“Yes,” I answered, “in a great measure, to its credit, but does this prove that it has the only and exclusive right to help mankind, or by doing so that it was established by God to the exclusion of all other good societies? Just so far as it performs good deeds it is of God, as any society or an individual that does the same kind of work.”
He replied: “Then you degrade the church into a mere human society?”
“Yes, it is only a society founded by men, but there is no degradation if it does the work of God. It is to be judged as any other human affair by its works, as your Scripture says: ‘the tree is known by its fruits,’ or as Jesus said, ‘not every one that saith Lord, Lord, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ When God sends His sunlight equally upon all mankind, are you going to confine His spiritual light to any one society, called by men a Church? We should have more liberal views of God’s justice and loving mercy than that.
“One of the beautiful expressions of Charles Kingsley is this—“God demands not sentiment, but justice. The Bible knows nothing of the religious sentiments and emotions, whereof we hear so much talk nowadays. It speaks of duty. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another. We must live nobly to love nobly.”
“God sends His teachers into every age and clime
With revelations suited to their growth.”
“I want to admit the fact that the Church in its principles, as indicated in the teachings and example of Jesus is the grandest society on earth for the amelioration and salvation of mankind, but what is it in practice? Go into the large, fashionable churches in any country, where are the poor? In many of them not there at all. If a few of them happen to be present, they are on the back seats, in the corners, while the rich and influential are on the best seats in front. Take your own church. The highest of rank in the station are honored with cushioned, carpeted pews in front, where they get the first draughts of the unskimmed milk of the word and so on down, caste by caste to the doors, where the poor may find a few plank seats if they can. Have I not seen some of the poor who have gone early into the front seats, ordered into the rear? Are there not ranks and castes in the House of God, as you call it? Did not the first missionaries in India for many years, as may be some do now,—have different cups for the communion, some for high castes, and others for low castes? Was this following Jesus in the true spirit of the communion? Jesus did not establish a church; then why should any of his followers do what he did not even suggest, and besides, claim infallibility for what they have done? Certainly in human affairs organization is essential, but principles should be first of all, and instead of wasting time over dogmas and trivial rites and ceremonies, the church, as a society, should follow and imitate Jesus in doing the work he did.”
I went on rapidly, and my caller did not seem disposed to interrupt; whether he thought my remarks worthy of his notice or not, I did not know or care.
He said, “I will not answer you, but come to the subject again,” putting on a humble, unctuous, clerical manner. “I am sorry that through your club these people are kept away from the church.”
I replied: “Let us see how far this is the case. There is a large number of Eurasians in the station. How many of them ever went to church? Not more than a score. Why the others did not attend is not for me to say, only to mention the fact. Where were the rest? Some out shooting; others at their games; the most of them in their miserable homes, spending their time in idleness, frivolity and vice, drinking the wretched cheap liquor that Government has provided for them. You have never been to their homes; you know nothing of their poverty and squalor; you have no idea of the social vice and drunkenness among them, unfitting them for any work. They seemed to be forsaken of God, as well as by their fellow men.