The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-09-28

adherents in this belief. Now Mr..
Shaw says he does not believe in
this doctrine, and others say as does
Mr.. Shaw, while many believe but
do not say. Since Mr.. Shaw does
not believe the souls of a
billion of the inhabitants of the
earth will be eternally damned,
he must therefore believe they will
be saved, for there is but one grade,
according to his church, of both sal
salvation and damnation. He ad-
mits that even the souls of heathens
are saved, and, therefore, though he
denies that he repudiates ortho-
doxy, he virtually does, and if he
terodoxy be not confined, according
to his belief, to the limits of the faith
of the Catholic church, he becomes,
beyond doubt, if there be such, at
least qualified heterodox. AS a
Protestant minister, especially one of
the strict school to which Mr.. Shaw
has allied himself, he occupies dan
gerous ground, and for safety's sake
should be accommodated. Some
time ago Rev. IL. w. Thomas, of Chi
csgo, took some such liberties as Mr..
Shaw has now taken, admitting that
belief saves, whether through one
creed or another, and he was there
for expelled from the Methodist
church and is now conducting a
very popular church in the same
city, and it is growing rapidly in
numbers and in strength, for it offers
not so narrow path towards saliva
ton as the one he first trod in seek
ing and effecting spiritual salvation.
Mr.. Thomas quotes holy writ to
prove that there is not that
discrimination as to salvation
which he once taught, and Mr..
Shaw does likewise; and, while he
denies heterodoxy, there are host
in his church, and in the other Chris
tian churches, who will contend he
has bid farewell TO orthodoxy" and
treads the path that leads to unbe-
lief. The STATESMAN does not say
that he has abandoned the faith, and
it would not think of intlmating that
new light has taken possession OF
his soul, but it looks upon the naked
facts, as presented by him, and feels
that he has said that which is calcu-
lated to destroy the strength of Pro-
testantism, to which, while tn e
world owes something of persecu-
ton it owes besides vast
deal for enlightenment. Will
he and other ministers, at this
day, weaken the march of civiliza-
ton over the broad world by telling
US that missionary work is useless
in the plan of salvation? The devout
Christians, who to-day throughout
the land throw into the platter an
offertory for missionary work, be-
lieve that they are sustaining the
cause of salvation, and the hap
piness derived from such con-
tribution must not be married
by the thought that the soul OF
the heather, who believes his
wooden god will save him, or who
worships the fire at the altar, and
turns in reverence to the Sun
as his god, is to be saved with
out belief in Christ. Europe and
America, the homes of Chris
tianity, as well as the abid.
ing places of philosophy that
teaches there is no occasion for sal
walton, are thus placed IN the scale
against Asia aud Africa, which
many times exceed in population
the former. The former are Chris.
tians, so called, the latter heathen'
The one is really divided be-
tween Christianity and infidelity /;
the other heather to the core, all
earnestly heather, believers in no
God, but appealing for salvation to
idols. According to Mr.. Shaw these
hundreds of millions of ASIA and
Africa are saved almost to a man
while in America, under the guild
ance of Christendom, there is the best
reason 10 believe that not one adult
soul out of ten is saved. Think OF
the peopllng of heaven almost alone
from Asia and Africa, which the
doctrine of Mr.. Shaw teaches, and
we may readily see where he and
Mr.. Thomas. and others injure the
cause of Christianity, by admitting
it is not necessary in the plan of sal
walton. The object of our religion ia
to save souls; conquering armies
and fearless navlgators spread civili-
zation; and if it be true that these
hundreds of millions of heathens
stand as good chance for attaining
salvation as one-tenth of those in
Christian countries, there must be q
sort of lonesomeness in the better
world for us Of the western hemis-
phere, the Asiatics and Africans hav-
ing the advantage on .universality
of faith. If these peoples
souls be all saved, then it
would be best, in one sense, to leave
them to their own faith, and not SOW
among them another which has
many diverse doctrines. Certainly
the preaching of Mr.. Shaw is danger
Gus. His explanation makes the
case no better, for in 1t he reiterates
a doctrine, to which Christians
have long chung, and which has
led societies throughout the
world to send brave hearts among
the heathens, and to expeDd vast
sums of money, collected to push
the plan of salvation among the un-
informed. According to Mr.. Shaw,
the fires of perdition are fed
more by the consumption of
souls from the civilized Chris
tian world than from the unciv-
lized and the heather. When we
think of the political and social and