ere this, fallen at the feet of the Crucified,--knowing at
last the Name whereby he has been saved,--and has heard from the
Divine lips the gracious approval, waiting to be bestowed on all men
of good-will, of whatever age, of whatever land, who have "worked
righteousness," and have faithfully responded to whatever measure of
light and opportunity has been accorded them by God.
27 I may observe that the language, not only of the New Testament, but
of the _Athanasian Creed_, was quoted to me in this connexion by a
Buddhist priest in Japan. I endeavoured to point out to him,--how far
convincingly I cannot say,--what at the present day at least is
generally recognized amongst us; that for the Christian Church to
warn her own children, in terms the most emphatic just because the
most loving, against becoming entangled in the deadly errors
prevalent at the time when the Creed was drawn up, is a thing wholly
distinct from passing any sentence of eternal condemnation on, or,
indeed, expressing any opinion as to the future state of, such as
live and die without ever having been brought to a knowledge of the
Faith. I added, of course, that any acquaintance with the claims of
Christianity is a responsibility for which we believe all will have
to give account.
28 I doubt if the speaker, in his long absence from England, quite
realized the extent to which, of the last few years, bitterness and
intolerance have effaced themselves, at any rate within the limits
of the Church of England; or was aware of the marked improvement
that is exhibited amongst us in dealing with such matters of
controversy as still remain.
29 In the course of a letter appearing in _The Christian_ of April 20,
1893, the Rev. H. Loomis writes, "Let the _forty thousand_
Christians of Japan but dedicate themselves to the welfare of the
country in all its relations, and the true new Japan will be
founded." But Mr. Loomis himself has placed the total membership of
"Protestant Missions" at 35,500, of the Orthodox Church at 20,300,
and of the Roman Church at 44,800. To which sixty thousand of these
does Mr. Loomis--presumably--refuse the title of "Christian"? and are
we justified in acting thus towards any who believe in the Holy
Trinity, and have accepted Jesus Chri
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