The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-10-27
CONVERTING THE HEATHEN.

Extract from discourse by Rev. DIR
Stuart Robinson of Louisville, KY, deliver
ed at the Monthly Concert for Prayer
Text: Mark xvi Is, $50 ye into all the
world and preach the gospel to every cres
ture."
The greatest hindrance to the work Of
missions in our times is the in6delity OF nom
inal Christendom, and its reaction of the
church itself, to impair the faith of many in
the reality of the command of Jesus and the
consequent obligation of Christians to obey
it. Of course, ga decent respect for the
opinions of mankind" restrsins this infdel-
ity from any open denial, either that Jesus
Christ came as incarnate God, and, ascend
ing gave this command: go ye into all
nations and preach the gospel to every crea-
ture." Its policy now is rather to ridicule
missions to the heather, with Sir Samuel
Baker as the man-and- brother theory, and
to affirm with him that tie soldier must go
first, and then the merchant and then the
missionary. Whereas the facts cited show
the absurdity of this dogmatism, in that the
missionary has gone with equal success be-
fore the soldier or the merchant either, as
well as with the soldier and with the mer-
chant, and after the soldier and after the mer-
chant. This is only another form of the old
dogma, so absurdly in the teeth of facts and
experience, that civilization must precede
Christianity. For the history of civilization
for century past demonstrates, without a
single exceptional case, that the uncivilized
heather can understand the gospel way Of
civilization, and that the acceptance of the
gospel is the necessary prerequisite to any
permanent civilization.
And like response may be made to the
crude dogmatism of the anthropolOgical
scientists, that religion is but particular
phase of the development of the human brute,
which needs different religion in the differ
eut stages, and that Christianity is altogeth-
er unsuited to the savage stage of develop
ment in the human creature; that the effort
should rather be to get hold of the religious
idea of this idOlatry, and by education de-
velop that. For the facts already cited show
beyond dispute that not only may the saw
age, or semi savage, comprehend and truly
accept the gospel plan of salvation, but that,
as in India, the secondary influence of Chris
tian principles may at length pervade the
unconverted masses and gradually loosen the
foundation of the most ancient and skillfully
constructed idolatries.
The most serious hindrance, however, to
the efforts in behalf of Christian missions is
the semi-in6delity of nominal Chr riStianity,
which without show of violent opposition,
seeks to undermine the faith of true Chris
tian people in this work. The abettors of
Popery undertake to proclaim that no mis-
sions but the Popish missions, which have
generally proceeded upon the principle of
cOnceding in part to the prejudices of idola'
ters, and engrafting their own legendary su
perstitions upon the superstitions found
among the idolatrous heather, literally catch
ing the pagans by guile. The Rationalists,
after the fashion of Colenso, will have it that
there is no hope of the conversion of the
heather so long as the missionaries pretend
that the whole Bible-Moses and all-is the
inspired word of God. The men of wholly
secular views of the question of Christianity
denounce it as fanaticism to look for the con-
version of the heather and an extravaganza
of piety to be wasting money upon such an
enterprise. These and other similar dogmss
pervadiDg the atmosphere of public thought
are far more perilous and psralyzing to the
work of Christian missions than the forceful,
bitter, rude, prosecuting opposition of former
days. The germinal ideas thus planted in
the public mind flower out and bear practical
fruit in the suggestion that these mission
aries are the wrong men and acting on false
principle. The means used are such as to
render success impossible. In fact, instead
of making the heather believe, they are de-
grading them by enticing them to hypocrisy.
Then from this comes the fundamental
trouble that such cavils, filling the religious
atmosphere with their subtle poison, affect
the faith of the feeble and less spiritual
members of the Christian church, especially
those little inclined to contribute of their
wealth for Christ's cause, and thereupou
comes in religious phase of the cavil saying
that the spiritual state of the heather is ex
aggerated by the friends of missions. Coo
is merciful, time is slow, humanity is grow
ing and will at length come out all right
They have law and order, and even that, &C
cording to their light, they have religion
which may be acceptable to God-therefor'
there need be no such stir. 'Let the pool
heather alone" they say. "Will not Coz
be merciful to poor soul who never hearC
of Jesus Christ if he does has best according
to the light he has ?" Now, it is not for u
TO say how a merciful God will deal with tn
heather, nor are Christians the parties t.
deny the mercy of God, but the misfOrtun
with your arguments is that you found
upon an imaginary, not real cause. First