Religious Liberty and Home Missions
He who believes in true religious liberty believes in it primarily not for himself, but for the other man. True Christianity will never seek to entrench itself in civil law; and true democracy will never uphold or support a religion or church which seeks support from the state. He only knows true liberty, he only works for the permanent conservation of his own liberties, who grants to the other man—be he his most bitter and restless, religious and political opposer—the rights he asks for himself. The sole object of the founders of this government was the protection of each person in his rights, which God gave to every one equally. In so protecting the individual, incivility and violence on the part of those who disregard others' rights are restrained; and the result is the greatest good to the greatest number. It is estimated by immigration officials that the number of immigrants who enter the United States this year will reach a round million. What an opportunity this will afford for genuine foreign mission work—at home! The selfish and the mercenary will hold up their pallid hands in horror at the thought of so many aliens coming to the United States. The Christian might better thank God for bringing the heathen to our doors for evangelization than seek to shut the door in his face, and deny him the privileges which we enjoy. If Christians had carried the Gospel into these darkened lands as they should, much of that darkness and degradation would have been dissipated, conditions would have been bettered in those lands, and their inhabitants would not now be flocking from their own country to ours, as they are to-day. They will be much more likely to come in contact with the Gospel here than there. It is more important that this world be evangelized in the shortest possible time, than that a certain portion of its surface be restricted to the educated, the prosperous, and the wealthy.