A PASTOR who had taken special pains to work up the "envelope system" of systematic offerings for missions and other church work, was greatly surprised and disappointed to find on the returned envelopes, opposite the item of "For Foreign Missions," the response, "Not one cent." This has suggested in the mind of a lover of missions the following:
"Not one cent for saving a soul outside of the United States.
"Not one cent for giving the Bible to other nations.
"Not one cent for revealing a God of love except to Americans.
"Not one cent for making Christ known as a Saviour of all mankind.
"Not one cent for giving the hope of heaven to a despairing world.
"Not one cent for teaching the world the morals of Christ.
"Not one cent for healing the sick beyond our borders.
"Not one cent for education where it is needed most.
"Not one cent for bettering the physical conditions of earth's wretched ones.
"Not one cent for giving to the world what God has first given to us.
"Not one cent for anything which we as Americans are not to get something out of.
"Not one cent in attestation of our faith that we have a universal religion.
"Not one cent for fulfilling the very purpose of Christ in redemption.
"Not one cent for obeying the last command of Christ.
"No, those men did not think what they were saying when they wrote those words."