Alone with God and Me

‘Peace on earth, and good will among men.” So sang angels when the Holy Babe was born in Bethlehem. But pcace there is not now in the world, in the Christian part of it, twenty centuries after the memorable night. But peace there will be, because angels announced it, and God promised it through His prophets. Peace there will be when He shall appear again, and then shall be fulfilled the sure words of prophecy which said: ‘ Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation: and He shall speak peace unto the (Europcan and American) heathen: and His dominion shall be from sea to sea.” So we rejoice, thou h the darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people.

Happy New Year! But why “happy? Not because another new year has coms, but because THE DAY is approaching, even the day of restitution of all things. Truly happy and thankful, especially this year, because now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed, and the night is far spent and THE pay is at hand, as witnessed by the progress of the world-war, the capture of Jerusalem, and other unmistakable signs of the times. The ~coming of the Lord is no metaphor; it is the greatest historical event, and every new year is “happy to the believers, because it is an. approach to that dreadful event, fraught with all blessings.

A great moment in my life was when I found myself, or rather, was found by God,—to be a sinner. For years, my supreme effort was to make myself pure and holy before Him. Another great moment was when I found my righteousness, not in me, but in Him who was crucified for my sins. For years, I tried to realize in myself and others the gospel of Jesus Christ and-Him crucified. <A third, and perhaps the last great moment in my life was when I, was shown that my salvation is not yet and that when Christ shall appear again, then, and-not till then, shall I be like Him. Conviction of sins, salvation by faith, and hope of His coming,—these were three steps by which my sou! was lifted to the joy and freedom of the heavenly visicn.

The Christianity of modern Europe and America is narrow and cramped, because it is concerned entirely with this world, and takes little or no account of the Great Beyond. It tries to build its philosophy (“theology ” they eall it) upon the things and experiences of earth, excluding heaven as mystical and uncertain. Not so the Christianity of the New Testament. Its chief concern is with heaven, not with earth; with the future, not with the present. It says clearly and definitely that the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal. The Christianity of Christ and His apostles is en-. tirely different in tone and genius from that of modern Europe and America; and we of Asia, the home of the true original Christianity, will resolutely look away from its narrow modified form, and seek the original which is broad and roomy as the azure sky above our heads.

It is a strange fact that we who have never been in favour with missionaries, and have not received a. sen of help from them and _ their churches in our Christian work of many years, now stand for plain, simple Biblical Christianity, while those who attack and mock us as superstitious, unscientific and unreasonable are those who were taught and brought up by missionaries, and are now honoured among them as true teachers of Israel. A strange fact, but not inexplicable, we believe! It was unto babes ‘that the primitive faith was first revealed, and not unto the wise and understanding; and if it was so in days of old, why not now in these latter days? ‘ Yes, Father, for so it was wellpleasing in Thy sight.”

Beier is not an intellectual act. It is not a result of careful investigations. Belief is an apprehension of truth with our whole being. Belief is therefore. instantaneous. Psychologically, it is an act akin to a man’s falling in love with a woman. He sees and believes. God speaketh, and a man believes in His words. God calleth, and a man responds by saying: “Here I am; send me.” We cannot with all our arguments make a man a believer. All we can do is to confirm the beliefs of a “believer. It is not necessary to be convinced by arguments in order to believe. We can ‘believe against belief as we hope against hope. Belief is sweet reasoning; it is a man’s falling in love with God and His truth.

- Tur Gospel is chiefly and essentially preaching: preaching the pure word of God: preaching Christ and Him crucified. The Gospel is not education: it is Nor social reform: it is NoT participation in politics and diplomacy. And the modern Christian misson, depaiting from the old Apostolic way, is depriving itself of “efficiency” they so much seek alter. The word of God isa power: the greatest uplifting, purifying and enlightening power there is under “heaven. And there is a famine in the Jand, not a famine of bread, or a famine of knowledge, but of hearing the word of God; and should we not pray that God send us more preachers of His word, and less philanthropists who after all but“ serve tables?

DAvrp C. Bett, an American merchant, ana my life-long friend, has prayed every day for more than thirty years that I might believe in the Second Coming of Christ. And now that his prayers were answered, and God opened my eyes, and I came-to believe in the Lord’s Return, and all things became new to me, 『 cannot but believe in mighty power of prayer. No amount of theological arguments would have sufficed to convince me of the truth of this central Christian doctrine; and what arguments failed to do, God’s Spirit in answer to the prayers of one of His saints accomplished in full. Wonderful are powers of prayers of faith! This is my answer to those who persistently ask me how I came to believe in the Second Coming of Christ.

Tne Rev. DANjo EsrsA, the leader of Congregational churches in Japan, characterizes belief in the Second Coming of Christ as “destructive to national existence, unreasonable, unscientific, unbibhesl and unchristian. But, strange to say, Oliver Cromwell, to whom England owes its very existence, was a firm believer in this doctrine, as were aiso Sir Isaac Newton and Michael Faraday, the former, the father of modern physics, the latter, that of modern chemistry. And as for Biblical scholars of the foremost rank who upheld and taught this doctrine, they are too many to be mentioned. Certainly, Mr. Ebina’s bold arraignment of this doctrine will be ‘received with astonishment by the Christian world at large.

THe Baron Icuizarmon Morimvra, an octogenarian convert to Christianity, is a man of keen common sense, as successful business men always are. Recently, when asked by somebody whether he believed in the Second Coming of Christ, he answered: ‘Certainly I do; if He doth not come, we will go to Him and ask Him to come.’ When asked furtber whether he believed in Christ’s coming again in flesh, he answered: “So much the better if He cometh in flesh.” The personal, visible coming of the Saviour is the desire of all unsophisticated Christians. Modern men may call it a gross superstition; but heart craves it, and yearns after it, and waits patiently for it.

The Bible is a book of God’s promises concerning His comings. In the Old Testament, He pronised through His prophets that He would come among men and save them. And He did come in His Son; but men rejected Him and erueifed Him. Then God in His infinite patience promised in the New Testament through His apostles and evangelists that He would cone again. And so the promise stands now. And as sure as He did come the first time, He will ccme the second time. His first coming was a surety for His second com. ing; and as the prophecies concerning the first coming were all and literally fulfilled, so those coneerning the second will be likewise fulfilled.

“Peace on earth”; yes, but not now. Peace there is not yet on earth; what there is is not peace, but cessation of war, and that from exhaustion. Peace is the fruit of free active love, and peace there is only when Love Himself cometh to earth to reign. To Christians who love His appearing, Christmas is not retrospect, but prospect; not memorial, but hope. Peace has not come already, but ⑰ 1s coming; and a semblance of peace which mankind has bought at enormous cost to itself, is a promise, faint though it be, of the true everlasting peace which is coming with the coming of the Prince of Peace. Maran atha is our cry, now as always,—till He cometh.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The universe had a beginning, it will have an end; it, after all, is a timephenomenon. og created the universe; it did not evolve itself. God created it; it was nota haphazard work; creation is a- supreme effort with a definite end in view. God created the universe; therefore, it will not end in failure. The heaven is a perfect machinery; so will the earth be the home of the righteous and true. The meek shall possess the earth; not the strong and clever, as they do now. God’s creation must end in perfection, in “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” In the very first verse of the Bible are contained all its promises, and all the hopes of mankind

The aim of His Second Coming cannot be different from that of His First Coming. As in His First Coming, He came not to judge the world, but to save it, so it cannot be otherwise in His Second Coming. “As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.” But each in his own order: the Christian to his resurrection-life; the Jew to his Messianic blessings; and the Gentile to the brightness of His glory. And all will be saved that God may be all in all. Judgement necessarily accompanies salvation; but judgement is an accompaniment, and not the aim. The Second Coming of Christ is a cosmic affair; all are interested in it, and all will be blessed by it.

Since we declared our belief in the Second Coming of Christ a year ago, we have been attacked and adversely criticized by the following recognized leaders of Christian thought in Japan, viz: Rev. Danjo Ebina (Congregationalist), Prof. Dr. T. Sugiura (Episcopalian), Rev. K. Shiraishi (Methodist), Prof. E. H. Zaugg (Dutch Reformed), Rev. T. Tominaga (Presbyterian), Dr. Clay Macauley, Prof. Ryo Minami and Rey. 8. Uchigasaki (Unitarians) and several others; while only one scholar of eminence, Mr. Y. Sakon (Methodist), declared himself as of the same belief as ourselves. We are quite sure that this belief is very unpopular among the leaders of Japanese churches. But strange to say, a large number of lay-Christians are its earnest adherents, and a good number of secular papers take reverential attitude towards it. As far as church-authorities in this country go, the belief is condemned as “ unreasonable, unnecessary, and injurious.” And we are those who are so condemned. Thank God! 1 ーー

I do not work; I believe. I do not pray; I believe. I do not sanctify myself; I believe. T do not prepare myself for heaven; I believe. Faith, which is believing in God’s mercies and in the sacrificial death of His Son,—/aith makes me work, fuith makes me pray, faith sanctifies me, faith prepares me for heaven. My religion is all faith. There is no effort in it except it be an effort to believe. The Lord Jesus Christ is my wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. He is my all. Indeed, for me to live is Christ. I by my faith let Him live and work in me, and myself become a believing automaton, a tit instrument of righteousness in His hand. All is so simple and so good. 1 Cor. 1: 30.

“ Herein is Love,’ said St. John, “not: that we loved God, but that God loved us, and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins.” It is mot wonderful that we love God, because He is lovable, but it 7s wonderful that God loves us who are unlovable. The lovable loving the unlovable, and sending His Son, His Only Begotten, that we might hve through Him,» that is Love, God’s Love. Men never love in this fashion. Certainly it is a new commandment to leve one another, i. e. to love as God loves us. Love as taught and manifested by vesus Christ is not passion, but free action of good will. God loves us, poor, miserable, lost sinners, out of His sheer beneficent will. I John iv. 10.