James Cantine, Ahmad Shah, J. H. Colpais Purdon, and George F. Herrick

“ We believe that the study of the New Testament in this way is the true road by which men can arrive at the truth concerning God's justice, holiness and mercy, and concerning human sin and salvation from sin. It is also the road by which we can arrive at such knowledge of the mode of the Divine existence and God's one revelation of Himself to the human understanding as our finite minds are able to grasp. We may well press home the question. What are Jesus Christ's claims ? ”

“ A Moslem is taught by his " Bible " that God does what He likes regardless of His own laws, and, should He transgress them, who is he who could question Him? He sees, therefore, no necessity for redemption, and cannot understand what should hinder God from receiving into His presence the vilest sinner, if He felt so disposed, since he, the Moslem, has never learned that evil cannot dwell with God, and that sin is a disease producing spiritual death, and he even regards sin as an ordinance of God for the accomplishment of his despotic designs. ”

“ His mission was to reveal the fact that while a Holy God hates sin, yet God, as loving Father, yearns for the salvation of men from sin, as a father longs for the return home of his erring, wandering child. The mission of our Lord Jesus involved much more than that. By His own life, teachings, and sacrificial, but voluntary death. He opened the way of return to God for every penitent soul that would trust in Him to lead that soul back into acceptance before God. Jesus Christ was prophet in the proper sense of that term, i.e., one who spoke to men on God's behalf. ”

“ We are not introducing our goods where there are none Hke them, but rather do we have to show that we have, that our Head can supply a better article than has been known before. The Moslem has something of all these things that we would offer to him with Christianity, and unless he is convinced that we have in our own characters and lives more than he,—more of love and benevolence, more of brotherliness and pity, more of true prayer and true submission to God—our progress will be slow indeed. There are things in the Moslem faith of which he is proud, and justly so. ”

“ Jesus Christ announced Himself and His apostles proclaimed Him Saviour of men, and this salvation was wrought out through suffering and death. As has already been shown in preceding chapters of our book, Jesus Christ revealed God to men, and was also Himself the pattern of a perfect human life. His mission, however, was not to reveal God as One, or Creator, or Supreme Sovereign, or as Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. ”

“ A small volume recently issued in Osmanli Turkish at Constantinople illustrates the writer's view of the true Christian approach to devotees of Islam better than anything else. It is entitled " The Unique Person of Jesus Christ and His Relation to Mankind," and tries to hold up Jesus Christ before their eyes in His unique Personality, teaching, works and claims. This is the way to the Moslem heart. For his heart is very human, and in many cases is not at rest. ”

“ In our day the attempt is made to reform society by civilisation, by education, by material progress, by change of policies and organisations. No! the change needed is vital. It is the change from moral death to moral life. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The missionary who can tactfully utilise the Koran, obtains an advantage miobtainable by any other means. He can, with it, effectively avoid awkward questions and dispose quickly of the obstacles which are hurled across his path as he advances. And the Moslem, finding that his owTi weapon can be used against him with such efficacy, becomes bewildered, and, strange to say, develops a respect for the despised Christian and a desire to hear from him truth which a moment previously he would have scorned. ”

“ So-called Christians in India often indulge in gam- bling, the Derby Sweep, lotteries and drink, all of which are forbidden by Islam. One of the chief sources of revenue is unrighteous, derived as it is from intoxicating drugs and hquors. Religious duties are neglected ; on Sundays the churches are empty, but clubs are overcrowded. ”

“ Do you possess in your nature such sympathy as will enable you to put yourself in the place of the person you seek to win, and can you hear your own words as he hears them and view your own ideas as he views them ? ”

“ It inspires a deep sense of brotherhood, aboKshes caste distinction and difference between rich and poor, high and low. Every Moslem is a preacher of its faith. Islam has no organised missions and no propagating organisations. The priest of a mosque is supported by the people round about, and his business is to give their children secular and religious teaching.
Alas, the Christian faith is not presented to Moslems in India in its united form, but as a house divided against itself. ”

“ We must show them that we are loyal to Christ in following Him by our actions and deeds, and last, though not least, that the life of Christ has made us free from all race prejudices and we are really one in Christ. ”

“ 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. ”

“ No o ther person, acknowledged prophet or apostle, has ever dared to make one of these claims. Yet the holiest men who have lived during the last 1900 years have, with one consent and gladly, accepted them all as right and true as applied to Jesus Christ. The significance of these claims of Jesus Christ is evident. God became flesh. ”

“ The Nearest Way to the Moslem Heart." (1) Missionaries particularly set apart for Moslems ought always to be men of the largest intellectual training. They must have a knowledge of Islam, with reference to its weak points and its points of contact with their ovm. faith, and so gradually reach Moslems with sympathy and love, trying to point out the shallowness of Islamic belief in God and directing their attention towards the Son of God, Who died for their sins and is ready to uplift them to Himself. ”

“ 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. ”

“ A healthy literature of tracts and leaflets containing no passages giving needless offence should be created. Care should be taken in dealing with all the passages in the Koran which appear antagonistic to our faith, and an analysis be made in how far corrupt Christianity stands responsible for such utterances by Mohammed. ”

“ It has been introduced by people belonging to the ruhng race, whose rehgious Ufe does not appeal to the Oriental mind. Racial pride and race-distinction are often m evidence in church as well as elsewhere. ”