Page:The Moslem World - Volume 02.djvu/15

 THE NEAREST WAY TO THE MOSLEM HEART—A SYMPOSIUM


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attracts like. The nearest way to the Moslem heart is to use what appeals to the heart, rather than to the intellect. Our individual attainments, or the attainments of the Christian Church and Christian nations, in knowledge, in riches, or in power, are not in themselves persuasive. These things held up as the fruit of Christianity \W11 not lead many Moslems to desire to be engrafted into the True \'^ine. Neither, I think, has oiu' superior theologj^ been the way by which Christ has approached the hearts of most converts from Islam. The Moslem heart is not different from yours or mine. ^Vhat would appeal to us will appeal to him. It must be the heart that touches the heart. The things of the heart—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness and the Hke, are what the heart esteems worth while the world over. The way then for him who would enter the door is to bring of these gifts which the heart always craves. If it were enough to tell of them and of the Source from which they spring, our part would be simple. Bat the human heart demands more than this, else had the Gospel ended for us mth the story of the disciples. There is only one way to prove to our Moslem friend that Christ can and will give to him now these blessings, and that is to show him that He has given them to us. To use an analogy which will be familiar to many, we are as commercial agents, persuading merchants to trade with the Firm which we represent. We have abundance of printed appeal at hand, clear and convincing, but in addition to this, there is need of the living epistle. We must show our samples, and these, for us missionaries, are nothing less than the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We say to him. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and He will give you the blessings of peace and joy and holiness. At once he replies. You have believed; I will judge of the worth of your belief by what yon have of these blessings. And so we must be ver\' particular about