“The Earth Filled with the Glory of the Lord” is a sermon
by Dr. Samuel Miller given to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
during their annual meeting in Baltimore in 1835. This sermon gives a vivid picture of the
strong millinnialistic fervor sweeping the United States during the first part
of the nineteenth century. Dr. Miller
references Biblical passages from a number of sources from Leviticus to Isaiah
and into the New Testament explaining a “promise” from God that Christianity
will “govern” the world. This is first
point and repeated point calling it “Jehovah’s faithful and unerring promise.” This theme is carried throughout the sermon
pushing its listeners to greater zeal with military like word images such as “good
soldier of Jesus Christ” and “Captain of salvation” giving an idea of duty and
honor for sending out the message of Christianity to the world. The sermon culminates with Dr Miller
explaining his purpose for giving this message when he says “brethren, beloved
of the Lord, we come to mingle our vows with yours; to proclaim with deeper
conviction than ever, that we consider the cause of missions as the most
precious cause in the world…with greater zeal than heretofore.”
As much as
this sermon is an interesting view into the motives of the missionary movement
in the early nineteenth century it become more interesting when compared with a
modern missions board. Global Ministries
is a missions organizations that states that it has its roots in the early
nineteenth century. However where the
ABCFM was from the Congregationalist denomination Global Ministries is from the
United Church of Christ and Christian Church denominations. With these stark differences in mind there
are three other differences between Miller’s message of the early nineteenth
century and the Global Ministries website of the twenty-first century. First the reference to a world united under
Christianity that was so prevalent in Miller’s sermon is missing from anywhere
on Global Ministries website, in its place the term “peace” is very
prevalent. Second, the militaristic word
pictures that Miller used are also apparently out of style. And third the very
plan for missions has seemed to change, where as Miller provokes his listeners
with stories of martyrs encourages zeal for missions Global Ministries seems to
focus on social justice issues and shows how missionaries learn as much as
teach.
The
comparison of the two missions organizations is somewhat mismatched with
differences in denomination allegiances and therefore some doctrinal
differences. That being said, it is most
interesting to see the changes in attitude towards world missions in America.
Global
Ministries. “What is Global Ministries.” http://globalministries.org/about-us/.
Accessed 11/14/13.
Miller,
D.D., Samuel. “The Earth Filled with the Glory of the Lord.” Preached at the
annual meeting of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions,
Baltimore, MD, September 9, 1835.
