Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-10-01

not too great, and corporations and in
dividuals should beware how they lay
temptations in the path of any man.
The Issue Before the American Board
The coming annual meeting of the great
American Board of Foreign Missions, soon
to be held at Des Moines, Iowa, is awaited
with especial interest by large numbers Of
Christian people, in order to see what ac-
ton will be taken on some practical mat
tiers arising from question now promn
emily before the Congregational denomina-
ton. The question is that of the POSSIBLE
ity of future probation for the portion of
the heather world to whom the Redeemer
of mankind has never been revealed. A
large portion of the denomination regard
such probation as possible if not proba-
bic. They say there are many thousands
OF millions of human souls, for whom
Christ died, who had on earth no oppor-
tunity to believe in him. They have not
rejected him for they never heard of him.
Must we believe that all these are etern
ally lost, as certainly rs those who have
consciously rejected him If the Bible
tells us that this is so, of course we must
y
any one should want to believe so dreadful
a thing unless compelled to- Examining
our Bibles, we fail to find any passage which
forblds a hope that Christ may be offered
after death, to those to whom he was not
revealed on earth. We do find state
ments that "Christ tasted death for every
man." and statement of one of his
apostles which seems to say that his Cos
pei was preached to the dead. The final
fate of the heather who never received
the gospel in their mortal life being unre-
vealed in the scriptures, we do not under
take to decide what it is; but since it does
not give us any pleasure nor contribute to
our faith in the goodness and mercy OF
God to believe that all these countless
millions are irrecoverably and eternally
lost, we are willing to believe in the posi-
bility of an offer after death to those who
have not rejected Christ in life Such a
possibility is taught by some eminent re-
ligious teachers, and among them some of
the professors in Andover seminary. On
the other hand, a large portion of the de
nomination look with strange alarm on
the prevalence of these views, and CON
slider those who hold them to be but a
step this side of universalsm. They seem
to consider the absolute conviction that all
the heather are forever damned save
only the comparatively few who have
heard and accepted the gospel, to be es-
sential to all Christian effort, and espe-
cially to all missionary effort. They are
wont to allude to the Andover professors,
and the men Of the so-called new school,
as believers in a second PROBATION for all
men, though none Of them believe in a
second probation for any man. And So
with no little misstatement of positions
and jumping to conclusions the contro-
versy goes on.
An issue on this question faces the
American Board, through the action of
the secretaries of the Board, who belong
TO the Joseph Cook wing of the denomna-
ton, in rejecting several young Christian
men who offered themselves as mission
aries, because they were unwilling to say
that they believed that no heather could
ever have an offer of the gospel after
death. 1t is known that some of the most
earnest and successful missionaries in the
service of the Board, if a line was drawn.
would be on the AndOver side of the con
troyersy. 1t is known that thousands of
members of Congregational churches,
who are among the heartiest supporters of
Christian missions, are on that side. In
view of these facts, il is possible that the
secretaries of the Board may be asked at
the meeting, why they undertake to en-
force tests which the Bible does not en-
force why, if condition of mental doubt
as to the state Of the heather who
never received the gospel, disquaiies q
young man for acceptance as "A missionary
it should not also disqualify missionary
from continuing to render missionary ser
vice; why they ask for money since they
refuse men, from those who harbor such
doubt?
The secretaries will perhaps have salts
factory answers to these questions but
unless they do, they may find it not easy
TO hold the united support and confidence
of the great body of supporters of the
Board, a large section of whom cannot