The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-07-06

norance Of bible truth FOR instance
aAfter Adam and Eve ate the forbidden
fruit there eyes were opened. Did God
intend them to be blind?7 Again, II
God was the true God he knew all things
hence knew before he told Abraham 10
offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice, tnai
he would do so, why then did he NY
him." @If God is a God Of mercy, WY
is there sickness, and poison ana wiz
animals to destroy man, and why ooeS
the rice crop fail occasionally and iaiil-
inc arisey' We talked till u O'Clock
that night and he called frequently alter
while we remained
The next morning We had over 70 out
10 hear us. Our audiences were compos-
ed almost entirely Of the higher classes
They were all invited in TO hear the new
doctrine the day previous by the man
in whose house the meetings were
held, and then japanese style as soon as
we arrived messenger was sent TO let
them know that all was ready, and then,
and not before did they assemble.
thought it best if the rebellion IN the
Southern part of the Empire and some
other difficulties were in tine way, not to
press the matter of public preaching
place, but follow the inclination Of the
people. ] spoke of religion in general
that there was a true religion and a
false religion. The the true religion i'm
proved the morals of the people while
the false had no such effect. The true
religion was the doctrine of the true
God. This true God was the creator OF
all things, not of Japan only, but OF the
whole earth and heavens. After the
speaking they had many questions to
ask in regard to many things that we're
said and this was frequently the best
part of the meetings. The next day we
ment Nose San, a young man who had
been in the States six years and taken 4
course ofstudy at the Oregon University.
He has been employed as Superintend-
ent of the Normal School in Okayama.
With him we visited the school. He
has some 300 pupils in the school and 20
teachers. He is christian and has been
teaching christianity some since he came
but being a man of more Zeri than Wis
dom he had on one or two occasions
broken some idols which so enraged the
priests and many of the people that he
came very near losing his place. Hence
he considered it wise to omit, for the
present, his weekly lectures on christian
ity and other christian teaching. He
needs TO be led out in the work for
Christ with some good friend to counsel
and advise with him. / feel that he
would make good and faithful worker.
He gave us much valuable assistance
while we were there. We had our meet
ings in the afternoons in a different part
Of the city. There we're NOS so many
out as in the morning; the greater part
being teachers and advanced pupils from
the school. Mr. Nose and my assistant
did most of the talking. Then we had a
long talk with one of the teachers. His
idea was that moral science and educa-
ton are all that is necessary fer the
people. That perhaps few of the lower
classes might be benefited by religion,
but the upper classes did not need it.
This is very common idea among the
upper classes in Japan. He wanted TO
know why the people of the U S, being
well educated and yersed in moral
science, still had such institutions as
Mormonism, Free Loveism, and why
slavery had SO long existed. Why there
were such things as gambling hells and
brothels, apparently not seeing that such
things existing in the midst of an edu-
Gated people, and who knew more or
less of moral science, was proof Of itself,
that his theory was at fault, viz that
moral science and education are suffi
cient of themselves" He said that one
Smith, Superintendent Of schools in
Connecticut, (of whom / had not heard)
had said education and moral science
were sufficient. Bismarck had said that
all the learned men and men of science
we're disbelieyers of christianity; and
Bismarck was a great and learned
man." Why is this, if the religion Of
Christ is true and necessary. linen
ton this to show what the missionary
has to meet and contend with wherever
he goes in Japan among the upper
classes. The infdel sayings of men in
the United States and Europe travel to
heathen lands before the missionary and
have to be met and overcome by him.
The next morning our audience was
larger, some 80 being present. My talk
this morning was God is God of mercy
man sinner, Christ a Savior" Our
meetings were two and sometimes three
hours long. Points,n not well understood,
were more fully explained by my assis-
tant. The interest and the desire to be
heard seemed to be growing. My talk
the next morning was: Man as a sinner
is weak, but God by his spirit assists us
TO become good, if we believe on him
through Christ. This talk called out 6
great many questions and considera
BILE discussion at the close In the dis
cussion | had fine opportunity to see
the great advantage one possesses IL
being pretty well versed IN christian
doctrine, and how very much superior
in true knowledge young man il
who spends even short time in in oul
school, say two years, over the feremos
Confucianism, Shintooism and Budd
hism. My last talk was on the truthful
ness Of the christian religion, and 9
strong exhortation to study the Bible
for themselves, and see that it was true
Just acliat man needs. They we're appar
emily impressed and promised to do SO
The interest in these talks increased
from the first They bought all the
books we had along to sell, and | prom.
ised to send them more. They urged
me to come often and stay long that
they might learn the more and express
ed desire that would come and live
with them.
Three or four young men living in OF
near the hotel where we were stopping
bought the Gospels and had read them
well through before we lett. When
they came to a place they could not
understand. they marked it, and when
we were in our rooms, they came in to
have these passages explained. Thus
they often encroached upon our hours