VOLUME 3, NUMBER 5.
“Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,
RICHMOND, MAY 1530.
Southern Baptist Conucntion.
Correspondence of the Foreign Board.
Communications relating to the general busi¬
ness of the Foteign Mission Hoard, may be ad¬
dressed, post paid,
Ю
James II. Taylor, Cor. See.
.j Richmond , Ve.
Communications enclosing donations, or relat¬
ing to tho .financial department, may bo address¬
ed to Archibald Thomas, Trees.
Richmond, la.
, tor ttio Coinuilislou.
Christ Crucified.
Chtist crucified! 1U is tho solace of the
Christian pilgrim, whilst he is journeying through
this world. Christ crucified! He is tho theme
of the Christian ministry. Paul, the man of God,
exclaims, “ We preach not ourselves, but Christ
Jesus the Lord, nnd ourselves your servants for
Jesus' sako.” “ Wo preach Girist crucified; un¬
to the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the
death.” Then will tho “ Sun of righteousness
arise with healing in his wings." Then, and
not till then, will they know and feel of a truth
that Christ was crucified for their redemption,
and was raised agaia for their justification.
A. S. M.
IVinnsioro, S. C.
For tho Commlsslou.
A Good. Plan.
I have adopted a .plan by which I obtain more
money foi benevolent purposes, than even an
agent can in my church and congregation. I
have a little hook which I call my benevolent
book, and put down at the head of the pages,
Foreign Mission, Domestic Mission, &c. I (lien
present it to all the membeis of my church, who
avo subscribed, so far, very liberally. Where
all pastors to do so, I believe the benevolent
streams would swell to a much greater degree
than at present. Wo cannot do without agents
yet. Hut let pastors work, and agents, too,
then much will bo done. We have only 12 or
M.
For the Commission.
Greeks foolishness, but unto them which arc
called both Jews and Greeks Christ tiro power of' 15 paying members, and we shall receive nearly
God, and tho wisdom of God.” Christ crucified! $ 200 for this year.
He is tho only hopo of tho penitent sinner,
“ which hope ho has as an anchor of the soul,
both suro and steadfast.” Christ crucified! He
is the only refugoof a world lying in wickedness
and exposed in the fires of perdition.
Now if Christ was not crucified, what a scone
would Christendom exhibit! I.nok at tho hea¬
thenish darkness of China, llurmalr and Africa
What would you think of a mother who would
take her dear little infant, hone of her bone and
llesli of her flesh, and put it to death in some
cruel manner 1 This is but a faint picture of the
reality. The mind turns from such a accno hor¬
ror-stricken. Hut still it would have been our
condition, but for the dnctiino of Christ crucified.
Hut was Christ crucified fur Christendom
alone! No; "Cod so loved the world,” the
whole world, “that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but havo everlasting life." And this
Son of God said unto his disciples, when he was
about to leave them, “Goyo into all tho world
and teach (that is, disciple,) all nations.” Now
does not Hurmalt, and China, and Africa com¬
pose distinct and sepaiato nations of this world!
And is not Christ crucified tho hope and refuge
of llio whole world! Hut how shall they have
hopo in him of -whom they havo not heard!
Then it becomes us, sinco wo must meet tlioso
benighted heathen at tho judgment bar of God,
to bo active in tho eauso of missions. We sure¬
ly believe that God requires tho salvation of the
heathen atom hands; for tho Lord Jesus Christ
has said, “ Go ye into all tho world.” He has
given to each of us talents, and requited of its to
improve and uso these talents for hint.
Hut one may say, wo cannot all preach. To
this the answer is obvious. God does not require
all to preach. Then it behooves us, brethren in
the ministry, to whom is committed in trust
the glorious gospel of the blessed God, to giro
this subject its duo consideration. Daily as we
approach the racrcy scat, let us inquire, “ Lord,
what wilt Thou have me to do! ”
It is very certain that somo of us must go to
heathen lands. And then, what must the rest of
us do! Must wa remain at home with our arms
folded, and simply say, “ Go, my brethren, and
do tiio will of God,” and give not the means
wherewith that object may ba effected! No;
" God foibid,” It becomes us to support those
who are willing to go, not only with our prayers,
but wo must put our hands into our purses, and
say with humility and godly fear, in the language
of pious David, " All things come of Thee, and
of Thine own have we given Thee.” And
when this is done, the “desert will rejoice and
blossom as tho rose.” Then will the "day-
spring fiom on high appear, to give light to
them that sit in darkness and in tho shadow of
Latter Day Glory.
We are assured by God himself, that one per¬
fected human being shall bo invested with a glo¬
ry before which the sun himself shall “ pale his
ineffectual fires.” He shall shine, is the divine
declaration, “abovo the sun in brightness.”
Now gather round the sun other suns, and go on
with the process of aggregation until the whole
concave of heaven shall he completely covered
over with one continuous sheet, of.dazzling.splen-
dor. How poorly this material image represents
the intellectual and moral glory which shall in¬
vest tho peifected race of man! Indeed, all
matetial images in this case, however magnifi¬
cent, coma infinitely short of an adequate tepre-
sentation of tho reality, because ono immortal
mind in real worth of being, outweighs millions
of suns. Now it is the high privilege of every
one to contribute something towards this glorious
consummation. Tire living exemplification of a
single virtue, by lira humblest individual, may bo
the centre of a beneficent influence expanding in
concentric waves over a surface of unknown ex¬
tent. Tho close net-work of relations which
pervades, like tho nervous tissue, the great mass
of- human kind, gives unlimited action to the law
of influence ; and such now ate the increasing
facilities for rapid and extended communication
in every direction over tlm earth, that
ш
a short
timo there will not bo a spot on the habitable
globe that will not be accessible to tho influence
of any individual who may choose to exert it.
He may put in motion agencies, orignato and
send abroad influences which, separating to the
east and the west, shall hasten to meet upon tire
other side of the globe. Eaton.
do for the same compensation. Somo men give
their whole timo for $ 100 a year, and none re¬
ceive a bare support. They have no bank.
Anti-miss. Well, I don’t know, they say so.
Miss. If you do not know that what you say
is Uue, you ought not to say what you do not
know to be true. But that you should complain
that some ministers are eager for money is not
surprising, for here is your pastor near you, who
keeps a grog-shop, sells spirits and promotes
drunkenness, merely for the sake of making mo¬
ney^ We cut such men off from our churches
because they promote sin, and you declare non
fellowship for us becauso we promote temper¬
ance, give Bibles and send missionaries to the
heathen.
Anti-miss. Well, if a merchant lay in his
gocpjs for cash, and the a his customers come and
pay their money for them, I don’t see where he
is to blame.
Miss. Well, supposo your minister should by
ouijhis money in purchasing gambling cards, or
billiard tables, or any thing else that would pro¬
mote half as much sin as ardent spirits do, would
you imitate him ! Are men not accountable for
promoting sin? ’!t
Anti-miss. I don’t know, but I go against mis¬
sionaries.
• Miss. So diiLDiotrcphes (3 Jno. 9, 10;) so
did the Pharisees^ '
'Here the dialogue ended, and I retired to bed,
thinking of the evil, of the sin of covetousness.
For the Commtfston.
A Dialogue between a Missiona¬
ry and an Anti-missionary.
I was in tho family of an anti-missionary lady
recently, and was amused whilo listening to the
following dialogue :—
Missionary. You do not favor the missionary
cause, madam, I suppose!
Anti-missionary. No, that I don’t, these mis¬
sionaries want too much money; their great con-
eerr is the money; they go for thatl They have
a great bank, I’m told, to which they go, and
they aro rich. I don’t favor no such men. They
don’t get none of my money, I tell them.
Miss. Madam, you have stated what is not
tiuo about our missionaries.. There is not on
earth such self-denying, self-sacrificing men, as
missionaries in general, They perform more
bber for the good of men than any other men
For the Commission.
A Worthy Example.
. Eider - has given to three of his sons at
school, threo
сор'юз
of tho “Commission.”
0%vf»theso amiable sans lias-interested himself
in the cause of missions, and has obtained from
his school-mates $7 for our Board. Here is a
specimen of spontaneous benevolence flowing
from the warm bosom of a youth to bless a hea¬
then world. A father’s example, and the spirit
stirring pages of tho “ Commission,” havo given
direction to charity which would never have been
called into existence in an anti-missionary family,
nor by a miser's fireside. Who will imitate this
noble example? Observer.
ral-hearted American Christian : and besides, this
mission has a church, large enough to accommo¬
date eight or nine bundled hearers, now in course
of erection — likewise the gift of one wealthy
American merchant who prefers that no one but
himself should put a dollar ia the building. The
English Church Mission Society has put up a
building for its missionary— and has furnished
him also the funds for a church, which is now
going up within the walls.”
For tbc Commtalon.
Correspondence with Missionaries.
Since preparing the suggestions to the church¬
es with reference to direct cortespondence with
their foreign missionaries, I have seen a late En¬
glish paper in which it is stated that tho very
same plan ie gaining favor with the Baptist
churches in England ; that membeis of churches
have already written to the missionaries; and
that the plan promises to awaken much interest
and do much good. It would be to me a matter
of devout thankfulness were our churches to tako
hold of this matter. It would be for their goodi
the good of the missionaries, the good of tho
cause at home and abroad, and for the glory of
God. How many Baptist churches in all the
South will address a short epistle to some foreign
missionaty! We hear of steam communication
between different paits of the world, of tele¬
graph: communication, of ship communication,
but, brethren, let us maintain a paper communi¬
cation, which assuredly will prove efficient if
conducted in the right spirit, albeit humble and
economical. J. L. S.
Shanghai, ICth Oct., 1819.
For the Commission.
A thought for all who have Pro¬
perty.
In conversing with a friend to the foreign mis¬
sion cause a few days ago, he said, “ I have
often asked myself what 1 ought to give to the
mission cause. I have icceuily been thinking
and asking myself, what I ought to keep?”
This is the question cvciy Christian ought to
ask himself. We may keep so much of God’s
property, which he has put into our hands, as is
needed for sustaining life ; we may keep some of
the comforts of life, but are not at liberty to in¬
dulge in luxuries and give little or nothing for
spreading the gospel. For the use we make of
money, “ cvety one of us must givo account of
himself to God.” Let every one ask, “how
much ought I to keep ! ” Eli Hall.
Shanghai Mission.
The Rev. Mr. Taylor, of tho Methodist mis¬
sion, thus writes: "Tho various denominations
of Christiana represented by the missionaries now
at Shanghai, have all commenced tho erection of
churches. The Southern Baptists havo just put
up a mission house, given out the contract for a
church, and will soon commence a second mis¬
sionary residence. The London Mission has
halfa dozen missionary residences, a hospital, and
within the city walls, a charch. The American
Episcopal Mission has a spacious building for
residences and school— besides the substantial
house just finished for Bishop Boone at a cost 1
learn of $4,000— tho magnificent gift of a libo-
The Poor love to Give.
It is pleasing to observe tho willingness with
which many, even of the poorer classes of society,
contribute to Bible and Missionary Societies. A.
minister in the country, who had formed a penny-
а
society in his congregation, gives the fol¬
lowing account: — I am happy to inform you, that
my success has far exceeded my expectations.
If our subscriptions continue, the annual .amount
will be considerable. One hundred subscribers
were obtained the first day. The account which
the collectors give of their reception among the
poor is really affecting ; they found some of them
standing at the doors of their humble abodes,
with their pence in theit hands, and others, whom
they had passed by, followed them with their
money, saying to the collectors, “Pray do not
neglect us because wo are poor.” A lady in
one district called on a poor widow, merely to
prevent her feelings from being hurt, and told
her that owing to her poverty she did not expect
anything from her. “0," replied the poor
widow, “I cannot, poor
аз
I am, refuse giving
a-penny-a-wcek towards promoting tho cause of
that Redeemer who has given mo the hope of
heaven.” This poor widow has entirely to sup¬
port five fatherless childten ; and yet she, of her
penury, thus east into the missionary treasury.
Indeed, from this, ar.d many other pleasing oc¬
currences, it is evident that the poor consider
themselves favored by being thus called upon.
The collectors declare that they could not have
been better received had they gone to distribute
money, instead of receiving it.
Chinese Sayings.
Some of tho ordinary expressions of the Chi¬
nese are sarcastic, enough. A blustering, harm¬
less fellow they call a “ paper tiger.” When a
man values himself overmuch, they compare him
to a “ rat falling into a scale and weighing him¬
self.” Overdoing a thing, they call “ a hunch¬
back making a bow.” A spendthrift they com¬
pare to a rocket which goes off at once. Tlioso
who expend theit charity on remote objects, but
neglect their family, are said “ to hang a lantern
on a pole, which is seen afar, but gives no light
below.” 1 : . : •' t-id ”.
