The spirit of Christ has penetrated even where his rule is not acknowledged, and the humanitarianism of the present day is simply the leaven of Christian love working among the masses of men.
In the Christian world the effort to realize the brotherhood of all men in Christ is producing large results. Treasures of money, and infinitely more precious treasures of men, are every year devoted to this one object. The cause of Protestant foreign missions is not yet a century old, but the latest available statistics tell us that the following016/12 sums are being contributed annually for this great work:[3]
| 32 | American societies contribute | $3,011,027 | ||
| 28 | British | " | " | 5,217,385 |
| 27 | Continental | " | " | 1,083,170 |
| 87 | societies contribute | $9,311,582 | ||
With this large sum American societies are employing 986 men, and 1,081 women; British societies, 1,811 men, and 745 women; Continental societies, 777 men, and 447 women. Total, 3,574 men, 2,273 women.
Visible results of faithfulness in work:
| Members in | American societies | 242,733 | |
| " | British | " | 340,242 |
| " | Continental | " | 117,532 |
| Total membership in foreign lands | 700,507 | ||
| Children in the Sunday-schools | 626,741 | ||
The subject of home missions is to-day attracting greater attention than ever before. “Die Innere Mission” of Germany, the various forms the work assumes in England, the many societies in the United States occupied by the questions of city evangelization, work among the Mormons, the treatment of the Indians, care for the colored race, and017/13 other phases of home work show that Christians are fully understanding that it is wise to build over against our own house.
Certainly the reproach cannot justly be made that the Church of Christ is neglectful of the precept, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men.”
This is genuine service of man to man, and the motive of the service is love to God. Every revelation of God is of ministering love and compassion, and the efforts of his disciples to imitate the divine love have indelibly stamped upon modern civilization the Christian impress.
The service of ministering compassion is so clearly one of the duties of Christ’s Church that of necessity there must be ordinances touching the exercise of this duty. So in Acts vi, 3, we read of the appointment of the deacons, “men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom,” to see that the service of the tables was not neglected.