National Prejudice by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Apr 22, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 16.

National Prejudice.

By Editor

THE measure of the missionary spirit in the church is the measure of the spirit of the gospel which it possesses. The Saviour said to his disciples, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations." He told them that "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations." And the redeemed throng are represented to be "of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues." And this is necessary to meet the necessities of man's condition. All are fallen; all are sinners; all are subject to disabilities brought upon them by our common representative head—Adam. For it is written that God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." As Christians, as missionaries of the cross, it is not permitted us to harbor race prejudices. If we differ from others, it is of the Lord's mercies; it is by the power and of the riches of his grace.

The present agitation of the labor question is leading to feelings of injustice toward those who are laboring for the conversion of the Chinese. We honor them, and especially those who are struggling to keep up the Chinese missions in California. It is a wonder that any are ever converted under the weight of unfavorable influences which surround them. But we are assured by those who know, that the Chinese who are Christianized in America are among the boldest and most steadfast Christians

when they return to their native land. This is certainly to the praise of God's grace; it is an attestation of the power of the gospel. These thoughts were suggested to us on our reading the following in the San Francisco Chronicle:—

"An English missionary named C. T. Studd has certainly carried out the Biblical injunction to the letter. He had a fortune of half a million dollars, but this he made over to the China Inland Mission and then accepted a position as a neophyte. It takes a man of great enthusiasm and small knowledge of the world to devote himself to Christianity in the Chinese, as they have thus far proved to be the most stubborn of pagans."

The Chronicle is a good, enterprising news-paper, but we should be slow to accept it as authority on the subject of Christian mission work. Its experience in that direction has not been extensive enough to qualify it to give a reliable judgment. There is no class of men better qualified to judge on such questions than the Bishops of the Methodist church; their office brings them in contact with missions; they are overseers of missionary work. No one could doubt that Bishop Wiley was well qualified to speak advisedly on this subject, and his words were directly contradictory to those of the Chronicle. We heard Bishop Wiley say that the Methodist mission in the Foochow district was established about the same time that the Methodists commenced effective work in California. There they had race and caste prejudices to meet, and the darkness of paganism to contend with; but he said the converts in the Foochow district numbered about the same as the Methodists in California; their native Christian preachers about equal the number of Methodist preachers in California. And they were all well-tried, faithful, devoted Christians.

Let the editor of the Chronicle read the life of Dr. Judson; let him read what that devoted apostle of missionary work suffered in Burmah; let him consider how long he labored to plant the standard of the cross in that land, and compare that with the success of the work in various parts of China, and he must, if fairness is allowed any place in the decision, confess that he has spoken unadvisedly concerning the Chinese as subjects of missionary effort. Such words as those we have quoted from the Chronicle do not lead us to doubt the power of the gospel, but they rather lead us to distrust the candor of the man who wrote them. We greatly fear that he was led by a popular cry, to do injustice to Christianity, to Christian workers, and to those for whom Christ died and for whom he is now pleading in the high court of Heaven.

We wish to record our protest against one rule of judgment that is adopted by certain classes when making their decisions on this subject. They hold up "our American civilization" in contrast with the paganism of the Chinese. But there is no such contrast as they seem to suppose. We believe that a just judgment will be rather in the favor of the heathen. Very few of those who are now pursuing the Chinese so relentlessly lay any claim to being Christians; certainly they do not show the true spirit of Christianity. Now we hold that an enlightened, educated American infidel, whether he meets Christianity with opposition or regards it with indifference, is a far worse man, considered from a Bible standpoint, than the benighted pagan of China. And every one who is acquainted with the ethics of the Bible will sustain that decision. Civilization, culture, refinement, are no substitutes for Christianity. When they become the pride of their possessor, and puff him up to look with scorn upon the uncultivated and benighted who have never enjoyed his privileges, they then are an abomination in the sight of God. It will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than for those who boast of their civilization, their education, and their refinement, who yet deny the Spirit of Christ, who labored and died for the lowly of earth, and places himself beside "the least" who believe and trust him. Let us not judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.