There is a tradition that Christ died with his face turned westward. Whether this be true or not, men in these Western lands, with the missionary principle at the center of life, may well be steadied and strengthened by the thought that Christ saw across centuries and civilizations the new peoples in the West who were to be called to a prophet's place in his Kingdom. At any rate the westward movement outlined in Acts and later history, from Palestine to Europe, to the Anglo-Saxon race, to America, is an unmistakable indication of God's plan. For two thousand years this movement has been gathering momentum for impact on the mighty East.
The United States and Canada are standing together solidly in all the great religious and missionary movements of our time. In the discussions that follow there is no thought of minimizing Canada's position of leadership. She has vast dimensions and almost unlimited latent resources. Her response to the call of world-wide missions is inspiring. The national missionary policy adopted by the Canadian churches at the conclusion of the National Campaign of the Laymen's Missionary Movement in 1909 set a definite goal for the Dominion which is much more nearly realized to date than that suggested for the United States by the National Congress in Chicago in 1910. These two nations are inseparably united in common missionary ideals and plans and in a common missionary purpose. On both sides of the border Huntington's hymn may be sung with real sincerity.
Two empires by the sea,
Two nations great and free
One anthem raise.
One race of ancient fame,
One tongue, one faith we claim,
One God whose glorious name
We love and praise.
Now may the God above
Guard the dear lands we love,
Both east and west.
Let love more fervent glow
As peaceful ages go,
And strength yet stronger grow
Blessing and blest.
Canadians will find it easy to apply to their own land the principles here stated. Some of the illustrations are taken from Canada, but of necessity a majority refer to the United States. A pamphlet entitled "5,000 Facts About Canada," published by Canadian Facts Publishing Co., Toronto, is illuminating reading.
America's Place of Leadership in the Kingdom of
God is Indicated by Her Strategic Location and
Other Geographical Conditions.
Provincialism has no place in true statesmanship, especially the statesmanship of the kingdom of God. It was Salisbury who, in the English Parliament, took as the basis of one of his greatest speeches the phrase "Study large maps." It was Carey who said that he received his call by studying the Bible beside the map of the world. Gladstone had great power of discriminating judgment and it was he who said, "America has a natural base for the greatest continuous empire ever established by mankind."
The strategic position of America is indicated by the following facts:
1. The United States faces the two great oceans. So does Canada, but with that exception there is no other commanding nation that has a great coast-line on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. With many miles of coast-line on the east, America looks out toward the history-making nations of the past. Westward she faces that sea upon which look out the eyes of one half of the human race where life is all athrob with the new awakening.