Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/23

 the 116,000,000 'put down as Protestant is lar in excess of the true number. Sixteen millions would, we believe, more nearly express the number of professing church members of adult years, and one million would, we fear, be far too lib- eral an estimate of the "little flock," the "sanaified in Christ Jesus/ 7 who " walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." It should be borne in mind that a large propor- tion of church members, always numbered in the reckoning, are young children and infants. Specially is this the case In the countries of Europe. In many of these, children are reckoned church members from earliest infancy.

But dark as this pi&ure appears, it is not the darkest pidlure that fallen humanity presents. The above cut rep- resents only the present living generations. When we con- sider the fadl that century after century of the six thousand years past has swept away other vast multitudes, nearly all of whom were enveloped in the same ignorance and sin, how dark is the scene ! Viewed from the popular stand- point, it is truly an awful picture.

The various creeds of to-day teach that all of these bil- lions of humanity, ignorant of the only name under heaven by which we must be saved, are on the straight road to everlasting torment ; and not only so, but that all of those 116,000,000 Protestants, except the very few saints, are sure bf the same fate. No wonder, then, that those who believe such awful things of Jehovah's plans and purposes should be zealous in forwarding missionary enterprises the won- der is that they are not frenzied by it. Really to believe thus, and to appreciate such conclusions, would rob life of every pleasure, and shroud in gloom every bright prospedt of nature.

To show that we have not misstated " Orthodoxy " on the subject of the fate of the heathen, we quote from the pamphlet "A Mute Appeal on Behalf of Foreign Mis-

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