The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1889-02-27
A JAPANESE INQUIRER.

l once heard an address made bv
returned missionary from Japan. He
said the Bible itself was a great mission
ary, and sometimes fragment of it fall
ing into the hands OF q native was the
means OF his conversion. He told us OF
a Japanese boy who studied geography
made for the Christian schools of that
country. The first sentence in it was
this: e" In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth" The boy said,
" There is no God like that in Japan. /
would like to know more about the God
who made heaven and earth.'' He
found out that his geography was pub
llshed In the United States, and he de-
termined that he would come to America.
After many difficulties he succeeded.
First he went to China, and after wan
dering about long time hs managed to
get on a vessel bound &c this country.
On the voyage he asked the captain of
the ship to tell him about the God who
made the heaven and the earth. The
captain was not religious man. but he
had kind heart and he promised the
lad that when they landed he would
take him to man who would tell him
all he wanted to know. He brought
him to the owner of the ship, who became
interested in the boy, took him into his
family, sent him to college, then to a
theological school, and shipped him back
to Japan, where he became teacher In
a Christian institution. Tue government
offered him employment in a position
where he could have good salary, but
he refused to accept it, preferring to
spend his life in teachir his country
men aboutthe God who z the heaven
and the earth, and the f salvation
through His Son.
But if any should be $50 weak and
wicked as to neglect or reject the Bible,
God has other ways of bringing His
Kingdom near to men.
The Bible cannot follow tue man who
departs from it. 1t has No voice for
those who will not open it. If laid on
shelf there it remains, covered with dust,
a silent book. The little Bible the moth
er gave her boy when he was leaving
home, and which he placed in the bottom
of his trunk, may still be found there
mute and making no appeal to the heed.
less son.
THE PREACHER OF THE WORD.
But God does not abandc those who
thus neglect His word. He II . appointed
an order of men whose grea, commission |
s to go and preach the Gospel to every
One great provision of His |
wisdom and love is the 6Ujnq ma5niSt2v. |
1t Is their great business to make the |
word vocal to announce God 8 claims by |
all the awakening terrors OF the law, and |
by all the winning allurements of the |
Gospel, rich in grace. The men who |
hold this sacred Office are called the en-
bassadors OF God, and they are to 90 to |
their fellow men warning, persuading, |
pleading, with words like these: "As |
though God did beseech you by us, we
pray you In Christs stead, be We recon. |
ciled to God" The Scriptures every
where magnify this Office. They pre-
claim faith as saving grace. They de-
clare that, whosoever shall call on the
name of the Lord shall be saved :" but
now shall they call on Him in whom
they have not believed ? And how shall
they believe in Him of whom they have
not heard ? And how shall they hear
without preacher? 1t was by preach.
ing that the knowledge of salvation was
spread all over the world in the early
ages, 80 that nation after nation was
brought into the kingdom OF Christ. In
times Of lukewarmness and apostasy 1t
was by preaching that the church was
revived. The triumphs of the great Re-
formation, as it Is called, were caused by |
preaching. the great majority OF all |
who now form the Church of God on
earth were converted and brought into
it by preaching. You have seen a little |.
called the 3 bl-ning glass.
You hold it in the sunlight and put
piece OF dry wood or tinder under it, and |
hold the glass off at certain distance,
u til you get what is called the focus.
Thus the scattered rays of the sun, that
would not kindle anything in a week, are
gathered and brought to point, as it |
we're, and then the tinder catches fire. /
The sermon is like that burning glass. It |
collects the scattered beams of divine |
truth, brings them to point, directly
over the heart or conscience Of the hear |
pr, and then the sacred FIRE is kindled /
The sermon iG the Gospel chariot in which |
saving truth rides through the world.
YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE.
But why should I speak Of the power
)f preaching over others when you have
20 often felt it yourself ? There sits
man who came in one Sunday night, |
and careless, bat before the
sermon was half over he became solemn