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THE

MISSIONARY MAGAZINE.

Vol. XXXII. FEBRUARY, 1852. No. 2.

AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSIONARY UNION.

RANGOON.

LETTER FROM MR. KINCAID.

The following let ter is in continuation of the nar-
rative of events at Rangoon, published at p. 437,
last vol.

Aug. 11, 1851. — I wrote you by the
July mail that on the first day of the
month we were summoned to appear
before the viceroy to hear a friendly
message from the king. You can hardly
fancy what favor it gavels in the eyes
of the officers and all the people, to be
noticed in this manner by his majesty.
It was regarded by all as a mark of spe-
cial favor. We have felt the effect ever
since in the treatment we have received
from all classes of people.

Diversities of tongues— Scriptures for all.

The number of visitors at the house in
July was perhaps larger than in June.
I have no means of knowing the exact
number,— probably 6,000. Dr. Dawson
keeps a register of all who received med-
ical or surgical aid, and it shows, for July,
1 780 persons. All who come hear more
or less of the gospel of Christ, and among
them are a few who appear to be earnest
in their inquiries. There are often fif-
teen or twenty persons, of six or seven
3

different nations, sitting in my room, and
all reading the Scriptures in their own
languages. I have lying on my table
the scriptures in Hebrew, Greek, Latin,
English, Portuguese, Burmese, Hindus-
tani, Hindi, Bangali and Tamil. I need
versions in Persian, Armenian and Chi-
nese, in order to accommodate all who
come, that they may read in their own
languages the wonderful works of God.
Two men who call can only read He-
brew, and they are both interesting men.
It is delightful to hear them read the
Psalms in the language of David. Be-
side them sit Burmans and Hindoos,
reading the same divine songs in their
languages. O that God would rend the
heavens and come down, as on the day
when Peter preached to the multitudes
gathered in Jerusalem out of every
nation. There must be an unction from
above, or there will be no fruit. How
powerless are all our efforts ^nless the
arm of the Lord be revealed !

A cheering contrast.

We have reason to praise God for tl
favor he has given us in the eyes or
heathen, making our way plain '
and opening so wide a door fc

34

Rangoon. — Letter of Mr. Kincaid.

[February,

the gospel. Last April all was dark and
dreary, the worst fears of the timid
seemed to be but too well founded.
What could missionaries do under a gov-
ernment so bitter and relentless towards
all foreigners ? How could we hope to
labor in the gospel, when even foreign
merchants are harassed unceasingly,
some of them made prisoners in their
own houses, others thrown into the com-
mon jail ? Such were the feelings of all
when we reached Maulniain. " You are
going into the lion's mouth," was the
language of many when we left for Ivan-
goon. It seemed truly so on our arrival
here. Tyranny in its most odious forms
seemed to be the rule, not the exception.
I was declared a prisoner and forbidden
to speak, or to walk beyond the limits of
my own dwelling without the surveillance
of a Burinan officer. Of course I paid
no attention to these orders. Such was
the state of things on the 20th of April.
On the first of May we were in our own
hired house, our books displayed, our
dispensary open ; and we commenced our
work of healing diseases, preaching the
gospel and instructing all who came.
On the 3d of May came a royal order,
bidding us welcome and expressing the
hope that we would be disposed to remain
in the empire. From that day to the
present we have labored without the
slightest molestation.

The missionaries' object well known.

Our object in coming to this country
is well understood. The governor him-
self said, last April, that he had formerly
known me in Ava and that I was labor-
ing to overturn the king's religion. On
the first of July, when we went to the
governor's, we found some twenty-five
or thirty officers and servants sitting in
the audience hall. They began convers-
ing among themselves on the subject of
our mission, the character of our books
and the peculiarities of our religion ;
and certainly, they said much that was
very true. After this they began to ask
questions, and one was, if we were not
'Jesus Christ's men." "We are," I
said, " and now I will give you the rea-

son;" and I went on for some twenty-
five minutes giving them an outline of
the Christian religion, no one interposing.

I will mention another fact. Early in
May the governor told Captain Crisp,
an English merchant, that he should for-
bid my preaching and making converts,
and that Mr. C. must be my security.
He replied that he could not be in-
security in any such matter. Mr. C.
informed me of this conversation two or
three days after it occurred ; and said
the governor would soon demand of me
the promise that I would not preach or
make converts. I replied, " No ; the
governor will attempt no such thing.
He must certainly know that I would
refuse to give any such promise, and
then he would be under the necessity of
driving me from the country, or of sub-
mitting to see his authority disputed.
The first he dares not do, the second
would be too humiliating." As I expect-
ed, the governor has said nothing to me
on the subject.

I mention these facts, I might mention
many others, to show that the design of
our coming into this empire is well un-
derstood. Still, we are not only allowed
to go on, but are treated with favor by
the authorities. How long this state of
things may continue, we know not ; and
it seems to me that we should not fret
ourselves about the future, but go on
with our work, trusting in Him who
ruleth over all.

Singular message — Interview with the governor
— His extortions.

On the 29th of July we received a
message from the governor which gave
us no little solicitude. Very early in the
morning, one of the government inter-
preters came and said the governor
expected to see us. " What," I inquired,
" does the governor want '? " " He says,
sir, that he has been very kind to you,
in sending up a petition to the king,
and at great expense in bringing the
royal order from Ava, and you do not
visit him nor say anytliing about the
expense of getting down the order."
" Indeed," I said, " this is strange. If

1852.]

Rangoon. — Letter of Mr. Kincaid.

the governor sent a petition to the king
he did it without our request ; and who
supposes it has cost anything to bring
the order from Ava ? It is an outrage
to speak of expense, and you may tell
the governor so." " No, sir, I would not
dare to speak such words, for he is the
governor, and you had better come and
see him." " Very well ; we will see him,
but not to-day."

Every one supposed that a demand
would be made for some two or three
hundred rupees, — this would be treating
us as he treats other foreigners, " What
will you do ? " was the inquiry of every
one. " Refuse to pay any such demand."
"But he has power to compel you."
" He has power to send us out of the
country, but he has not power enough to
compel us to submit tamely to extortion
and oppression." We remained quietly
at our work till the 31st, thinking it not
best to be in haste to see him. Many
persons who are very friendly, urged
that we should go with a present worth
thirty or forty rupees, tell him that we
were afraid and that we were poor, and
so throw ourselves upon his clemency.
To this I replied that neither was true.
We were not afraid, neither were we so
poor as to beg. If the governor had any
just claim we would pay him, but would
never tamely submit to extortion and
tyranny. For in submitting to one act
of tyranny we were only inviting out-
rage and oppression.

We took along with us a small present
worth about eight rupees. We were
received in a bland and gentlemanly
manner. The governor made several
inquiries, and among others when we
intended going to Ava ; to which I re-
plied, " As soon as the rainy season is
over." " You are right," he said, " it is
difficult and dangerous to go up during
the rains. When you are ready to go,
I shall furnish you with the expense of
the journey." None who saw and heard
him on this occasion, could fancy him the
governor we had to deal with last April.
He did not even hint about the expense
of getting the king's order, and of course

I did not. He mentioned a complaint
which troubled him much, and requested
Dr. Dawson to prescribe for him. The
next morning he sent for the medicine.

About three weeks since, the governor
had an English captain, his first mate
and ten or twelve of his crew, in prison,
and extorted 1000 rupees besides detain-
ing the ship two weeks. The captain
very properly demanded a jury, and the
governor appointed seven Armenian and
Mogul merchants, who acquitted the cap-
tain of all blame. The governor went i nto
a great rage and threatened the jury with
fines and imprisonment. He then sent
about forty of his guards to Mola Abram,
the agent of the ship, with orders to
shoot him if he refused to come. This
settled the business. Mola Abram is a
mussulman, and, though an English sub-
ject, had not courage to refuse the
demand, and paid the thousand rupees.
Such outrages are committed almost
daily, with hardly the forms of Jaw, by
this man, who has the power of life and
death. I will not trouble you with a
long catalogue ; but a slight specimen ot
pagan rule may not be valueless.

Inquirers— Disciples at Ava.

Yesterday (Lord's day) Ko Uetnee
and three sons-in-law spent nearly all
day with us. They live in a village four
miles distant. He and his wife, three
daughters and one son-in-law, are stead-
fast, worthy members of the church.
With two sons-in-law who are not
Christians I had much conversation, and
one of them before leaving requested me
to pray for him. Another very hopeful
inquirer spent nearly the whole day
making inquiries and listening to the
gospel message. He is an officer, and
has been listening almost daily for the
last two weeks. His heart seems to be
affected with the truths of the gospel.
Several others appear very well. Why
may we not hope and pray for the Holy
Spirit's influence ? I do not know why it
is so, but I am confident I preach with-
out much expectation of seeing immedi-
ate results. Sometimes I am so conscious

86

Eangoon. — Letter of Mr. Kincaid. [February,

of this lack of hope and faith in my
preaching, that it is painful in the ex-
treme. But I will not trouble you with
this. Pray for us, that we may be armed
with the Spirit's power, else our preach-
ing will be as idle tales.

We have been delighted to learn that
Ko Gway and Moung Shway Nee, two of
our oldest disciples at Ava, are alive. I
am exceedingly anxious to get to Ava,
and yet feel sad to leave this wide and
hopeful field. A native preacher here
could do almost nothing alone, but two
or three could labor to great advantage
with a missionary. We never have
occasion to leave the house to find an
assembly. The governor restricts us
about giving books, and this is the only
re-rriction. On the other side of the
river I can distribute tracts and books,
as that is another province over which
this governor has no control.

Karens of Burmah Proper.

Aug.' 28. — Two Burman assistants
sent to visit the Karen churches east of
Rangoon, have just returned ; and last
evening Oung Bau and nine other Karen
di- iples came in and spent the night
with us, remaining till one o'clock to-day.
We had a precious prayer meeting
together, and heard their report both of
prosperity and of suffering. To give you
anything like a just account of their suf-
ferings would require too much space
and would present a dark picture, awak-
ening the deepest compassion for the
oppressed brethren, and burning indig-
nation against the tyrants who crush
them. For the present, at least, I will
leave this gloomy detail, and mention the
good hand of God upon them in making
them rich in faith and heirs of a better
kingdom.

Everywhere among them they have
family worship morning and evening, and
in every church they meet four times
every Lord's day for public service-
Oung Bau is the only ordained minister
on the east side of the Irrawadi, and his
district extends from the sea shore to
within a few miles of Prome, nearly 300
miles from north to south. Within this

district are thirty churches and some-
thing over 1000 members. There are
ten assistant preachers. Oung Bau is
obliged to visit all these churches to ad-
minister baptism and the Lord's supper,
also to look into the discipline of the
churches. During the past year he has
been compelled to suspend from the minis-
try two assistant preachers, as well as sev-
eral other members. There is no instance
of apostasy, and there have been but few
cases of serious discipline.

Great need of laborers.
It is quite probable that, among the
ten assistant preachers, one or two of the
most mature and well instructed may be
suitable candidates for ordination, so as to
divide this district into three. We might
then look out from among the disci-
ples in the different churches six or eight
more for assistant preachers, so as to ren-
der the churches more efficient, and also
to enlarge the field. One ordained minis-
ter, with four or five assistants, should go
into the neighborhood of Toung Oo, a city
130 miles north-east of this. The Karens
are exceedingly numerous over all that
region, and they have sent repeatedly for
teachers. Then again one ordained
preacher, with several assistants, should
be in the province of Prome, to carry the
gospel through that region and north-
ward towards the Salwen river. Now
we have one assistant in that province
and two churches. To the west, in the
Dalla province, within twenty-five miles
from Rangoon, and onward 150 miles
towards Bassein, the Karens are nume-
rous. From this region messenger after
messenger has been sent to inquire for
teachers, as they have heard of this reli-
gion brought by men from the setting-
sun, and that their countrymen are receiv-
ing it. The fields are white for the har-
vest and the laborers are few. The fields
I have indicated cover a district 300
miles long and 200 broad, and are exclu-
sive of the Pantanau and Bassein prov-
inces extending between the Irrawadi and
the Yoma mountains. There the church-
es are more numerous and more efficient,
and for the last few years have suffered

1852.]

Rangoon, — Letter

of Dr. Dawson.

37

less from oppression : there are four or
five ordained ministers and some twenty-
five assistants. The Karens are pray-
ing, and we arc all praying, that the Lord
of the harvest would raise up laborers to
enter this great and hopeful field. Still,
while avc pray, we must look out for the
men best qualified to go forth and sow
the seed of the kingdom. We feel con-
fident that there will be found among
these 1000 members, a number of men
full of faith and ready for the work.

Strength of faith in Karen Christians.

Just now five Karens came in, mem-
bers of a church at Yutho, where there
are about seventy members and several
who wish to be baptized. The church
is anxious to have a preacher, and also
to have an ordained minister to visit
them twice a year to administer baptism
and the Lord's supper. They have
come to see if we can do anything for
them. It is surprising how rapidly the
news of our arrival in Rangoon, and of
the rough treatment we received from
the governor, spread among the Karens.
All who have come in informed us that
they soon heard of it, and that prayer
was made incessantly for us that we
might not be driven from the country.
I feel ashamed when I look on this peo-
ple, so full of faith and steadfastness, —
so certain that the day of deliverance is
at hand, that the empire of darkness will
be overturned. The seal of God is on
this people. Every where among them
there is a spirit of inquiry, and the Lord
is raising up men of strong faith for the
work of the ministry. While the Bur-
mans are groping their way amidst the
darkness of pantheism, and are toiling
under the weight of a superstition more
degrading than popery, the Karens are
inquiring for God's Book, and the God
of the Bible is their refuge.

When Oung Bau left, to-day, I sent
also two Burman assistants to visit the
churches to the north and northwest, to
deliver them letters, to preach as widely
as possible and see how they do. There
are two difficulties in the way of my
going into the country : one is, the whole

country is flooded, so that over the rice
plains the water is from twelve to twenty-
five inches deep and often three or four
miles broad ; then again, the crowds of
people at our house demand my time
from morning till night. We have a
number of hopeful inquirers. Two have
appeared to receive the word in faith
and have asked to be baptized. The
numbers who come and are brought for
medical aid is great ; and to all the gos-
pel is preached.

I have written to Maulmain for a good
supply of testaments and other books,
and when they arrive shall send one half
to a Burman Christian's house, a few
miles east of the city, and the other half
to Oung Bau, at the north. They can
then be obtained by the people without
danger from the authorities in Rangoon.

A great work has been done, but a
vastly greater remains to be done. Fifty
Karens have been baptized within a few
weeks past. The Macedonian cry, Ccme
over and help us, is made on every side.
The churches seem to be awaking to the
necessity of looking out from among them
the gifts that God has given, and putting
more men into the ministry; but they
want counsel and aid in so important a
work.

LETTER FROM DR. DAWSON.
Security in missionary labor.

Aug. 21, 1851. — As the schooner
" John Hepburn " is expected to sail
from this port to-morrow, direct for Cal-
cutta, and will probably reach there in
time -to meet the overland mail that leaves
for England on the 8th proximo, I im-
prove the opportunity to write to you, to
give you some further account of our
labors in this city.

Our situation at present, I am happy
to say, is in every way as pleasant as we
could expect it to be under the circum-
stances in which we are placed. We
are not only exempt from every species
of annoyance and official interference,
but positively receive to some extent the
protection and favor of officers of the

3S

Rangoon. — Letter

of Dr. Dawson.

[February,

local government. Our character as
missionaries, we believe is fully known,
and we labor daily in our calling, directly
and publicly, without the slightest molest-
ation from any quarter. The people
continue to flock to us in great numbers.
They manifest no desire of secrecy nor
fear in coming, but walk in and out of the
mission house just as suits their own con-
venience and pleasure. They have, at
least, a guaranty of exemption from sur-
veillance in the example of their own
public officers. Many of these make calls
on us with long trains of followers and
their insignia of office. Several of their
most distinguished and influential priests
also occasionally visit here, each having
a retinue of young poongyees. These
tacts cannot but impart even to the most
timid of our visitors a feeling of security
in resorting to the house of the Ameri-
can teachers.

Liberality of a Boodhist priest.
In addition to this encouraging feature,
a remarkable freedom from bigotry, (as
we have had occasion to notice,) is
evinced by the poongyees that call here.
As an instance of this kind I would just
mention, that last Sunday week, a little
before the afternoon service commenced,
a poongyee of considerable influence
called, in company with a number of his
pupils or novitiates. When the time
had arrived for the meeting to open, I
told him we were going to have preach-
ing, and invited him to take a chair up
stairs. He politely requested to be ex-
cused himself, but expressed a wish that
all the young priests with him might go
up and listen, saying that he would wait
for them below, where he was sitting.
Opening a bible, which I handed to him,
he promised to read in it till the service
was closed.

The native preacher, Ko En, con-
ducted worship and preached nearly an
hour. Besides the young poongyees, a
few other strangers were present. When
I returned to the priest, he asked me to
give him a copy of the bible. I replied
that I was very sorry I could not, as the
governor had forbidden us to give away

books. " You may read it," I remarked,
" as long as you like ; but I cannot give
it." Taking up a bound volume of tracts
that was on the mat before him, and run-
ning his eye rapidly over some of its
pages, he said there were some things in
it he wished to write down in a parabike,
(a rough Burman book composed of black
paper,) and he wanted to know if I could
not lend it. " Certainly," I observed, " I
can lend it, but must not give it to you."
Apparently much gratified, he rolled it
up in a handkerchief, and gave it to one
of his attendants to carry to the kyoung.
He then left, urging me to call soon and
make him a visit at the monastery. His
readiness to send his pupils, clothed in
the yellow robes of the priestly office,
to hear the gospel preached, displayed
a liberality of sentiment that I had
hardly dared to look for in a Boodhist
priest who lives, as it were, under the
very shadow of the great Shway Dagon
pagoda.

Rainy and sickly season — Mohammedan
sympathy.

We are now in the fourth month of the
south-west or rainy monsoon. The
weather is therefore excessively damp
and wet. Every thing feels damp, clothes,
papers, books, furniture and medicines ;
and it is astonishing how readily they all
get covered with a dark, destructive
mould or mildew. The season has been
unusually prolific of disease. Intermit-
tent and remittent fevers, dysentery, colds
and rheumatism have been the prevail-
ing forms of sickness. Two or three
Europeans have suffered severely. The
wife of Captain Crisp, the British post-
master of this port, the chief officer of
*the ship " Shelometh," and Mr. Stephens,
an Armenian merchant, were brought
to the very borders of the grave, but
happily all of them have recovered.
Through much mercy our missionary
circle has been preserved from any attack
of illness, and all of us seem at present
to enjoy a very fair measure of health.
The quantity of rain that has fallen since
the middle of May must be over sixty
inches. The thermometer now ranges

1852.]

Rangoon. — Letter of Dr. Dawson.

39

between eighty and ninety degrees in
the course of the day and night, it being
warmest in the afternoon and coldest
after midnight

A couple of weeks since, the Moham-
medan fast of Ramadan terminated. It
continues for a lunar month, and is
observed by all the conscientious pro-
fessors of that system. It was appointed
by " the false prophet " in commemora-
tion of " the month in which," it is said,
" the koran was sent down from Heaven,
a direction unto men, and declarations of
direction and distinctions between good
and evil."* On the evening of the ex-
piration of the fast, there is generally a
good deal of feasting in the houses of
leading votaries. About ten o'clock on
the night in question a mussulman, step-
ping into the verandah of a new house
that was not quite completed, fell through
the unfinished floor and broke a limb.
A cry for help was instantly raised, and
a great crowd gathered round him. The
night was dark. A score or more of his
Mohammedan friends came down the
street with lanterns to the front of the
mission house, and pleaded that I would
go and see him, as he was one of their
preachers. (In this place even- man
who can read the koran in Arabic, ap-
pears to act as a preacher or leader of
their devotions, however secular may be
his other engagements.) Getting a few
splints out of the dispensary, Mr. Kincaid
and I went to his assistance. Having
ascertained that it was a simple trans-
verse fracture, we set the bones and
bandaged the limb. Late as it was, it
appeared from the great throng at the
house as if nearly every mussulman in
town was in attendance. We were sur-
prised to find so wide-spread an interest
prevailing on account of the accident, and
saw at a glance how willing the followers
of the Crescent are to turn out and aid a
distressed brother of their own sect, while
at the same time they would scarcely
extend their pity to one whom they re-
garded as an unbeliever.

Our most anxious desire now is to see

* Sale's Koran.

hopeful evidence of fruit springing from
our efforts to lead the heathen to Christ.
While on the one hand we are en-
couraged, greatly encouraged, to press
forward in the work, we are on the
other hand deeply sensible of man's utter
inadequacy of himself, to accomplish the
conversion of souls. This end can be
obtained " not by might, nor by power,
but by my Spirit, saith the Lord." Hence
we must

— " Learn to labor and to wait
Till God's all-favoring hour."

Visits to monasteries — Courteous reception.

As has been intimated, a few of the
principal poongyees of the place have
occasionally visited our house, sometimes
for medicine and sometimes for a friendly
call. The kindly disposition thus exhib-
ited has encouraged me to visit them at
their monasteries. They always seem
glad when I call upon them. They con-
verse freely on every subject that hap-
pens to turn up, without arrogance or
affectation, not unfrequently making an
ingenuous confession of the limited know-
ledge on many subjects possessed by the
Burmans. In regard to " worldly know-
ledge," meaning the arts and sciences,
they frankly admit that the white race
possesses a decided superiority, but claim
for themselves a superior share of " heav-
enly knowledge." The young priests
and scholars sit around, in a respectful
posture according to their ideas of re-
spect, and listen to what is said with an
air of gravity and propriety. They
never speak unless spoken to by the
principal.

At the request of one of these men, I
went some time ago to see him. He has
for years been affected with hypertrophy
of the nose, rendering his face somewhat
unsightly. A young poongyee and an-
other lad were sent to conduct me to the
kyoung. After rounding more than
half the base of the hill on which stands
the " Shway Dagon " or golden pagoda,
the path stretched along between two
tanks, one of which, at this season beau-
tifully fringed with tufts of luxuriant
grass, was called during the war " the

40

Rangoon. — Letter

of Dr. Dawson.

[February,

Scotch tank," from a fancied resemblance
to one like it in Scotland. Then wind-
ing round rather a bold eminence capped
by a pagoda, it led into an enclosed
grove of jack, mango and palm trees,
in the midst of which are situated the
monastery and a dark, weather-beaten
pagoda. From that point a chain of
elevations extends backward, with alter-
nate chasms or deep ravines, all covered
with dense jungle. These heights, being
built up with stockades, constituted so
many fortifications for defence during the
hostilities with the English. In storming
them no doubt many lives were lost on
both sides, the assailed being reluctant
to quit the neighborhood of their most
sacred shrine.

Ascending the steps of the monastery
I was ushered into a large hall, at the fur-
ther end of which sat the chief poongyee
on his cushioned seat upon the floor.
Behind him was a screen that concealed
from view an assemblage of fancy idols,
miniature pagodas, gilt boxes to contain
the sacred books, and other valued arti-
cles. We were seated. After talking a
minute or two about his complaint, he
wished to know something about the
cities, towns and buildings, the manners
and customs of the people, in the " big
island of America." I tried to convey to
him a correct idea of the continent, its
relative size, its geographical position and
the time it would take to reach it ; of its
subdivision among different nations ; and
of the United States, all separate, con-
ducting their own affairs, and yet united,
forming one great government and nation.
Its happy and prosperous condition was
traced to the Bible. Next I described a
medical college, the mode and object of
teaching, and the fact that thousands of
lives are saved by skill and care ; and
above all, I descanted on the goodness
of God in bestowing upon us the bless-
ings of a pure religion, the highest and
richest gift we had received.

Boodhism and Christianity ; — their similarity
questioned.

The poongyee now thought it was his
turn to speak. He began by saying that

there was not much difference between
his religion and our religion when closely
compared. "O yes, all possible differ-
ence ; as much difference as there is
between darkness and noon day," was
the answer ; " how many gods have
you ? " "A great many." " Your bete-
gat says twenty-eight." "Yes, the
Hindoos or brahmins have many millions,
and we have many also." M Where are
they all?" "Some are now existing in
other worlds, and many have gone to
nigban" — (annihilation). " How many
gods have you had in this world?"
" Four ; one more is yet to appear."
" The difference, now, between Chris-
tianity and Boodhism on this one point
is, that while you have many gods, the
Christian religion teaches us that there
is but one only living and true God,
without beginning and without end ; not
subject to sickness, old age or death, like
the gods worshipped by the Burmans."
On inquiring if he were not the head
man of the monastery, he replied in the
affirmative. " Well, it is a good thing to
have authority somewhere. Suppose,
now, there were fifty head men in this
kyoung. You tell the boys to do one
thing and another head man commands
a different thing, and each one something
still different from the rest. Hoav would
you all get along here?" He smiled
and said, " That would be bad business;
all would be confusion." He felt himself
in a dilemma and flew off to the doctrine
of merit : " Do good and you will get
good; do evil and you will receive evil."
He expatiated on the merit to be
obtained by feeding the poor, giving
medicine to the sick, building monasteries
for the poongyees and bringing them
offerings. "The religion of Jesus Christ,"
I said, " requires Christians to do good
unto all men. If a servant simply does
what his master has told him to do, to
whom is it right to give the honor?"
His answer was, " To the master." " Cer-
tainly, that is a just conclusion. When
a follower of Christ gives his property to
support any worthy object, he does not
do it to obtain personal honor or praise,

1852.]

Ningpo . — Letter

of Mr. Goddard.

41

but only to glorify God." Nodding his
head very significantly, he said these
were strange things and might be true.
As it was now growing late I shook
hands with several of them and came
away, retracing my steps by the road
we went.

Rumors from Ava.

Some weeks since, a well-dressed
young mussulman, seemingly of Burmese
parentage, stepped into the dispensary
and said that he had just returned from
Ava, where he had been sent with de-
spatches from the governor. He re-
marked that the king and all the court
had heard of our arrival at Rangoon and
appeared pleased Avith the intelligence.
One day he had occasion to call at the
residence of a foster brother of the king.
This personage, it is thought, has un-
bounded influence at the palace. When
he entered, there were two or three Mo-
gul merchants present, and the subject
of conversation was affairs at Rangoon.
The prince inquired about the mission-
aries, where and how they were living,
whether they did not speak about coming
up to the capital, and if they did not
give some attention to the sick. These
inquiries being satisfactorily answered,
he observed that he had a fine large
brick house all ready tor us, and as he
understood Ave did not aaisIi to come up
till after the rains, he said he would pro-
pose to the king to alloAv us to come up
free of expense in the l< royal steamer."
iSToav, although Ave are unable to vouch
for the truth or correctness of this state-
ment, nor are Ave disposed to place any
dependence on it, yet it affords some e\i-
dence in connection Avith the king's letter
to the governor of this province concern-
ing us, of the feeling with which Ave are
regarded at Ava, and the probability of
our effecting, through divine assistance,
a permanent location in the golden city.
Pray for us, that the Lord will still fur-
ther open our Avay before us, and remoAe
ever}- barrier to the free progress of the
gospel.

Needs of Rangoon — The Christian's triumph.

As Mr. Kincaid's communication, which
goes by this opportunity, contains a very

full account of other interesting matters,
I will not repeat them. We are alike
solicitous that, as Rangoon has been once
more regained, it should not be left unoc-
cupied for a single day. It is also our
conviction that timid men, hoAvever well
qualified in other respects, will never do
for this station. It will require in those
who shall be appointed, courage, pru-
dence and evenness of temper, Avith a
firm reliance on the protection of God.
If one of the brethren can help the sick,
so much the better. It will tend to ex-
ert a very desirable influence in favor of
the mission.

As Ave proceed on our Avay to the heart
of this kingdom, Ave will be cheered and
animated by the sentiment of the follow-
ing lines, expressive of the Christian's
hope and triumph :

AVho would not be a Christian ? Who but now
Would share the Christian's triumph and his hope?
His triumph is begun. 'Tis his to hail,
Amid the chaos of a world convulsed,
A new creation risiug. 'Mid the gloom
Which wraps the low concerns of states and kings
Iln marks the morning star ; sees the far east
Blush with the purple dawn ; he hears a trump
Louder than all the clarions and the clang
Of horrid war, swelling, and swelling still
In lengthened notes, its full awakening call, —
The trump of jubilee. Are there not signs,
Thunders and voices in the troubled air ?
Do ye not see, upon the mountain top?,
Beacon to beacon answering ? AA'ho can tell
But all the harsh and dissonant sounds, which
Have been — are still — disquieting the earth,
Are but the tuning of the varying parts
For the grand chorus which shall usher in
The hastening triumph of the Prince of peace !
Yes, his shall be the kingdoms. He shall come,
Ye scoffers at his tarrying. Hear ye not
E"en now the thunder of his wheels ? Awake,
Thou slumbering world '. Even now the symphonies
Of that blessed song are floating through the air —
t; Peace, peace on earth, and glory be to God ! "

[ Conder.

XINGPO.

LETTER FROM MR. GODDARD.

Health and employments— Reduced strength
of the Mission,

Sept. 1, 1851. — I see from the Mace-
donian for June, (Avhich has just come to
hand,) that you open letters from the
east with trembling lest they announce
the removal of more laborers. I Avill

42

Ningpo. — Letter

of Mr. Gcddard.

[February,

set your mind at rest for this time at
once, by assuring you that I am not now
called upon to announce any such pain-
ful intelligence. No new breach has
been made upon us since the departure
of Mr. and Mrs. Lord, July Oth, of which
you have already heard. We have
gone through the hot season, which is
now essentially past, better than might
have been expected in our circumstan-
ces, having enjoyed about our usual
health, and continued our usual avoca-
tions, only somewhat moderated. And I
am happy to say a line just received
from Dr. Macgowan, who is still at Chu-
san, states that there are some symptoms
of improvement in Mrs. Macgowan's
health, for which we desire to be thankful.
The doctor is just now suffering from
ophthalmia, which I hope, however, will
be of but short continuance. I under-
stand he has large numbers of patients
daily.

The Sabbath and daily services at both
our chapels here have continued as form-
erly. I attend ordinarily once at the old
and twice at the new chapel on the Sab-
bath, and three or four times during the
week. The congregations are, as usually,
irregular; but many hear the gospel
from week to week. Both of our assist-
ants have seemed more engaged in their
work, of late, than formerly. Still we
see no signs of repentance and turning
to the Lord. We have not heard from
Mr. and Mrs. Lord since they left Shang-
hai in the " Roman " for London, July
2 2d. We feel their loss very much, and
hope that they will be able soon to return.
We hope, too, our numbers may be so
increased that, when a laborer is thus
suddenly called away, as is constantly
liable to be the case, those remaining
may not be left so weak-handed and
overwhelmed with care and labor as we
at present are.

A present and pressing danger— The way to
avert it.

We are thankful that our wants were
remembered before the Union at its last
annual meeting, and hope they will be
borne on the hearts of the people of God,

until more laborers are sent forth into
this part of the harvest. Together with
our own wants, we fully appreciate the
wants of our fellow laborers in other parts
of the field. We know how to sympa-
thize with those who are toiling almost
alone, feeling their health and strength
fast failing, seeing now a sister, now a
brother, struck down by their side, or
obliged to retire to recruit their wasted
energies, doubtful whether it is not even
already too late. There is certainly
reason for the apprehension expressed
before the Union, that during a few of
the coming years a larger number of mis-
sionaries than usual may be removed
from their labors. There are many who
have been long in the work, whose
health and constitution are greatly im-
paired ; and it would be presumption to
expect that they can endure much longer,
if left unassisted. I was pleased there-
fore to see that the means for obtaining a
supply of laborers occupied so seriously
and earnestly the attention of the Union ;
and I would fain hope that from that
time onward many are calling as they
never before have done, in the sincerity
of their hearts, upon the Lord of the har-
vest to send forth laborers into his har-
vest ; and that, like consistent persons,
they are putting forth their earnest and
unremitting efforts for the attainment of
the object they so much desire and for
which they so earnestly pray.

I have no doubt there are multitudes
of young Christians in the churches
whose services Christ would accept and
bless, and who would willingly give them-
selves to the work of missions if the sub-
ject were properly set before them and
they were duly encouraged and exhorted
in reference to it. To seek out such
persons and place the subject before them
and assist in removing obstacles, is the
work of those who pray for an increase
of laborers : and if their prayers and
works are heartily united, I have no
doubt they will be abundantly answered.
I am inclined to think the same is true
to a considerable extent in reference to
those about to engage in the ministry,

1852.]

Ningpo. — Letter of Dr. Macgowan.

43

and to the younger portion of those
already engaged in the work. I trust
the same union of prayer and effort
would result in an ample supply of labor-
ers for the missionary field. And if the
loss of such laborers was felt at home,
that very feeling of want would soon call
forth still more laborers to supply the
vacancy.

Qualifications for missionary labor.

As to the qualifications necessary for
the missionary work, there are few who
really have a heart to work in the service
of Christ, and are willing to set their
hands to whatever the Master may give
them to do, who may not acquire all the
necessary qualifications, if they do not al-
ready possess them. How soon does a per-
son, bent upon engaging in any particular
business in this life, fit himself for that
business. Whatever hardships or trials
are to be endured, he prepares to endure
them ; whatever mental or physical qual-
ifications are requisite, he acquires them.
Equally would a person bent on becom-
ing a good and useful missionary succeed
in his attempt. Very little difference
would be found between those who have
engaged in the missionary work and the
ministry at home, if compared together
during their preparatory course, except
that the former devoted themselves heart-
ily to the foreign service and were bent
on preparing for it. Had one half of
those who have engaged in the ministry
at home, devoted themselves in the same
manner to the foreign service, they would
have become equally good missionaries.
I make this remark because I am satis-
fied that many persons, who are really
conscientious, excuse themselves from
the missionary work, thinking they do
not possess the requisite qualifications.
They have the impression that some very
peculiar qualifications are needed, which
cannot be acquired. But the most ex-
tensive acquaintance with missionaries
and the missionary work will show, that,
after omitting a few who have an imped-
iment of speech or a very peculiar diffi-
culty in acquiring language, or some
striking defect of mental or moral char-

acter, those who are qualified for the
ministry at home might also become good
missionaries, were they to set their hearts
to the work.

Specious objections— A "willing"' mind.

The various circumstances which are
often allowed to weigh so strongly against
engaging in missionary work, would van-
ish at once before a heart overwhelmed
with the love of Christ and bent upon
following him in obedience to his last
command. " Who, then, is willing to
consecrate his service this day unto the
Lord ? " 1 Chron. 29:5. Let no trivial
excuse or ' hindrance hold him back.
We are all unworthy. The service of
the best missionary is infinitely unworthy
the divine acceptance. But since he is
pleased to call for our service and is
willing to accept of it, such as it is, as a
token of love and gratitude, and has
promised to bless it and make it the
means of life and salvation to the perish-
ing nations, why should we hesitate ?
why should we refuse ? - " She hath
done what she could," was the high com-
mendation freely bestowed on the poor
widow ; and it will be bestowed with
equal freedom on all who act upon like
principles. But I fear there are many
who will fail to secure this gracious ap-
proval, until they give themselves as
living sacrifices on the altar of missionary
service. This indeed is but " two mites"
in comparison with what Christ has
done for us or with our obligations to
him, but it is all we can do. May the
good Lord stir up those for whom Christ
died, to a lively sense of gratitude, and to
greater promptness and energy in serv-
ing him by whom they have been bought
with such a price ; and thus may these
perishing heathen soon know the gos-
pel's joyful sound, and many of them be
led to Christ and secure the salvation of
their souls.

LETTER FROM DR. MACGOWAX.

Yuhwang monastery— Home recollections.
July 8. — A short time before the hot
weather came upon us, we accompanied
our ladies from the city to a village a

44

Ningpo. — Letter of Dr. Macgowan.

[February,

half day's journey into the country, the
change bein<r needed on account of an
illness from which Mrs. M. had but par-
tially recovered. We got lodgings in the
celebrated Buddhist monastery of Yuh-
wang, which, like nearly all the reli-
gious establishments of China, occupies a
beautiful site. It is situated in a defile
and almost buried in a luxuriant forest.
On either side of a range of temples filled
with idols are venerable and lofty pago-
das, covered with shrubbery to the very
summit. In front lies a peach orchard,
in the rear a grove of bamboos, and
behind this an almost impenetrable forest
of cypress, fir, oil and tallow trees. This
quiet retreat is walled in, as it were, by
tea hills, yet from its proximity to a
thoroughfare it is visited daily by many
pilgrims and travellers. We were domi-
ciled in the most secluded part, hard by
a three-storied terrace erected to sustain
an enormous bell. The bell is immov-
able, being struck by a beam suspended
from the roof. The upper windows of
the terrace afforded a good view of the
extensive premises. Near it, on one
side, is the furnace in which the bodies
of deceased priests are burnt, though
cremation is not often practised, and on
the other are the granite vaults, over-
grown with ivy, in which their ashes are
deposited. The bell room, from its com-
parative quiet, was our favorite resort;
though absolute silence seldom reigned
there. From every corner of the temple
small bells are suspended, which the
slightest zephyr sets in chiming motion.
Added to this Avere the notes of the syl-
van songsters and the hum of countless
insects on the one hand, and on the other
the solemn chanting of priests accom-
panied by the sound of bells and drums
employed in their worship, the blending
of which, so favorable to sensuous wor-
ship, never failed to afford matter for
serious and painful reflection. No
degree of familiarity with idolatry can
cause a contemplative mind to regard
without feelings of profound compassion
its unhappy devotees.

It was in this chamber and amidst

such scenes, that my dear companion
daily read to me portions from " Reli-
gious Progress ;" and notwithstanding the
different circumstances in which I was
placed, I found it no difficult matter to
fancy myself in beloved Amity street,
sharing with my highly privileged breth-
ren the precious instructions of our pas-
tor. If at any time a missionary has
greater longings for home than at another,
it is on the Sabbath, when his thoughts
turn from the sickening objects around
him to the remembrance of those happy
days when he went to the house of God
with kindred spirits to enjoy the commu-
nion of saints.

A Pharisaic priest— Proofs of merit.

Our stay at Xuhwang was brief, yet
we had frequent conversation with the
people and priests, amongst whom we
distributed many tracts. One of the
latter class, an aged man, was remark-
able for intelligence, though, like his
confreres generally, perfectly illiterate;
more travel and observation, with a nat-
urally strong mind, had elevated him
far above the mass of his countrymen.
Yet a more hopeless person I have sel-
dom conversed with. When told of God
manifest in the flesh, he would tell what
he had himself seen, — a living Buddha,
the Lama of Thibet. When told of the
necessity of repentance and of an atone-
ment, he would point to his mutilated
head and his hand burned, one of the
fingers to the second joint, as proof of
his all-sufficient merit His prostrations,
genuflexions, and counting of the rosary,
never ceased except when he slept, which
was on his knees before the idols.
A Buddhist tract.

To show the character of Buddhist
tracts, I transcribed one, which was
posted near the door of the principal
temple, of which the subjoined is a trans-
lation.

Doc . Macgowan presents this tract as " a choice
specimen of Buddhist literature," and also as
explanatory, in its own character, of the fact that
translations are not frequently sent. The allegory
is of course oriental, and, as a production of genius
and taste, is to be judged by its own standard. A
part of what beauty and point it had must haTe

1852.]

Ningpo. — Letter of Dr. Macgowan.

45

been necessarily lost in being clothed with a western
garb. Its moral, in the main is good, — Restrain
your appetites. At best, howeyer, the conceptions
are rude and grotesque, and with some elementary
truths and just sentiments, betray barrenness and
shallowness of thought.

"The king of Yutien once asked a
Buddhist worthy, 1 How, according to
the rules of Buddha, should a man regu-
late his conduct ? ' The worthy replied
by the following parable :

" 'A man travelling in a wild region
which is all on fire, is pursued by an
enraged elephant by which he is nearly
overtaken, and makes for a tree by the
side of a well. He ascends it, and seizes
the stem of a creeping plant pendant from
one of its branches just over the well.
In the well are three venomous drag-
ons, and at the base of the tree four poi-
sonous snakes. Besides these dangers,
there are a black and a white rat gnawing
the stem which sustains him, and also
a swarm of bees ever and anon either
stinging him, or letting fall an infinitesi-
mal drop of honey into his mouth. Now,
if a man in such a predicament should
be so taken with the taste of the honey
as to forget the perils surrounding him,
would the king regard him as happy or
as miserable ? ' The king replied, ' Truly
he would be most miserable ; how could
such a man be happy ? ' The worthy
proceeded to explain the allegory :

M 4 The two rats,' said he, ' which were
gradually gnawing the stem of the
creeper, represent the trials of life ;
the four serpents at the tree are the mis-
eries of mankind ; the creeper once
severed, he falls into the well of per-
dition, from which there can be no
escape. The desert represents the uni-
verse ; the tree shows man's entrance on
a life of unnumbered miseries; the
creeper is the root of life ; the elephant
a murderous devil. The two rats further
represent 4;he sun and moon, the two
wheels whose revolutions are pressing
mankind on their course. The well is
the Yellow spring road (meaning death).
The three tremendous dragons are
covetousness, quarrelsomeness and fool-
ishness, which occasion a transmigration

into the starved demons of hell or into
some brute beast. Again, the four ser-
pents represent earth, water, fire and
wind, and refer to the four great sources
of danger, — wine, lust, wealth and anger ;
and relate also to the four doors, birth,
age, disease and death. Further, the
hands grasping the creeper represent the
stupid heart craving the things of the
world. The honey is connubial comfort.
Now mark ! All mankind, with their
lusts, pleasures, feelings and desires, are
cut off as it were in a day, falling into
endless perdition, from which misery
there is no escape !

" ' Let the world therefore be admon-
ished, particularly the middle-aged and
robust, that they repeat the name of
Amida^ Buddha one thousand times a
day, or ten thousand times ; so perpetual
happiness will be secured and misery
avoided, and finally, their souls shall be
wafted, at death, to that world of perfect
bliss in the western regions.' — In praise
he then chanted :

" 1 The stem is about parting ; once in
the pit, you are lost. The elephant, rats
and snakes are menacing, yet keep a
firm hold. Conform to Buddha's laws,
and be roused to self-reflection. Then
these three fearful ills cannot fail to pass
by you. Strong drinks, fat pork, all animal
food, are as if charged with arsenic. So
also a knife is concealed in the smiles of
husband and wife. Admonish the age,
then, to most strenuous exertion, that
they postpone not renovation until
wholly undone.'

" Moreover the head priest of the
Chungfung country teaches us thus :
'As year follows year, man's features
decay. Now the youth is at his sports :
look again, and observe his locks
whitened by age. Shun the unrighteous
affairs of this life. Turn and implant
happiness in the heart, and defer not the
practice of virtue till the hour of death.
Month follows month ; days are dissolv-
ing like snow; the sun and moon are
ever going round; metamorphoses are
never ceasing; the substantial is rare,
the vain most abundant. The wise are

46

Hongkong.— Letter of Mr. Johnson. [February,

not like the stupid, who, when summoned
by the Prince of Hades, will be unable
to answer him! Day follows day, the
sun rises and sets ; evil thoughts, also, do
not cease. Who will relinquish covet-
ousness and lust? Observe the fishes.
When they find the water shallow, they
jump into deeper without waiting till
the place is dried up. Take heed that
you are not lost through your own neg-
lect. Hour follows hour, step by step.
Admonish men to abstain from all that
has life, and at once, lest repentance
come too late. Moment follows moment,
day and night are sliding away. Truly
the stupid, thoughtless soul is to be com-
miserated for its insensibility ! Exhort
men to be forbearing, and quarrels will
cease. Smother the fire of the pit of
discord, and it will be changed mto a
pool of the water lily ! ' "

The political horizon.

Since the accession of Hienfung, the
youthful sovereign of the " middle king-
dom," the position of foreigners in China
has assumed a less promising aspect.
His dismissal of Keying and other min-
isters of his father, for having succumbed
to the invincible power of M outside bar-
barians," and consented to the partial
opening of the country, has stimulated
officers and people into practices fraught
with danger to all parties. I have
already mentioned the opposition the
chancellor exhibited to Christianity dur-
ing the last literary examination. The
same functionary has more recently
shown his unfriendliness in a new light,
so as to occasion a panic among all the
literary men in our employ. Nothing
less than decapitation, they believed,
awaited them; and something worse,
perhaps, was to happen to us. It all
arose from inquiries having been made,
— in such a clandestine manner as to
make it appear a portentous affair, — of
the names and residence of our personal
and school teachers. The design doubtless
was to prevent these Christians, as they
are considered, from attaining rank as
graduates at future examinations, and to
arrest the advance of those in our employ

already on the road to promotion. Should
the cabinet of Pekin succeed in quelling
the rebellion in Kwangsi, so threatening
to the stability of the Manchu rule in
China, we may anticipate such an in-
crease of arrogance from high and low
as must precipitate a second rupture be-
tween China and some western power.

HONGKONG.

LETTER FROM MR. JOHXSOX.

Distribution of tracts — Discussion with a party
of gamblers.

Tung chiu, Aug. 26, 1851.— This
morning I took passage in a to chun, the
ordinary Chinese passage boat, for a
visit to our out-station at this place.
There Avere on board about fifty Chinese
passengers. I commenced distributing
books among them, but found not more
than five or six who could read under-
standingly. The proportion of readers —
intelligent readers — among the mass of
the common people, is probably about
the same. Indeed, with my intercourse
with them thus far, I have rarely found
even so large a proportion able to take a
common book and get from it, unaided,
a correct knowledge of its contents.
The great mass of the people can be
)■( 'ached only through the preached word.
Alas ! how few are there, prepared for
this work and engaged in spreading
abroad the glad tidings !

I went below and sat down among a
party of gamblers, two or three of whom
spoke the Tie chiu dialect. I requested
them to give attention to me for a few
minutes, as I had something of import-
ance to communicate. They at once
good naturedly laid aside their gambling
implements to listen. One of them
remarked, "Ah, this is one of Jesus'
men ; he desires to speak with us about
Jesus' doctrine." " Yes," I replied, " I
wish to tell you about Jesus and the way
of salvation. Jesus, who is 'over all God
blessed forever,' so loved sinful man, all
men, that he came into the Avorld about
two thousand years ago, and assumed

1852.]

Hongkong. — Letter of Mr. Johnson.

47

human nature that he might suffer and
die for the sins of the world." " But
how can Jesus save men?" asked one.
* He saves them that believe irf him," I
replied, " by destroying the devil's power
over them, and bringing them to the
knowledge of the true God, and enabling
them to live holy and virtuous lives."

" But, teacher," said another, " how is
it that your own people who believe in
this doctrine do not lead holy lives?
There are many who come to the Middle
Kingdom and lead such bad and vicious
lives that we cannot endure them. They
bring opium to poison our people and
ruin our country, and lead such scandal-
ous lives with women that they are
rightly called 'foreign devils.' Surely
the doctrine that permits them to do
such things must be bad." " These men,"
I answered, " are truly, as you say,
bad men. They are enemies of Jesus
and do not obey his doctrine. Because
they come from England or America,
they are not necessarily Christians. If
I should shave my head and put on a
cue and a Chinese dress, would that
make me a Chinaman?" "No, no,"
several replied. " Nor," I rejoined, " are
those men Christians because they call
themselves such ? Hear what Jesus
says of his disciples." I then read to them
John xiv. 21, 33. and xv. 8. '* Now, any
man who has not this character, it mat-
ters not what he calls himself, is not a
disciple of Jesus but is of the devil.
There are but two classes of people in
the world : one, the followers and ser-
vants of Jesus, who are known by the
above fruits, and the other the servants
of the devil, whose fruits are these.
(Gal. v. 19, 20, 21.) Whoever does such
things, no matter what he calls himself
or to what country he belongs, is an
enemy of Jesus, and cannot enter into
his kingdom. Now, we come here to
teach you the true doctrine, to give
you a knowledge of the true God and of
Jesus Christ the world's Saviour. If
others come here from our country and
live wicked lives, you must not class us
all together, but distinguish, as you have

I just heard, between those that bear good
ffrmt and those that bear bad fruit."

" Yes, teacher," answered one, "that
is just and right and your doctrine is
good. But the Middle Kingdom has
never known this doctrine, our fathers
and all our wise men died without it,
and we are satisfied to be as they."
" But," I asked, " because your father or
ancestor happened to be a very poor
man, are you content to be very poor ?
Do you not strive to better your con-
dition and to get as comfortable a living
as you can?" "Certainly, no one is so
foolish as to do otherwise." " It is true
the people of the Middle Kingdom have
worshipped idols for thousands of years,
and have done man}- other wicked and
foolish things, but God, in his great
mercy and love, has now sent his ser-
vants to teach you that of which your
fathers were ignorant. If the people
of the Middle Kingdom will only cast
away their idolatry and superstition and
suffer themselves to be instructed in the
doctrine of Jesus, their eyes will be
opened to see what great blessings we
are bringing to them in his name."

" But, teacher," said one, " is it only
to teach us this new religion that you are
learning our language ?" " Certainly,"
I replied, " for this alone. My daily
prayer to God is that he will grant me
ability to attain to a speedy and perfect
knowledge of it, that I may the more
clearly teach you the blessed doctrines
of our religion, and guide you under-
standingly in this, the only way to eter-
nal happiness." " But, teacher," said
another, " there are many pirates and
bad men about now, and do you not feel
afraid to go so far away unprotected ?"
" O, no," I replied ; " I have no fear, I
am well protected. The Lord above, on
whose business I am, has almighty power
and is everywhere present. He will not
suffer any to harm me so long as he has
anything for me to do here, and Avhen he
does not wish me to be here any longer
it will be my greatest happiness to go and
dwell with him forever." As we had
now got to our journey's end I gave them

48

Hongkong. — Letter of Mr. Johnson.

[February,

each a book, requesting those of them
who could not read to get some friend to
read it for them. May the blessed Spirit
sanctify the truth -which in feebleness and
with a stammering tongue was thus im-
parted.

As I -was seen from a war-junk, lying
in the harbor, to land from the passage
boat, a small mandarin with two or three
followers was sent after me, to inquire
who I -was and the object of my visit.
They arrived at the chapel soon after I
did. In answering the inquiries of this
official, an opportunity was presented of
preaching Christ to him and his follow-
ers. They were attentive, and appar-
ently interested, and took away with
them a few copies of the "Manual of
Doctrine " and other tracts ; with our
prayer that by them these men of war
and their fellows might be guided to the
feet of the Prince of Peace.

Religious services at Tung chiu— Objections
of a Chinese scholar.

I found the school in session, fifteen
boys present, a few detained at home
sick. The brethren were all away from
home ; but two or three women and
about half a dozen men came in, with
whom we had a pleasant season of wor-
ship ; after which, to a late hour, the
assistant A Ee, who accompanied me,
endeavored to convince two or three
who tarried behind, of the reasonableness
of the gospel.

A small congregation assembled at
seven o'clock in the evening. All the
school boys were present and two of the
brethren, A Lak and Chin Han. They
seemed delighted to see me. It is more
than a year since they were visited.
The persecutions they experienced in
building the chapel, excited by the report
that one of us was coming here to reside,
led us to defer our visits till matters were
settled. The school boys united in sing-
ing a hymn. The latter part of the fifth
chapter of Acts was then read, and a few
remarks were made on the persecutions
endured by the early Christians for
Christ's sake. At the close three or four
prayers were offered, in all of which

grace was craved that we might also be
prepared to rejoice in being " counted
worthy to suffer shame for His name."

27. — A. good congregation assembled
at eight o'clock for worship. The ninth
chapter of Acts, the history of Paul's con-
version, was read. A few remarks were
made upon it and two of the brethren
prayed. A literary man of some preten-
sions said, " The teachings of your sa-
cred book are good, but Confucius and
Mencius also taught many good things."
" True," it was replied, " Confucius and
Mencius both taught many good things
and uttered many moral and virtuous
precepts ; but when and where did ever
a man become changed from a bad to a
good man by studying Confucius ? Did
you ever know a change from vice to
virtue to follow the teaching of his doc-
trines ? Never ! Indeed, Confucius
himself says that he did not understand
much about the gods and nothing about
death and the future life. Not one ray
of light falls from the teachings of Con-
fucius on the way that leads to God, the
deliverance from sin and introduction to
a neAv and holy life ! These things are
taught nowhere but in the doctrines of
this sacred book." He was silent for a
few moments, and then again remarked :
" But you disciples of Jesus have one
custom which cannot be received in the
Middle Kingdom." " What is that V
" The meeting together in your congre-
gations of men and women. That is
very bad." "But why is it very bad?
Did not He who made man make woman
also V And are not both alike preserved
by him '? Both men and women have
souls equally precious, and are both alike
accountable to God. Why, then, should
not both have the same privileges ?
Among the first disciples of Jesus the
most holy and faithful were women. And
Jesus' disciples are all brethren and
sisters, and try to help each other in the
way to heaven and to unending happi-
ness. Is it not, then, good and reasona-
ble that they should meet together for
mutual help and encouragement ? **
" Yes, teacher. I will think more about

1852.] Hongkong. — Lette,

vr of Mr. Johnson.

49

these things." The assistant A Tui made
a few remarks and closed the meeting
with prayer.

A relapse into idolatry— Need of female Chris-
tian influence.

I went out to visit the brethren at
their homes, to distribute tracts and
speak by the way. I found that the wife
of A Lak, since I was last here, had
again set up images in her house and
fallen into all the ordinary idolatrous
practices. At the time of her husband's
conversion and baptism she seemed in
an interesting state of mind, and con-
sented to throw away her idols and to
abandon their worship. We had hope
that she might herself become a disciple.
But persecution, together with the solici-
tations and reproaches of her female
friends and associates, had proved more
than she could bear. My heart bled at
the sight and I could not restrain my
tears. I tried to reason with her. She
seemed ashamed and a good deal moved.
She has induced her little daughter, a
bright child of about twelve years, to join
in her idolatrous worship. I hope to get
this little girl over to Hongkong under
the care and instruction of Mrs. Johnson,
who is collecting a school for girls.

This case presents one of the greatest
trials to the converts. What can we
hope for them, while their wives and
families remain unconverted and ad-
dicted to idolatrous practices ? It shows,
also, the imperative demand for female
help in missionary labors. None but
women can enter into families and effect-
ively influence the female heart. And
there is but little hope of any extensive
spread of the truth until the mothers and
daughters are converted. When, and
among what people, has the gospel ever
prevailed, until women have first been
brought under its influence ? They were
" last at the cross and first at the sep-
ulchre," and they must be first in the
faith and life of the gospel before we can
expect any great and permanent change
among any people. There may be isolat-
ed cases of conversion among the men,
here and there, but until mothers of
4

families are converted can the gospel be
presented to any people in all its power
and beauty? It must be seen in its
power to elevate, refine and harmonize
social life, before it can be properly
appreciated. And this is a work which
we cannot expect will be done, until
women take a more prominent and con-
spicuous part in it than has hitherto been
the case in China. I intend to bring
Mrs. Johnson with me the next time I
come here. As a foreign lady has never
been seen here, there will doubtless be a
good deal of commotion and many annoy-
ances at first ; but if persisted in, it can-
not but be productive of great good in
the end.

The wrath of man praising God.

In contrasting things here with what
they were a year or two ago, we may
well exclaim, "O the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of
God ! " In the fall of 1849 the brethren
residing here (Tung chiu) made a prop-
osition for a new chapel, the house
before occupied having become too strait.
They all contributed liberally to the
work, and the building was commenced.
The work had not long been in progress,
before a persecution arose, excited by
the local authorities, originally, perhaps,
for the purpose of extorting money.
Whatever was the motive, it threatened
for a while a complete cessation to our
labors here. Charges of a political char-
acter were raised against our oldest
church member, a respectable villager
who had interested himself a good;
deal in the work. He was lodged in jail
and beaten. The rest of the brethren
were alarmed, the school was dispersed,
and for a time all was in doubt and
uncertainty.

At this juncture a new military super-
intendent was appointed over this dis-
trict, He was a Tie Chiu man. The
assistant, A Tui, obtained several inter-
views with him and laid the whole matter
before him. He inquired very particu-
larly about our belief, mode of worship,
and object in building. This gave an
opportunity to " preach unto him Jesus

50

Northern France. — Letter o f Mr. Doumin.

[February,

and the resurrection." Copies of the
Scriptures and Christian books were
presented to him for examination. He
was made to understand that our object
was to make his people good men and
good citizens. The names of those who
had become Christians were given to
him, that he might inform himself in
relation to their character and conduct.
Upon deliberation and inquiry he gave
order to the new official, who had in the
mean time been stationed here, to allow
the work to go on, and to remove what-
ever obstacles were in the way. The
order was obeyed, the authorities them-
selves contributing to the work. The
house is now completed, the school is
again in successful operation. The chief
officer himself wrote on a board in large
characters, — Tien Jcok lira kin, — " The
kingdom of heaven is at hand," — and
had it put up in the most conspicuous
place in the chapel. Thus it is that the
enemies of the gospel have been made to
contribute to its advancement. They
have been made to serve the truth by
the very means with which they thought
to destroy it. Thus has it ever been;
thus will it ever be, ti I China, with its
teeming millions, is brought to the
Saviour's feet. Our hearts may often
sink within us and our faith fail.
But God's word remains the same. He
has said to his church, " Behold I will
lift up my hand to the Gentiles and set
up my standard to the people." "And
kings shall be thy nursing fathers and
their queens thy nursing mothers ; and all
flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy
Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty
One of Jacob." And " hath he said, and
shall he not do it ? or hath he spoken,
and shall he not bring it to pass ? " O
that I were as well assured of my place
in the church, as I am of her place in the
affections of her God and of the cer-
tainty of her final triumph !

NORTHERN FRANCE.

LETTERS FROM MR. DOUMIN.

At p. 349 last vol. we published a letter from Mr.
Douinin giving the sequel of the occurrences detailed
in the following, which at the time was not in hand.
We publish this now to complete the narrative, and
the more readily inasmuch as the interest has lost
but little by the delay. Mr. Doumin is an evangelist
at Sinceny and neighborhood, in the department of
Aisne.

A village curate— Auricular confession.
April 10, 1851. — Monsieur le cure'
lately took a fancy to preach against the
Protestants. For a long time I had seen
only ten or fifteen persons at my Tues-
day meeting. But the Tuesday after
the cure's sermon there were present at
least one hundred persons. As the cure
in talking against us ltad said that we
denied the utility of the sacrament of
confession, I thought it my duty to urge
my hearers to confess to God, who alone
can pardon, and at the same time I ex-
plained the confession which the Holy
Scriptures require of all who desire to
be saved. There were some devotees
present. It seems that the Confession
required by the gospel appeared so clear
to them, that doubts arose in their
minds about the validity of auricular
confession, and that they Avent and com-
municated their doubts to Mr. le cure.
Great was his wrath on hearing that I
had troubled his sheep. The Tuesday
following we had our house full of peo-
ple again and some at the door, but Mr.
le cure' had nevertheless played me a
trick by making his salut on Tuesday,
instead of Wednesday as was his custom.

Discussion proposed— A reaction.

He gave out at the close of his salut
that there would be salut again the next
day, Wednesday, and that he should
have a great discussion with the Protest-
ant evangelist of Sinceny. The next
morning, of course, the men and women
who had heard his notice spread the
great news through all the manufac-
tories of Chauny and Sinceny. I was
going to set out on a course. Mr. Lou-
vet, who was here, advised me not to do
so, telling me that if the people knew I
was gone they might think I was afraid

1852.]

Northern France. — Letter of Mr. Foulon.

51

of the discussion. I waited, therefore,
for the cure to notify me of the dispute,
if he should think best to do so ; he had
no such idea. It was amusing to see ev-
ery body going to the church in the even-
ing. They came from Chauny by tens,
twenties and forties, to hear the great
discussion, which had been announced
the previous evening; one would have
thought there was a fire in the neighbor-
hood of the church. Laborers, citizens,
children, all were there. I am sure
there must have been more than fifteen
hundred persons. It was impossible for
them all to get into the church. I con-
sidered it my duty to go and see if in
reality he wished to dispute with me. I
placed myself, therefore, near the door,
in front of his pulpit. But alas, to the
great disappointment of all, he satisfied
himself with telling them that none but
infidels, libertines and Protestants re-
jected confession.

When it was necessary to give an ex-
planation of the great discussion, he
began by saying he was now going to
discuss (at this moment every body
thought it was to be with the Prostest-
ant,) with Protestantism. A murmur of
disapprobation was heard. He contin-
ued and handed over a heap of absurd-
ities, which I will spare you the trouble
of reading, and ended by inviting the
people to come to confession. I went
immediately out. The laborers cried
out after him. Some said, " He is a
liar ;" others, " He is a flat fellow f and
still others, "He does not dare to attack
the Protestant." All this makes a great
stir in the village.

April 1 7. — Every thing conspires at this
moment to awaken souls in our village.
Since the cure preached against us, the
meetings have become numerous again.
The evening before my mother's death
there were two hundred persons, and I
cannot tell you the number of those who
came to her interment. What is singu-
lar, is, that the cure and the nuns who
teach the schools mingled with the crowd
of spectators. Mr. Lepoids had spoken
at the house, Mr. Foulon spoke at

the cemetery. Unfortunately (humanly
speaking) a violent shower burst upon
us during the ceremony, the crash of
thunder mingling with the voice of the
preacher to confirm the words which he
pronounced, to prove that there is a
God. What I called a misfortune was,
that the rain falling in torrents, the peo-
ple were obliged to go away before the
preaching was ended. The nuns had
their umbrellas brought, and stayed as
long as we. Finally we came back to
the house. It was full of people who
had come to hear the winding up of the
discourse; they were attentive and sol-
emn. I held a meeting the next even-
ing, the house was full again. I spoke
from the words, It is finished. There
was a solemn silence, — one might have
heard the passing of a fly. And when
the people went away, not a word good
or bad was pronounced.

LETTER FROM MB. FOULON.

Persecutions in Danisy — Craft and violence.

Lafere, April 22, 1851. — I spoke in my
last of persecutions which were lavished
at Danisy upon the friends of truth.
They are not in the least diminished.
The enemy redoubles his efforts. The
disciples of that village, for the purpose
of mutual instruction and edification,
have met together every day or evening
since the beginning of winter. I am
present every week at one of their meet-
ings. One of the last times that I met
with them, an abusive multitude assem-
bled near the house where we were, and
made such a noise that we could scarcely
' hear ourselves. The next day a woman
of that village sent me word that she
wished to have a religious conversation
with me, but that I must go to her house
the evening of that same day, while her
husband was not there. It was hinted to
me that it was because she was ashamed to
converse with a Protestant before her hus-
band, whom but a short time ago she had
prevented from attending our worship.
Although I was surprised at such a way of

52 Northern France. — Letter of Messrs. Cretin and Lepoids. [February,

proceeding, although that woman had al-
ready abused me in the street, I was pre-
paring to comply with her invitation. Who
knows, I said to myself, whether God has
not designed to save her ? But an hour
after receiving the invitation I was obliged,
altogether unexpectedly, to set off for
Chauny. Thus God prevented that
woman from touching me and crying for
help against me. That was her design.
The next week, as I was passing along
the street, she threw a stone at me as
large as my fist, which lightly grazed my
arm.

Since the tumultuous gathering I have
mentioned, our friends are subjected to
a thousand vexations. In returning from
the salut a multitude of men, young peo-
ple and women, go crying and hooting
about their doors like furies, pronouncing
words that one would not dare to repeat,
and singing obscene songs. Can it be
the chaste Mary, to whom they have
just made the one same prayer one hun-
dred and three times, who excites them
to act in that manner ? How sad are the
fruits of idolatry ! These poor men, for
whom the Christian's heart is moved with
pity, do not confine themselves to cries,
they proceed to acts. lis font des saletes
partout, they stop with wood the keyholes
of the houses whose inmates love the gos-
pel, and tie the doors and windows on
the outside so that nobody can go out-
Fifteen days ago, on going out from their
salut, where they seem to go to retouch
their malice, they came down shouting
towards the house of Mr. Dubert. Mr.
and Mrs. D. had not lighted their lamp,
and were on the point of going to rest,
that those poor men seeing no light might
retire. But the expedient succeeded
only in part. After having remained
before the house of our friends about half
an hour, doing and saying all that they
usually do and say, they criecKout, " They
will not 1st us know that they are in the

house, — let us go and kill mother " I

suppress the epithets. They then went
away to the house of our friend's mother.
She is a widow and lives alone. She
heard them coming and blew out her

lamp. They came up, they shouted, they
blasphemed, and said a thousand horrible
things, to which she made no reply.
They threw stones against her windows
and door. Our sister was frightened,
she fell on her knees and prayed that the
door might not give way. She took cour-
age and asked them why they did so ;
she opened the door but was quickly
obliged to shut it again, for there fell a
shower of stones. Her son-in-law, who
from a distance had heard his mother
pronounce a single word, ran up. They
tried to strangle him. A neighbor came
to his aid and thus he escaped from those
wretches, who went away saying, " We
can kill the Protestants — justice is silent."
From that moment the noise has been
incessant, and the poor widow is sick.

FROM MR. CRETIN AND MR. LEPOIDS.

Mr. Cretin, who has heen nearly confined to his
house, has still kept up his meeting at Verberic.
He writes in a recent letter : —

Can we not have Mr. D. placed at St.
Sauveur, while so fine a work there calls
for us ? The cure there, if we had made
him for ourselves, could not have been
more to our minds except he were a true
Christian. I had at my meeting last
Lord's day a man who cannot read, and
whom I compare with Mr. T. He had
been turned away from us by his two
brothers-in law, who are ignorant monks.
One of them, having been to Rome to
adore the pope, brought back with him
a quantity of medals, and induced his
brother to go on a pilgrimage to Liesse.
He has now abandoned his errors, thrown
away the consecrated medals, given him
by his brother-in-law, and wishes to walk
in the truth. He is sensible and pious,
though he cannot read. His wife reads
the New Testament to him. There are
in his quarter several persons ripe for our
meetings ; they ask for them. Think of
me and strike the blow promptly.

Mr. Lepoids has heen authorized to multiply hi«
meetings at Chauny. He wrote March 28 : —

My new mode of evangelizing, of

which I have spoken to you, begins to

1852.].

Greece. — Letter of Mr. Arnold.

53

bring forth fruit. By this means I have
now a pleasing awakening in a quarter
of Chauny called the Bailli. Several
persons from that quarter came to our
meeting in the chapel Wednesday even-
ing, notwithstanding the bad weather.
I hope we shall have some blessed fruit
from the seed sown.
He writes again, April 8 :—
Our familiar meeting last Friday, at
the house of our sister H — at Chauny,
was composed of at least fifty persons,
mostly Catholics from the Bailli and the
Chausse'e. Our meetings last Lord's day
were also very numerous. I stayed at
Chauny, and among other hearers were
the judge of the tribunal of commerce
of Chauny and his clerk. Truly it is a
pity that I am not oftener at Chauny.
But how can I be ?

Again on the 26th of April, he adds :

I had last evening a numerous and se-
rious audience at my familiar meeting in
the .Bailli of Chauny. It is impossible
that all this seed should be lost. I have
great hope.

GREECE.

LETTER FROM MR. ARNOLD.

A Greek convert— Profession of his faith and
baptism.

Athens, Nov. 7, 1851.— With this I
forward translations of parts of several
letters from Canali. They will enable
you to form some judgment of the
young man's mind, and also of the amount
of evidence of Christian character in re-
liance upon which I baptized him. He
is about 20 years of age.

It appears from letters of previous date that Ca-
nali is of Zante, and had presented himself as a can-
didate for baptism as early as September, 1850, but
his examination at that time was not satisfactory.
(See last vol. of Mag. p. 18.) Nor was satisfaction
fully obtained from the subsequent account of his
religious experience, " though remarkable for the
clearness and fulness with which he entered into
the scriptural proofs of regeneration. It seemed to
lack heart/' Further correspondence more fully
developed his character, though his sentiments on
some points, Sir. A. remarks, are " open to criti-

cism." To the first letter was prefixed the following
sentence, by way of introduction ; — " Reverend Sir,
Having at last finished this my letter, which I hope
you have long been wishing to receive, in order
to be perfectly assured in regard to my sentiments,
and in regard to my regeneration, which must first
take place in the heart in order that any one may
receive baptism, as the profession of his pure con-
science—lo, I now send it to you."

Canali's account of his conversion.
March 31, 1851. — I have often written
to you, and also told you by word of
mouth, that from my fifteenth year I be-
gan to read the gospel. In doing so,
among other portions I one day read this
passage : " Then said Jesus to those Jews
which believed on him, If ye continue in
my word, then are ye my disciples in-
deed; and ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free." (John
viii. 31, 32.) From that time, therefore,
having firmly resolved that I would con-
tinue in the word of the Lord and learn
his truth, I used daily to read the Holy
Scriptures, which contain the word of
the Lord that is able to save men. And
by this reading I was brought, through
divine grace, to the knowledge of the
truth of the gospel, which teaches us not
to be partakers with devils. By this
truth I learned to worship God in spirit
and in truth, (John iv. 24,) loving him
sincerely as my God and Lord, and my
neighbor as myself. This religion of
Christ, proclaimed in the gospel, I profess
and believe, — the same which the divine
apostles believed, and which all men
ought to believe who wish to be saved.

This, reverend sir, is the religion which
I professed five years ago, and this will I
profess till I give up my spirit to the
Lord Jesus.

Great is the necessity of searching the
Scriptures : for by the searching of the
Scriptures men arrive at the true and
spiritual worship of our Maker.

I myself, by the daily study and search-
ing of the Holy Scriptures and by the
help of the Holy Spirit which I besought
from Heaven, arrived at that knowledge
by which I learned in what superstitions
and false worship I had been living, prac-
tising them blindly. Alas for me,
miserable man, if I had not taken into my

54 Greece. — Letter of Mr. Arnold. [February,

hands the holy gospel— if I had not
studied it daily with prayer. I should
have been lost ; my deathless soul would
have gone to everlasting torments. I
thank God, however, who vouchsafed to
lead me by his grace to know the truth
and to embrace it.

From the time, therefore, when I came
to know the truth, I began to worship
God in a spiritual manner and to practise
whatever his word enjoins. (John v.
24.) Desiring to be a true follower of
Christ and to inherit his heavenly king-
dom, I determined to continue in his
word and to practise whatever that, and
that only, required.

The injunction of our Saviour teaches
us, that whoever wishes to be saved, must
listen to no other word but his. (John
xii. 48—50, and viii. 47, 51.) Fearing,
therefore, lest my soul should see death,
I determined to practise whatever is con-
tained in the Holy Scriptures, which
alone are able to make men wise unto
salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

The word of our Saviour says, " Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, except a man be
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
heaven." (John iii. 3.) Wishing from
the first to keep this word, that I might
see the kingdom of God, I resolved to be
regenerated, that is, to put away that
carnal heart which is disposed to evil
all the days of its life, and to receive a
pure heart, one which should prove what
is the good and acceptable and perfect
will of God. (Rom. xii. 2.)

But it was impossible for me to do this
of myself. Hence, in order to obtain a
new and pure heart, I resolved to seek
the help of God, according to that which
is said, " Without me ye can do no-
thing ;" (John xv. 5,) and also this : " It
is God that workcth in you both to will
and to do, of his good pleasure." (Phil,
ii. 13.) Now the means which I used or
obtaining the help of God, as I have writ-
ten to you formerly, were, the daily
reading and study of the Holy Scriptures
and daily prayers with unfeigned repent-
ance. Therefore the Father of lights,
from whom cometh every good "and

ever}- perfect gift," (Jas. i. 17,) was
pleased to send me his grace, that I might
change my heart into a pure and holy
one and make it a true habitation of
Christ. The means of my regeneration
was the word of God. (1 Pet. i. 23.)

No sooner had this begun to act in my
heart than I began to become a new man
and to love all. (1 Johniv. 7.) From that
time I began to believe positively that
Jesus is the Christ. (1 John v. 31.) From
that time I began to do righteousness.
(1 John ii. 29 and iii. 9, 10.)

From that time I began to gain the
victory over my passions, and over the
deceitful and momentary pleasures of the
world. (1 John v. 4, 18.) Since that
time I am led by the Spirit of God, and
not by the spirit of Satan. (Rom. viii.
14.) Now I am no longer a servant and
son of sin, but I am a child and true
follower of Him whose blood was shed
upon the cross to deliver us from sin.
(Gal. iv. 5, 7.) Since that time my heart
is not conformed to this world, but
proves what is the good and perfect will
of God. Since that time my heart strives
to become light in the Lord, because I
have learned, by divine grace, that the
fruit of the light is in all goodness
and righteousness and truth. From that
time, putting off the old man which is
corrupt according to the lusts of the
flesh, it has put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness. (Eph. iv. 22, 23.) Since
that time I am no longer a son of sin,
but through faith I am a child of God.
(Gal. hi. 26.) From that time I no
longer mind the things of the flesh, but
the things of the spirit. (Rom. viii. 6.)
The Holy Scripture, which is my soul's
daily food, has taught me, and teaches
me daily, and tells me plainly, that " the
carnal mind is enmity against God ; for
it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be ; so that they who
are of the flesh cannot please God."
(Rom. viii. 7, 8.) How, then, should I
anv longer dare to obey the flesh ?
And, again, the apostle Paul says :
" Wherefore, henceforth know we no

1852.] Greece.— Letter

man after the flesh: yea, though we
have known Christ after the flesh, yet
now henceforth know we him no more.
* Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature : old things are passed away ;
behold all things are become new." (2
Cor. v. 16, 17.) I thank our Maker,
who hath vouchsafed to make me a new
creature in Christ.

Now I no longer fear sin, lest it should
have dominion over me. For daily
prayer to the all-merciful God strength-
ens me against temptation, helps me in
trials, and makes me active for God, and
gives me hope towards him. (Rom. viii.
15-17.)

Since that time my heart looks toward
heaven, watching and praying, lest the
Lord should come and find it sleeping.
From that time it looks not to the vain
things of this world, not to the things
that are momentary ; but to the things
that are eternal, to the things that are
heavenly, — " which are the greatest and
the most important, in their nature, in
their source, in their operations and in
their consequences, and on winch faith
looks and lives. This faith produces
great results ; it makes us mourn for sin,
wrestle daily against it, walk with God,
look for Ilim and labor for Him. Jt
makes us willing, for his sake, to part
with every thing. This faith is that
which makes us grieve if we do any thing
contrary to the will of God. This faith
is that which makes those things which
are glorious in the eyes of the world,
appear little in the eyes of a believer,
and which, wherever it dwells, purifies
the heart and softens it."

This faith existed in my heart, for
without this I could not have done any
thing for the good of my neighbor, with-
out this I could not have had a sense of
sin, which was tyrannizing over me to
such a degree, till this faith entered and
made its abode in my heart.

From that time my heart, putting
away its pollution and hardness and cor-
ruption, was reinstated in its primitive
purity and rectitude, from which it fell,
in order that it might be raised up to

of Mr. Arnold. 55

that higher rank for which God destined
it. From that time, bringing down every
thought which is opposed to God, and
every high thing that exalteth itself against
God, it has brought every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Therefore, believing in the resurrection
of the Saviour, it rejoices in hope,
it loves its neighbor, (1 John iii. 4,) it
blesses the enemies that curse it, (Matt,
v. 44, 45,) it perseveres in prayer, it
rejoices with them that do rejoice and
weeps with them that weep, (Rom. xii.
15,) it desires the progress of the gospel,
and prays daily that all may become
heirs of God's heavenly kingdom. '

Behold here, reverend sir, a brief
statement of the new feelings which, by
divine grace, it has been vouchsafed to
me to experience, in order that I might
not fail of that for which I was destined,
— the truv. end of my being. Neverthe-
less I tell you, that although I have such
a heart, I am yet liable to sin. ( 1 John
i. 8.) Yes, although I have such a heart,
I tell you that I am subject to the temp-
tations of our great adversary Satan, and
I sin. I do not, however, conceal my
sin, as I formerly did, but confess it be-
fore the heart-searching God. (1 John
i. 9.) As far as I am able, therefore, I
try to avoid sin, asking God's grace for
this purpose. If, however, through temp-
tation of Satan, I fall into sin, I " have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous ; and he is the propitiation
for our sins, and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole^ world."
(1 John ii. 1, 2.)

I am persuaded that after you have
read these lines you will not fear to bap-
tize me, in order that, having fulfilled
this command of my Saviour, I may be
ready when he shall call me, and not
fear lest he should say to me, " Depart
into everlasting torments;" but on the
contrary may hear him say, " Come to
my kingdom prepared for the elect."

I expect your answer as soon as con-
venient. It would not be difficult for
you to come to Zante and stay a week
or two, that we may converse together.

56

Greece. — Letter

of Mr. Arnold.

[February,

If I had the requsite means, I would with
pleasure come to Corfu : but not having
them, on this account I beg you to come
to Zante if you can conveniently do so.

I salute you. Salute them that love
me in the faith. Grace be with your
spirit. Amen.

His views of baptism.
July 28. — In your last letter you
wrote me that you were about to remove
to Athens. Before you leave, however,
I desire that we may pray together, and
converse with each other in regard to
baptism. You must certainly be con-
vinced from my numerous letters, that I
am now fully persuaded in regard to this
subject. I protest against every other
baptism but that which is preceded by
instruction, repentance, regeneration and
faith. The baptism which I received
when an infant, is nothing in the eyes of
God ; it is as though I had not been
baptized ; because the baptism which is
not preceded by all these, is null, is
nothing.

Before my conversion, that is, before I
became a Christian, I was an unbeliever,
an idolater, for I was not a bible Chris-
tian. But now, since I have become a
believing disciple, that is, since I have
truly believed in Christ for salvation, I
must be baptized. It is no excuse for
me to say that I was baptized when I
was an infant ; for when I was baptized
in infancy, my sponsor professed for me
the faith of the Greek Church, and in
that confession I was baptized, my spon-
sor being required to make it before they
baptized me. Whilst, therefore, I re-
main in that baptism, I remain unques-
tionably in that profession. But now,
since I have come to know that the doc-
trines I then professed by the mouth of
my sponsor are contrary to the gospel,
and by the grace of God have become
acquainted with the saving faith of Christ,
on which his true church is founded ; in
order that I may become a faithful and
sincere member thereof, I must openly,
before the church of which I am to be-
come a member, profess my faith in
Christ in that ordinance of baptism which

Christ has appointed, and by which I
professed in infancy the doctrines of the
Greek Church.

You write me, that before I perform *
this sacred act I should examine myself,
whether I have a reason to give to those
who will question me on the subject.
Whether I have reason, let any one say
who will read the gospel: for he will
find on every page precepts and exam-
ples, to show that only he who believes
and is baptized shall be saved. None
can find in the gospel an express com-
mand of the Lord in favor of infant bap-
tism ; but on the contrary, there are
many testimonies of the gospel against
the practice. Jesus said to his disciples,
" Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Fa-
ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost." And Peter said to those who
asked " Men and brethren, what must we
do ? " " Repent and be baptized every
one of you for the remission of sins."
And they who believed Philip " preach-
ing the things concerning the kingdom
of God and the name of Jesus Christ,
were baptized." '-And Peter said, Can
any man forbid water that these should
not be baptized, who have received the
Holy Ghost as well as we ? " The Scrip-
tures always require instruction, repent-
ance and faith. " Then went out to
him Jerusalem and all Judea and all
the region round about Jordan, and were
baptized, confessing their sins." And
again, " Bring forth, therefore, fruits
meet for repentance." The eunuch was
first instructed, and afterwards went
down into the water. "And the eunuch
said, See, here is water, what doth hin-
der me to be baptized. And Philip
said, If thou believest with all thy heart,
thou mayest." These, reverend sir, are
the testimonies which, induce me to ask
for baptism, and which convinced me
four or five years ago.

But if any one asks me what is the
use of baptism, I am ready to answer :

1. That it serves as a memorial of the
resurrection of Christ, which is the great
event on which our salvation depends.

1852.]

Shawanoes. — Annual Report.

57

2. He who is already a Christian,
shows forth symbolically the most im-
portant event in his religious life, — that
is, his passing from death to life, from
sin to holiness. "We are buried with
Christ by baptism into death, that we
might walk in newness of life." "Like-
wise reckon ye yourselves also to be
dead to sin, but alive unto God through
Jesus Christ our Lord."'

3. Baptism prefigures the glorious end
of the Christian's warfare and hope, —
the resurrection of his body.

4. By baptism he who is already re-
generated takes the oath of allegiance to
Christ his king, and devotes himself to
his service. By means of this rite the
disciple professes that he has become a
"fellow-citizen with the saints, and of the
household of God," as the Israelites were
all baptized unto Moses when they passed
through the Red Sea. And Peter says,
"The like figure whereunto, even bap-
tism, doth now save us, — not the putting
away of the filth of the flesh, but the
answer of a good conscience toward
God." Now, can the child make this
answer to God ? They tell us that his
sponsor does it. But this is inconsistent
and absurd. Our duties towards God
cannot be done by proxy. In the ter-
rible scene of the last judgment, the
sponsor's account will not be accepted
instead of ours.

I think this is sufficient for the present,
to convince you that I have reasons
enough to give on this subject, not only
to you but to every other person. If
any one calls me a fool for being bap-
tized, I have many reasons to give ; not
only these few which I have here given,
but many others. Indeed, the whole
gospel testifies against infant baptism,
and in favor of the baptism of believers.

I protest against all baptisms which
are not performed by immersion, accom-
panied with a profession of faith in Christ.
I protest likewise against all the super-
stitions of the Greek Church. The
Greek Church, both in doctrine and in
practice, has altogether wandered from
the true doctrine of the gospel.

Reverend Sir, if I knew that all these
things which I have expressed to you in
this and in former letters, if I knew, I
say, that all these things were not im-
printed on my heart ; if I knew that the
Spirit of God did not dwell in my heart ;
if I knew that I were unfit for baptism ;
be assured that I should never dare to
ask it, nor even to say a word upon the
subject. For then, — alas for me if it
were so ! — for then I should have to give
account not before man, but before God,
— before God who cannot be deceived.
But since, on the contrary, I am fully
persuaded ; since I have a reason to give
for it ; since all this has its seat in my
heart ; therefore I ask to be baptized ; —
yes, I ask it with full conviction ; I ask
it, finally, lest the time should pass and I
should die before I have opportunity to
receive it, and be found guilty before the
Lord.

I await an answer to what I have
written,— an answer which I hope will
be joyful for me.

SHAWANOE MISSION.

ANNUAL RETORT.

The report is forwarded by Mr. Barker under
date of Oct. 2, '51.

As a mission we have much reason to
recount the goodness of God to us the
past year. For a season the pestilence
was abroad in the land, but we were pre-
served from its ravages. We have
experienced some manifestations of the
presence of God in our labors. And
though the enmity of the natural heart
has in various ways appeared, yet we hope
the truth is gradually prevailing among
the people. Among other tokens for
good we note the increasing steadfastness
of the native disciples in the truth they
have received.

Ottawa Station.
At the Ottawa station very cheering
results have followed the means of in-
struction employed, results, the full ex-
tent of wh|ch can be known only as
measured by the issues of the life to

58 Shawanoes. — i

come. The tribe is materially changed
from what it was fifteen years ago, being
noticeably elevated in the style of living,
and maintaining a rigid system of morals.
A person now and then strolls abroad to
indulge an appetite for strong drink. But
at home, in their own country, there has
been, the past year, no drunkenness, no
dram-drinking ; nor has there been
known a single case of fighting, of steal-
ing, of profane swearing, nor of conjugal
infidelity. Such as are not professors of
religion, occasionally attend religious
meetings; although they manifest great
indifference about their own spiritual
welfare. The church members are hap-
py in their Christian profession, cooper-
ating with their missionary in sustaining
a healthful discipline. A number of
them arc zealous advocates of the truth.
They conduct the afternoon Sabbath ser-
vices, and sustain in part the neighbor-
hood prayer meetings. Three have been
restored to church fellowship the past
year, and six excluded ; two have died.
Present number fifty-nine. Many who
Avere once living members of the church,
have departed in peace and the hope of
everlasting rest.

Fifty dollars have been contributed for
the relief of the poor and church ex-
penses.

Education, among the adult popula-
tion, is exclusively in their native tongue.
These, besides learning to read the Scrip-
tures, get some business training, hold
correspondence with one another, and
learn to keep accounts. Thirty-one of
the children are receiving an English
education ; for which they are indebted
to missionaries of other societies.

Delaware.

This station is in favor with the Dela-
ware Indians. A portion of the tribe have
embraced the gospel, and these are ele-
vated in their social condition above the
others. They rally round the standard
of the cross with great satisfaction, readi-
lv seconding the efforts of their mis-
sionary, and fervently praying for the
blessing of God upon their labors. None
have been added to their number within

nnual Report. [February,

the past year, and the church shows a
diminution of its list, from losses by
death and the omission of the names of
some residing at a distance from the
country. The school is interesting. —
Among the scholars are several hopefully
converted, though they have not yet
made a public profession of Christianity.

There are some hindrances to the re-
ligious instruction of a large class among
the Delawares. Having formed an ex-
tensive acquaintance with the mountain
tribes, companies are allured by the love
of gain into frequent trading excursions
among them. This is a lucrative pursuit,
but injurious to their morals and man-
ners, and tends to perpetuate their ancient
customs.

Shawanoe.

The Shawanoe station is gradually ex-
tending its influence among the less fa-
vored portions of the Shawanoe tribe.
Eight have been added to the church the
past year, seven by baptism and one who
had received baptism in another denomi-
nation, by experience ; two have been
excluded, one has died, — present number
thirty-five.

The principal employments of the peo-
ple arc farming and the lumber business.
A few of the young men arc engaged as
teamsters, freighting goods and provisions
to Santa Fe. The vicinity of a portion
of the tribe to the white settlements, la-
mentably exposes them to. the " liquid
fire," a fruitful source of degradation, and
an occasion of stumbling to some who
promised well for righteousness. The
Spirit of the Lord is raising up a standard
against this flood of iniquity. The faith-
ful members of the church for the most
part maintain cheerfulness in their labors
of love, and enjoy great comfort in the
services of the house of prayer, finding
the Lord to be to them " as the shadow
of a great rock in a weary land/'

The station is not able to satisfy the
demand for school instruction, a circum-
stance much to be regretted. The de-
mand is yearly increasing, but the toil
in this department has been overburden-
ing to the missionary's wife, exhausting
both body and mind.

1852 ]

S/tawanoes. — Annual Report.

59

Locality of the stations— Physical aspects.

Our field embraces the northern part
of the Indian Territory, lying west of the
State of Missouri. It is a large and very
fertile section of country, but is thinly
peopled, owing to the scarcity of timber,
which is found in sufficient quantities only
on the margin of rivers and streams of
water. The scattered forests are like so
many islands in an ocean of prairie.
Travelling on the prairies is truly delight-
ful in the dry season, but in the autumn
and winter unpleasant and sometimes
dangerous.

Mr. Barker annexes to his report some of the im-
pressions he has received from personal intercourse
in regard to %

The Indian character.

Very indefinite, not to say erroneous,
ideas prevail respecting the character
and condition of the Indians.^ To any
one sufficiently acquainted with their lan-
guage to hold conversation with them,
much is disclosed worthy of admiration.
The milder affections are active, especial-
ly in their domestic relations, and their
hospitality to strangers is proverbial.
Parental love is strong to a fault, and the
death of a child is not unfrequently the
occasion of extreme agony, though pro-
portionally brief.

That the Indians are warlike and cruel
to their enemies, is an opinion that appears
to derive such confirmation from historv
that it may seem futile to deny it. But it is
with great reluctance that they engage in
war, and when they do, it is invariably for
the redress of real or supposed wrongs.
Their cruelty to prisoners of war results
more from errors in their moral code,
than from a natural thirst for blood.

They have some marked peculiarities :
— they are naturally, or from habit, in-
disposed to regular industry, impatient of
restraint, fickle, prodigal and reckless.
The fiercer passions, envy, jealousy,
anger, malice, by no means lack occasions
of development ; and without the restraint
of higher principles than their reason and
the light of nature afford, sometimes rage
to a fearful degree. In the conjugal re-
lation they have special need of the gospel

to strengthen and hallow the marriage
bond. Alienation of feeling, arising from
petty causes, leads to frequent separa-
tions ; and as every man feels at liberty
to take one wife after another till he finds
one that suits him, and the wife is not
identified in pecuniary interest with the
husband, there is little to restrain selfish-
ness from mastering all better impulses.

Religious state of the Indian Territory— Sacs
and Foxes— The tribes beyond.

We have three stations among thir-
teen tribes that inhabit this section of
the Territory. But we are not alone ;
missionaries of other denominations are
at work here ; and thus all the tribes
enjoy evangelical instruction, except the
Sacs and Foxes. We commend these to
the prayers and sympathies of the Com-
mittee. At present they annoy the
surrounding communities By their un-
ceasing depredations. They are opposed
to the introduction of the gospel among
them ; and yet they should not be aban-
doned as hopeless.

Beyond these, to the westward, there
arc numerous tribes who have never heard
of the Saviour of men. They are noted
for their love of plunder and their
violence, and it has hitherto appeared
impracticable to extend missionary opera-
tions among them. The way now seems
to be preparing by treaty stipulations
made with our government, under which
it is hoped such protection as is needed
might be seemed. May we hope that
these providential indications will be
heeded ? And we do not inquire de-
spondingly, being persuaded that the
work will go forward. If ours be not the
honor of entering thereon, other Christian
denominations will undertake it. The
Indians will not be lost after the manner
that some suppose. The chase may be
abandoned, — we hope it will be, and the
bow and arrow numbered among things
that were ; but they, at least a remnant
of them, will be preserved, and fitted, as
many of them already are, for the society
of civilized men.

GO

Miscellany. — Popery in Belyium.

[February.

MISCELLANY.

POPERY IN BELGIUM.

Popery is essentially the same every
where, but manifests itself in different
countries in varied forms. Where the
spirit of national independence is high,
as it formerly was in France and Ger-
many, a certain degree of spiritual inde-
pendence exists. As a consequence, a
considerable purity of faith may consist I
with a nominal adherence to the church :
of Rome, as in the case of Fenelon and
the Jansenists. But subserviency to the
court of Home draws after it the worst
corruptions and abuses. The Irish have
boasted that they were preeminently
Roman Cattiolics, and we know how
much they gained by it, — what human
imagination can figure their loss !

A paper read at the recent conference
of the Evangelical Alliance in London,
by Rev. E. Panchaud, of Brussels, gives
a view of the spirit of Popery in Bel-
gium, and of the religious prospects of
that kingdom, disheartening in some
respects, and singularly hopeful in oth-
ers. Belgium, judged by the priesthood
as ' described by him, — according to the
proverb, " Like priest, like people " —
would deserve to be ranked with Ireland
and Naples, among the most submissive
vassals of Rome. The clergy exalt the
power of the church (that is, of the
pope and priests) above all other power,
human or divine. They claim absolute
dominion over the souls of men, and the
aid of the state to enforce it. Their
devotion to the papal authority is extreme.

Naturally connected with these ultra-
montane views of church polity, Ave find
a form of doctrine that might by analogy
be called xdtra-Tridentine. Dogmas that
the better class of Romanists assent to by
an effort of the will, rather than receive
with cordial faith, are there the daily
theme of the clergy, the daily food of
the people. The mediation of the Vir-
gin Mary, the intercession of saints,

purgatory, penance, priestly indulgences,
and other superstitions, the last result
of a process of corruption extending
through centuries of darkness, form the
staple of preaching. Even when the
work of Christ is discoursed upon, it is
represented as incomplete, requiring to
be finished by meritorious works, pen-
ances and masses. The physical suffer-
ings of the Saviour afford a theme for
eloquent declamation, but his human
mother is set forth as " the way " to
" enter into the holiest."

The worship of a church entertaining
such concentrated falsehood is destitute,
as may be imagined, of spirituality.
Pomp and show, the merest theatrical
finery and parade, are its characteristics.
The people alternate between the sen-
suous gratifications of the church and
the most excessive dissipation ; and so
long as they wear the yoke of the
papacy, they are indulged in Avhatever
pleasures they choose. " I will remain
a Catholic," said a gentleman of great
respectability, " because it is an agree-
able religion that does not require muchj
and which sympathizes witli all tastes,
with all wants." The moral condition
of a society that has no greater restraint
than such a faith and worship, may be
imagined. The more ignorant classes
are hardly above the heathen in their
views of religion.

Under ordinary circumstances we
might expect that great intolerance would
result from the prevalence of these prin-
ciples, more especially as the revolution
that separated Belgium from Holland
was excited by the priests for the purpose
of throwing off the rule of a Protestant
government. But in order to succeed,
it was found necessary to combine with
the liberal party, and to insert in the
constitution an article securing entire
freedom of faith and worship. Never-
theless, the clergy have succeeded in

1852.] Miscellany. — American Missionary Association. 61

getting control of all the primary schools,
and of other sources of influence ; and
their inclinations would be gratified by
the forcible suppression of Protestant
worship. This they cannot obtain, as
the liberal portion of the community
have generally controlled the legislature.
That party, however, are by no means
favorable to evangelical religion ; their
opposition to the priests is purely polit-
ical. Out of nearly 5,000,000 of people
only a few thousands are Protestant.
From their traditional hostility to Hol-
land, their love of pleasure, their dislike
of moral restraint, and the force of power-
ful social influences, all ranks and condi-
tions are very well contented with " the
ancient religion." The intellectual tor-
pidity of the mass, the legitimate fruit of
popery, is likewise an ally. With its
round of festivals, ceremonies and shows,
a multitude of religious orders to act as
an ecclesiastical police, the control of
primary education, the power of an able
press and the influence of wealth and
station, the papal church would seem to
have a strong grasp on the nation.

But it is stronger in appearance than
in reality. Few as the Protestants are,
the}- are active and hopeful. There are
ten churches supported by the state, and
twenty independent. The religious lib-
erty provided for by the constitution, has
been faithfully upheld, and seems likely
to continue. This they are diligent in
improving. Much is done in distributing
the Scriptures and tracts. There are
two monthly religious magazines of a
decided evangelical character, each cir-
culating from 1000 to 1500 copies. An
efficient Evangelical Society carries the
gospel beyond the limits of the regular
congregations. About 2000 Romanists
constantly attend Protestant worship.
The very fact that popery is held, not
by intelligent conviction, but through
ignorance or a love of pleasure, makes
it certain that it cannot satisfy an awak-
ened conscience. The increasing ava-
rice and ambition of the priesthood tend
to alienate many from their influence.
The progress of the truth is not rapid ?

but it is sure. The conviction is ex-
pressed, that if the resources of the
Evangelical Society could be enlarged,
so as to be more commensurate with the
actual wants of the field it cultivates, we
might look for still more decisive gains
to the cause of truth. But even with
existing agencies, by the divine blessing,
there is reason to attempt and to expect
great things.

AMERICAN MISSIONARY ASSOCI-
ATION.

This Society has five foreign missions
under its direction, including eleven sta-
tions, seventeen ordained missionaries,
nine male and nineteen female assistants,
and ten churches, as follows :

Mendi (West Africa) Mission ; — one
station, four ordained missionaries, two
male and two female assistants, one na-
tive assistant. Its church is in an encour-
aging state, and has received additions
during the year ; but wrar has interrupted
the work, and three missionaries have
been removed by death.

Jamaica Mission ; — five stations, one
out-station, five ordained missionaries,
one male and six female assistants.
The six churches under their care
received over fifty members last year.
Some cases of discipline and exclusion
occurred. The cholera, which has so
desolated Jamaica, proved less fatal to
this than to other missions on the island.

Ojibwa Mission ; — three stations, four
ordained missionaries and a licentiate,
one physician, two male and seven
female assistants, one native assistant.
Each station has a school; at one of
them is a church of ten native members,
and several hopeful conversions have
occurred at another. At the request of
the Indians new stations are to be com-
menced in the Ojibwa country.

Sandivich Islands ; — one station, one
ordained missionary and wife, reporting
to the Association but supported by the
church.

Siam Mission ; — one station, three
ordained missionaries, and their wives.

02

Miscellany. — The Waldenses

[February,

This mission has shared in the depression
of others in the same kingdom under the
late king, and now receive with them
the protection of the new monarch.

The Association also supports home
missions, including Canada and Xew
Mexico. Their receipts during the last
year, as stated at the annual meeting in
September last, were $34,664.05 ; ex-
penditures 834,378.59.

BREAD FOUND AFTER MANY DAYS.

Mr. Johannes, English Baptist mis-
sionary at Chittagong, on the eastern
border of Bengal, was not long since
visited by two men, one of them a brah-
min, from a place distant three days'
journey. The brahmin said that several
years ago he was in Chittagong and
came into possession of a few tracts.
Subsequently, with a few others, he
heard the gospel preached. They took
their books home and read them, others
did the same, and a number of them
believed. They were persecuted and
scattered, but adhered to the truth they
received, suffering gladly for Christ's
sake. They now desired baptism. Mr.
Johannes at once despatched six of the
brethren to examine into the facts.
The people detained them and would
not suffer them to return to Chittagong,
so eager were they for instruction. A
letter signed by seventeen persons was
sent, making request for baptism, and
affirming that upwards of 125 persons
desired to profess Christianity. It ap-
peared on examination, that sixteen per-
sons were ready to hazard all for the
gospel, and that a much larger number
were well disposed, but felt restrained
by the stern hostility they were com-
pelled to meet. Some of them, it was
remarked by one of the brethren, "ap-
pear as if they had been long training
in the school of Christ."

The sufferings they were compelled to
endure while undergoing this long train-
ing, were affecting ; and at last, out of
the rage of the heathen at their con-
stancy, they have been threatened with

ejectment from the lands they occupy.
The magistrates have been appealed to
for protection, and should this be granted,
and particularly if a European mission-
ary could reside among them, to instruct
them more perfectly, and at the same
time give them a larger measure of con-
fidence, it would seem that the work
might be much extended in that com-
munity. The people show a candor and
accessibleness to teaching, which only
the fear of man restrains. Even the
Mohammedans hear the word gladly.
And all this was wrought by the divine
blessing on a few tracts, in a village
where a missionary had never been.

THE WALDENSES.

A remnant of these brave confessors
of the evangelical faith, whose sufferings
in past ages have made their name a
household word with all who love the
truth, survive in the valleys of Piedmont.
Their number is estimated at more than
21,000. Their persecutions obliged them
to adopt the French language and to con-
tract foreign alliances, but they are yet
Italians, and having been emancipated in
1848, they have begun to resume their
ancestral speech, and have set up an
Italian evangelical service in Turin, un-
der the protection of the laws. They
adhere to their confession of 1665, in
form and spirit, and are the Protestant
church of Italy.

It is not to be supposed that these
thousands are all, in strictness of speech,
professed Christians, but the spirit of
evangelical piety is rising. They have
twenty-nine ministers ; of whom three are
superannuated, six are professors in the
college of La Tour, four are evangelists
and sixteen pastors. There are 164
primary schools,' fifteen parish schools,
six girls' schools and two infant schools.
The college has eight professors and
eighty-four students. Three hospitals
and a small fund for the poor suffice to
prevent mendicity.

The existence of this little flock, afbr
so many centuries of persecution, is a

*

1852.] American Baptist Missionary Union. 63

fact of more than historical interest. As
the constitutional liberties of Piedmont
* are a beacon of hope for the political
regeneration of Italy, the Waldensian
church holds up the banner of a pure
Christianity to the slaves of superstition
in the peninsula. Situated at its north-
ern extremity, at the very entrance, and
placed under the guaranty of a govern-
ment that now presents cheering evi-
dences of strength and durability, its
light cannot be hid. It is not for us to
predict the immediate future. It may
be long before we see the truth working
its way southward towards Rome. But
we do not believe that Divine Providence
has kept that church through successive
ages, like the bush unconsumed in the
fire, without a purpose ; and we are per-
mitted to hope that it is the appointed
instrument to do a great work in time to
come.

MISSIONS TO THE JEWS.

We have noticed (Magazine, last vol-
ume, p. 432,) the operations of the Lon-
don Jews Society, supported by members
of the Church of England. The British
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel
among the Jews, sustained by English
dissenters, maintains missions to the Is-
raelites in London and other cities of
Great Britain, besides laboring to the
extent of their means on the continent.

During the last year a large number of
the Epistle to the Hebrews have been
circulated among the Jews, in Russia.
Mr. Stern, whose field of effort is on the
Rhine, has reported more than forty con-
verts, and an associate has been appointed
to strengthen his hands. In the Kingdom
of Bavaria, with the help of an efficient
colporteur, 758 copies of the Scriptures
have been disposed of, making 1824
copies in two years. A missionary is
also abundant in the work of evangeliza-
tion. At Rotterdam much opposition is
made to Christian efforts among the Jew-
ish population, but the word of God is
not bound, and the Spirit has in some
cases appeared to give efficacy to its
teaching.

Besides strengthening former stations,
the society has commenced within the
last year a mission to the 100,000 Jews
in France. Paris and Lyons have been
selected as centres of operation, and it is
proposed to visit the Jews throughout the
country, to ascertain their condition and
preach to them the gospel. The French
government places them on the same
footing before the law with other religious
denominations. They are regularly or-
ganized, under the rule of consistories
presided over by a grand Rabbi at Paris,
and it is possible that this circumstance
may for a time prove a hindrance to the
free spread of the truth among them.

AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSIONARY UNION.

ARRIVAL OF MR. AND MRS. LORD.

Mr. Lord and wife arrived at Boston,
via England, on the 28th of December,
having left Ningpo on the 9th of July,
and Shanghai the 19th. During the voy-
age the health of ]\Irs. Lord appeared at
times to be slightly improving, but was
subject as often to severe relapses, which
threatened a speedy and fatal termi-
nation. Her state continues extremely
critical, though we endeavor to cherish
the hope of her eventual recovery.

DONATIONS.

RECEIVED IX DECEMBER, 1851.

Maine.

Brooklin Fem. Miss. Soc., Mrs. Sa-
. rah York tr., 23.00
Baring, ch., for Siam mission, 5.00
North Livermore, Samuel M. Rob-
inson 1.00
Oxford Asso., Rev. C. B. Davis tr.,
viz. Paris, ch. 75 ; Mrs. Mary Cum-
mings 25 ; to cons. Mrs. Jennett E.
Butler L. M. ; North Paris, Miss
Olive Berry ;s S. Sch. miss, box
1.50; Paris and Woodstock, ch.
12.24 ; Hamlin"s Gore. ch. 3 ; Har-
rison, ch. 10.40; Buckfield. P. C.
Long 1 ; Canton, ch. 3. 78 ; Hebron,
ch. 16; Sumner, ch. 6.25; Bethel,
ch. 12 ; Bridgeton, two friends 3;

»

64

Donations.

[February, 1852.

York Asso., Charles Swazey tr., viz.
Wells, ch. 9.75 ; Cape Neddick, ch.
2 ; Rev. P. Pease 1 : Mrs. Cranner
1 ; North Berwick, W. Dorkham 2 ;
Bowdoinham Asso., W. R. Prescott
tr., viz. Litchfield, J. Neal 5 ; Mrs.
C. Neal 1 ; J. Dennis 15 ; Win-
throp, ch., for Siam miss., 1.87;
Ha lowell, ch. 15. 54 ; Fayette, ch.
23.35 ; Leeds, ch. 4.27 ; Fem. Miss.
Soc. 8.47 ; Monmouth, 1st ch. 50
cts.; West Gardiner, S. Sch.2 ; Ken-
nebec Asso., J. S. Turner tr., viz.
Waterville. 1st ch. 35.60 ; S. Sch.
5.40; T. Boutelle 5; Waldo Asso.,
viz. China, ch. 50.59 ; to cons. Wil-
liam Wilson and Mrs. Mary J.
Shaw L. M., pr. Rev. N. Butler,
agt., ' 35S.51

Wiscasset, John Sylvester 10.00

New Hampshire.

Bow, Rev. S. S. Leighton, for Burman
miss., 1.00
Vermont.

397.51

Saxton's River, Mrs. W.

1.00

Massachusetts.

A friend to missions 1000.00

Haverhill, 1st ch., mon. con., to cons.
Edward E. Kimball L. M., 100.00

North Attlcboro', Miss Mary E. Ar-
nold, to sup. M. E. Arnold in As-
sam Orph. Sch., 25.00

Boston, a friend 5 ; do. 1 ; do.
1 ; 1st ch., (of which 25. is for
sup. of Mr. Oncken,) 200 ; Union,
ch. to cons. Simeon Taylor L. M.,
100. 307.00

Chelsea, ch., S. Bryant tr., to cons.

Rev. A. J. Huntington L. M., 100.00

Canton, Mrs. Bethia Tilden 25

Northboro', S. Wood 5.00

Colerain, Rev. E. Davenport 40.00

Chester Factories, Rev. Silas Kings-
ley 2.00 .

Middleboro', Mrs. Ruth P. Coombs 5.00

Charlestown, 1st ch. and soc, Joseph
Carter tr., to cons. Edwin Wood-
man L. M., 100.00

Fitchburg. ch., to cons. Adaline S.
Parkhurst L. M ; pr Rev. E. Sav-
age, agt., 100.00

liol.-o

Rhode Island.

Providence, a member of 1st ch.,
to cons. Simon Greenlcaf, LL. D., a
L. M., ,100.00

East Greenwich, ch., mon. con. 2;
Horace Vaujrhn 7 ; 9.00

109.00

Connecticut.

Bridgeport. S. Sch. 10.00
New Haven, 1st ch. 226.39 ; for Siam

miss., 13.61 ; S. Sch., for sup. a

scholar in Assam Orph. Sch., 30;

to cons. Rev. Alexander Hamilton

and Dan S. Cooper L. M., 270.00
Essex, ch., to cons. Rev. Joseph A.

Bailey L. M., 100 ; New Britain, ch.

23 ; Bristol, ch. 104.02 ; per Rev. E.

Savage, agt., 227.02
Suffield, William S. Pomroy 1.00

New York.

Rochester, Ladies of 1st ch., to sup. a

child in Mrs. Brown's Sch. Assam,
New York City, German 1st ch. 5;

Rondout, Peter Phillips 40 ; Staten

Island, North ch. 13.38 ;
Brooklyn, Strong Place ch., for Siam

miss., 34.76 ; Armstrong, Juv. Miss.

Soc.. M. J. Smith sec, for Mrs.

Jewett's sch. Nellore, 15 ;
Braman's Corner, Miss 0. A. Quick

25.00

58.3S

49.76
1.00

Albany, South ch., Penny-a-Week
Miss. Soc, D. II. Woodruff tr., 32.69

Hudson River North Asso., A. R. Fox
tr., 71.72; Iloosack Falls, ch. 23;
A. R. Fox 5.28 : ' 100.00

Chateaugay, ch. 3.00

New Jersey.

Friends to missions
Bridgcton, " two apprentices "

8.25
1.00

Pennsylvania.

Bridgewater Asso., M. S. Wilson tr., 115.00
Braintrim, Mrs. Huldah Gregory 4.00
Philadelphia, Tab. ch., S. H. Wil-
letts 27.36; Blocklcy. ch., for
Siam miss., 5. 75 ; Chesnut Hill, ch.
12.62; New Britain, ch., Miss. As-
so. 17.28 ; Newton, ch., Rev. R. M.
Compton 7 ; 70.01
Wellsboro', ch., mon. con. 7.50
West Kensington, ch., pr Rev. J. F.
Wilcox, agt., 9.37

Ohio.

Washington C. EL, S. F. Yeoman 4.00

Ohio For. Miss. Soc, O. Allen tr'.,
49.25; "name of donor lost"
14.50; Ann'l coll. 8.39; per Rev.
John Stevens, agt., 172.14

Miami Asso., viz. Cincinnati, 5th St.
ch. 55.55 ; 9th St. ch., mon. con.
8.57 ; Mrs. Bassett 5 ; Lockland 15 ;
Dayton, 1st ch. 20 ; S. S. 4.90 ;
Wayne St. ch. 9.17 ; S. S. 16.39 ;
per Rev. J. S,. agt., 134.58

Mad River Asso., viz. Springfield, ch.
49.81 ; S. S. 6 ; Piqua, ch. 44.33 ;
per Rev. J. S., agt., 100.14

McConnelsville, ch. 14 ; West Union
4 ; Cleveland, ch. 52.63 ; Granville
College For. Miss. Soc, G. E Leo-
nard tr., 10; Zanesville 1st ch.,
Juv. Miss. Soc. of S. Sch., to ed.
George Sedwick and Martha San-
derson in care of Mr. Ashmore,
Siam, 30 ; Wooster, ch. 2.25 ; Man-
tua, Mrs. Hawkins 37 cts ; Mt. Ver-
non, ch. 4.30 ; Painsville, Sarah
Hyde 19 cts. ; Cesar's Creek Asso.,
viz. J. B Sutton 3; East Fork
Asso., ann'l coll. 7 50 ; per Rev. J.
S,. agt., 128.24

Norwalk, ch., O. G. Carter tr., (of
which 2.51 is from the S. S., for
Assam Orph. Sch.,) 38.75

Indiana.

Blairsville, Asa Marsh, for Asiatic
missions,

Michigan.

Michigan Bap. Conv., R. C. Smith tr., 100.00
Almont, ch., for Siam miss., 5.00

269.83

9.25

205.S

Lancaster, ch.

Wisconsin.
Iowa.

577.85

12.00

105.00
1.00

Iowa Bap. Conv., J. M. Witherwax
tr., viz. Long Creek, ch. 10 ; Iowa
City 1.10 ; Pisgah, ch. 2.75 ; Bur-
lington, ch. 5 ; Davenport Asso.,
viz. Delaware,ch. 2.25; Dr.Carpenter
1 ; Wm. B. Morey 1 ; T. H. Archi-
bald 1 ; C. G. Blood 1 ; Coll. 1.40 ;
Dubuque, Juv. Soc. 91 cts.; Coll. at
Conv. 9 ; J. M. Witherwax 1.59 ;

Legacy.

East Bridgewater, Ms., Mrs. Deborah
Reed, per David Reed. Admn.,

$4049.59

Total from April 1 to December 31, 1851, $36,686.97.

38.00

30.00