The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 639

THE HARDENING OF NATIONS their missionaries,

may

599

well ask themselves whether by such play-

ing at missions they do not increase their own responsibilities rather than those of the heathen nations. How serious these responsibilities, especially regarding the heathen and Mohammedan nations! Owing to the divine pleasure the Christian nations pos-

and material superiority. England alone is perfectly able to control China, Japan, the whole of India and Turkey besides. There is not the slightest prospect that the heathen nations will, the nafor a long time to come, be able to cope successfully with sess a moral

tions of Christendom.

In their

own

native jungles they

may

be

the open

able to maintain themselves, but as soon as they come in may harass the Achinese, but field they are vanquished.

We

never enters our minds that they will

efifect

it

a landing upon our

shores.

another question.

this will so continue is

Whether

Christian nations return

more and more

to

As

the

Judaism, and thence

to

heathenism, it is very possible that they will lose also their mateThere are already signs showing that China may rial superiority.

some time seriously vex the Christian nations and in India our possession is not as undisturbed as once it was. The ancient moral ;

greatness and world-supremacy of the heathen nations should not be forgotten it is only fifteen centuries ago that that state of things was reversed. All the more reason why the Christian nations ;

should consider that they owe their power and glory only to the name of Christ; and that they are responsible unto God for the

performance of their duty toward these nations. God demands that we bring them in contact with Christ and they themselves are en;

titled to

it.

This contact should be comprehensive. It should be noticeable in the European and American settlers in those countries in the laws and institutions which we impose upon them in the writings and information which we bring them especially in our preaching ;

;

;

of Christ

among them.

And comparing

these moderate claims

with the reported shameful manner in which selves Christians act in those countries,

men

calling them-

their immoralities, their

by their traffic— it is the opium practises— iniquitous ^.^. and unjust laws

cruelties, their grasping, their corrupting of the nations ,

obvious that, instead of our being the cause of the hardening of the

heathen nations, our own debt and responsibilities with regard to

them are

largely increased.

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