Missionary alliance 1888.pdf - DSpace

INTER"SEMINARY MlsSlQNAUY ALLIANCE.surely is wise to recognize the need and seize it as a God g'lvetunlty Th d' - n opporandi e Irect work ~f evangelization caD be pushed most rapidlyp anted m~st firmly In connection with it." The children and;~~n,;~:~pcl e lDbt~e flSChOOIS Bre the classes it is most important to reachan e In uenced most 6IiSily." ,A noted Japanese has pro 0 d thBuddhist pripsts which are n p se at. the one hundred thousandenlisted as school-teachers af~W largAl~ without employment sha1l besrhools The Ja l" 'I' er a speClal course of training in normal. pan nat. remarks that such .~ompensate the Buddhists for the blow whl b a measure wou~d more thanl~ DO dan~er of this suggestion bein ~ they h.avE:' receIved. Theretuoity i8 seized by the Christ'gl~arrled out If the present opporaTt'at once provided for En t a : wor ',and enough Christian teachersif they are not fort~comin g l:h:!>eaklU g teach,ers are preferred; butforeseen. g, may otherwise be done caunot beThe fact that Japan is willin t 'allow them to give Ch i r' g ,0 employ Christian teachers Rndr s Ian Instruction in connecti ' Iing, shows that already th . on Wit 1.e governmenttheir teach-IS begin ' Iupon thp Christian religio Of 11 Dlog to ook with favor('orne to ,T apan the most n . d a the remarkable changes that haveOhristianity. Never at an ~oo ~rful is the present attitude toward. y Ime, In any land was th I"lUore s1Dcerely hated and desplse' dthan.' e re Iglon of OhristIn Jap t~ r eat was the opposition thu.t ace t an wE'nty years ago. Sostrictly forbidden At on~ tl' 't ep ance of the Christian faith was. me 1 was an annual c tthe streets of the cities a woodeus om to drag throughIi d S ' n cross bearing an . (E' amour, to be trampled and 't I Image 0 the crucibyyoung and old. Even the b ~Pl . upon with Curses and execrationsio this desecration that the a es.lD arms were made to participateI y mig h t grow . hthe !->yrnbol of Christianity A I up Wit a loathing for evenAfIBirs said to the foreig~ a sb atedas 1870 the Minister of Foreignim assa ors assembled II Wrf'Ct' ve your railroads, your telegra hs : e are glad toyour science can give but the . p ,!our steamboats, and all thatd th. • re IS one thlUg that '11an at IS your religion. We wlll shu' we WI never receive,taglous disease." This same mno h r n It f\Snwe would shun a con·to Christianity removed but thI ~ ,lved to see not only the barriers,e re Iglon actuall fadvocatedby those in high om 'I . Ycia Circles He h'avored and openlyIa d v I se d a fri end to send his soos to DoSh'. Imse f, a year ago,school at Kyoto for the sake of 't lsha, the Christian trainingT'1 S moral ioOuehe government no longer opposes . n~e .I'ank are accepting the Christian fa'th I Christianity. Men high invice-president and a majority f \h' n one province the presidentGradually tht' Ught of the Gospol' e lesser ofilcials are Christians'i e IS permeatin th 'penetrat ng to distant parts of th i g e great cities andhiodrances. The Prince of Da e k emp re, but not without meeting withr ness sees his r I 'ena wIth all tbe forces of evil to ceckthep h ea m lDvaded , and hast-rogress of Christianity.•THESIGN I F ICANCE OF TilE CRISIS [N JAPAN'.Persecution, arising froUl the hostility of the conservative classes to allthat is new or foreign, or incited by the priests of the heathen religionswho see their power slipping from their hands, is at last giving way,and the people stand ready to hear the truth, But immediately newdangers arise, The minds susceptible to the truths of Christianity areJust as open to anti-Christian ideas. While the missionary sows thegood seed, the adversary is busy sowing tares. The soil is fertile forboth, Which will yield the greater harvest? The country is beingflooded with translations of atheistic writings by noted infidels .ndskeptics of Europe and America. The term science is a magic word tothe Japanese, and ull thtLt is offered under that guise is seized withavidity, When they lind so much of infidelity and skepticism in t heworks of prominent scientists, is it any wonder that their faith in Ohristiauityis shaken '! The dangt'r is that baving lost confidence in theirold religions, they will feel that all religions are false. The governmentacknowledges that Japan is practically without a religion. _4.time came in the history of Home when the ancient religions had losttheir power over the people, and as there was nothing to reploce them,the nation sank into a state of corruption, licentiousnesS and debauchery,and the fall of Rome was assured. History presents other similar examples,Shall it be repeateu in ,J apan?There is also a far more subtle and perhaps more dangerous attackwhich threatens tht' work in J apao, The very popUlarity of Christianitymay prove a serious matter. Prominent newspapt'TS ure advociltin gthe adoption of the new religion, Official favor is daily grow ing,Already there are rumors that soon an imperial t'dict will makeChristianity the established state religion. But the motive for ~uchaction is an unworthy one. Those who advocate it are not Christiau~,nor do they desire Christianity for the sake of its transforming powerin the life and character of the individual. They knoW nothing ofthis, ,rith them it is nn important step to be taken simply in order towin prestige in the eyes of the civilized world. They perceive that tbemost progressive nations of the earth ure the Christian natioos. 1 heywish Japan to stand among the foremost, hence Japnn must be Christian.Thus they argue, nnd rightly too, but they seem to think that theEmperor by his edict, as if waving a magic wand, can suddenly transformthe millions of Japanese into Christians, aod cause the news to goforth on the wings of the wind, "J apan is now a Christian nntion." Itis evident that a state religion, compelling strict observance of rites andceremonies, in a spirit of c·old formality, will prove more of a hindrnncethan a help to tbe spread of the Gospel of salvation. But in spii'!'of these and other obstacles, the eye of faith sees tokens of brightpromise for the future of Japan, Sixteen years ago there were butten native Protestant Christians in that country. To-day there are69