Project Gutenberg's The Baptist Magazine, Vol. 27, January, 1835, by Various
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Title: The Baptist Magazine, Vol. 27, January, 1835
Author: Various
Editor: George Wightman
Release Date: December 27, 2009 [EBook #30769]
Language: English
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THE
BAPTIST MAGAZINE
FOR
1835.
THE PROFITS ARISING FROM THE SALE OF THIS WORK ARE GIVEN
TO THE WIDOWS OF BAPTIST MINISTERS, AT THE RECOMMENDATION
OF THE CONTRIBUTORS.
VOL. XXVII.
(VOL. X. THIRD SERIES.)
SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE.--Eph. iv. 15.
LONDON:
PUBLISHED BY GEORGE WIGHTMAN,
24, PATERNOSTER ROW.
1835.
LONDON: J. HADDON, PRINTER, CASTLE STREET, FINSBURY.
PREFACE.
Conducted by Divine Providence to the close of another annual period
of their anxious labours, the Editors of the BAPTIST MAGAZINE would
devoutly embrace the favourable opportunity thus afforded, for the
purpose of brief retrospect, and the exercise of sincere thankfulness.
During the months of the past year, they have been earnestly desirous
that the pages of each succeeding number of their work should supply
such a portion of religious instruction and denominational information
as, from its design and extent, their most considerate readers would be
led to expect; and, though fully sensible that they have not attained
the standard of their own wishes, yet they deem it incumbent to
acknowledge, that they have been strengthened in their progress by
perceiving that their efforts have been candidly appreciated, and in
many instances kindly commended.
In prefacing the TWENTY-SEVENTH VOLUME of this publication, it is
gratifying to be able to announce that, notwithstanding the frequent
introduction of new and attractive periodicals, the Baptist Magazine
continues to obtain an encouraging share of public patronage; and were
it to derive from literary contributions, and an extended circulation,
such support as the denomination to whose service it is principally
devoted might easily afford, the satisfaction of this announcement
would be greatly augmented.
If, in addition to the many excellent communications now received,
others were occasionally forwarded by writers to whom preparing such an
article might prove an agreeable relaxation from the pursuit of severer
studies, both the value of the work, and the interest of the writer in
its prosperity, would be considerably increased.
Before concluding these remarks, the Editors have much pleasure in
distinctly and gratefully adverting to the assistance with which they
have been favoured in bringing this volume through the press; in
connexion with which the usual exercise of benevolence to the _Widows_
of many of our departed brethren has been continued; and to perpetuate,
and, if possible, increase which, the conductors of the Baptist Magazine
have been invariably, and still remain, solicitous.
THE
BAPTIST MAGAZINE.
JANUARY, 1835.
MEMOIR OF THE LATE MRS. PEGGY WAUGH.
Recollections of departed excellence are always pleasant, often deeply
interesting, and sometimes productive of the happiest effects. The
delight we feel in tracing the successive stages of that pilgrimage
by which the saints of the Most High have "passed into the skies," is
neither a faint nor fruitless emotion, but a healthful exercise of the
moral sympathies. It purifies, while it elicits; the affections of the
heart. As we trace the formation of their character, we are insensibly
forming our own; and the observation by which we mark the development of
their Christian virtues, is among the most efficient means by which we
are provoked to their imitation.
Hence the inspired volume is not more a book of doctrines than a
record of the piety of ancient believers. That Holy Spirit, under
whose inspiration it was written, knew how to touch the springs of
human conduct, and therefore incites us to the highest attainments of
character by the influence of example. The names of the righteous are
enrolled in its imperishable leaves, and their memory, after the lapse
of ages, is still fragrant as the breath of the morning.
After the example of the sacred writers, every age of the church has
preserved memorials of the wisdom and holiness of its own times. In
some instances a service has thus been performed of inestimable value.
Patterns of faith, of patience, of zeal, have been rescued from oblivion
to be a stimulus to Christians in all succeeding periods of time. And in
other instances benefits, though not equally extensive, yet substantial,
have resulted from recording, in a brief memoir, the characters and
actions of those who, not called to occupy prominent stations, have shed
a sweet influence of piety upon the more retired walks of ordinary life.
The following pages are intended to preserve some short account of a
Christian lady, who from youth to old age "walked in the truth;" and
having become at length alike venerable in years and in piety, departed
this present life with the glorious hope of a better.
Mrs. Peggy Waugh was born at Wallingford, A. D. 1747. At an early
period of life her mind was brought under a divine influence; not,
however, by the ordinary means of grace, nor by any solemn providence,
but in a manner illustrating the force of scripture, and the sovereignty
of that gracious Spirit by whom it was originally inspired, and is still
savingly applied. Being present at a party where the evening was spent
in festivity and worldly mirth, she was invited to join in the dance.
This she had often done, for she was of a lively disposition, and her
parents were gratified by her mixing in the gaieties of life; but in the
present instance she felt herself unable to maintain the hilarity of her
spirits. The cause of her dejection none imagined, and she was perhaps
ashamed to acknowledge. While all was merriment around her, she became
suddenly pensive. A passage of the word of God, pointedly in contrast
with the spirit of the scene, had come with irresistible power to her
recollection. It fastened upon her conscience:--it reached her heart.
The music and dancing lost their charms; she sat in solitariness, though
surrounded with company; the world's fascinations appeared in a light in
which she had never before seen them, and the salutary impressions of
that evening remained unerased from her mind through all her subsequent
life.
While she was yet young, her parents removed to Reading. Shortly after
they had fixed their residence in that town, she was taken by a friend
to the Baptist Meeting, where she heard the Rev. Mr. Davis. She was
much interested in his discourse, and sought for opportunities to
attend frequently on his ministry. Under the able instructions of that
excellent man, her religious views became clearer and more definite, her
principles more firm and decided, and it was evident that the spiritual
change which had already commenced in her soul, was rapidly advancing to
its completion.
It was now that her trials began. The determinate and consistent form
which her renewed character had assumed, was far from exciting any
complacent feelings in the minds of her parents; and it became the more
obnoxious to them from the preference she manifested for the preaching
of Mr. Davis. They had brought up their family to the established
church, and it distressed them exceedingly to see their daughter
becoming a dissenter. But she had counted the cost, and was prepared to
make any sacrifice, and to endure any hardship, rather than forego the
privileges she now enjoyed in the house of God. Hardships she had indeed
to endure: such was the severity with which she was treated, that it was
no uncommon thing, when she returned from the sanctuary, to find her
father's door locked against her; and often has she walked in the fields
without food during the intervals of public worship, rather than incur
the displeasure that awaited her at home. This was a season of trial,
and she came forth from it like refined gold. Her filial attentions were
not less respectful or affectionate than formerly; on the contrary,
she watched both her temper and her conduct with more than wonted
carefulness, and endeavoured to show them that she could bear with
meekness the wrongs she suffered in so good a cause. Nor did she wholly
withdraw herself from the established church. Reading was at that time
favoured with the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Talbot, the Hon. and Rev.
Mr. Cadogan, and the Rev. Mr. Eyre, his curate at St. Giles's. The
preaching of these faithful servants of the Lord was distinguished
by its truly evangelical character, and she found much benefit in
occasionally hearing them. At their Thursday evening lecture she was
a constant attendant, both at this period and after she had joined the
Baptist church. Her new principles had not contracted, but on the
contrary enlarged, her mind. Her views with regard to the ordinance of
baptism, and on some other subjects connected with those parts of divine
truth on which a difference of sentiment prevails, were conscientiously
embraced; but they were held in the spirit of Christian charity. As much
as she could, without a sacrifice of conscience, she endeavoured to
conciliate the prejudices of her parents; and at length her efforts
were blessed beyond her most sanguine hope.
It will a little anticipate the order of the narrative, but it may
properly be added here, that she had the satisfaction, at a subsequent
period, to know that her pious conversation and deportment had, under
God, been the principal means of producing a saving change in her
father, in her mother, and in two of her brothers. Her parents, at an
advanced age, departed in the faith, leaving no doubt on the minds of
surviving friends that they had fallen asleep in Jesus.
It was the happiness of Mrs. Waugh to be united in marriage with a
person of decided piety, whose sentiments on religious subjects were
similar to her own. Shortly after their marriage, they were both
baptized, and thus commenced together that public and good profession
which they ever afterwards maintained by the integrity, and adorned with
the graces, of the Christian life. On the morning of her baptism, a
passage from the prophecies of Isaiah, evidently suggested by the
difficulties which had environed her early religious course, forcibly
impressed her mind, and afforded her much encouragement: "I will go
before thee, and make the crooked places straight; I will break in
pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron." "These
words," she writes, "came sweetly to me, and my soul was on the wing for
heaven and heavenly things."
The duties of domestic life began now to demand her attention. In
the relations of a wife, a mother, and a mistress, the excellence of
those principles on which her character was formed, was habitually
exemplified. For her children, she was supremely anxious to bring them
in early life under the influence of divine truth, and to lead them into
the love of God. It is in their recollection still, with what maternal
affection she would take them into her chamber, and converse with them
on those subjects, and then present them, in the exercise of faith and
devotion, to the care of that tender Shepherd who "gathers the lambs in
his arms, and carries them in his bosom." Indeed her deep interest in
all young persons obliged her to press upon such as came within her
reach a care for their everlasting happiness; with several, the result
was most satisfactory, and they retain an affectionate remembrance of
her solicitude on their behalf. With her servants also she would seize
opportunities to speak of the value of their souls, and the improvement
of their religious advantages; and sometimes she used to pray in secret
with them. The afflictions which are inseparable from the lot of
humanity, and those which parents only know, she endured with a meek and
confiding resignation. Her cup had its bitter infusions, and some of her
trials were more than commonly severe; but under every mysterious and
painful dispensation, she stayed herself upon her God, and in patience
possessed her soul.
By those who enjoyed her friendship, her pious conversation and
correspondence were highly valued. She was no stranger in the habitation
of the widow and the fatherless, or beside the dying bed. Her sympathy
in such scenes was a mitigation of sorrow, and her offices of Christian
love endeared her in the hour of distress. She gratified the benevolence
of her heart by relieving the distresses of many; and some of her poor
neighbours were pensioners on her bounty as long as they lived. Her
attendance on public ordinances, it need scarcely be said, was regular
and devout; and by her consistent and blameless life, combined with her
affectionate and peaceful walk among her fellow-members, she was a
comfort to her pastor, and an honour to the church. Thus for many years
she moved in her orbit, as the celestial luminaries move in theirs; with
a regular, uniform, and constant progression; deriving all their
radiance from the sun, and reflecting his beams without noise or
ostentation.
But a severe trial awaited her. The conjugal relation was at length
broken. By the death of Mr. Waugh she was deprived of the staff of her
age, and left to travel alone through the last stages of her pilgrimage.
She had however the unspeakable satisfaction of reflecting that he had
walked with her in the ways of righteousness, and that although he had
outstripped her in the course, and arrived first at the sepulchre, she
should follow him into the world of reunion and eternal love. His
decease was also eminently happy. He was favoured during his illness
with much spirituality and elevation of mind, and departed in the "full
assurance of hope." On being asked by one of his daughters, whether, if
it were the will of God, he would like to return again into the world?
"What," he exclaimed, "when Christ bids me 'come up hither!'" It was the
privilege of his faithful wife (for such she deemed it) to be with him
through all his illness, and to witness the final scene. She would not
delegate to other hands the discharge of any duty which she could
perform herself; but the conflict being over, she retired from the
chamber of death, and was found some time after, by her children, who
had missed her, in her closet, and on her knees. The throne of grace was
her refuge. To that hiding-place she was accustomed to flee, in every
"cloudy and dark day;" and sweetly was the promise fulfilled in her
experience, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed
on thee." She felt deeply the stroke which had made her a widow; but,
possessing an uncommon degree of self-command, it was a comfort to her
children to observe her great calmness of spirit, and to hear the
expressions of her confidence in God. Her natural fortitude was
sustained by divine grace, and her whole carriage under this
bereavement afforded an edifying instance of the manner in which a
Christian both bends before the storm, and rises above it.
About two years after this event, she left the neighbourhood of Reading,
to reside in the family of one of her daughters at Tottenham. By this
circumstance she was necessarily brought into new scenes both of
domestic and social life; and they served still further to elicit the
graces of her matured and now venerable character. For to the visitors,
of all ranks, she recommended the religion of the Bible; but with such
propriety, that she never gave offence; and most tenderly and intimately
did she participate in the diversified feelings of her grandchildren,
evincing her affection for them, by her earnest and ardently expressed
longing that Christ might be formed in their hearts, the hope of glory.
It was about this time, that the writer of this brief tribute to her
memory had the happiness to form her acquaintance; and he well remembers
the impression of respectful admiration which that first interview
produced on his mind. She was now "well stricken in years." Time had
mellowed the naturally sweet expression of her countenance, without much
impairing its vivacity. Her silvery locks shaded a brow imprinted with
the wrinkles of age, but intelligent and serene. Her eyes were yet
bright, and glanced upon her friends with benevolent complacency. Her
form was unbending and about the middle stature; her manners dignified,
yet free; her conversation cheerful, affectionate, and eminently
spiritual; her memory richly replenished with the word of God, and with
hymns, which she recited with much emphasis and appropriate application;
and her whole appearance and deportment that of a venerable Christian
lady.
Some time before this period she had become very deaf; but though she
felt it to be a great trial, it made scarcely any perceptible abatement
of her cheerfulness; nor did she allow it to prevent her attendance upon
the house of God. In proportion as she was shut out from the pleasures
of conversation, she seemed to find an increasing delight in secret
devotion. "Let us call those our golden hours," she says in a letter
to a friend, "that are spent with God. May we be found much in that
excellent duty of self-examination." And at a subsequent date she writes
in her diary, "My hearing is in some measure restored; of which I can
give no account from natural causes or medicinal art. O Lord, my healer,
thou canst do every thing. O the riches of immortal grace! If I outlive
my senses, I cannot outlive my graces. O how beautiful, how honourable,
how durable! I earnestly plead with God for his church and ministers, in
faith and hope, for what I am not likely to live to see. Dear Lord, let
me depart and join the holy society above. Amen!"
It is often observed, that as Christians draw near to heaven, their
desire increases to enter upon its holy joys. They present a delightful
contrast, in this respect, to those unhappy persons whose old age is
chilled with the infirmities of decaying nature, and never warmed
into the glow of celestial aspirations by the presages of a blessed
immortality. The natural desire of life is felt by both, and the
uneradicated remains of our ancient and inveterate depravity will
sometimes, even in aged Christians, repress the risings of the soul
towards her native skies. But the prevailing tendency of the desires
will be upwards. "To live is indeed Christ; but to die is gain." Hence
their conversation will take its complexion and character, rather from
the things which are eternal, than from the transactions or interests of
this present world. Such was eminently the case with the subject of this
memoir. She seemed to live much, in the secret exercises of her mind,
upon the invisible glories of that region of blessedness towards which
she was fast approaching. Never was her countenance lighted up with a
more cheerful beam of piety, than when, after she had been occupied
awhile in silent musings, she would break forth in the joyful
exclamation of the patriarch Job, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and
that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though, after
my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God; whom
I shall see for myself, and my eyes behold, and not another; though my
reins be consumed within me." This was indeed a very favourite passage
with her, and was selected by herself for her funeral text. But "the
word of Christ dwelt in her richly;" and it was sometimes equally
astonishing and delightful to hear with what copiousness, accuracy, and
animated expression, at more than 80 years of age, she would pour forth,
like a sparkling stream, a long series of beautiful quotations, her
feelings at the same time kindling into celestial rapture, and the
whole perhaps finished with that ecstatic verse of Dr. Watts.
"Haste, my beloved, fetch my soul
Up to thy bless'd abode;
Fly, for my spirit longs to see
My Saviour and my God."
She had outlived nearly all her contemporaries. Most of her friends had
preceded her to their rest, and sometimes she would chide herself for
still lingering in her upward flight, among the chilling clouds of these
lower regions, when she thought her wings should have borne her more
rapidly onward to join the company of the blessed. Thus she expresses
herself in one of her memorandums: "O Lord, when I look around me, and
feel I am bereaved of human joys, and behold the ravages which thou hast
made among my dear, beloved friends and kindred in the flesh, I am
astonished at the strength of that depravity, which leads me still to
cling to this dying world. Why, oh, why do I not rest my weary soul on
the unchangeable realities of heaven? There shall I meet those very dear
ones who sleep in Jesus. Animating hope! Oh, then, let me march boldly
on, nor faint in the day of rebuke; but may I be enabled to yield up all
my earthly comforts when Jesus calls and demands, that I may find my all
in him."
It was her privilege often to climb to the summit of Pisgah; and when
she descended again into the plain, how delightfully would she talk,
and as in the very dialect of the country, of that land of fair and
beauteous prospect which lies beyond the Jordan. There were seasons when
no other subject seemed welcome to her thoughts. She would sit at such
times watching the countenances of her friends, and at a break in the
conversation, which she could not hear, drop a short sentence full of
the love and joy of heaven. She seemed to have an inward and divine
light which shone through her soul, and made it a region of pure and
celestial thoughts; no doubts were permitted to disturb the composure
of her mind, no temptation to trouble and overcast the serenity of her
cloudless sky. Her days moved on in tranquil succession, each renewing
and passing forward to the next, the sunshine of its predecessor. Only,
indeed, as her orb descended to the horizon, the light seemed more to
concentrate and to soften; just as the evening sun gathers back into
himself the radiance with which he had illuminated the world, and sets
amidst the chastened splendours of his own accumulated glory.
Her tabernacle, which had been often shaken, was at length taken down.
No fierce disease was commissioned to inflict the final stroke. Till the
last week she was permitted to continue in the society of her children.
Two of them reside at Camberwell; and they reflect, with grateful
pleasure, that some of her last days were spent with them. She left them
on the Monday, after having passed the whole of the preceding month in
their company. It was not then apprehended that her end was so near, but
her conversation was sweetly tinctured by a vein of ardent and elevated
devotion. Her mind was eminently spiritual; she seemed to be living in
an element of prayer and love. It was the happiness of the writer to
spend a short time with her during the last week; and in her pocket-book
she has noted the comfort she derived from the devotional exercises in
which they then engaged. The Sabbath day was a season of great delight.
She did not know that on the following her translation was to take
place; but had she foreseen it, scarcely could she have passed the day
in communications more fitted to her near approximation to eternal joy.
The next day she returned to Tottenham, not so well as she had been, yet
there seemed no cause for immediate alarm; but in her last words, as she
was taking leave of her daughters, there was something almost prophetic
of the event which was soon to take place. Clasping the hand of one of
them, as she was about to step into the carriage, she turned to her, and
said, "I shall soon mount on eagles' wings; I shall run and not be
weary, I shall walk and not faint." On Wednesday, her indisposition
considerably increased, and her strength began rapidly to decline. It
soon became impossible to hold any conversation with her beyond a few
short and detached sentences at intervals. In reply to inquiries, she
still expressed her faith in the Lamb of God, and spoke of his
preciousness to her soul. But the power of articulation failed, and
this circumstance, joined with her deafness, precluded the further
interchange of sentiment with the departing saint. She continued to
lodge on the banks of the Jordan a day or two longer, till about noon
on Lord's day, June 30, 1833; when she passed through the river with
a gentle and quiet motion, and was lost to the sight of surrounding
attendants, amidst the distant groves of Eden, on the opposite shore.
"No pain she suffered, nor expired with noise;
Her soul was whispered out with God's still voice:
So softly death succeeded life in her,
She did but dream of heaven, and she was there."
_Camberwell._ E. STEANE
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
A LETTER FROM THE BAPTIST BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS IN AMERICA, IN
ANSWER TO ONE FROM THE BOARD OF BAPTIST MINISTERS IN AND NEAR LONDON,
DATED DECEMBER 31, 1833.
(_See our last Number, p. 534._)
_Baptist Missionary Rooms,_
_Boston, Sept. 1, 1834._
DEAR BRETHREN,
Your communication, dated London, December 31, 1833, was received some
time since, by one of the officers of the Baptist General Convention;
but as the Convention, to which it was chiefly addressed, will not
convene till April, 1835, the communication was, after some delay,
presented to the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions, as the executive
organ of the Convention. The board referred it to a Committee, and we
now communicate to you a copy of their Report, and of the Resolutions
adopted by the board.[A] We commend them to your candour, with a
confident belief that you will do justice to the views and feelings of
the board, encompassed as they are by difficulties which cannot be fully
understood by persons in other countries.
[A] The Committee, to whom was referred a communication from
"the Members of the Board of Baptist Ministers in and near London,"
directed to "The Rev. Spencer H. Cone, President; the Board of Managers;
and the Delegates of the Baptist Triennial Convention, United States,
North America;" and addressed to "The Pastors and Ministers of the
Baptist denomination throughout the United States of America;" the
principal object of which communication is, to express the views of the
writers "respecting the character of negro slavery, and as to the course
enjoined by religious principle on the household of faith;" present the
following report:--
That they have examined the communication with much care, and have been
gratified by the spirit of Christian affection, respect, and candour,
which it breathes. They receive it as a pleasing omen of a more
intimate correspondence and a more endeared fellowship with our
Baptist brethren in Great Britain. The Committee, however, are
unanimously of opinion that as a Board, and as members
of the General Convention, associated for the exclusive purpose of
sending the gospel to the heathen, and to other benighted men not
belonging to our own country, we are precluded by our constitution
from taking any part in the discussion of the subject proposed in the
said communication. They, therefore, recommend the adoption of the
following resolutions:--
_Resolved._ That the Board reciprocate, with great pleasure, the
assurances of respect and affection which our brethren, "the members of
the Board of Baptist Ministers, in and near London," have uttered in
their communication.
_Resolved._ That the Board earnestly desire a closer intimacy with their
Baptist brethren in England, believing that the cause of truth in both
countries, and throughout the world, would be promoted, by a more
cordial union and co-operation of the two great branches of the Baptist
family.
_Resolved._ That the Board have viewed, with grief and anxiety, the
calamities which have befallen the Baptist Mission in Jamaica; and they
rejoice that the Mission has been resumed, with cheering prospects of
success.
_Resolved._ That while, as they trust, their love of freedom, and their
desire for the happiness of all men, are not less strong and sincere
than those of their British brethren, they cannot, as a Board, interfere
with a subject that is not among the objects for which the Convention
and the Board were formed.
_Resolved._ That the preceding Resolutions be communicated to the "Board
of Baptist Ministers, in and near London," together with the subjoined
letter, to be signed by the acting President, and the corresponding
Secretary of the Board.
(_Signed_) DANIEL SHARP,
_First Vice-President of the Baptist Board
of Foreign Missions in the United States._
LUCIUS BOLLES,
_Cor. Sec._
It may assist you to form a more correct opinion of the whole subject,
if we allude to a few of the circumstances which make slavery, in this
country, a matter of peculiar difficulty, and which, consequently,
require those who would promote the real welfare of the coloured race,
to act with great caution.
In the first place, the political organization of the United States is
widely different from that of England; and this difference makes it
impossible to adopt here a course similar to that which the British
Parliament have adopted in reference to slavery in the West Indies.
This country is not one State, with an unrestricted Legislature, but
a confederacy of States, united by a Constitution, in which certain
powers are granted to the National Government; and all other powers are
reserved by the States. Among these reserved powers is the regulation
of slavery. Congress have no power to interfere with the slaves in the
respective States; and an Act of Congress to emancipate the _slaves_ in
those States would be as wholly null and void, as an Act of the British
Parliament for the same purpose. The Legislatures of the respective
States cannot interfere with the legislation of each other. In some of
the States, where laws forbidding emancipation exist, the _minority_
cannot, if disposed, give freedom to their slaves. You perceive, then,
that the National Government, and the people of the Northern States,
have no power, nor right, to adopt any direct measures, in reference to
the emancipation of the slaves in the Southern States. The slave-holders
themselves are the only men who can act definitively on this subject;
and the only proper and useful influence which the friends of
emancipation in other States can use, consists in argument and entreaty.
The existence of our union, and its manifold blessings, depends on a
faithful adherence to the principles and spirit of our constitution, on
this and on all other points.
This view of the case exonerates the nation, as such, and the States in
which no slaves are found, from the charge of upholding slavery. It is
due, moreover, to the republic, to remember, that slavery was introduced
into this country long before the colonies became independent States.
The slave trade was encouraged by the Government of Great Britain,
and slaves were brought into the colonies against the wishes of the
colonists, and the repeated Acts of some of the Colonial Legislatures.
These Acts were negatived by the King of England; and in the Declaration
of Independence, as originally drawn by Mr. Jefferson, it was stated,
among the grievances which produced the Revolution, that the King of
England had steadily resisted the efforts of the colonists to prevent
the introduction of slaves. Soon after the Revolution, several of the
States took measures to free themselves from slavery. In 1787, Congress
adopted an Act, by which it was provided, that slavery should never be
permitted in any of the States to be formed in the immense territory
north-west of the Ohio; in which territory, the great States of Ohio,
Indiana, and Illinois, have since been formed. There are now thirteen
out of the twenty-four States, in which slavery may be said to be
extinct. Maryland is taking measures to free herself from slavery.
Kentucky and Virginia will, it is believed, follow the example. We state
these facts to show, that the republic did not originate slavery here;
and that she has done much to remove it altogether from her bosom. She
took measures earlier than any other country for the suppression of the
slave trade, and she is now zealously labouring to accomplish the entire
extinction of that abominable traffic.
Since then, from the character of our political institutions, the
emancipation of the slaves is impossible, except with the free
consent of the masters; it is necessary to approach them with calm and
affectionate argument. They claim to be better acquainted with the real
condition and the true interests of the negro, than other persons can
be. Multitudes among them freely acknowledge and lament the evils of
slavery, and earnestly desire their removal, in some way consistent with
the welfare of the slave himself, and with the safety of the whites.
Some persons among them, it is true, are not convinced that slavery is
wrong in principle; just as many good men in England, half a century
since, believed the slave-trade to be just and right. Such individuals
must be _convinced_, before they will act.
In the next place, the number and character of the slaves form an
appalling difficulty. It is not believed by many of the sincere friends
of the slaves, that their immediate emancipation would be conducive to
their own real welfare, or consistent with the safety of the whites. To
let them loose, without any provision for the young, the feeble, and the
aged, would be inhuman cruelty. Slaves, who have regarded labour as an
irksome task, can have little idea of liberty, except as an exemption
from toil. To liberate them, without some arrangement for their
subsistence, would produce starvation, or impel them to acts of lawless
violence. Emancipation must, therefore, as those friends of the slaves
contend, be gradual and prospective. The British Parliament have
not decreed an _immediate_ emancipation, in the West Indies; thus
recognizing the principle, that the slaves must be _prepared_ for
freedom by moral and intellectual culture. But this preparation must
be commenced and conducted by the _masters_; and they must, of course,
become the willing and zealous friends of emancipation, before it can
be accomplished.
We have thus shown, that the slaves in this country cannot be
emancipated, except by the free consent of the masters; and that they
cannot be prepared for freedom, without the voluntary and energetic
co-operation of the masters. For both these reasons, it is necessary
to adopt a kind and conciliating course of conduct towards the
slave-holders. The British Parliament might assume a peremptory tone
towards the slave-holders in the West Indies; because the power of
Parliament is not restricted like that of the American Congress; and
because the situation of the slaves in the West Indies renders the
preliminary preparation less necessary to the safety of the white
population. In the British West Indies, the slaves are dispersed among
eighteen or twenty islands, where the military and naval power of the
mother country might be easily applied to quell insurrections. In the
United States, there are above two millions of slaves, spread over a
part only of the surface of the Union, with no large military force to
overawe them, and no obstacle to a rapid combination of insurgents. We
presume, that the people in England would feel somewhat differently on
the subject of emancipation, if the slaves were among themselves, and
the perils of this moral volcano were constantly impending over their
own heads.
Besides these general considerations, there is one which affects the
duty of the Baptist General Convention. There is now a pleasing degree
of union among the multiplying thousands of Baptists throughout the
land. Brethren, from all parts of the country, unite in our General
Convention, and co-operate in sending the gospel to the heathen. Our
southern brethren are liberal and zealous in the promotion of every holy
enterprise for the extension of the gospel. They are, generally, both
minister and people, slave-holders; not because they all think slavery
right, but because it was firmly rooted long before they were born, and
because they believe that slavery cannot be instantly abolished. We are
confident, that a great portion of our brethren at the south would
rejoice to see any practicable scheme devised for relieving the country
from slavery.
We have the best evidence, that our slave-holding brethren are
Christians, sincere followers of the Lord Jesus. In every other part of
their conduct, they adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour. We cannot,
therefore, feel that it is right to use language or adopt measures which
might tend to break the ties that unite them to us in our General
Convention, and in numerous other benevolent societies; and to array
brother against brother, church against church, and association against
association, in a contest about slavery.
We have presented these considerations, dear brethren, as among the
reasons which compel us to believe, that it is not the duty of the
Baptist General Convention, or of the Board of Missions, to interfere
with the subject of slavery. It ought, indeed, to be discussed at all
proper times, and in all suitable modes. We believe, that the progress
of public opinion in reference to slavery, is very rapid; and we are
quite sure, that it cannot be accelerated by any interference, which our
southern brethren would regard as an invasion of their political rights,
or as an impeachment of their Christian character.
Most earnestly praying that the Father of Lights will illuminate our
path, and guide us all to the adoption of such measures as shall advance
His glory, and secure the temporal and eternal happiness of all men, we
are, dear brethren, your affectionate fellow-servants.
LUCIUS BOLLES,
_Cor. Sec._
LEGISLATIVE ENACTMENTS CONCERNING THE SABBATH.
_To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine._
It is some time since the Christian public has heard of any measure
intended to be proposed to the Legislature in reference to the
violation of the Sabbath, and it is time, as it appears to me, that
those who have such a measure at heart should be awake, and setting
about their great work in earnest. Whether the measure of which Sir
Andrew Agnew gave notice in the last session, be the same as his last
bill or not, is at present unknown; but I trust, if it be not the same,
it will be founded on the same principle, and equally comprehensive in
its provisions. It is true, that upon this subject, the opinions, even
of good men, are much divided; and there are not a few individuals, of
undoubted piety, who think that a legislative remedy should extend to a
part only of the acknowledged mischiefs at _first_; whilst others prefer
making the different provisions of the whole measure the subject of
several bills, to be simultaneously brought forward.
The advocates of the former plan insist, that there is no chance of
carrying the whole measure at once, while the attempt to do so is
calculated to produce hostility; improvements in this, as well as in
other matters, requiring to be gradual:--that the sense of the majority
of the population is against the measure as a _whole_, to which popular
sense, deference must be paid:--and, that Sir Andrew's former bills were
lost entirely from their being too sweeping and comprehensive.
To the first objection, which is nearly identical with the third, it
may be answered: Supposing it to be true, that there is no chance of
_carrying_ the whole measure at once, this is no reason why the whole
should not be _proposed_ at once. If of the whole measure so proposed
only _a part_ should be carried, the carrying of that part would be a
subject of thankfulness and rejoicing, just as much as if that part only
had been proposed. Those members of the Legislature who would exhibit
_hostility_ to the bill to the extent of rejecting it altogether, would
doubtless exhibit _hostility_ to any portion of its provisions if
brought forward as a distinct bill; because hostility to the whole of a
measure acknowledged in _some part_ to be good and necessary, must arise
from an evil principle. There is much difference between _hostility_ to
the whole of the bill, and _opposition_ to some, nay, even the majority,
of its provisions. Those who would be hostile to the whole of the bill,
must necessarily be so to any detached part; whereas many might oppose
even the _larger part_ of its provisions, who would approve the rest;
and it is conceived such would vote for the bill going into Committee,
where they might distinguish between the provisions they approved and
those they condemned. That this would be the case appears from the
experience of the last session, when members who were not prepared to
support any clause of the bill, nevertheless voted for its second
reading. It is true, that many who voted against it _alleged_ its
comprehensiveness as the ground of their opposition; but when actually
limited measures were brought forward, they were either crushed at once
by the very same persons, or first reduced to nothing--and, indeed made
worse than nothing, by repealing the provisions of existing statutes
for protection of the Sabbath, substituting nothing for them--and then
ignominiously rejected. This answer may also be given to the allegation,
that Sir Andrew's bills were lost from their comprehensiveness.
As to the second allegation, that the sense of the majority of the
population is against the measure brought forward by Sir Andrew's Bill
as a whole, it may be replied:
In the first place, that this is an assertion which is incapable of
proof.
In the second place, it is not merely a _numerical_ majority of the
whole population of the country to which the advocates of the measure
ought to defer; but it is to a majority of that class of persons who are
well informed upon, and have wisely considered, the whole subject, in
connexion with all its consequences and results.
In the third place, it is apprehended, that if the sense of the majority
of such class were taken upon the several provisions of the bill,
although it may be within the limits of possibility that the majority
might be against the bill as a _whole_, yet there is scarcely a
provision in it which the majority of such class would be found to
reject; for in point of fact there is not one single clause in the bill
which has not been the subject of petitions numerously signed in its
favour.
But even attaching some degree of weight to the above objections, which
are, I believe, the whole that have been brought forward by those whose
opinions are worth regarding, it is to be considered, whether there may
not be set against these objections considerations which will operate so
as greatly to turn the scale in favour of bringing in the whole measure
at once, such as the following:--
1. It recognizes one simple principle, on which every measure proposed
to Government for the remedy of existing abuses, in reference to the
observance of the Lord's day, must be based; and therefore, judging from
the way in which the provisions of the bill have been already met, in
and out of parliament, it is clear, that if _one_ part only out of the
system of measures were brought forward at first, the objection would
be, that the propounder of the measure, to be consistent with himself,
should have extended it to other matters within its principle, and
directed it against other evils requiring to be remedied by it. For
instance, were a bill brought forward to restrain what is usually called
trade in the necessaries of life, it might be urged that it would be
inconsistent, while that which is equally a trade, the supplying of
post horses, should be permitted: just as it has been insisted, in a
determined spirit of hostility to the bill, that it was unfair to
restrain labour in the field and permit it in the house; to prohibit the
day-labourer from prosecuting his calling, and to allow the domestic
servant to pursue hers. Now an argument, which imputes inconsistency and
unfairness to the propounder of a prohibitory measure, is one which it
would be exceedingly difficult, and perhaps impossible, satisfactorily
to answer.
2. The whole of the grievances, pertaining to every part of the subject,
were fully entered into, in that comprehensive inquiry which took place
in the Select Committee of the House of Commons, previously to the
introduction of Sir Andrew Agnew's first bill, which elicited so much
and such important and valuable information; and it follows as a
consequence, that every mischief which was within the scope of the
inquiry, should be within the scope of the enactment to be grounded
upon the result of such inquiry.
3. It is difficult to guard against the inference to be drawn from the
prohibition of one evil, and the leaving another unprohibited, that such
latter evil is intended to be tolerated and sanctioned.
4. It is extremely probable, that if, under existing circumstances, the
advocates of the proposed measure were to bring forward one of limited
extent, it would be considered that they had no ulterior object, and
that the limited measure, if conceded, should be taken in full of every
thing to be expected from the Legislature. This would be disingenuous.
It is the most fair and honest mode of dealing, on the part of those who
are of opinion that the exigency of the case calls for a comprehensive
measure, to declare _at once_ what is the utmost extent of the objects
they have in view, and what is the exact amount of the measure with
which they would be satisfied; and it is considered that such a course
is the most likely to attract the approbation and good opinion of
right-thinking individuals, and, which is an infinitely higher
consideration, to draw down the blessing of Almighty God.
5. The different provisions of the measure are so connected, that it is
very difficult to separate them. For instance, how could the provisions
against trade be separated from the provisions against travelling, when
travelling necessarily supposes the exercise of a species of trade?
6. With respect to the suggestion, that the whole measure should be the
subject of several and distinct bills, the simple answer is, that every
such bill must, in passing through the necessary stages, be exposed to a
distinct ordeal, and that the difficulty of working the bill (to use a
technical expression) would be at least multiplied to the extent of the
number of bills proposed to be substituted for one simple and
comprehensive enactment.
THEOSIBES.
_London, Dec. 10th, 1834._
LIQUIDATION OF DEBTS ON CHAPELS.
_To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine._
Having seen an article some months since in your Magazine on the above
subject, signed Murus, and thinking the following plan an improvement
upon Murus's, I shall feel much obliged by your giving it insertion in
your valuable and extensively circulated periodical. And I hope I shall
not be too presuming in stating that, if it is put into operation in
every county, in a very few years it will entirely liquidate all the
debts now existing on chapels, without any increased exertions on the
part of the friends. The plan, if entered into, which I humbly trust it
will be, will do away entirely with _begging cases_, will not require
the minister to leave his church, will lessen the calls on his people,
will enable them to raise their ministers' incomes, and eventually
confer much happiness on the churches, and relieve them from pressing
difficulties; whereas the systems now adopted are very inefficient, and
will take three times as long to get rid of the existing burdens. I
would also suggest, for the prevention of debts being again accumulated,
that no chapel be allowed to be erected without advancing half the money
required for building it, nor be allowed to partake of the privileges
arising from this plan until the whole of the present churches are out
of debt. I would also recommend the churches who adopt this plan, to
give no countenance to any church begging, as the same system can be
adopted in every county with certain success. There is a difficulty in
Murus's plan in that of increased exertions, whereas in this, none are
required.
Prop. 1. That all the churches make an annual collection, which shall be
brought to the Association, and that the total amount shall be applied
to the liquidation of the debt _on one chapel_, as shall be then and
there agreed.
Prop. 2. That the chapel whose debt is so paid off shall contribute the
interest of its debt every year, till it amounts to half the sum paid
off, when it shall not be required to pay its interest money, for so I
will call it.
Prop. 3. That, in addition to the interest money of the chapel so paid
off, it shall not contribute less than ten shillings for every £100.
of debt, till the whole of the debts are paid off the chapels in the
county; by which means the deficiency of ten shillings in the pound
will be made up without distressing the churches.
Prop. 4. That any church whose lot it may fall to, at the Association,
to have its debt paid, who shall the next year pay the half of its debt,
shall be considered to have fulfilled its agreement, and shall be liable
only to its small contribution at the rate of ten shillings for every
£100 debt so redeemed.
Prop. 5. That every church whose debt shall be paid off, shall bring
forward sufficient and satisfactory security for the fulfilment of its
contract, which may be done by four or five persons joining together
for that purpose.
EXPLANATION.
Suppose the debt of a chapel which is paid off to be £600; the
responsible agents above referred to shall contribute annually, till it
arrives to £300, half the debt, when they will have fulfilled their
agreement. But they must, from the first payment of interest till all
the chapels are out of debt, contribute ten shillings for every £100
of debt, which sum, with the united exertions of the churches, will
liquidate the other ten shillings in the pound. For instance: Suppose
the churches in one county to be thirty, an annual contribution of three
pounds from each will produce £90; this, added to the interest of the
chapel so cleared, will make £120, to pay off the debt of another
chapel, which shall also contribute to its interests, and small annual
contribution; and so on, till all the churches are out of debt. This
plan is similar to lending money without interest, as the interest paid
clears the principal, and the principal they will only have to pay at
ten shillings in the pound, the small annual contributions making up the
deficiency. A list of the churches and their debts should be placed
every year in the Magazines, with an account of the debts so reduced.
A BAPTIST.
_Nov. 12, 1834._
P.S. Since writing the above, I have seen an article in the Magazine for
this month, which only confirms my opinion that something must be done,
and that speedily, to effect this _great_ and desirable object.
REMARKS ON A PAPER, ENTITLED
"ON THE USE AND ABUSE OF THE TERM MORAL."
_To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine._
The paper of W. N. in your November number, whilst it contains some
very valuable remarks on the abuse of the term _moral_, appears to
aim at overthrowing one particular instance of a very general abuse,
and to strike at the branch, whilst it leaves the root to flourish
with the same vigour as before. The expression "moral approbation and
disapprobation" cannot be deemed an unnecessary application of the term
_moral_, because approbation and disapprobation are frequently excited
in the mind by _physical_ agents; and although Dr. Wardlaw, in the
passage quoted above by W. N., refers the approbation and disapprobation
to "_moral_ agents," yet the phrase in question precedes that
application, and therefore the term "moral" renders the sentence more
clear than it would be, were it needful for the reader to employ the
conclusion of the sentence to explain the commencement. The instance
quoted from the Quarterly Review is so gross an abuse of language, that
little apprehension need be entertained of its repetition. The passage
stands like the topmast of a ship-wrecked vessel, to warn others of
the shoal on which she was stranded. All the other instances used as
illustrations in W. N.'s paper are examples of the evil attendant upon
a departure from one principle, viz.: That a simile should never be
explained. Of course, this principle presupposes another: That a
simile should never require explanation. In the two first instances
adduced--"The Lord God is a sun and shield," and "Jesus said, I am the
door"--the beauty of the similes would be entirely destroyed by the use
of the adjective _moral_, and the only reason why the fourth instance,
"A _moral_ blight," is not so glaring an abuse of language as the two
former is, that the term blight is so frequently used in a figurative
sense, that, when it is so used, we are liable to forget that the
expression is figurative. But for this circumstance, the ridiculous
character of the phrase would be quite as obvious as the absurdity of
speaking of a moral apple, or moral plum. Another instance of the
inelegance of explaining a simile is met with in the prayers of those
who quote from the Liturgy the passage "We have done that which we ought
not to have done, and have left undone that which we ought to have done,
and there is no health in us;" but distort the original to "there is no
_spiritual_ health in us;" thus destroying at once the strength and
harmony of one of the finest specimens of forcible and beautiful
composition which decorates English literature. In this case also, as in
that of "moral blight," health is so often used in a figurative sense,
that we are apt to forget that the expression is a simile; or the phrase
"_spiritual_ health" would sound as disagreeably as the commencement of
the same portion of the Liturgy, were it altered to "We have erred and
strayed from thy _spiritual_ ways, like lost _spiritual_ sheep." All
these inaccuracies in composition proceed from attempts to explain
similes, an attempt which ought to be cautiously avoided; because a
simile is an endeavour to explain or illustrate a subject by means of
some analogy subsisting between it and another subject; and it is
evident, that an explanation or illustration which requires a further
explanation to make it intelligible, is much better omitted; and that an
explanation of that which is already clear, is a glaring instance of
tautology, and, therefore, a gross defect in style.
A.
_November 20th, 1834_
THE DEPARTURE OF ANOTHER YEAR.
_To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine._
Another year is gone! How solemn the reflection! How replete with
instruction! Times and seasons are passing away in rapid succession; and
amid the cares and avocations of the present, we seem in a great measure
insensible of our near approach to an eternal world. But we are assured
that "_The day of the Lord will come_." The purpose for which the world
was created, and made the theatre of such mysterious and benevolent
transactions, will be accomplished; the reign of grace, in the salvation
of men, will terminate; the influences of the Holy Spirit in their
regeneration will be no longer necessary; the preaching of the gospel,
as the ordained means of conversion, shall for ever cease. Then all
mankind, that have lived from the beginning of the world, will enter on
a state of endless and unchangeable existence: some, in the presence of
God, will enjoy the most exquisite pleasures, and obtain "an eternal
weight of glory;" while others will have their abode among unbelievers,
and "suffer the vengeance of eternal fire." "Seeing, then, that all
these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be
in all holy conversation and godliness!"
Reader! the close of another year has brought you so much nearer the end
of your probation on earth. In the space of a few months how many have
perished under the stroke of death! Young and old, rich and poor, small
and great, have gone down to the grave, where "they rest together, and
the servant is free from his master." Before the close of 1835, what
multitudes, now in the prime of life, in the pursuit of pleasure, in the
possession of riches, in the road to preferment, or having secured the
object of worldly ambition, will have passed into the unseen state, and
rendered their account to God. The flight of _time_ calls upon the
careless and undecided to consider their ways, and turn unto the Lord.
The Christian, too, should testify his gratitude to God for his
continued goodness, and "lift up his head, for his redemption draweth
nigh." With what seriousness and devotion should we attend to the duties
of religion, so that "whether we live, we may live to the Lord; or
whether we die, we may die to the Lord; that whether we live, or die,
we may be the Lord's!" Let not this day come upon us unawares, and
find us in a state of carnal security; but may our loins be girded,
our lamps burning, and ourselves like servants waiting for their Lord's
return,--"looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ." "Wherefore, beloved, be
diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and
blameless."
T. P.
POETRY.
NEW YEAR'S DAY.
Time, the mundane sphere revolving,
Brings another New Year's Day;
Orb of light, 'mid lengthened shadows,
Glance one soft and lingering ray,
As we muse on
Days receding fast away.
Pledge of joys that may await us
In our future pilgrimage,
Or of heavenly consolation
That may coming griefs assuage,
To believers
Promised in the sacred page.
Many trials now are ended;
Many painful conflicts o'er;
Chequered scenes withdrawn for ever
That can please nor vex us more;
Memory only
Can the faded past restore.
Many dearest forms are sleeping
In the lone forsaken grave;
How we wept when them consigning
To the hand outstretched to save,
As they struggled
Through death's dark and gelid wave!
Many days of grace are ended,
How improved has been the past?
Time's rich grains are softly falling,
Soon may drop for us the last.
Changing seasons
Warn us that we change as fast.
O for happy preparation
For the joys that never fade!
For the everlasting mansion
Death and sin can ne'er invade!
In the likeness
Of our Lord we would be made.
As each new successive period
Hastes that last mysterious one,
Do we shudder, so much dreading
Things invisible, unknown?
Faith reposes
On the Saviour's cross alone.
Sweet to meet our friends in glory,
Tears for ever wiped away
By the guardian hand that leads us
Up the steep and narrow way,
Time's short circles
Lost in one eternal day!
SARISSA.
THE SUMMONS.
"And I heard a voice from heaven."--REV. xiv. 13.
A voice was heard; a voice was heard;
It sounded from heaven's high throne;
And the murmuring air breathed along the swift word
Till on earth its dark import was known.
Though it thrill'd not the ears that were list'ning around,
Nor was heard by the spirits bereaved,
It conducted the soul from the region of death,
To receive, through the Saviour, the conqueror's wreath,
From its sin-woven fetters relieved.
A voice was heard; a voice was heard;
The spirit its summons obeyed;
And to sorrowing Friendship still echoes the word
While she weeps o'er the mouldering dead.
Not a tear can e'er start from those eyelids again;
Not a sigh can e'er heave from that breast:--
But reposing awhile on a pillow of clay,
It will waken renew'd, and then, bounding away,
Will ascend to the realms of the blest.
A voice was heard; a voice was heard;
A whisper,--a whisper from God;
And the soul caught with rapture the welcoming word
As it enter'd its blissful abode.
That voice that awoke from the death-sleep of sin,
And whisper'd, "Thou too art forgiven,"
Stole again on the ear in the accents of love,
Reassur'd of a home with its Father above,
And then wafted the spirit to heaven.
[Greek: Thômas]
REVIEWS.
_Russia: or Miscellaneous Observations on the Past and Present State of
that Country and its Inhabitants. Compiled from Notes made on the Spot,
during Travels at different times in the Service of the Bible Society,
and a Residence of many Years in that Country._ By ROBERT PINKERTON,
D.D., Author of "The Present State of the Greek Church in Russia," and
Foreign Agent to the British and Foreign Bible Society.--Seeley and
Sons; Hatchard and Son.
A traveller, like a witness in court, should be competent and
unexceptionable. Both these qualifications are indispensable to
secure the confidence of his reader, and the success of his work.
Dr. Pinkerton has very strong claims on the attention of the British
public. He resided in Russia many years. He lived in Moscow "the greater
part of the years 1810 and 1811, and left that city only forty-eight
hours before the French entered it in 1812." He is the author of
"The Present State of the Greek Church in Russia." His travels in the
service of the British and Foreign Bible Society have been extensive at
different times. His being Foreign Agent to that Society, has given him
facilities of intercourse with the higher as well as the lower orders of
the inhabitants. He is personally well known to many of the clergy and
of the nobility, and his intimate acquaintance with the language has
enabled him to converse with people of all ranks. The work before us has
been compiled from notes made on the spot. Of his competency, therefore,
no one can entertain a doubt; and his high Christian character renders
him an unexceptionable witness. We anticipate for this volume a cordial
welcome, especially among the friends of the Bible Society. The
information Dr. P. has given is clear, copious, and important. We shall
transcribe a few extracts which cannot fail to gratify our readers.
The territory of this vast empire has increased within the last 364
years nearly twenty-fold. According to the last statistical accounts,
the _population_ is upwards of fifty-four millions, of whom about
thirty-six millions are native Russians, speaking the same language, and
belonging to the national or oriental church. The _military forces_ have
also increased nearly ten-fold within the last hundred years; and at the
present time are estimated at about 900,000.
The _spiritual academies_ and seminaries contain upwards of 30,000 young
men preparing for the sacred profession. Dr. P. says:--
"It is much to be regretted that those young men have so
little time and opportunity, after finishing their academical
course, for making further progress in studies suited to
their profession. The cares of a family (for marriage must
indispensably precede ordination in the Russian church), their
labours among their flocks, the scanty support which most of
them receive, together with their isolated situation in country
villages, where few traces of education and civilized life have
yet entered, render this almost impracticable."
The _Jesuits_ were finally expelled from the empire in 1820. At that
time their number amounted to 674.
"On their reaching the frontiers of the empire, the emperor
Alexander ordered them to be supplied with from thirty to forty
ducats each, to bear their expenses to some other place of
residence. But though this mighty force of papal agency was
removed from the Russian territories by one stroke of the
autocratic pen, yet the influence which they had acquired was
not so easily to be annihilated; and there is no doubt, that in
the succeeding intrigues which were played off so successfully
against the Russian Bible Society, their powerful friends in
the capital took a part." p. 62.
_Drunkenness._ On this painful topic, the author has given most
melancholy information:--
"Instead of restraining the use of brandy, the government, even
of the present day, affords every facility to the people to
obtain it, in order to enhance the gain derived from this
iniquitous source; which _amounts to nearly one-fourth of the
whole revenue of the empire_."
From his calculation, it appears that there is "the enormous quantity of
eighty-one millions of gallons of brandy alone drunk every year by the
peasantry of this empire." pp. 75-77.
_Baptism._ Dr. P. says:--
"The cathedral church at Odessa is a noble building, in the
Grecian style, with domes and crosses. One day I entered it,
when the protopope, or dean, was baptizing an infant. The day
was excessively cold, there being upwards of ten degrees of
frost, and the water in the font almost freezing. After the
ceremony was over, I expressed to the priest my surprise that
they did not use tepid water, seeing the infant had to be three
times immersed over head and ears in the icy bath. He smiled at
my compassion, and exclaimed--'Ah, there is no danger: the
child is a Russian.' Indeed, such are the superstitious
opinions of the people, that were the chill taken off the
water, they would probably doubt the validity of the
ordinance." p. 153.
"In Great Russia, the child is baptized usually in the
church, or in a private house; and the prayers, exorcisms, and
ceremonies attending this ordinance, are long and complicated.
The Greeks and Russians always use the trine immersion; the
first, in the name of the Father--the second, in that of the
Son--and the third in that of the Holy Ghost. When a priest
cannot be obtained, they permit lay-baptism; and they never
rebaptize on any account whatever."
The Duchobortzi sect has excited great attention:--
"They make the sacraments consist only in a spiritual reception
of them, and therefore reject infant-baptism. Their origin is
to be sought for among the Anabaptists, or Quakers."
It appears, however, that
"In the Ukraine, or Little Russia, it is customary also to
baptize by sprinkling or pouring water upon the body. This
change the Little Russians, many of whom are Uniats, adopted
from the Roman Catholics, when they were under the power of the
Polish government. However, in cases of necessity, even in
Great Russia, baptism by sprinkling or pouring water on the
body is practised, and held to be valid."
In a note, Dr. P. tells us he witnessed the baptism of an adult, in the
case of the Mongolian chief, Badma, who died in 1822. He was lying in
bed, in a very weak state. Prince Galitzin was godfather. Instead of
immersion, water was poured on his head three times. Immediately after
baptism, he received the other sacrament: bread and wine, soaked
together in a cup, and given with a spoon. The pious prince evidently
felt much; and when the dying man partook of the holy communion, he
shed many tears. He died on the third day after his baptism.--p. 157.
_Proverbs._ We can select only a few for the entertainment and
instruction of the reader.
Sin requires no teaching.
Thieves are not abroad every night; yet every night make fast.
Praise not thyself, nor dispraise.
Thou wilt not see all the world by looking out at thy own
window.
A fool can cast a stone where seven wise men cannot find it.
Two hares at once, and you catch neither.
His wealth is not on the barn-floor; it is in his brains.
At home, as I like it; in company, as others will have it.
They gave a naked man a shirt, and he says, 'How coarse it is!'
Hast thou a pie? Thou wilt soon have a friend at table.
The largest ass will not make an elephant.
'Freedom,' says the bird, 'though the cage be a golden one.'
Every soldier would be general--every sailor, admiral.
In travelling, and at their sports, men show what they are.
A _Greek_ speaks truth once in the year.
The cow has a long tongue, but she is not allowed to speak.
A golden bed will not relieve the sick.
_Russian Bible Society._ Dr. P. speaks in the highest terms of the
Princess Sophia Mestchersky, who was among the first to encourage him to
attempt, in 1811, the formation of a Bible Society in Moscow; which in
two years was realized.
"From this commencement in 1813 till my leaving Russia, the
princess had published ninety-three different pieces, amounting
to upwards of 400,000 copies, on religious and moral subjects,
which together form eight volumes, 8vo., and which were
gratuitously distributed, or sold at low prices."
Among these are the principal publications of the London Religious Tract
Society.
A very favourable account of the religious character of the late emperor
Alexander is given, chiefly from the communications of the illustrious
princess above mentioned, and written by her at the time of his death.
The Russian Bible Society was founded in St. Petersburg, on the 23rd of
January, 1813, and continued in full activity about twelve years under
the patronage of Alexander. During the last three years of his reign, he
was powerfully counteracted by a strong party formed among the principal
nobility and clergy. There were, too, conspirators forming diabolical
plans against the peace of the empire, who misrepresented to the
government the character and labours of the friends of religion and of
Bible Institutions, to turn away attention from themselves, and their
own wicked revolutionary designs. But the mind of Alexander was not
changed.
When Nicholas his brother came to the throne, the plots of the party
above referred to were happily overthrown. But unhappily Seraphim, the
metropolitan, with several other prelates, and one or two fanatical
monks, had for some years entertained unfriendly feelings towards the
Institution. The new emperor's Ukaz was published in 1826.
It is gratifying, however, to find that on the 14th of March, 1831, a
new Bible Society, exclusively for the Protestants in the Russian
empire, was formed at St. Petersburg, with the sanction of the present
emperor; and that the president is Prince Lieven, the minister for
public instruction,
"A protestant nobleman of true piety, who laboured in the cause
with indefatigable zeal, during the whole period of the
existence of the national institution."
We have been surprised and delighted to observe Dr. P. speaking of the
present emperor as
"Wise, energetic, and humane," "who has begun a reform in
the courts of justice;" "a man of penetration, energy, and
benevolence; who has already given many pleasing proofs of
his sincere desire to advance the spiritual interests of the
Russian people;" "the determined courage and wise management
of the young emperor," &c.--pp. 348, 389, 392.
Surely, then, we may hope the national Bible Society will yet be
restored.
The appendix contains seven sermons, as specimens of the style of
preaching among the Russian clergy; and the plates, illustrative of
the dress and amusements of the people, are from a collection of
lithographic costumes which the author brought with him from Russia.
1. _An Examination of the Practice of Infant Baptism, designed to prove
that it is inconsistent with the Principles of the New Testament:
respectfully proposed for the consideration of all those who are
desirous of a Scriptural Reformation of the Church; and who are prepared
to follow Truth wherever it may lead._ By a MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF
ENGLAND. pp. 123.--Hatchard.
2. _A Sermon on the Nature and Subjects of Christian Baptism._ By
ADONIRAM JUDSON, D.D., Burmah, p. 84.--Wightman.
Before assent is yielded to the result of any "examination," it is
important, besides cautiously considering the nature and amount of
evidence which has been adduced in its favour, to reflect on the
relative position which, as it respects the particular subject of
investigation, the examiner has occupied in pursuing the object of his
inquiry, and in relation to which he has now arrived to a conclusion he
is anxious--on account (as he believes) of its accordance with divine
truth--should influence the conduct of others. If it be undoubted that
his education, his tastes, his connexions, and even his prejudices, were
all on the side of that conviction which he professes to have derived
from patient and persevering research, it seems not unreasonable to
require a copiousness and strength of argument, in its support, which,
were all the circumstances affecting his relation to it decidedly
unfavourable, would, perhaps, scarcely be deemed necessary.
When, however, we witness the comparatively rare occurrence of an
individual, surrounded with almost every description of temptation
to stifle conviction, and, by his silence at least, to perpetuate a
corruption in the Christian church, which for ages has been protected
by legislative authority, popular favour, and implicit faith, not only
nobly triumphing over every inducement to compromise the interests of
truth by refusing to surrender himself to its acknowledged claims, but
venturing forth, and assailing error in its most splendid fastness, and
pursuing it to its final retreat; and that to, by the employment of
arguments whose overwhelming force is partly derived from the peculiar
suavity with which they are urged, we are unable to resist such an
occasion for exclaiming, "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous
in our eyes."
The publications which have occasioned these reflections, whose titles
are placed at the head of this article, appear to us to present more
than ordinary claims to public consideration. The perspicuity of their
style, the force of their arguments, and especially the thoroughly
Christian temper which pervades them throughout, cannot fail, if they be
read, to secure commendation, even where they fail to convince. We can
easily suppose it possible to find persons who may affect to despise
what is thus, with every circumstance adapted to excite respect, urged
upon their attention; but that any well-constituted mind, whatever be
its ultimate conclusion on the subject, can treat these pamphlets with
indifference, as though that to which they relate were unimportant, or
that they were defective in truth and candour, is what we are extremely
unwilling to believe. At the same time, we most frankly acknowledge
that, owing to certain inconveniences, and, perhaps, even consequences,
which we conceive might arise, in some instances at least, from a
thorough and an impartial investigation of the evidence adduced by these
respective and respectable writers in support of their principles, we
are not altogether without apprehension, that by something approaching
to a profound silence in certain quarters, or it may be by something
even more beneath the dignity of Christian criticism, the powerful,
though eminently temperate, appeals of these luminous pages may obtain a
perusal far less extensive than is consistent either with the interests
of truth, or the merits of its advocates.
Deprecating such a result of these distinguished efforts, we enter upon
a more particular notice of the first of these publications. The author
designates himself "a member of the Church of England;" and his design
is "to prove that it is inconsistent with the principles of the New
Testament" to baptize unconscious infants. The work is divided into ten
sections, prefaced by a most respectful but spirit-stirring letter "to
the Editor of the Christian Observer." From this admirable appeal we
extract as follows:--
"This work is the result of many reflections, excited at
different times, through a long series of years, by the reading
of many articles and discussions in the Christian Observer. The
practice of admitting infants to the sacrament of baptism, I
apprehend, must appear to almost all reflecting persons, at
some times, to be of a very dubious character; and if it shall
appear that the fair tendency of those parts of your work which
I refer to, is to render it still more so, then I am persuaded
that you will allow that the publication is, without
impropriety, thus offered to your notice."
He adds:--
"The question respecting the propriety of admitting infants to
the sacrament of baptism must, I conceive, before long, become
a subject of grave discussion _within_ the church. Then the
real importance of the question will become manifest, and it
will be found necessary that it should be more comprehensively
considered in all its bearings, than it has hitherto been. With
regard to the question, as it stands between the church and the
Antipædobaptist party, excepting the question--whether it is
the duty of Christian governors to promote Christianity--this,
respecting infant baptism, is of more real importance than _all
others_ in dispute between the church and _orthodox_
dissenters.
"The reading of the papers in an early volume of your work, on
Dr. Taylor's Key to the Apostolical Writings, first excited
the reflections which led to my determination to offer, for the
consideration of the Christian public, some thoughts on the
subject of infant baptism."
Again, in this introductory letter, we read:--
"Never before, in any way, were so large a number of
persons, so competent to the task, brought together for its
consideration. In your volumes, men of the deepest piety, of
fine talents, and with minds every way prepared for the
consideration of the subject, have laboured to produce the
scriptural elucidation of the baptismal grace. I am persuaded
that I should not exaggerate, if I were to say that if all the
divines in Christendom had been assembled at the commencement
of the present century, and had held as many sessions as the
council of Trent, for the purpose of settling this question,
the controversy would not have been so happily conducted as it
has been in your pages, nor pursued to a more satisfactory
result. But what is the result? Notwithstanding that nothing
is so manifest as the effects of the operation of divine grace,
for wheresoever it does operate the effects are 'known and read
of all men,' yet in answer to the inquiry, 'What are the nature
and consequences of the grace communicated by the Holy Spirit
in baptism?' the Christian Observer, with all its voices
united, declares, 'We cannot tell.' This issue of the matter is
virtually avowed by yourself incidentally in a short sentence
in the number for October, 1833, where you say, 'The Church of
England certainly assumes far more than the _nudum signum_,
though it does not go to the length of the _opus operatum_.'
Within these boundaries, then, it is admitted that the proper
place of rest is not yet discovered."
And yet once more:
"I now, Sir, with great humility, beg to submit that the church
has made its utmost efforts in this inquiry--that every thing
respecting it has been concentrated in your volumes; that the
best Christian talents have been bestowed upon it in vain, up
to the conclusion of the first third part of the nineteenth
century, and to the commencement of the fourth century of the
Reformation, and that, therefore, it is a fair conclusion that
further inquiry is quite hopeless, the imagined baptismal grace
for unconscious infants being manifestly an undiscoverable,
non-existent thing. I wish here to add, that a reference to
obvious facts leads inevitably to the same conclusion. In the
all-wise providence of the great Head of the church, the matter
has been brought to the test of experiment, which has been
going on upon a sufficiently large scale for more than two
centuries in this country. Two Christian parties have
conscientiously refrained from having their children baptized;
so that, if the baptizing of infants were accompanied with any
measure of the Holy Spirit's influence, the effects would have
been rendered quite evident by the contrast. But what do facts
declare! What spiritual advantages do baptized children
discover themselves to be possessed of which unbaptized
children do not possess, in cases where all other things are
equal! Surely all fair Christian observers of the dispensations
of the King of grace in his church, must be constrained to
allow that the advantages are undiscernible, and therefore can
have no existence."
There is still another passage in this sensible and truly Christian
letter, which we must be allowed to present to our readers.
"It may be assumed that I have come to a wrong conclusion;
but, I presume, it will be admitted to be desirable that the
question I have considered should be more satisfactorily
settled than it is at present, and if, as I trust it will
appear, that I have examined it under no influence but the
love of truth, it may be allowed that the work may be useful in
assisting others to come to a _right_ conclusion. Every man who
treats a subject honestly, does something to put it in a right
point of view. I confess, I cannot now hope that, if I am
wrong, I shall live to be convinced of it; but truly I feel no
interest in error, and I take no pleasure in differing from
ministers and brethren in Christ; so that, if I were convinced
of being wrong, I could renounce my present opinions with more
ease than I can now divest myself of a garment."
Whether the able writer to whom these respectful and impressive appeals
are made, will so far resist their influence as to make no reply, and
attempt no vindication from the charge of a destructive error, so
distinctly brought against the church of which he is a member, remains
to be seen; yet, after reading the powerful pages to which the preceding
extracts are prefixed, if it be expected that the Scriptures
_exclusively_ are to be admitted as evidence in repelling the
accusation, we must confess ourselves utterly at a loss to conceive how
it is possible that any satisfactory _answer_ should be given. But if
our author cannot be answered, let him at least be heard. He says:--
"In the present day, no intelligent evangelical writer would
think of advancing such things as Hooker and some other eminent
and good men have said on the subject of baptism. Men of
reflection and genuine Christian character now perceive
themselves here to be but in cloudy regions, where mighty
minds have strangely bewildered themselves, and refrain from
venturing distinct speculations and positive assertions. They
do not come forward with anything like the confidence of their
predecessors. They speak strongly against the _opus operatum_
of Papists, and papistical Protestants; and though they would
not be thought to deny that grace is, in some way, connected
with baptism in the case of infants, yet they frequently make
it evident that they would rather escape from close discussion.
There is a remarkable instance of this in the Bampton Lectures
of the late Dr. Heber, Bishop of Calcutta. He says: 'Both grace
and comfort, if they are not necessarily inherent in the
washing of regeneration, and the eucharistic bread and wine,
may at least be attained by a proper use of those means.'
Surely this obscure and doubtful passage, on a subject simple
and apprehensible enough in Holy Scripture, is something
different to what ought to be expected from a profoundly
learned ruler of the church. What Christian ever thought of
denying that grace and comfort might be attained by a proper
use of these ordinances? On the other hand, are we to be driven
to the mortification of supposing that, in the present day,
others beside Papists can be induced to suppose that grace and
comfort can be _necessarily inherent_ in any thing material?
Upon the whole, I think it is evident to an observer, that
there is some hesitation and want of confidence among thinking
members of the church with regard to this view of baptism: yet
the idea of a mysterious connexion between the _materiel_ (if I
may use the word) of the ordinances and divine grace, has by no
means lost its hold of the mind; which is in a great measure
owing to the magic influence of imaginary sacred words. Such
terms as 'elements,' 'holy mysteries,' have a strange effect in
causing men to feel as though it would be sacrilegious and
presumptuous to open their eyes, and view those divine
institutions in the light of Scripture.
"But the imagination, that the application of the ordinance of
baptism to unconscious infants is a divinely appointed medium
of grace to them, is so incompatible with real facts, that a
philanthropic Christian, who looks around, and has his heart
affected by the real state of society, even in this country, if
he could at that moment be brought closely to reconsider this
opinion, which, at other moments, when facts are forgotten,
raise delightful feelings in his mind, could not but have his
eyes open to the fallacy:--the illusion would vanish at once.
If baptism were a divinely appointed medium of spiritual good
to the minds of infants, then its beneficial tendency must
appear in the development of children in Christian countries.
If this manifestly appeared to be the case, all controversy
would be at an end. But do the instructors of youth discover
it? Has the warmest advocate for the practice of baptizing
children ever ventured such an assertion? And if infants grow
up, believe, and are baptized, is it conceivable that their
heavenly lot will be at all worse than that of those who were
baptized in their infancy; or that, if they die unbaptized,
without any fault of their own, they will in any wise suffer
for the omission? Now if all these questions be answered in
the negative, as undoubtedly they must, what becomes of the
imaginary paradise of blessings and privileges to which baptism
is to introduce the millions of our infants? Why should the
holy Lord God, our Saviour, be represented as mocking his
church by promises of mysterious, pompous nothings?" pp. 65-69.
Thus it is that this author remonstrates with the members of his own
communion. But does he neglect to extend the application of the argument
to other Pædobaptists? The reader shall be put in possession of the
means of judging.
"But if the Church of England rests this practice on such
insufficient grounds, how do the Pædobaptist Congregationalists
support the practice? They appear to me to have scarcely any
ground at all which they can acknowledge, consistently with
their fundamental principles as Congregationalists. They are
supported in the practice wholly by clinging to custom, and by
borrowing the arguments of the advocates of national churches
just for an occasion. It is quite inconsistent with their
principles to acknowledge such a visible church as infants are
professedly introduced to by baptism. They recognise no such
church, except on the occasion of baptizing their children.
They admit of no officers, and allow no government, for such a
church. They consider all apparently unconnected persons as
belonging only to the world, and admit their own children to
become members of their churches exactly in the same way as
they would a stranger coming from a country not professing
Christianity; except that, in their case, they are saved the
ceremony of baptizing, which is the divinely appointed way of
admission into a visible church. National ecclesiastical
establishments, which yet unavoidably resulted from the
practice of infant baptism, they hold to be altogether
anti-scriptural, and founded upon an anti-christian union
of church and state. They have, therefore, no reasonable
pretence for arguing for the practice from the appointment of
circumcision, which can with consistency be used only by those
who think that Christianity was designed to have a secular,
external character. Some of them, indeed, seem ashamed of this
obvious inconsistency, and have recourse to an imaginary
distinction between the covenant of redemption and the covenant
of grace; and instead of professing that by baptism they make
their children members of the visible church, they assert that
by doing so they place them visibly within the one covenant,
though not within the other. But a serious refutation of such a
notion can hardly be necessary; it may be classed with other
unintelligible and unauthorized imaginations.
"The members of the church, retaining their veneration for the
notions respecting the sacraments established as catholic in
the primitive ages, have some specious ground of hope that
the administration of the ordinance to their infants will be
accompanied with a communication of grace, in consequence of
the imagined occult connexion between the 'elements' and the
grace of the ordinance, they have, with something like a
pretence of reason, expected that their children might thereby
be made members of Christ, children of God, and heirs of the
kingdom of heaven. They are persuaded that it is consistent
with truth to speak of baptism for infants as 'the washing of
regeneration,' the laver of regeneration--the well-spring of
divine life, &c., &c., and that in this matter they rightly
exercise Christian submission in following 'the sacramental
host of God's elect.' But the Independents have no pretence of
the kind for this application of a holy ordinance to infants.
They expect their children to derive no benefit from it, other
than what they would derive through their prayers, and from
the blessing of God in bringing them up in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord. They renounce all deference to catholic
authority in matters of religion and conscience, and profess to
believe that all the light which the case requires is to be
found in the Scriptures, and that it is dangerous to follow any
other. They have also no more right to use the argument drawn
from the baptism of households, than they have that drawn from
circumcision: they are both founded on the same principle--an
assumption that the doors of the Christian visible church
have been opened by our Lord himself to the unconscious and
unconverted, in diametrical opposition to the principles on
which they found their opposition to the established church.
Surely it cannot be, that wise master-builders should much
longer employ themselves in daubing this papal wall with
untempered mortar." p. 39-92.
We are decidedly of opinion that whoever may take upon himself to reply
seriously to these statements, will find the undertaking to be neither
quite easy nor very agreeable. It may not be improper to state that this
is a new and somewhat enlarged edition of a work, published several
years ago, by the same author.
Dr. Judson's sermon, which is also a reprint, is perspicuous, elaborate,
and irrefragable.
1. _The Management of Bees, with a Description of the Ladies' Safety
Hive: with Forty Illustrative Engravings._ By SAMUEL BAGSTER, JUN.,
pp. 244. Bagster.
2. _Spiritual Honey from Natural Hives; or Meditations and Observations
on the Natural History and Habits of Bees: first introduced to public
notice in 1657._ By SAMUEL PURCHASE, M.A. pp. 176.--Bagster.
The worthy editor of these volumes has, we think, exercised a sound
discretion in publishing them separately. To the initiated in apiarian
research, "The Management of Bees" cannot fail to be highly interesting.
For our own part, we must confess that, if certain minute descriptions
which may possibly offend a refined moral sensibility, could have been
omitted, we should have considered the work more valuable on that
account. Perhaps our hint may prove available for a future edition.
With this exception, we would most cordially recommend this production
to the perusal of our readers generally; and to those who are engaged
in the study of that part of natural history to which it refers,
especially. The engravings are exceedingly creditable to the talent
of the artist.
As to the "Meditations" contained in the other volume, they are
altogether above our praise. They are eminently instructive and pious,
admirably calculated to secure the attention even of the thoughtless,
and to promote, in a very high degree, the pleasure and the profit of
the considerate. In confirmation, we present our readers with the
following specimen:
"If the bee lights upon a flower where there is no honey
(being wasted or gathered before), she quickly gets off, and
flies away to another that will furnish her. Let us not lose
ourselves and forget our errand: our father, Adam, lost our
happiness, and we are sent to seek it; seek it where it is, and
go handsomely to work; say, I am not for riches, they are made
for me; I am not for creatures, they are made for me, and I am
their master; therefore these cannot make me happy: I am made
for eternity, for everlasting life and happiness; therefore,
let me study that; mind that end beyond inferior ends. Why do
men seek wealth, but to be happy? Why pleasures, why honours,
but because they would be happy? If these things cannot bless
and enhappy me, why should I burn daylight? why should I not
off them, as the bee gets off the plants that yield her no
honey, and once, at last, see where my happiness lies, in
pursuing happiness, and where my happiness lies, in God's ways;
the first step whereof is poverty of spirit?" p. 22.
We hope these valuable reflections will be often reprinted.
_Poems on Sacred Subjects._ By MARIA GRACE SAFFERY. Hamilton and Co.;
Darton and Harvey.
These poems are from the pen of the widow of the late Rev. John Saffery,
of Salisbury, whose name is still fragrant there, and in many other
places; whose zealous labours of love in our Bengal Mission, and in the
propagation of the gospel in Ireland, will long be remembered.
Rich in Scripture knowledge and in Christian experience, with a lively
imagination and a great command of language, the writer has poured out
her melodious strains from the fulness of her heart.
Most of the subjects are taken from the Old Testament or the New, and
the versification embraces a great variety of metres, with the ease and
sweetness almost peculiar to female writers. The whole book of Jonah is
finely illustrated in a series of poems which cannot fail to please.
This little volume is introduced by a modest preface, and a "Sonnet
inscribed to the memory of the Rev. J. Saffery," which is worth
transcribing:--
"Thou hadst a soul for melody to greet,
When thou wert here, among the weary-hearted;
And thoughts of thee are like sweet sounds departed,
That visit time with echoes,--and repeat
Strains that were breath'd beside my pilgrim feet;
As if I heard the voice of my past years,
And thou wert singing in this vale of tears.
But 'tis not in the desert we shall meet--
And who would wish thee where the world is weeping?
Thou hast a blessed minstrelsy on high.
The lyre of praise, o'er which thy song is sweeping,
Hath not a pause like mine--a pause to sigh.
Harps strung for holiest themes to both are given;
But mine is tun'd on earth--and thine, in heaven."
Many others are exquisitely sweet. We have been particularly pleased
with one on Jonathan's friendship, which concludes thus:--
"O chieftain! in thy life was seen
That friendship in immortal mould,
To which ambition's hope is mean,
And woman's kindest thought is cold.
"Gilboa! let thy mountain-heath
Like Jesse's gentle harp complain;
There Israel's beauty bow'd in death,
There Jonathan, the friend, was slain!"
The work is very neatly got up, and we are glad to observe that the
subscribers' names are numerous, and highly respectable.
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.
AN APPEAL TO CHRISTIAN LADIES, IN BEHALF OF FEMALE EDUCATION IN CHINA,
INDIA, AND THE EAST.
From the last census taken by the Chinese government in 1813, it appears
that the population of that empire was then 362,447,183; a population
more than twenty times as great as that of Greenland, Labrador, the
Canadas, the West Indies, the South Sea Islands, the Cape, Madagascar,
Greece, Egypt, Abyssinia, and Ceylon,--_i.e._, more than twenty times as
large as nearly the whole field of Christian missions, India and the
East being excepted.
In 1821, the missionary, Dr. Milne, calculated the population of Cochin
China, Corea, Loo-choo, Japan, and other districts tributary to China,
to be about 60,000,000. If there should be in those countries, with
Burmah and Siam, only 20,000,000 instead of 60,000,000, they form
an important field of missionary labour. The British subjects of
continental and ultra-Gangetic India, are 77,743,178; the population
more or less under British influence in India, is 33,994,000; making
a total under British influence in India, of 111,736,178. Of the 362
millions of the Chinese empire, probably 150 millions are females; and
among the 111 millions of India there are about 50 millions more; so
that, in these two countries, there are 200 millions of heathen females
demanding our commiseration and Christian care.
The condition of the Chinese women is thus described by the missionary
Gutzlaff:--"Such a general degradation in religion makes it almost
impossible that females should have their proper rank in society.
They are the slaves and concubines of their masters, live and die in
ignorance, and every effort to raise themselves above the rank assigned
them, is regarded as impious arrogance. As long as mothers are not the
instructors of their children, and wives are not the companions of
their husbands, the regeneration of this great empire will proceed very
slowly." As might be expected, suicide is a refuge to which thousands of
these ignorant idolaters fly. "The unnatural crime of infanticide is so
common among them, that it is perpetrated without any feeling, and even
in a laughing mood. There is also carried on a regular traffic in
females."
The condition of the Hindoo women is, if possible, worse. They are
treated as slaves, may not eat with their husbands, and are expressly
permitted by law to be beaten. Degraded and despised, they naturally
sink towards the level assigned them by public opinion. They have no
mental employment whatever; and being very much excluded by the extreme
jealousy of which they are the objects, from missionary instruction, it
appears that their miserable condition must be perpetuated, till Hindoo
society undergoes a radical change, unless they be improved by Christian
schools.
To meet these necessities, a society has been formed of ladies of
various denominations, united together by Christian piety, for the
wretched female population whom they wish to elevate and bless. Some of
the objects to which the Committee will direct their attention, are the
following:
1. To collect and to diffuse information on the subject.
2. To prepare and send out pious and intelligent women, as trainers and
superintendents of the native female teachers.
3. To assist those who may be anxious to form female schools in
accordance with the rules of this society, by grants of money, books,
and superintendence.
What Christian lady, to whom this appeal may come, will refuse her
co-operation in so good a work! To aid the beneficent legislation of
a paternal government in the improvement of so large a population
committed to our care; to rescue the weak from oppression, and to
comfort the miserable in their sorrow; to give to the infant population
of India, and of China, the blessings of maternal wisdom and piety; to
teach the men of those nations, that those who are now their degraded
slaves, may be their companions, counsellors, and friends; to disgrace,
by a knowledge of the rudiments of European science, those fabulous and
polluted legends of their sacred books, which are at variance with
geographical and astronomical facts; to make them acquainted with the
Bible, which now they cannot read; to place them under the instruction
of the missionary, from whom they are at present excluded; to bring them
to the knowledge of Christ, and to prove that his grace can do more in
a few years to bless them, than centuries of heathenism could do to
degrade them;--these are the great objects which carried Mrs. Wilson
to the children of Hindostan, and Miss Wallace to those of China: but,
while "the harvest truly is plenteous, the labourers are few." Other
women of equal capacity, and who can show the same perseverance
springing from compassion and faith, must follow the good example.
And if they offer themselves to this work of the Lord, will not the
Christian women of this country, by sending them forth, and supporting
them in their work, show to the continent and the world, that gratitude
to God and to Christ for the blessings of providence and grace, can
kindle in their hearts an earnest and self-denying pity for those who,
though they speak in other tongues, and are separated from us by half
the earth's circumference, are yet as capable of joy and sorrow as
ourselves, and are among those to whom our Redeemer has commanded that
the gospel should be preached?
Wives, who are happy in the affection and esteem of your husbands;
mothers, who enjoy your children's reverence and gratitude; children,
who have been blessed by a mother's example, and a mother's care;
sisters, who have found in brothers your warmest friends; Christian
women, who feel that you can lend to society its charm, and receive from
it a loyal courtesy in return; protected, honoured, and loved--impart
your blessings to those who are miserable because they are without them.
If your minds are intelligent and cultivated--if your lives are useful
and happy--and if you can look for a blessed immortality beyond the
grave, do not, for the love of Christ, whose sufferings have been the
source of all your blessings, and of all your hopes, do not refuse to
make Him known, that the degraded millions of the East may, like you, be
"blessed in Him," and, like you, may "call him blessed."
Those readers who desire further information may obtain it from Mr.
Suter, 19, Cheapside; by whom contributions will be thankfully received.
EXTRACT FROM THE FORTY-FIFTH QUARTERLY REGISTER OF THE BAPTIST HOME
MISSION.
The Committee of this Society desire, humbly and thankfully, to
acknowledge the goodness of God for the many favourable openings which
appear for the "_spread of the gospel at home_."
Whilst they deeply regret that, for want of means, they cannot employ
more labourers, they gratefully record some unexpected supplies to their
exhausted funds; they indulge the hope that many of their fellow
Christians will follow the example of their friend, Mr. Nice, and
others, who have nobly come to the help of the Lord in time of need.
The following extract from the Report of the Auxiliary Society for
_Exeter and North Devon_ will, it is hoped, be acceptable as a specimen
of that work which all true Christians pray may prosper.
"At _Torrington_, our brother PULSFORD still continues to carry on the
work of the Lord with the true spirit of a laborious minister of the
word, ever zealous in the work, and watching for the salvation of souls;
and the great Head of the church has again honoured him with the reward
of his labours. Possessed with heartfelt love for souls, he appears to
have continually before him, as his motto, 'Work while it is day; for
the night cometh in which no man can work;' he is instant in season and
out of season. From his letter of the 15th inst., we make the following
extract:--'I have great pleasure in stating that the Lord in his great
mercy continues to bless our feeble instrumentality, thirty-two have
been brought to the knowledge of the truth, and added to the church by
baptism since October last; and we continue to carry the word of life
into thirteen villages, in many of which the power and glory of God are
seen and felt. Glory be to his name. At _Langtree_, we have long mourned
the lack of room, but I am happy to state that a chapel which will
contain about 150 is nearly finished. At _Langtree Wick_ we want to do
the same, and trust that the great Head of the church will prepare the
way for our doing so before long. At _St. Giles_, we have added another
room to the one we occupied; and at _Hatherleigh_ we have baptized ten,
and as many more appear to be converted to God, and will follow the
Lord in that delightful ordinance soon. Our new place of worship at
Hatherleigh is covered in, and things wear a very pleasing aspect. O for
the downpouring of the Holy Spirit, that the sacred fire may spread from
village to village, and from town to town, till the whole world shall be
full of the glory of God! Nothing is wanting to obtain this, but the
hearty co-operation of all our churches in the great work--the entering
into religion with _all_ the heart, and _all_ the soul, each one laying
himself or herself out for God, and the eternal welfare of their
fellow-creatures. We have four Sunday-schools, in which 280 children are
taught the word and way of God, and we trust will yield a future harvest
to the church.'"
THE BISHOP OF LONDON AND THE DISSENTERS.
(_From the Times._)
A second edition of a "Remonstrance addressed to the Lord Bishop of
London, on the Sanction given, in his late Charge to the Clergy of that
Diocese, to the Calumnies against the Dissenters contained in certain
Letters signed L. S. E.," has recently appeared, with the respectable
name of Mr. Charles Lushington. The letters referred to, which are
addressed to a Dissenting minister of the Congregational denomination,
and written, it appears, by a clergyman of the church of England, might
well be mistaken for a subtle and refined ruse of a bitter enemy of that
church. At a moment when the feelings of the Dissenters are wrought up
to intense excitement by a sense of wrong from grievances unredressed,
an individual of that class who teach from the pulpit that a man who
lacketh charity lacketh every thing, has had the daring effrontery to
vomit forth a mass of rancorous scurrility against the whole Dissenting
body, especially its teachers, applying to them epithets proscribed in
almost every species of polemical warfare, except that carried on by
Carlile and his party, detailing disgusting anecdotes thinly veiled in
the decency of a Latin translation, excluding them from the pale of
Christianity, and proclaiming that "the curse of God rests heavily upon
them!" It is to be regretted that there are a few individuals of the
letter-writer's class, men who have exchanged the sword for the gown, or
who desire to transform the pen into the sword; but these intolerant
zealots, so long as their acts are not countenanced by their superiors,
do but little mischief. The letters in question, however, have been
specifically recommended in a note appended to the late charge of the
Bishop of London, as "containing a great deal of useful information and
sound reasoning, set forth with a little too much warmth of invective
against the Dissenters." Mr. Lushington, who avows himself a member of
the church of England, has had the candour and manliness to step forward
and publicly vindicate the Dissenters from the effects of such a
recommendation of such a work, suggesting, at the same time, "some
political and Christian considerations, which should operate to secure
for those calumniated persons a little more conciliatoriness from their
opponents, and a far greater measure of justice from their judges." He
shows what the Dissenters have done, and are doing, to supply the
deficiencies of the established church; he disproves the accusation
that the Dissenters, as a body, seek to destroy that church, which
would be repugnant to the system to which they owe their distinction
as a religious body; and he suggests that, if the religious wants of
the community are to be adequately supplied, it must be by one of three
plans--either by the establishment and other sects, as at present; or by
the establishment alone, all other sects being merged, comprehended, or
put down; or by the episcopal church and other denominations, without an
establishment. He assumes that the second is impracticable, inasmuch as
the establishment could not be extended, on the basis of taxation, so as
to meet the wants of the population, and the sects could not be merged
or put down. The choice is, therefore, between the first, which
renders the Dissenters necessary as auxiliaries, and therefore to be
conciliated; and the third, which would reduce the church of England
to the dimensions of an episcopal, but non-established, church. Such
frenzied partisans as "L. S. E." would be more likely to bring about
the third alternative than the second.
EXTRACT FROM A CORRESPONDENT'S LETTER, ADDRESSED TO THE RIGHT REV. THE
LORD BISHOP OF LONDON.
My Lord,
In the notes appended to your Lordship's Charge, delivered at the
last visitation, reference is made to a work, entitled, "Letters to a
Dissenting Minister, &c., by L. S. E." It is most prudently admitted,
that the work contains "too much sharpness of invective against the
dissenters;" your Lordship has, however, added, "I recommend the
publication as containing a great deal of useful information and
sound reasoning."
It was prudent in L. S. E. not to attach his name to a work that would
give him a notoriety for impudence and slander which no future penitence
could by any possibility remove. How far it was wise to sanction with
the authority of your Lordship's name, the work of an author who had not
the rashness to reveal his own, remains for the effects it will produce
upon society to determine.
L. S. E. has stated in page 360, that "the late Mr. Abraham Booth,[B] an
eminent dissenting teacher in London, would never pray for the King
(George the Third) at all." Allow me, therefore, to inform your Lordship
and the nameless individual who enjoys your patronage, that the
assertion is entirely false. During the thirty-seven years in which he
administered the ordinances and truth of Jesus Christ in Prescot-street,
he not only never refused, but made it his uniform practice, to pray for
"our rightful Sovereign the King, his Royal Consort the Queen, and every
branch of the Royal Family;" of this many living witnesses may be
brought, who still remain the fruits of his exertions. Much sympathy is
due to your Lordship on account of the present intensity of professional
excitement; but the injunction laid by inspiration upon a Bishop must
not be forgotten, "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be thou
partaker in other men's sins: keep thyself pure."
With sincere respect, I am, my Lord, your Lordship's humble servant,
_Hackney, Dec. 4, 1834._ ISAAC BOOTH.
[B] My revered parent entered into his rest in 1806.
DUTIES ARISING OUT OF THE PRESENT ASPECT OF POLITICAL AFFAIRS.
At a Meeting of the "Deputies from the several Congregations of
Protestant Dissenters of the Three Denominations in and within twelve
miles of London, appointed to protect their Civil Rights," held at the
King's Head Tavern in the Poultry, on Friday, the 19th day of December,
1834.
HENRY WAYMOUTH, Esq., in the Chair.
Resolved,
That this Deputation cordially approves of the following Resolutions of
the United Committee of Protestant Dissenters in London, passed on the
18th ult.; viz.--
"That, while this Committee bows to the exercise of the Royal
Prerogative, they have learned, with feelings of unfeigned and profound
regret, the sudden dismissal from His Majesty's Councils of his late
confidential advisers; entertaining, as they do, a cordial approbation
of the general measures of their Administration, and confiding in their
principles as the sincere friends of civil and religious freedom.
"That, while the Committee cannot but express their disappointment and
sorrow that the just claims of Protestant Dissenters have hitherto
been postponed, they are convinced that such delay on the part of His
Majesty's late Government arose chiefly from the obstructions to which
they were subject, both from ecclesiastical and political opponents.
The regret which this Committee feels at the dismissal of the late
Administration is also greatly aggravated by the assurance that it has
occurred at a moment when its members were preparing means of redress
for the chief practical grievances of which Dissenters complain.
"That, in the probable event of a General Election, this Committee
confidently anticipates, from the Protestant Dissenters throughout the
empire, the most decided and uncompromising opposition to that political
party who have avowed themselves the unflinching opponents of their
interests, and whose speeches and votes on the Bill for the admission of
Dissenters to the Universities, ought never to be forgotten; and, in the
event of such election, this Committee relies also on all classes of
Dissenters for the immediate adoption of measures best calculated to
ensure the return, as Representatives to Parliament, of men liberal and
enlightened in their views, the tried friends of Religious Liberty,
National Improvement, and Universal Freedom.
"That this Committee pledges itself to persevere in seeking the full and
immediate relief of the practical Grievances of Protestant Dissenters
upon the principles it has repeatedly avowed."
That this Deputation strongly urges upon its Constituents the importance
of promptly and vigorously acting upon the recommendations contained in
the foregoing resolutions as to the choice of Representatives in the
ensuing Parliament.
That the declaration of the line of policy intended to be pursued by the
Administration of Sir Robert Peel, as contained in his address to the
Electors of Tamworth, is most unsatisfactory to Dissenters, and affords
no prospect of the adoption of liberal measures on the part of the
Cabinet of which he is the head.
That this deputation cannot but record its total want of reliance on the
granting of any effectual relief to Dissenters by a political party
which have ever been opposed to the affording to that numerous and
important body their just and equal rights as subjects of the Realm.
That the foregoing Resolutions be inserted in the "Morning Chronicle,"
"Morning Post," "Morning Advertiser," "Globe," "Standard," and "Patriot"
newspapers.
RESOLUTIONS OCCASIONED BY THE LETTER FROM THE AMERICAN BOARD OF FOREIGN
MISSIONS[C] TO THE BOARD OF BAPTIST MINISTERS IN AND NEAR LONDON.
[C] See page 8 of the present Number.
At a meeting of the Board of Baptist Ministers, specially convened at
Fen Court, Nov. 25th, 1834, the Rev. F. A. Cox, LL.D. in the Chair, the
above communication having been read, the following resolution was
adopted:--
Resolved unanimously,
"That we receive with much pleasure the expressions of esteem and
attachment, and fully participate in the affectionate sentiments,
contained in the letter of the American Board of Foreign Missions, dated
Boston, Sept. 1, 1834; and while we deeply regret that, in the judgment
of the said Board, it would violate the Constitution of the Triennial
Convention to entertain our communication of the 31st Dec. 1833, we hope
that such of our American brethren as concur in the opinions of that
communication, will adopt every means consistent with Christian
principles, to diffuse their sentiments, and thus secure the immediate
and entire extinction of their slave system.
"That the Secretary be requested to transmit the above Resolution to the
Vice President of the Baptist Board for Foreign Missions in the United
States.
"It having been reported to the Board, that our brethren who have been
requested by the Baptist Union to go as a deputation to our Baptist
brethren in America, having consulted their respective churches, have
acceded to the wishes of the Union;"
Resolved unanimously,
"That this Board, feeling the importance of the deputation to America
appointed by the Baptist Union, earnestly recommends, that the churches
in London and its vicinity collect, in what way they may severally think
proper, towards the expenses of such an object."
J. B. SHENSTON, _Secretary_.
BRITISH VOLUNTARY CHURCH SOCIETY.
Resolution passed by the Board of Baptist Ministers at a meeting
specially convened at Fen Court, Dec. 16, 1834, the Rev. W. Newman, D.D.
in the Chair.
"That, approving the principles and objects of the British Voluntary
Church Society, this Board strongly recommends the churches of our
denomination to promote its operations by every means in their power;
either by obtaining subscriptions, by lending their places of worship
for the delivering of lectures, or by any other means which their
judgment may suggest.
"That the Secretary be requested to transmit the above Resolution to the
Secretaries of the British Voluntary Church Society, and to send a copy
for insertion in the Baptist Magazine."
J. B. SHENSTON, _Secretary_.
N.B. Persons subscribing not less than _2s. 6d._ per annum, are members
of this Society.--ED.
UNICORN-YARD CHAPEL, TOOLEY-STREET, SOUTHWARK, ERECTED, 1720.
From the decayed state of this place of worship, and for the safety of
those persons who assemble therein, at the recommendation of several
architects, a new wall has been erected, and the building generally
having undergone a thorough repair, with 200 additional sittings, and
baptistry, &c. was re-opened for the worship of God, on Thursday,
November 27, 1834, when three sermons were preached; that in the morning
by the Rev. Dr. Andrews, of Walworth, from Heb. ix. 12; that in the
afternoon, by the Rev. Thomas Shirley, of Seven Oaks; and that in the
evening, by the Rev. J. H. Evans, A.M., of John-street chapel,
Bedford-row, when upwards of thirty pounds were collected.
The church now encouraged by considerable additions, and the regular
attendance of an increasing congregation, take this opportunity of
gratefully acknowledging the services of those good men who helped them
in their low estate, and also to record the loving-kindness of the Lord
who has so graciously appeared in reviving us under the ministry of our
present pastor, the Rev. D. Denham (late of Margate), who was publicly
recognized as our pastor, with three of our brethren as deacons, on
Monday, Dec. 15, 1834. The Rev. G. Comb, of Oxford-st., delivered the
introductory discourse, and asked the church and minister the usual
questions. The Rev. M. Dovey, of Rotherhithe, offered up the ordination
prayer; and the Rev. Thomas Shirley, of Seven Oaks, gave an affectionate
charge to the pastor from 1 Cor. iv. 1, 2. The Rev. J. Smith, of
Shoreditch, explained the deacon's office, showing the qualification
and grace required to fill it, and then in a most scriptural manner
addressed the church from Heb. xiii. 22. Messrs. Benson, Bridgeman,
Moial, Boddington, and Hewlett, engaged in the other parts of the
services.
N.B. The expenses of general repairs and enlargement of the chapel
(which will now seat about 700 persons, including a number of free
sittings) will rather exceed 400 pounds; and as nearly _half that sum_
has been realized by the exertions of a few individuals, we trust our
appeal will not be in vain to those Christian friends to whom God has
given the means of assisting us, and whose delight is to promote the
cause of Christ upon earth. Donations, however small, will be thankfully
received if forwarded to our Treasurer, Mr. Richard Edwards, 6,
Chester-place, Old Kent-road.
NOTICE.
The next Quarterly Meeting of the London Baptist Association, will be
held at Devonshire-sq. chapel, on Wednesday evening, January 21, 1835,
when a sermon will be preached by the Rev. J. E. Giles, on the Duties of
Church Members towards the Unconverted. Service to commence at seven
o'clock.
RECENT DEATHS.
REV. DR. CAREY.
In the Philanthropist the event is thus noticed: "The Rev. Dr. Carey
died at Serampore, after a protracted illness of nine months, on Monday
morning last, the 9th instant (June) in the 73rd year of his age." The
same paper contains the following account, copied from another paper,
[_The Sumachar Derpun_] published at Serampore. "We have to communicate
intelligence to-day, which will be received with general lamentation,
not only throughout India, but throughout the world. Dr. Carey has
finished his pilgrimage on earth, having gently expired early last
Monday morning, the 9th of June. For several years past his health has
been very infirm, and his strength has gradually sunk, until the weary
wheels of nature stood still, from mere debility, and not from disease.
The peculiarly hot weather and rainy season of 1833 reduced him to such
extreme weakness, that in September last he experienced a stroke of
apoplexy, and for some time after his death was expected daily. It
pleased God, however, to revive him a little. During the cold season he
could again take a morning and evening ride in his palanquin carriage,
and spend much of the day reclining in an easy chair with a book in his
hand, or conversing cheerfully with any friend that called. As, however,
the hot weather advanced, he sunk daily into still greater debility than
before, and could take no nourishment. He lay helpless and speechless on
his bed until his skin was worn off his body, and death was a merciful
relief. His dearest friends could not but rejoice, that his sufferings
were ended, although they mourn his loss to themselves and to mankind."
For further particulars of this distinguished man, we refer our readers
to the Missionary Herald.
J. F. BEARD.
At Scarborough, Yorkshire, November the 9th, after a short illness,
James Freeman Beard, in the 74th year of his age. He was formerly, for
many years, the respected pastor of the church of Christ at Worstead,
Norfolk, where his ardent labours in the surrounding villages will long
be remembered.
DISTRIBUTION OF PROFITS.
The following sums, from the profits of this work, were voted to the
widows whose initials follow, at the meeting of proprietors, on Friday,
the 19th ult.
NAME RECOMMENDED BY
E £3 S. Price.
B 4 J. Edwards.
F 3 E. Evans.
I 4 J. Williamson.
H 4 T. Howard.
C 4 J. Puntis.
P 4 W. Yates.
I 3 B. Price.
A 4 S. Green.
W 4 F. A. Cox.
D 3 T. Thomas.
B 4 J. Carver.
W 4 H. W. Holmes.
T 3 B. Thomas.
C 4 W. Copley.
P 3 M. Thomas.
D 3 J. James.
B 4 W. L. Smith.
*** The Widows will please to observe they cannot receive twice in the
same year.
IRISH CHRONICLE.
JANUARY, 1835.
The Rev. S. Davis, of Clonmel, will come from Ireland this month, for
the purpose of collecting on behalf of the Society in the West of
England. Our friends, that he may visit, especially our ministering
brethren, are respectfully and earnestly requested to encourage his
application to the utmost of their power; as, on the success of such
efforts the continued operations of the Society greatly depends.
In the Rev. Wm. Thomas's letter will be found a grateful reference
to the Committee of the Tract Society, and to a parcel which he has
received from England, containing many useful articles for the children
of the schools. And the Secretary begs to acknowledge the receipt of a
number of "Magazines for Ireland," from a female friend at Hammersmith.
_Extract of a letter from_ Rev. S. DAVIS
_to the_ SECRETARY.
_Clonmel, Nov. 21, 1834._
We are in the Lord's hands, and he will finally accomplish the purposes
of his own glory, and I am persuaded we cannot do better than steadily
to pursue the purpose in which we are engaged, to make the people
acquainted, as far as it is in our power, with the Holy Scriptures,
which will undermine the power of Antichrist, and promote happiness in
proportion as they obtain an access to the heart.
My son, at Ardee, recently assisted in the public examination of 400
adults in their knowledge of the Irish Scriptures, and he has given a
very interesting account of the meeting in the last Quarterly Papers of
the Irish Society. He was astonished and delighted to think, as I do
also, that the teaching of the people in the Irish Scriptures, is one of
the most important benefits that can be conferred upon the country.
Our Society has had the honour to take the lead in this respect; and,
however we may be looked down upon, and whatever may become of the
institution, I have no doubt it has been a greater benefit to the
country than words can express; it is a pity, therefore, that it should
not be in more prosperous circumstances, and that your hands should
not be held up more by those who have it in their power to afford us
assistance; but when we have done what we could do we cannot reproach
ourselves, and we must leave the event with Him who will appreciate our
good intentions, and forgive all our infirmities.
S. DAVIS.
Rev. W. THOMAS _to the_ SECRETARY.
_Limerick, Nov. 21, 1834._
My dear Sir,
You will have the kindness to excuse the brevity of these few lines,
as I have only this moment arrived after a journey of preaching and
inspecting some of the schools, and it is necessary that the readers'
journals should go off by this day's mail, which will proceed
immediately. I have, I trust, some interesting things to communicate,
which, please providence, I shall shortly do; and also, offer my
grateful thanks to the Committee of the Tract Society, for a precious
parcel of tracts, forwarded with a kind letter from their worthy
Secretary; and also my very grateful acknowledgments to an excellent
lady, for a very acceptable parcel for the female children in the
schools; this good lady says, they are "from one who wishes well to the
cause of instructing the rising generation." The thimbles, bodkins,
thread-cases, needle-books, work-bags, scissors, and five shillings,
inclosed in the "old purse," shall be judiciously distributed: the five
shillings we will apply to clothing some naked creatures. May the Lord
of glory clothe the dear lady's soul with the beautiful and glorious,
the spotless and eternal, robes of the Redeemer's righteousness, which
will never wax old!
With the kindest wishes for you, my dear Sir, and all the dear friends
of the Society, ever most affectionately yours,
WM. THOMAS.
Rev. J. BATES _to the_ SECRETARY.
_Sligo, Nov. 31, 1834._
Dear Sir,
Through mercy I am spared to give you an outline of my imperfect labours
during the month that is now past, and gone into eternity. When I think
of the rapid flight of time, and view the condition of my fellow-sinners
around me with regard to their religious circumstances and eternal
prospects, I feel that my situation is such as should lead me to Jesus,
to seek more of his mind and more of his spirit, that "whatever my hand
findeth to do, I may do it with my might."
Since my last letter, I have visited several villages in the country
where I never went before. Castledargin, Corringuncor, Drimnagooli,
and Ballindrist. There are a few brethren in the neighbourhood of
Corringuncor, and they feel rejoiced when any one pays them a visit. The
congregation at that place was large and very encouraging. Mr. Berry is
going on a missionary tour amongst them this next week. May the Lord
bless his own word to their everlasting welfare, and his own glory!
Ballindrist is an interesting little station, and, by the blessing of
God, I trust good will result from the proclamation of his word; but at
Drimnagooli, there exists the greatest spirit of inquiry. I have only
been in that neighbourhood three times, and I am happy to say that, each
time, the congregation increased. They are continually saying, "Visit us
as often as you can." The clergyman in that neighbourhood has preached
against baptism; but I have lately observed, where there is the most
opposition, there is the greatest spirit of inquiry, and the largest
congregations.
Since I have been in this superstitious island (and surely this is the
place "where Satan's seat is"), I have sometimes thought of what my
affectionate pastor told me when he was living, just before I left
England. Calling me by my name, he said, "Whatever others do, let it be
your determination to preach Jesus; wherever you take your stand, there
let the cross be erected. Dagon fell when the ark of God was set up in
his presence; they set him up the second time, but behold, Dagon was
fallen upon his face to the ground and broken to pieces; so if you set
up Christ, with a single eye to his glory, Antichrist must fall; 'my
word shall not return unto me void.'"
During the next month, if all is well, as I shall have a long journey
inspecting the schools, I hope to have many opportunities of proclaiming
the gospel to those that are now sitting in darkness. I pray that the
Lord may command a blessing, even life for evermore.
J. BATES.
_To_ MR. THOMAS.
_Ballycar, Nov. 13, 1834._
October 29. Being asked by a Roman Catholic why I would not pray to the
Saints, and implore their intercession; I replied, Because I have no
authority in Scripture for it. But on the contrary, St. Paul says,
"There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ
Jesus;" and the Saviour himself says, in John xiv. 6, "I am the way, the
truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me;" and he
also says, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, I will do
it." Now since all we ask the Father, in the name of the Son, is granted
unto us, why should we address ourselves to other mediators? We also
read in 1 John ii. 1: "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
Nov. 2. In Quin, entering into a conversation with two persons, on the
necessity of reading the Scriptures, one of them replied, that their
clergy would not permit them to read them. I asked him, which should he
obey, his priest or God? He replied, God. "Therefore you should read,
and not only read but search, the Scriptures; for Christ himself says,
'Search the Scriptures;' and again he says, 'Blessed are they that hear
the word of God, and keep it:' and the apostle Paul strongly commends
the people of Berea for reading the Scriptures; he expressly says in
Acts xvii. 11: 'These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in
that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.' Now if these people
doubted the words of that eminent apostle, how much more should we
search the Scriptures in the present day, and see if the doctrine taught
us be consistent with the Scriptures or not!" After reading different
passages of Scripture, and reasoning for some time on this subject with
these people, they replied that it appeared consistent with truth, that
men should read the Scriptures.
Nov. 7. Entering into conversation with one person, on the immediate
state of happiness of those who die in the Lord; he replied, that no
person can enter heaven, without being purged from their sins in
purgatory. I asked him, Did he not think that the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ was sufficient to cleanse him? He replied, He was confident
it was, but we must also suffer for some time in this place. I read to
him different passages of Scripture, to prove to him that the blood of
the Lord Jesus cleanseth us from all sin, such as Isaiah i. 18, 1 John
i. 7, Prov. vii. 13, 14, 15, Heb. i. 3, &c.. After reading this passage,
the man took the book out of my hand, to see if the words were expressly
the same as I read them; after seeing they were, from his conversation
after, he seemed very much to doubt this doctrine. I read at intervals
to the Major's workmen, himself being in a delicate state of health,
which renders him at different times unable to do it. He had been very
ill this day or two past, but is now getting better. Sir, I remain
yours,
SAMUEL CROSS.
_To_ Rev. J. BATES.
_Temple House, Nov. 14, 1834._
Rev. Sir.--I feel happy to state to you that since my last I have been
permitted to read the word of life for vast numbers of Roman Catholics
and others who were ignorant of those precious truths which are revealed
in it; and indeed many of them have heard the word with remarkable
attention, and seemed to receive instruction.
Oct. 20. In the house of widow Sweeny, where there were assembled about
fifty Roman Catholics, the man of the house having got a sudden death;
whilst I sat amongst them one of them said, "Let us pray for the soul of
the departed." Then they all took off their hats and prayed; this they
did every half hour, and in the interval talked of consecrated ground,
&c., and of the benefits of being interred in consecrated ground.
I was indeed much grieved on seeing and hearing such ignorance and
superstition; and, addressing myself to one of the most respectable and
well informed among them, I asked, "What reason have we to believe that
either consecrated burial-ground or prayers for the dead, or any other
office, can help the state of the departed soul?" Two of them answered
and spoke alternately. One said that no devil or evil spirit could
come near consecrated ground; the other told me that they believed
in the doctrine of purgatory, and that the prayers of the faithful are
necessary for the relief of the souls in purgatory. I told them that it
is written in the word of God, that "blessed are the dead which die in
the Lord," for they rest from their labours; that those who believe
in Jesus Christ, "his blood cleanseth them from all sin," and that
consequently they need no other purgatory. I referred to the words of
the Saviour in the 3rd of John, "He that believeth on the Son bath
everlasting life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abideth on him." One of the men above mentioned
said, that he read in the Scriptures that we are purged by fire. I
showed, from 1 Peter iv., the fiery trial spoken of means persecutions
and sufferings for Christ's sake to be endured in this life. I also
showed, from Acts viii. that on the death of Stephen there was not a
word about consecrated burial-ground or prayer for the dead. All this
time the people heard with most eager attention. I showed them from many
parts of Scripture that Jesus is an all-sufficient Saviour, and that all
who believe in him are justified from all things, &c.
On the 26th, went to the house of J. Foley, where many were assembled
visiting a sick person. While they talked of the uncertainty of life,
and the necessity of being prepared for eternity, I endeavoured to show
the need we have of a Saviour, and the blessings of being interested in
him. I proposed to read for the sick person, and was permitted; I read
very many of the most suitable parts of Scripture, showing that the
Saviour is a sure foundation to build our hopes on for salvation, and
that there is no other. The people present were nearly all Roman
Catholics; and seeing them so attentive, I continued nearly an hour
reading. The sick person seemed to receive comfort from the Word, and
the people of the family were extremely thankful. On the following
Sabbath I again visited the same house. They told me they were rejoiced
to see me enter their door. I read Acts iii. 4, showing that Peter,
to whom they are in the habit of praying, directed the people to the
Saviour, telling them that there is not salvation in any other, and that
there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved.
ROBERT BEATY.
_To_ Rev. J. ALLEN.
_Ardnaree, Nov. 11, 1834._
Rev. Sir,
I am happy to inform you that many instances present themselves in this
part of the country, of persons forsaking their former wicked course of
living, and giving themselves to the study of the Scriptures, and that
through the instrumentality of the Baptist Institution; persons who, if
left to themselves, in all probability, would have lived and died
ignorant of a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus.
On the 23rd, ult., I went to the neighbourhood of Castlebar, among our
schools. In that part I read and talked to many of the inhabitants
regarding the "one thing needful;" left the persons with whom I thus
read and conversed, religious tracts as usual. M. M'Kelvey, with whom I
had several conversations regarding the ordinance of baptism, intends
to offer himself as a candidate to the Ballina Baptist church soon.
We have great cause for thankfulness that the Lord is pleased to grant
us so many favourable opportunities of reading and explaining his holy
word to our countrymen and fellow-sinners, being aware that if they knew
the truth the truth would make them free.
In the neighbourhood of Foxford, I have strove to be useful,
particularly in Shrakum, had a seasonable opportunity of reading
applicable portions of the Scriptures in the hearing of many persons,
young and old, who answered their various questions respecting religion;
we also joined in prayer. The people then present seemed to be satisfied
with my answers to the questions which they asked on several occasions.
There are three new places in which I frequently read the Scriptures
in this neighbourhood, namely, Rakep, Caltrough, and Bunzee; in all
those places I read portions both of the English and Irish Testament,
diligently endeavouring to draw the serious attention of my various
hearers, as usual, to the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
There is a man of the name O'Donell in Hill-street, Ballina, to whom I
have given a Testament some time ago; he comes to your preaching, and
does not care for either priest or pope, for so doing. On the 7th
instant, went among our schools in the Tyrarough district; remained in
Easkey two days; met and had conversation with many of our Christian
friends there. May they daily receive all needful grace and strength
out of the fulness that is in Christ Jesus!
There is a man and his wife that lately came to live in this town; she
is a nominal protestant, but he is a papist, they frequently come to my
house for the purpose of getting religious instruction. They were with
me on Saturday last, at which time I read several applicable portions of
the Scriptures to them, and also answered their questions respecting
religion, from the criterion of truth. They both can read. I have given
them several useful tracts, and a book entitled, "The Errors of Popery."
I intend to visit them often, and they promised to attend your
preaching. I hope these visits to my home, with the blessing of God,
will be the means of directing them to the Saviour, who alone is able
and willing to save to the uttermost all that put their trust in him.
ROGER MULLARKY.
CONTRIBUTIONS.
Received by the Treasurer:--
Mr. Baker's Legacy, per
J. Ivimey, Esq. 100 0 0
A Friend at C., by Mr. Goddard 10 0 0
Collection at the Rev. E.
Steane's, Camberwell,
per W. B. Gurney, Esq. 27 10 0
Collected in Surry, Essex,
and Suffolk, by the Rev.
John Franks 132 15 5
A small New Year's Gift, intended as
a thank-offering to the Lord, to promote
the furtherance of his gospel, from S.
Webb, Langley £1 0 0
Omitted last month:--A Friend 1 0 0
_Erratum_:--In the List of Contributions last month
_for_ "Dover," _read_ Down.
Subscriptions received by S. Marshall, Esq., 181, High Holborn;
Mr. P. Millard, Bishopsgate Street; Messrs. Burls, 56, Lothbury;
Rev. G. Pritchard, 4, York Place, Pentonville, gratuitous Secretary;
by Messrs. Ladbrokes and Co., Bankers, Bank Buildings; by Mr. H. D.
Dickie, 13, Bank Street, and Rev. Mr. Innes, Frederick Street, Edinburgh;
and P. Brown, Esq., Cardigan.
LONDON: J. HADDON, PRINTER, CASTLE-STREET, FINSBURY.
MISSIONARY HERALD,
CONTAINING INTELLIGENCE AT LARGE OF THE
_Proceedings and Operations_
OF THE
BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
====================================================
CXCIII. JANUARY, 1835.
====================================================
Subscriptions and Donations in aid of this Society will be thankfully
received at the Baptist Mission House, No. 6, Fen Court, Fenchurch
Street, London: or by any of the Ministers and Friends whose names are
inserted in the Cover of the Annual Report.
#Death of Dr. Carey.#
Since the publication of the last number, the Secretary has received
a communication from Mr. Jonathan Carey, announcing the fact of his
venerable father's decease, in the following terms:--
_Calcutta, June 14th, 1834._
The Lord has been pleased to afflict us very severely, in
removing from us, by death, my much esteemed and venerable
father. This lamented event took place on the 9th instant, at
five in the morning, and his remains were interred in the cold
grave early on the following morning, in the presence of a
crowded assembly of mourning friends. Much as I feel this heavy
stroke, I trust I do not sorrow as those who have no hope. His
was a life spent in the service of his Redeemer, and the Lord
was pleased to make him an instrument of much usefulness; but
notwithstanding all that he was enabled to do, he never ceased
to exclaim that he was an unprofitable servant. In much
humility and meekness of spirit he was zealous in the work of
the Lord of Hosts, and the constant objects of his pursuits
were the glory of God and the salvation of the heathen. His
devotedness to the work to which he was called was evident in
all his conduct. Nothing would give him more pleasure than to
hear of the prosperity of Zion, and the downfall of idolatry.
His heart was always much affected when speaking of the love of
his dying Redeemer. Of the evil of idolatry he spoke with great
warmth. He was active and faithful in the discharge of his
duties as a minister and a translator; and was in his element
in the study of botany and other scientific pursuits, but
always humble in his views regarding his own abilities and
acquirements. Although constantly employed for the last
forty-one years, he possessed a vigorous constitution,
excellent health, and a good flow of spirits; but the last two
or three years he suffered from debility, and latterly wasted
away, and at length sunk from exhaustion of strength, and his
spirit took its flight to the regions of eternal bliss to
enjoy the rest provided for the people of God, and the reward
promised to those who endure to the end. Thus has my father
finished his course, and has been removed from this scene of
toil and labour. Many will have reason to bless God for what he
was enabled, by his grace, to perform for the welfare of the
poor heathen.
The following has appeared in several of the public papers as a
transcript of the Doctor's will. Although no copy of this document has
reached us direct from India, yet, as it carries internal evidence of
its authenticity, and has been very widely circulated already, we do not
hesitate to insert it in our pages. Our readers will especially mark, in
the direction given as to his epitaph, that deep humility which was so
prominent a feature in the character of this great and good man.
I, William Carey, Doctor of Divinity, residing at Serampore,
in the province of Bengal, being in good health, and of sound
mind, do make this my last will and testament in manner and
form following:--
First--I utterly disclaim all or any right or title to the
premises at Serampore, called the Mission Premises, and every
part and parcel thereof, and do hereby declare that I never
had, or supposed myself to have, any such right or title.
Secondly--I disclaim all right and title to the property
belonging to my present wife, Grace Carey, amounting to
25,000 rupees, more or less, which was settled upon her by a
particular deed, executed previously to my marriage with her.
Thirdly--I give and bequeath to the College of Serampore, the
whole of my museum, consisting of minerals, shells, corals,
insects, and other natural curiosities, and a Hortus Siccus.
Also the folio edition of Hortus Woburnensis, which was
presented to me by Lord Hastings; Taylor's Hebrew Concordance,
my collection of Bibles in foreign languages, and all my books
in the Italian and German languages.
Fourthly--I desire that my wife, Grace Carey, will collect from
my library whatever books in the English language she wishes
for, and keep them for her own use.
Fifthly--From the failure of funds to carry my former
intentions into effect, I direct that my library, with the
exceptions above made, be sold by public auction, unless it, or
any part of it, can be advantageously disposed of by private
sale, and that from the proceeds 1,500 rupees be paid as a
legacy to my son Jabez Carey, a like sum having heretofore been
paid to my sons Felix and William.
Sixthly--It was my intention to have bequeathed a similar sum
to my son Jonathan Carey, but GOD has so prospered him that he
is in no immediate want of it. I direct that, if any thing
remains, it be given to my wife, Grace Carey, to whom I also
bequeath all my household furniture, wearing apparel, and
whatever other effects I may possess, for her proper use and
behoof.
Seventhly--I direct that, before every other thing, all my
lawful debts may be paid; that my funeral be as plain as
possible; that I may be buried by the side of my second wife,
Charlotte Emilia Carey; and that the following inscription, and
nothing more, may be cut on the stone which commemorates her,
either above or below, as there may be room; viz.
"William Carey, born August 17th, 1761, died----
"A wretched, poor, and helpless worm,
On thy kind arms I fall."
Eighthly--I hereby constitute and appoint my dear friends, the
Rev. William Robinson, of Calcutta, and the Rev. John Mack, of
Serampore, executors to this my last will and testament, and
request them to perform all therein desired and ordered by me,
to the utmost of their power.
Ninthly--I hereby declare this to be my last will and
testament, and revoke all other wills and testaments of a date
prior to this.
(Signed) WILLIAM CAREY.
(Signed) W. H. JONES, S. M'INTOSH.
The following minute, in reference to this removal of Dr. Carey, has
been entered on the records of the Baptist Missionary Society.
"The Secretary having reported that intelligence had arrived of the
death of Dr. Carey, at Serampore, on Monday, the 9th of June last, it
was
"_Resolved_,
"That this Committee cordially sympathize, on this mournful
occasion, with the immediate connexions of Dr. Carey, by whose
death, not merely the Missionary circle with which he was most
intimately associated, but the Christian world at large, has
sustained no common loss. The Committee gratefully record,
that this venerable and highly-esteemed servant of God had a
principal share in the formation of the Baptist Missionary
Society; and devoted himself, at its very commencement, to the
service of the heathen, amidst complicated difficulties and
discouragements, with an ardour and perseverance which nothing
but Christian benevolence could inspire, and which only a
strong and lively faith in God could sustain. Endowed with
extraordinary talents for the acquisition of foreign languages,
he delighted to consecrate them to the noble purpose of
unfolding to the nations of the East the Holy Scriptures in
their own tongue: a department of sacred labour in which it
pleased God to honour him far beyond any predecessor or
contemporary in the Missionary field. Nor was Dr. Carey
less eminent for the holiness of his personal character.
Throughout life he adorned the gospel of God his Saviour by the
spirituality of his mind and the uprightness of his conduct;
and especially, by the deep and unaffected humility which
proved how largely he had imbibed the spirit of his blessed
master.
"In paying this brief and imperfect tribute to the memory of
this great and good man, who was long their associate in
Missionary exertion, and whom they have never ceased to regard
with feelings of the utmost veneration and respect, it is the
anxious desire of the Committee to glorify God in him. May
a review of what divine grace accomplished in and by this
faithful servant of the Redeemer, awaken lively gratitude, and
strengthen the devout expectation that He, with whom is the
residue of the Spirit, will favour his church with renewed
proofs of his love and care by thrusting forth many such
labourers into the harvest!"
It is expected that Mr. Eustace Carey will compile, from the materials
in possession of the Missionary Committee, and from the correspondence
maintained by the Doctor with his relations in this country during the
whole course of his residence in India, a Memoir of his venerable
relative.
BURMAH.
By a letter from Mr. Judson to Dr. Bolles, dated Maulmein, December
31st, 1833, we learn that a Christian church has been formed at Ava; the
capital of the empire, where two converts, one the wife of Kv H'lay, an
old Rangoon disciple, and the other a respectable inhabitant of the
city, were baptized in the preceding month.
This prosperous Mission now comprises five churches, at Maulmein, Tavoy,
Mergui, Rangoon, and Ava; and the whole number who have received baptism
at these several stations, is five hundred and ninety-seven.
A month afterwards, Mr. Judson was favoured to complete his translation
of the whole Scriptures into the Burman language. Our readers will
sympathize with the feelings which dictated the following entry made on
this occasion in the journal of this devoted Missionary. We are happy to
add that, although Mr. Judson has felt it his duty to construct his
version on the principle adopted by our Calcutta brethren, this
circumstance will not impede its circulation, the American Bible Society
having rendered prompt and liberal assistance towards the printing.
January 31st, 1834. Thanks be to God! I can now say, "I have
attained." I have knelt down before him, with the last leaf in
my hand, and, imploring his forgiveness for all the sins which
have polluted my labours in this department, and his aid in
future efforts, to remove the errors and imperfections which
necessarily cleave to the work, I have commended it to his
mercy and grace: I have dedicated it to his glory. May he make
his own inspired word, now complete in the Burman tongue, the
grand instrument of filling all Burmah with songs of praises to
our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen.
SOUTH AFRICA.
The following account of the second Annual Meeting of the Auxiliary
Baptist Missionary Society, conducted by the Rev. W. Davies and his
friends at Graham's Town, is extracted from the local Newspaper, of the
28th of August last:
On Monday last the second Annual Meeting of the above Society
was held in the Wesleyan chapel, and we are glad to say that
it passed off in the most lively and satisfactory manner. It
is ever a pleasing task to trace the progress of such
associations--to view their first feeble efforts--to see them
gradually acquiring strength and importance, until at length
we behold them spreading themselves out to the farthest
extremities of the habitable globe--like a perennial stream
refreshing the parched desert, and dispensing the purest
blessings on every hand.
A very pleasing circumstance attending these meetings is, the
concord and brotherly feeling which are produced amongst the
different denominations of professing Christians. Here all
minor differences are merged in one united effort to promote a
common cause--and that the holiest and most beneficial that can
employ intelligent beings.
We regret that our limited space will not permit us to give
the several addresses which were made on this occasion, more
especially as some of them were of a high order, and would have
been perused with much interest by many of our readers. The
principal speakers were, the Rev. Mr. Heaviside, clergyman
of the Episcopal church; Rev. Messrs. Monro and Robson
(Independents); Rev. Messrs. Shrewsbury, Young, and Haddy
(Wesleyans); Dr. Minto, on the military staff, who has recently
returned from India, and the Rev. W. Davies and Mr. T. Nelson
(Baptists).
The report gives a general view of the state of the missions
connected with this particular section of the Christian church;
and we are glad to find that the prospect, by the emancipation
of the negroes, and other causes, is particularly cheering. It
was also satisfactory to find that the amount collected by this
infant society--only established rather more than a year ago at
Graham's Town--has received in contributions during the past
year no less a sum than nearly £146. Nothing can be more
creditable than this fact to the inhabitants of this frontier,
and nothing can show more distinctly that they are not entirely
undeserving of that prosperity with which Providence has of
late years favoured their efforts.
We may add, as one symptom of the temporal prosperity thus adverted to,
of this rising colony, that a great demand exists for industrious
mechanics, especially of those classes employed in building. Pious
individuals, especially, we are assured, would be welcomed in the
district, and labour, adequately recompensed, immediately provided for
them.
JAMAICA.
We had fully expected, by this time, to hear of the arrival of our
friend Mr. Knibb, at Falmouth; but the mail, which has been due several
days, is yet detained. We must therefore give a general summary of the
recent intelligence from our various stations, and hope that, before
this Herald leaves the press, we may be able to add a postscript,
announcing intelligence which many, we know, are anxious to hear.
From _Kingston_, under the date of September 22nd, Mr. Tinson writes:
"Our congregation in town is better by far than it has been, though not
overflowing; for being composed chiefly of domestics and mechanics who
reside in town, it is of course less affected by country people than
some others. I spent yesterday at _Yallahs_, received five candidates,
on examination, for baptism, preached in the morning, and administered
the Lord's supper to about a hundred members in the afternoon. The
congregation was such as to make the heat almost insupportable. There
were nearly as many outside the house as within, and many more would
come, but they cannot hear without exposure to the sun all the time.
This however will, I hope, be remedied in a few months, as we have now
commenced the chapel, and paid the builder £100 towards it. I am begging
from our people in Hanover-street, and the city generally; but they
plead poverty, and I know many of them are poor indeed."
Mr. Gardner thankfully acknowledges that he has been repaid for all
his exertions in visiting Port Royal, by the success with which it has
pleased God to crown his labours there. "Last Sabbath week," says he, on
the 23rd of September, "at daybreak, at that place, I baptized fifteen
in the sea, on a profession of their faith in Christ, and repentance
towards God. Many hundreds were present, who collected soon after four
in the morning. After the administration of that ordinance we repaired
to the chapel, which was well attended, and had a regular service.
Then I left for Kingston, as there was no brother unemployed that
could assist me. Last Lord's day I visited those friends again, and
administered the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, when those who had been
baptized were received into the church. It was an unusually solemn and
gratifying season; many were greatly affected, and wept nearly all the
time. This was to us a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.
May he often grant us such seasons!"
Mr. Phillippo is busily engaged in building the new school-rooms at
_Spanish Town_, towards which he obtained some pecuniary aid while in
this country. "There are to be two schools; one for boys, the other for
girls. They are to hold three hundred scholars. The situation is on a
range with our premises, and is in every respect eligible; between
the rooms there is to be a Committee-room, so that the building will
present a front of seventy-two feet in length. Several gentlemen in the
town and neighbourhood have declared themselves friendly towards the
object, and have promised to assist in its support. As an instance, His
Honour the Custos, Member of Assembly and Island Secretary, and Price
Watkis, Esq., the uncompromising advocate of negro emancipation in our
Colonial Parliament, are to lay the foundation-stones on Thursday next.
The Custos has moreover sent fourteen young women to the school to be
educated as schoolmistresses, and to be completely under the charge of
the resident schoolmistress, his intention being to employ them in the
different estates for which he is attorney. This example I have reason
to hope will be extensively followed.
"We have still between three and four hundred children in attendance
at our Sabbath-school, and the library I brought out with me is in
extensive circulation. Every thing in connexion with our work appears
prospering to an unexampled degree. God is indeed doing great things for
us, whereof we are glad. What a change has been effected, also, on the
moral aspect of society! Sunday markets abolished, and all the etceteras
of evil that followed in their train!"
Top Hill, near the junction of the two parishes of St. Ann's and St.
Thomas-in-the-Vale, has been the scene of one of those cruel outrages on
the helpless and unoffending, which have too often stained the page of
Colonial history. We give the account in the words of our Missionary
brother, Mr. Clarke.
"On the evening of Lord's-day, September 14th, as nine of my
people were returning to their homes from worshipping God, they
were stopped and turned back by a young coloured man, who has
by the death of his father come to an estate before he knows
how to act for his own interest, and is fast spending it in
riotous living. These friends had no sooner quietly taken their
way back to go home by a more distant road, than this man set
his dog upon them, and with Dr. B., a companion of his, pursued
them about a half a mile.
"Dr. B. threw off his coat to enable him to run with the
greater speed; an aged female who is highly respected by all
around, fell: and Dr. B. immediately fixed the dog upon her,
which tore her leg severely in many places. Her husband ran to
lift her up, and to drive off the dog, when Dr. B., seized him
and attempted to throw him over a fearful precipice into a
deep chasm, where he must have been dashed to pieces; but God
enabled his servant to escape from the grasp of the persecutor,
and all the party came back to the house where we had so
recently joined together in the worship of God. I had travelled
a considerable distance during the day, had got wet, preached
twice, and performed various other duties; being fatigued, and
having to journey home on the morrow, I had retired to rest. As
soon as I heard what had taken place I arose, had the wounds of
the poor female attended to, and bound up. I then conversed
with the people, read to them the first twelve verses of the
fifth of Matthew, and again from the forty-third verse to the
end; spoke to them on the duty of forgiveness, love to enemies,
and patient suffering for Christ's sake; prayed with them,
first for the persecutors, next for themselves and for the
church of God. They left me between nine and ten o'clock,
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for
righteousness' sake; before they left, they besought me not to
carry the matter to a magistrate, but to leave it with God;
promising that they would always afterward go and return by a
road that did not lead them near the house of this man. I
really admired their forgiving spirit, and their patient
endurance of evil, especially that of the chief sufferer, and
of her husband, who had suffered with her, and had narrowly
escaped death in rescuing her. Two of the nine have long been
free, the others were apprentices. Had the native feelings of
the human heart been indulged, how easily could these people
have resisted the assaults of their persecutors, and, as they
were pursued about half a mile on the road that has been a
common by-path for years, they might have turned upon their
adversaries, and afterwards have argued that they had a right
to pass without molestation, and when molested to act on the
defensive, in forcing their way to their homes; but, except a
few words at first, of calm entreaty, these quiet people did
nothing, and gave no impertinent language, but turned to go
back in peace, and were in the act of returning when they were
thus assaulted."
We mentioned, in our last number, that Mr. Coultart had encountered much
annoyance in the neighbouring parish of St. Ann's, the birth-place of
the Colonial Church Union, and disgracefully conspicuous for the blind
and furious determination shown by several of its leading men, to
prevent the spread of religious instruction among the negroes. Humanly
speaking, nothing but the wise, humane, and dignified conduct of the
Custos, the Hon. S. M. Barrett, saved this parish from the horrors of
martial law. He applied to Mr. Coultart, requesting him to use all his
influence with the negroes to quell the spirit of insubordination which
had begun to show itself among them; and in addition to this, met them
in person at Ocho Rios, gave them an excellent and animated address,
explaining to them the nature of the new law, and expostulating with
them, in the warmest and kindest manner. All present were much pleased
with his kindness, and promised to do all they could to allay the
existing evil.
Mrs. Coultart, in a subsequent letter, adverting to the same subject,
remarks, "The poor things were puzzled. They were told they were free on
the first of August, had a general holiday, and rejoiced at the event;
and then they were called to work again as before. 'Free, no free at
all; work like before-time.' Many said, they would not work without a
proper understanding, or some pay. I was present when a poor woman in
the Methodist Society made a speech to the following effect: 'From the
creation down to now we work, work, work. Now, Lord Mulgrave and the
King give we free, we take free, we happy; then master come, tell we
work like before-time. No, me say, better take shot at one than make we
fool so.' The minister's wife talked to her, and explained that this
work for six years was to help pay the owner what the King could not
afford to do, of the money that purchased her; and she seemed quite
content, and said she would go to her work. If it were possible to speak
to each thus, in the tone of a friend, they would believe; but their
confidence in their owners is shaken--and who can wonder?"
Adverting to the necessity of additional aid to give instruction to the
negroes and their children, Mrs. C. remarks to her female correspondent,
"I wish you could just come some Saturday evening before the preaching
Sabbath at this bay, and see the numbers who come to our house, two
miles farther, after having walked twenty and twenty-five miles already,
just to read their letters, or to hear a few verses out of the Bible, or
Watts's First Catechism, or something that will shed a ray of light over
their benighted minds. I have about thirty-five little ragged black
children who meet me in the place hired for worship on the bay at four
o'clock every evening. These I try to teach for two hours, and the only
member of the church who can read sometimes meets me to assist. We are
going soon, I believe, to remove from this house; it is considered
unhealthy, there being marshes near, and then I shall be too far off to
attend to the children daily. On the sabbath, only every third, is too
unfrequent for progress to be made. Could I see the means of support,
I would, without loss of time, place a person at the bay to teach
regularly, and then I trust some good would be done. The eagerness
manifested for First Spelling Books with large alphabets is amusing and
pleasing. I have purchased all I could get in Kingston, and sold them
again at the same price, which is three times as dear as if I had them
from England. Mr. C. has written to several English friends, to beg them
to send us some, either to give away or sell. I hope they will, without
loss of time, for it is distressing to be obliged to refuse such earnest
requests. 'Me want to learn, me good massa, that me may read out of the
Bible for meself.' This is just what we want for them, that they may not
be led astray by every designing person, who may set himself up to
instruct them."
At _Port Maria_ Mr. Baylis had the pleasure of receiving _fifty-nine_
persons by baptism on the 20th of July last. He labours with great
diligence, and is cheered, at each of his stations, by proofs of a
divine blessing resting on his exertions.
Mr. Whitehorne reports, from _Mount Charles_, that the same increase of
congregation, and earnest desire to learn to read, exists in the several
places where he maintains public worship, as at other stations; while
from _Montego Bay_, and _Falmouth_, our brethren Abbott, Dexter, and
Dendy, renew their earnest solicitations for further aid. We rejoice to
learn that Mr. Burchell arrived in safety at Kingston from New York, on
the 27th of October; and we trust not only to be permitted to make the
same announcement, in a few days, respecting Mr. Knibb, but to witness
further accession, shortly, to the number of faithful and devoted
labourers in this interesting portion of the missionary field.
Mr. Harjette and his family have embarked for Calcutta in the David
Clarke, Capt. Rayne, and sailed from Portsmouth.
A letter has been received from Mr. George Pearce, dated at sea, Sept.
6th, in N. lat. 4°, W. long. 23°. Mr. and Mrs. P. were quite well, and
had received much kind attention from the Captain and their
fellow-passengers.
LIST OF FOREIGN LETTERS LATELY RECEIVED.
EAST INDIES Rev. Henry Beddy Patna April 7.
-- W. H. Pearce Calcutta 14.
-- John Lawrence Digah June 13.
Jonathan Carey, Esq. Calcutta 14.
Rev. Wm. Yates ditto July 26.
-- George Pearce Madeira Aug. 19.
WEST INDIES -- T. F. Abbott Montego Bay Aug. 12.
Ditto ditto Sept. 19.
-- J. Coultart St. Ann's Bay Aug. 12.
Ditto ditto Sept. 3, & 17.
-- W. Dendy Falmouth Aug. 12.
Ditto ditto Sept. 15.
-- J. M. Phillippo Spanish Town Aug. 18.
Ditto ditto Sept. 23.
-- Joshua Tinson Kingston Aug. 18.
Ditto ditto Sept. 22.
-- H. C. Taylor Spanish Town Aug. 18.
Ditto ditto Sept. 3.
-- F. Gardner Kingston Aug. 18.
Ditto ditto Sept. 23.
-- J. Clarke Kenmuir Aug. 19.
Ditto ditto Sept. 17.
-- Kilner Pearson Nassau 14.
-- Edward Baylis Port Maria 16.
Messrs. A. & J. Deleon, Savanna-la-Mar 19.
Rev. W. Whitehorne Mount Charles 22.
-- J. Kingdon Manchioneal Oct. 13.
-- Josiah Barlow Anotta Bay 16.
-- Walter Dendy Falmouth 21.
-- Joshua Taylor Kingston 28.
SOUTH AMERICA. -- Joseph Bourn Belize July 12.
SOUTH AFRICA. -- W. Davies Graham's Town 21.
_Contributions received on account of the Baptist Missionary Society,
from Nov. 20, to Dec. 20, 1834, not including individual subscriptions._
Naunton, by Rev. J. Acock 10 3 4
Newbury, Collections and Subscriptions,
by Rev. T. Welsh 42 2 9
Norwich and Norfolk Auxiliary, by Mr.
J. Culley, Treasurer 96 3 6
South Devon Auxiliary, on account, by
Mr. Nicholson 45 0 0
Lincolnshire and Suffolk, by Rev.
Eustace Carey:--
Louth, Rev. Mr. Cameron's 12 5 0
Horncastle 1 13 6
Eye 7 16 1
Bury 11 8 2
Diss 6 9 0
Stowmarket 11 12 1
Ipswich 73 1 0
-------- 124 4 10
Chelsea, Collections and Sunday School,
by Mr. Skerritt 13 1 0
Sutton on Trent, by Mr. Mozley 7 2 6
Newark, by Mr. Lomax 5 4 0
Broseley, Auxiliary Society, by Mr.
Weare, Jun. 24 0 0
Huntingdonshire, Society in aid of Missions,
on account, by Mr. Paul 50 0 0
Derbyshire, by Rev. W. Hawkins:--
Derby 38 9 3
Burton on Trent 13 1 11
Loscoe 1 8 0
-------- 52 19 2
Reading, Negro's Friend Society, by Mrs.
Letchworth, (_For Spanish Town_) 5 0 0
Northamptonshire, Independent Association,
by Rev. Mr. Robertson:--
Kettering, Rev. T. Toller 2 0 0
Harborough, Rev. W. Wild 5 0 0
-------- 7 0 0
Downton, Collection, &c. by Rev. John
Clare 12 2 6
Haddenham (Cambridgeshire), by Mr.
Rose 13 7 0
Bath, Collected by Miss Oliver 0 6 6
LEGACY.
Mr. William Baker, late of George Street, Hampstead Road, (Executors,
Messrs. Henry Welton and Joseph Ivimey) 200 0 0
_The following Contributions have been received, on account of the
Jamaica Chapels and School Rooms, since the List was printed off._
Sidney Gurney, Esq. 2 2 0
Banff, Mrs. Nichols and Friends 1 0 0
_Members of the Society of Friends._
William Allen (S) 3 0 0
John Sanderson 3 0 0
John Kitching 2 2 0
James Foster 2 2 0
Cornelius Hanbury 2 2 0
Thomas Norton 1 0 0
Jacob Hagen, Jun. 1 0 0
Margaret Wilson. 1 0 0
Scarborough, (_additional_):--
Collection, Aug. 1 4 10 0
Surplus of Tea Party 6 1 9
Christopher Hill, Esq. 5 0 0
W. D. Thornton, Esq. 1 0 0
W. Dyson, Esq. 1 0 0
Friend 1 0 0
W. Smith, Esq. 0 10 0
Mrs. Fox 0 10 0
TO CORRESPONDENTS.
The thanks of the Committee are returned to the Rev. John Cox, of
Woolwich, for a parcel of books and tracts for Jamaica; and also to Mrs.
Letchworth, and the Committee of the Reading Ladies' Negroes' Friend
Society, for a box containing books and other useful articles for
Jamaica.
Our valuable Correspondent at Newbury is informed, that the friend
about whom he inquires had made previous arrangements for his journey
westward, which prevented his complying with the request sent him
from N.
In the List of Contributions for rebuilding the Jamaica Chapels, there
occurs a line, under the head of "Prescot-street, Rev. Charles Stovel,"
Friends 10 2 6
_For which, read_,
Cards, by Miss Amelia Bradshaw:--
T. Teape, Esq. 1 1 0
W. Cooke, Esq. 1 0 0
A. Jackson, Esq. 1 0 0
Small sums 2 6 6
------- 5 7 6
By Miss Martha Bradshaw 4 15 0
Under the head of "Lyme, Dorset," there should have been entered, a
donation of Five Pounds, from James Edwards, Esq.;--and at "Caine,
Wilts," the account should stand thus:--
Collection, by Rev. W. Lush 2 7 0
Mr. W. Gundry, for Schools 1 0 0
J. F. Gundry, Do 1 0 0
------- 4 7 0
J. HADDON, PRINTER, CASTLE STREET, FINSBURY.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Baptist Magazine, Vol. 27,
January, 1835, by Various
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