Home and Foreign Journal, May 1871

'->■ Mrs.L.W.LIde -ей* Dari ington,S.C . - „РКВАСН THE SOSEELTO EVERY CREATURE.” “ MY PEOPEE ARE DESTROYED EOR DACE .03? KNOWLEDGE.” — “EEED MY LAAEBS.” Vol' . 4_New Series. ШОНМОЩ) ! VA., MAYi 1871. No. 3 — Whole No. 37.' IBiablislied OMIonthly by tho Tiiroo ^Oarda of tlio Sontborn Baptist Convention. рпщп Щх$*Ш Щмхй. lUClIMOrrD JAg 3. TAYLOR. - - - - Cor. Socrotory. PLAITS OF THE CONTENTION. , • vnssion » t° 901150 ostenfc 6°>по on M to *bc 'за ■>( conducting our Missionary and Sumlny- *, work in the South. None, so far as we have favor the breaking np of the Southern Baptist Some think tho incidental expenses are , .^arge, «“I ought to bo reduced by dispensing ‘ — their salaries and traveling expenacs. "•a favor the breaking np of the Sunday-School Others % merging tlio Foreign . , -ic^tio Boarjls, and still others suppose that , -Tsce 'dll be gained by the removing of the . Hoard to some large city. A few are urging . . via entof cheap secretaries, and some, looking . station, and joining in, scarcely know what ‘ " . ^ inclined to think a remedy will be . ? - y making the meetings of tho Convention ч ; oler tri-ennial — instead of annual. T-0 c^eak for the Foreign Mission Board. Agen- . be dispensed with. Whenever a church, y. jeciation, or a State, is propered to make its -> /-^lections and to forward them, tho visit of an - * ffi-.y not be requisite. But euch a case is “ -j.firdy rare. The time may come when every p’.c arid church will, without solicitation, send an r -J. (V .e-will offering. All the endeavors of the and the agents should liavo reference to this , _ To bring about such a stato of tilings the aont of suitable brethren — call them agents r l. varies — is a necessity. If such are engaged, j tw be men of peculiar gifts. The right men easily fonud, or if found, are not easily ob- a aed. When obtained they must be competently vrsed It is not always economy to employ cheap They, must feel a livelier inUreet in. Ac впбДОи^ /ensnaring- it и involving tho glory of thoi^le- deemor, аз well as tlie everlasting weal of peryljpiig millions. God help ua to do our whole duty, "Ц FRUIT IN OLE AGE. A beloved brother in the ministry sending liberal contribution, thus writes: “I am now ittjiny ninety-second year of natural life, and sixty-gecScd in my better life. I enjoy good natural health, ^ut I am quite deaf and am also very blind, so that I have not written or read a sentence in seven years. My reading is all done by proxy, and my writing is all the same way. Of this last matter I liave a gflpd deal of business to have done. Although I jjnA, ;in pretty good natural liealtii, my eyes are во very dim that I never leave my yard. Yet, notwithstanding theee infirmities, I feel a strong desire for the grojvth of Christ’s kingdom in the world. In my note last year to you I think I stated that that contribution would bo the last perhaps that I would make, -but the Lord Лае helped me in his goodness to livcrjin- othcr year, and therefore, wo herein send on our <j»qn- tribution.” j ’ Т-.г i.loriies must not yield to tire deception, that *l; Foreign Mission Board can prosecute its work rriil; ot a tolerably heavy incidental expenditure. If ilia fce required, -they had better give up th^work, ' .anaot, with doe regard to effieieney, 'be dtfne •„our expense. Why should not the money thus om- - — 1, be regarded as truly appropriated to the great coterpnse, as when sent to the missionaries ? Аз to C? combination of the two Boards, we are satisfied i: tv 3i 1 work disastrously. Economy dictates the !X£:r* separate action of each Board. Timo would prove this. It would be utterly inTfrossible for one сот о ondact these two branches of the service. Лез , two men at tho rooms were employed, it v ail Tit obviate the necessity of district or State ryacica. Then, in all probability, tho churches con- trluung would give for both objects what they now cti'.riuto for each. The 'tber Boards can speak fopthemselves. We be- cict all ought to be kept intact. If any of them cr ■ i - the proper place remove them. If the proper u о not in the Boards, put others in, and let them О fc: wall sustained. Ye nave a plan which we think, with God’s Ыезз- к~. «и ! certainly succeed. It is our earnest hope — : plan will meet the concurrence of all the ~ ’f the cause throughout the South. It will id‘.naa:rly prevail. It is this: Let every Baptist c-ar :h bn, in reality, a missionary body. Let this Qus.jrary body adopt some system for the frequent systematic collection of funds to be nsed in the . ..payi-ion of the gospel, and the establishment of 3 Jay-schools at home and abroad. Let every pas- -or bo an agent to operato in his own field for these -г‘-з. к very church should liberally patronizo the Cz.r- . ml Foreign Journal, and, we would have the «nissionaiy spirit — the spirit of Jesus — the first k'M? Foreign missionary, to pervade the heart and ^aird the energies of every Southern Baptist. This : ■’ar p'an. A RETROSPECT. The friends of Foreign Missions have reason to be 'aroaraged. Never before in our history, has the difficulty of securing money for tho work assigned 113 been so serious ae during tho last fiscal year. Crops liave been short and prices low. Notwith¬ standing this, our receipts have exceeded those of the ennar year by nearly three thousand dollars. Then, t''°, Л» number of our mission stations and misaion- ar.ts hag been increased. Other brethren are con- Jampkiing the offer of themselves to this work. Wo have reason also to be grateful for the measure of ra cress attending the labors of our brethren. All foese things are inspiriting. God is working in our behalf. The darkness .which covered our sky for the few yearn fo disappearing. - Let /пз . thank God courage. ‘ ' ■ THE NSW FISCAL TEAR. Л1го liavo just entered upon anew financiaYjycar. What shall bo its reeord? Will wo go fonva|| ;dt tho bidding of the Master ? По is giving quivocal evidences of hie will. Ho would liav'e ш push onr aggreaeivo movements against tlio pawtae, of darkness, with increased vigor. Will wo dWlt? Shall wo increase the number of workers uTtSrfor^ c)gn field, and sustain them well? These aro- Ques- tions pertinent and personal, addressed to lively Southern Baptist. If wo answer time questions affirmatively^ the churolies must think, aed pray, and give, more 'ilihn in the past. They must regard this as tli^r and the Board as their agentie c*rrj; rtK"tii AN EVIL EAT. •‘That will be an evil day, (writes one of on pastors,) when an appeal for the spread of the awakens no interest, no emotion, no aid;” Brother Bice, pastor of Welch Neck Chu . G., ono-of the meet ancient of the £&utli, Wri “Tho Welch Neck Church is deeply interested in the Foreign Mission work. You remember brother Hartwell’s sister, Mrs. Edwards, is here. She has now in her possession the ‘Missionaty Box’ which be¬ longed to her father, Dr. Hartwell, and in which lie gathered so many hundreds of dollars if not thousands for Foreign Missions. The ‘box’ has been well taken care of — looks new jet— and it will, no doubt, be as good as new half a century to come, for the missionary spirit which wa3 in the father seems to bo inherited by every member of the family. This same venerated old box receives the regular offerings of onr church every month. And somehow the very sight of it seems to kicdlo the spirit of tho work, in which it has done such good service. The prospect for the For¬ eign Mission work seems in this section to be better than for tho past few years. I hear of ono anti an¬ other of tho churches recommending tho concert of prayer. This is a very favorable indication.” A GOOD FEOMISB FULFILLED- Brother Parker, of Alabama, sending contributions for the Board, and new subscribers to the Journal, tho3 writes : “The subject of missions is one in which I feel a very deep interest, and I have within the last month appealed specially to the churches which I serve m behalf of tho Foreign and Domestic Boards ; believ¬ ing that our people are not wanting so much in lib¬ erality as :tv information, I have determined .to <*r- culate the Лоте and Foreign Journal in all my firids of labor: and I am sure that if all our preachers would read tho Journal themselves and circulate it among their churches, and appeal to them m be¬ half of missions, the demands of all onr mission fields could be supplied without injury to. any. Two years ago my mind was riveted to the importance of pastoral efforts in behalf of missions by. appeals made and facts stated in the Home and Foragn Jour¬ nal, and I promised the Master to bo a better servant in future, and plead tlie cause of missions with tlio churches as long as I live— a promise that I, by Ins aid, will Bacrcdly’keep.” _ A WILL AND A WAY. We are encouraged by such letters as tlie follow¬ ing from brother Stone, of Alabama : “Your communication just received, and I hasten to respond. Tho work in which you arc engaged is a deserving work, and should gam the sympathy of every Baptist for you, and a mos. hearty co¬ operation. I feel very much for those poor ignorant heathen. Ob, how great is tho demand upon ш to give them tho gospel through which they may beheve Lto salvation 1 I will pat forth every effort toi зо¬ вам some help for you. Our chnreh here и very poor and weak, yet I think we can do something^ sympathy a: .success of our missionaries, X liavo hit upon this plan, '9TZ i At our next oonferencu meeting to present the claims nncl wants of those people, and then propose to organize a ‘Missionary Society,’ pledging all to contribute monthly a specified amount, to bo paid promptly. I believe in this way there can bo consid¬ erable money raiectl, with the proper spirit, that could not oiherwiso bo had. Suppose I get thirty members, and each member averages 20 cents per month, this will amount to six dollars a month, or 72 dollars a year. No whore is tlio church os small and poor as ours that givee annually half this sum. I believe that I can accomplish this much — shall endeavor mo*t. oomcajly to do sq^ny way.” '5r"-rJT ■£,- •ТйАГ’Л* -=^~ *■ A GOOD PRAYER, ^ “A lady friend” in Mississippi, thus writes ; In tlio present necessities of our Missionary Boards wo are all called to -self-sacrifice. May our Heavenly Fatlier give tho spirit of cheerful self-denial to our churches, and to all of ua who have named the name of Christ. I I lave longed to send you something, and now, through, tlie kindness of our Heavenly Father, 1 enclose §20 for Foreign Missions. TUB JOURNAL — ITS GREAT EFFICIENCY. Brother Sprolee,tof Mississippi, well says: It is exceedingly desirablo that a knowledge of what our churches are doing through our Boards for perishing souls should bo more universal and thorough. To bo blessed in our giving, our oontri- bntions should be made intelligently, deliberately, liberally, prayerfully. To effect this, tho Journal is well suited. The missionary spirit, because it is tlio spirit of Christ, is the life of onr churches. My ex¬ perience and observation teach mo that prosperous churches are those that arc alive -to the missionaty work. For these, among many other reasons, I think every Baptist family should have the Journal. WORTHY OF NOTICE. 4- Brother Davis, of Missouri, thus writes: “The mission cause is tho cause of God. Every lover of Jesus should contribute to tlie preaching of the gos¬ pel in the regions beyond. Paul says in his second letter to the church of Corinth, ‘having hope when your iaith is increased, that we shall ba enlarged by yon, according to our rule, abundantly to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you.’ The above is the platform by the pita of inspiration^ 6f true missionary and benevolent efforts on behalf of the destitute. Though 1800 years old, it Is not received by good breth¬ ren. Like the Corinthian, their Iaith is not increased, and with many it never will be.” OUR EUROPEAN MISSION. IVo are stiU favored of God in this mission. In a letter just received, brother Cote informs us that he had buried another convert with Christ in baptism, and that nineteen applicants for admission to the church were presenting themselves. Truly wo have occasion for thanksgiving. This mission must be prosecuted with vigor. \Ye are called on to treble our forces at once in that field, and can do so readily, if the means are furnished by the churches. Let it be seen that we are true to our principles, and mean not only to antagonize Itomauism in words, but in deed and in truth. God is opening the way, let us enter and tread that way, at whatever cost of men and money. "Wo w apt ten thousand dollars to be expended in this mission alone. CONCERT OF PRAYER. An intelligent brother in the ministry has just said to us : “ Onr prayer meeting for missions is tho beet we have. We seem then to comprehend more the wondrous scope and power of the gospel, as tho dc- vinclv appointed remedy for human woe.” It would be a happy .thing for all our chnrche3, if tlm were tho sentiment of all their pastors. It is a sad thought that comparatively few of the churches know any¬ thing of tho happy cffocts of such a meeting, because their pastors never arrange for it, or seem to care that it should be held. Wo earnestly appeal to the ministry of tlie South, to make the experiment. Ap¬ point the afternoon or night of tho first Lord's Day in each month, or some time near this, as a season of prayer, for the spread of tho gospel throughout the world, and give an opportunity to all to make their free will offerings to tho cause. SOUTHERN. BAPTIST CONVENTION. Tluvjoint committee of the various Baptist churches of Si- Louis on hospitality to tho delegates in attend¬ ance at the approaobing meeting of tho Convention to be held, beginning Thursday, May 11th, hereby extend a cordial welcome to all who may attend that meeting ; and announce that entertainment will be provided for all delegates and also representatives of corresponding bodies. Tho committee will be in wailing at tho Third Bai>tist Church, Clarke Avenue and Fourteenth street, the day previous to and tho first two days of tho Convention, to assign delegates their homes. Tho beet possible arrangements will be made with the different lines of railroads and steamboats for re¬ duction of rates. There arrangements wiU bo an¬ nounced hereafter. W. M. Page, .. Si. lends, April 6 Ui, 1871. ' ■ ' 4 CJxairman. SHANGHAI MISSION, CHINA. LETTER гпоминаптк YATES. Hear JSrclhcr Taylors Y°u 'will ho pleased to hear that I arrived . at my home in safety and in good health, on Sunday, Feb¬ ruary Oth. I found my family well, and apparently in no immediate danger of decapitation. Brother Wang has baptized two during my absence. The congregation, he says, is rallying somewhat after the fright consequent npou tlie Tient-ein tragedy. All is quiet now; indeed, the Chinese seem a little frightened at the defensive measures adopted by Jbr- 1Ш» In. lho.prc*(git. condition of Fraeoe, things 'y'sw-r: ;j'" to come. However, ай‘?“?Яге'в jttrt imved; I/hava not had time to form a correct idea of flit true con¬ dition of things. Wo had a very pleaaant trip over. Had a smooth sea most of the time. Sister Simmons suffered somewhat from sea sickness. When I parted with them at Yokohama they were well. I am once того on heathen ground, but I tear I shall not soon be able to do much flfective preaching. My voice failed mo twice daring the voyage — еяюе from reading aloud, and once from singing the dox- ology at the close of a service. A distinguished phy¬ sician — a fellow passenger on board — who witneeeed tlio failure of my voice, assured me by exercising my voioe in public speaking, I would run great risk of permanent paralysis of the vocal cords. This makes my position an exceedingly trying one. I hope to hear soon that brother Pritchard’s health is quite restored. If it is not, it would be well for him to wait until he is perfectly souud. Excuse ' short let¬ ter — I have but a short time in which to write many letters. I see accounts of a glorious meeting in Ilal- oigh, that commenced with the meeting of the Bap¬ tist State Convention. CANTON. MISSION. LETTER FROM BgQXIIER SI11MOXS. Hear Srother Taylor: .... I. am very thankful to say that we were favored of God during our voyage. We had. but very little rough weather, and no storm. Mrs. Simmons was* very sea-sick, but X eh Crafy. «soaped. V."W* are well now. We have many reasons to p raise tioJ. ~ We arrived at Yokohama, in Japan, the 27th of January, and left, the 28th. The most of our pas¬ sengers stopped there, taking steamer for Shanghai and other places. We found brother Yates to be s very excellent brother. We landed at Hong-Hong the 4th of February, and met very kind friends there. We remained there two days at tlie Basse! and Ger¬ man mission house, and then came to Canton. We will stay with the Bov. Mr. Piercy, of tho Wesleyan Mission, until we get a house of our own. There k a place belonging to the Presbyterian Mission, that I think I can get ; the rent will be about fifteen dollars per month. Mr. Graves’s house is in bad repair, awl cannot be made habitable without considerable ex¬ pense. Mr. Roberts’ house is unsafe, for there is great daDger of tlie roof and floors falling in. Onr ohapel is in good repair, and our members are doing very well. They all seem to be glad to see me ; they aay that they have been praying for me, i. e., a pastor. I learned this morning that there were four or five per¬ sons that were desiring baptism, at one of our out- stations. I am going to visit them as soon as I can speak a little Chinese. We arc in arrears to Mr. Piercy about five hen- . dred (§500) dollars. Two hundred for last year, and he has just paid our assistants for this quarter — which ends the last of March. I hope the Board will send me the money to refund to Mr. Piercy, for he has been very kind in advancing ibis nmwy for яя I want to be able to pay off our assistants monthly instead of quarterly, commencing with April. Mr. Graves says it is much better to pay monthly. I commenced the study of the language while on board the steamer under a Chinaman. I am now studying under Mr. Piercy’s teacher. I feel as if Chine is the place for me, aud the Lord willing, I will speed my life here. I hope Mr. Graves will come back ia the fall, for he k mnch needed here. We liave a larger membership here than any other mission, and none but myself, exoept our Dative assistant, whereas tlie other missions have eaoh tliroo or four men. Pray for us and our native Christians, that we т у d® great things for Jesus. Mrs. Simmons sends hnw to you and family- _ SHANTUNG MISSION, CHINA. LETTER FROM BROTHER HARTWELL. Reference Las already been made to the severs trials to which one of tho native disciples was sub¬ jected to on account of hk allegiance to Christ. Tlte following states more definitely the suffk4n@i under¬ gone by this humble believer. Surely he.wat tried in the fire. Brother Hartwell writes :