant supply of men, but be able to
estimate our young missionaries before sending them out, and to select
their appropriate fields of labour.
We should have thus also a noble
field of work for the matured zeal and experience, although diminished
energies, of our retired missionaries. It seems to me that we can only
fully avail ourselves as a Church of the gifts and experience of our
accomplished Braidwoods, Murray Mitchells, Thomas Smiths, and others,
by adopting this suggestion — [applause] — and that, if the return of
our noble friend Dr Duff from India, and the meeting of this Assembly,
should be productive of no other result than the accomplishment of this
one unspeakably important object, both events would be for ever
memorable in the history of our Church and of Christian missions. [Applause.]