p. 8 | To Those Who Hold the Ropes by W. A. Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 21, 1914

To Those Who Hold the Ropes

By W. A. Spicer

At the beginning of the century of modern missions, William Carey, the pioneer, gave us for all time the striking illustration of the relation between the believers at home and the missionaries in the field. Carey’s associate, Fuller, listening to the account by Mr. Thomas, the Indian chaplain, who told of the great need among the Hindus, said that there was evidently a gold mine for missionary effort in India, but it seemed as deep as the center of the earth. “Who will venture to explore it?” he said.

“I will venture to go down,” said Carey; “but remember that you,” turning to the representatives of the Baptist churches, “must hold the ropes.”

Continually our mission fields give expression to their courage in the Lord at the thought that his truth for this time and his blessed Spirit are keeping thousands of believers in the homeland actively engaged in the task of “holding the ropes.” Here is a paragraph from one of the outlying mission stations of the China circuit, written by Elder W. F. Hills, on receipt of information from the Shanghai headquarters that appropriation had been made to meet the calls considered absolutely essential for pushing on the work in the Swatow district this year. He writes to the Mission Board: —

You can guess the joy that filled our hearts when we received word that every dollar was allowed which we asked for in our budgets this year, and that we had the faithful people at home back of the promise to send us money each month to push our work on toward the goal. I tell you we can here appreciate the earnest efforts and the faithful sacrifice of the brethren at home, for a few dollars more added to the allowance of last year will allow us to answer another call or two which would otherwise have to wait. Tell them that the interest on their investment is accumulating very fast out here, and that although they may not see the actual returns here in this life, they may have the joy of knowing that soon they will be able to sit at the great table in heaven around which shall be gathered jewels just as bright as any which will enter the kingdom.

So the messages would come, if we gave the space, from the whole worldwide circuit of our mission stations. Everywhere the need is so great that none of the stations receive what they need. At every point the workers make their calls according to the bare necessities for keeping pace with the most pressing providences of God; and while the entering of many an open door must be deferred, the fields are thankful that the brethren in the churches are giving week by week, with now and then a large gift, so that somehow advance steps can be taken at very nearly every point.

The only way out for us is to give ourselves to the Lord for the carrying of this message to every unreached people, and never for a moment must we slacken our hands upon the ropes.

The “promise to send money each month to push our work on toward the goal” is not and never can be the promise of the Mission Board treasury. It is merely the estimate which the General Conference Committee makes as to what should be apportioned to each local mission, based only on the reports of what has been given in the past, and on the knowledge that there are thousands of believers in this message in the churches who will not forget that they are the Lord’s stewards, and that the money for missions must come week by week and month by month from the hands of the Lord’s children who are pledged to give their lives and their all for this work. The promise is God’s promise to finish the work and to use his people in the doing of it.

The call for resources for a little expansion of the work year by year is illustrated by this paragraph from another great field, India. Brother S. A. Wellman, of Lucknow, enters this plea for North India: —

As to the appropriations for the present year, we are holding to what you allowed us. But as far as the North India native work is concerned, it will have to be doubled the coming year if we are to keep up with the work already started. The calls and the conditions demand that we shall not stand still. We have been the most meagerly manned field in India, as far as native labor is concerned. We must have more to do with another year, or our work is practically at a standstill. We have one third of India in this division, and great openings in a number of parts, especially in the Panjab, and we should be in a position to step into these openings.

So come from the wide fields the words of thanks and of courage, and the appeals for help.

W. A. S.