Home and Foreign Journal, July 1857

ОМЕ AND FORlpON iroIil VH. RICHMOND, JUDY, 1857. NUMBER 1. PUBLISHED BY THE BOARDS OF THE ^SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION. "jllltlON, ALABAMA JULY, 1W7. meeting after the reception of his report. This inspires them with encouraging hope for the future. During U,e last jear. tbey raised for Do¬ mestic Missions, withioMheir own State, over $3,000. Our Boat'd has had but two Missionaries ill tlmt Stale during the past AGENCIES. llow valuable would be the discovery of *ear- Nut thal ‘Ь«с.!Йю more destitu- some means of awakening a spi.it of be- j Um-Mt ,hat ,lhe ,are Tet nevolence among all our brethren-of en- 1 ”П*Ы* ‘ 0 but-?hc B“r,J 1,35 felt listing the prayers and energies of all our ! "’a' olher Stales {have had stronger cause of even* ^Aunual Report ol the Board of Domestic Ммопэ. |Tht Board of Managers for Domestic . ^ . ^ _ Ld Indian Missions, submit thcii^Report c|lllrc|ies behalf of the L, rear ending April Ы, 1B57. : „e|jzj„,, t)ie World— of gatheiing their lib- ueaths. | eral contributions regularly into our Treas* I v Missionaries of the Board have fin- , uries, without the necessity of employing L J Ibcir course on earth during thikpast ( agents lor this specific work. To accom- r jef j W. Turner, of St. Mary’s, j plish an object so desirable much time rr’ . i »„.. Samuel Worcester, a and ingenuity have been expended in dc- I vising and proposing plans. But the dis- claims upon the smallfamount of funds placed at their control tor sending the gos¬ pel to the poor. cities. Cities and" towns are important centres of influence. Your Board have deemed it the part of wisdom to bestow a liberal share of their aid upon these promising eorgia, and. Rev. loCtlW picul changes. | covery uf the perpetual motion ia quite as j fields. In so doing {’they have acted in r i (Maher Rev. Joseph Walker, who hopeful. Very few churches, compara- j compliance will, the expressed wishes of L ,rl ed ability and success dis- lively, are systematically sustaining our j "'а"У d°«°”- They have stations in Bal- . .Ге иЬеГо? Corresponding See- ; missionary operations. Facts, as they now '-more, Md , Washington, D. C., Rich- !, „ IKrpp resinned and in the history of the past, pro- t"011'1- Manchester and Petersburg, Va. ; for more ^ jjecem’be, 31st, claim that agents are indispensable to the , Columbus, Darien and St. Mary’s, Ca. ; lad Them^encv of the Board and the-' |»ro-4>crity of the Board. The receipts ' Mobile, Alabama; Nashville and Memphis, 'TLav.nf friends availing nothing to have always been in propo, lion to the num- ' Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; St. ber and efficiency of its agents. ! Louis, Hannibal, Jefferson City and St. Rev. J. A. Collins, agent for Alabama ; Joseph, Missouri ; Galveston, Texas, and In most of these reinforcements are not only very de- In Mobile, new .citation of friends availing Joce him to change his purpose, Ids re- ijuilion was acce| to<j. a 1 , ]jcv \ym. P. Hill, for Georgia and South , Sacramento, California, ^ntelecntofill the vacancy ,who ^ ^ for Virgi- ' chies reinforcements ar. .fere upon in» , j. ’ , .. nia and Maryland, closed their several sirablc, but highly important. In Me JlSaving removed from the' ‘ Stale! - “gecies December ЗЫ. Rev.J. H De-jNew Orleans and I Louis, several ,A J his resignation in January. Rev. ' ulle rcblSned F,nancial Sccrctarysh.p, -ntcres.s seem especially demanded. They t II. McIntosh was appointed to the August bt,185G Rev. Dr John-on, ol ; already have a larg, 1 citizenship unprovid- South Carolina, has done valuable service ( ed with the gospel,» and are rapidly in- by occasional tours in the State where lie , creasing in population and commercial im- lesides. Dr. Philips, of Mississippi, has J portance. | travelled to some extent on behalf of the ^ The Coliseum Pllce Baptist Church is, Board during the past year. The Board ; and has been self-sustaining for more than have had but two in the field since Janu- 1 a yenr. It is a prosperous church. But To this sum add the balance $103 GG i;ev. j. o. Sciiven, of Georgia, and i its efforts are greatly embarrassed by a the Treasury April 1st, 1S.IG, and we . цеу ^ 0f North Carolina.— 1 heavy debt not strictly their own, but of не $20, 4CG 59, the total resources for i'jle latter id n-garJcd in the light of mis- i the denomination quiside of the city ; fiom Kjear. This sumia go, 166 59 less than г;0|шу ls we|| a3 ageut. , which they ought.it once to be relieved, lejeaouices for the preceding year. There 'f|,ere js a necessity for a good agent in ; It is hoped that thwj.Convention will take however, all this difference In actu- i . c, . -• . , ’ . , each State. !lpli^^iff5thr3'«i7^Ati-tha-<mmH^-|4,v~«j.---^^— ment oT the preceding year the IVm, II. McIntosh Пенсу. FINANCIAL STATEMENT. | During this year the receipts for the de¬ ment of Domestic Missions, have been a all sources $20,362 93. same efficient ineaifireVtd (his end.. treasury contained a balance of §2.543 The Home and Foreign Journal has been | At Hie meeting of ibis Convention in |1, against $103 GG, at the commence- °ur «S“ for ,hu Pasl >'ear 34 berelolore ; , Montgomery ... 1855, the following rese¬ ts»! of II, e year just closed, making a , occupying one-third of it. The Foicign , ‘““on was ado,, ted : . of religious institutions, virtuous society and home influences, depravity becomes more depraved by the natural working of its own inherent elements. How this ten- dency is accelerated when the alluring gambling saloon, dramshop and brothel be¬ come the common Sabbath resort in every town, village and camp. Under such in. fluences it is reasonable to suppose that many, both in youth and manhood, will fall to rise no more. And what gives ad- ditional interest to this subject, is they are, many of them, our own people. We sus¬ tain the same relation to them that Paul did tn the people concerning whom he said, — “ My heart's desire, and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved." More than this : How many of us are united to that people by the tender I cords of kinship? How few are not. | There are social, civil, and political af- ; finities which interest us in that field. We , are credibly informed that the larger por¬ tion of the residents of Southern Califor¬ nia arc from the Southern portion of our confederacy; differing in social and busi¬ ness habits. And one resident writing i from thal portion of the State, says they possess some degree of pride in this pccu- • liarity. Another who has long resided j there and well acquainted with the social and political feelings and relations of that country remarks: "All the political sym¬ pathies of California are with the South.” Its destitution has been lijnted at. A word in relation to that poition lying South of ; Stockton, between the Sierra Nevada 1 mountains and the Coast range, a distance of some four hundred miles in length. A minister who has for some time resided I there, now a missionary of the Board, says : " 1 know of but one Presbyterian or congregational minister in this part of the Slatq.j and even the Methodists, who ■stly occupied -the -field. liltrence of $2,SS 1 S2 in collections in and Uikle И03"1” 0CCUW'inS tlie remain- j “That the Board of Domestic Missions pvor of the former year. This falling off der. As to the best means of employing be instructed to occupy Kansas as a field fr be accounted for, in part at least, by ! lhe Vю»* is 3 'lUPslio“ lhal "ow ^ ,n' j ‘ 3S *°0" “ Traclicable’ e fact that the Board has had but two : lcrcsts thc 1!oariK 1 , 1 bc cml ani 1 lwlll,cal condition of lbl ■it. in the field since the 1st of January : missionaries. , Ten "ory has rendered it, until iccently, I,. A,„i ли,, nf ti,ft ; • „I entirely impracticable to obey the instruc- * f ‘ About one hundred and ten miss, она- lion conVL,)cd in lhe forcgoing reso!ulion ries and agents have been employed in ; In December last, Rev. J. II. Luther, of have lately reduced three circuits to one, supplied by one man, aided by one or two local preachers ; while the Baptists have never sent, nor, to my knowledge, encour¬ aged one Baptist minister to occupy this bd ll not kecn f°r generous appropri- deslitule region." This is peihaps 4 very alions of tlie Goshen Association of Vir- D is about three years since the enter¬ prise was commenced. A good chapel has been built and paid for twelve Chi- nese converts have made a public profes¬ sion of their faith in Christ. One of these, Wong Moag, is a man of learning and high order of preaching talent. Another, Ah Cliak, recently baptized, is a man of .fair attainments, of considerable business ca- pacify and influence, and promises to be a valuable accession to their little band of disciples. Thus far all the Chinese con^ verts seem to walk orderly and give hope¬ ful evidence of the sincerity of their piety. Brother Shuck, in a late communication to the Board, remarks : " Thc prospects in California for Christianizing the Chi¬ nese are better than I ever expected to see them." With regard 'to the Church in Sacramento City, of which he is pastor, lie says : The cause among our own coun¬ trymen is onward ; congregation, church, and Sabbath school are all on the increase, and we continue to have accessions to our membership every month. The Southern Baptist Convention ought to have two more missionaries here, one in San Fran¬ cisco and one in Auburn or Marysville, laboring, as I am, with the Americans and Chinese. Here is a wide and inviting field for our Southern Churches to bring the Gospel to bear upon the Chinese, and at thc same time, look after the stray sheep fiom their own folds, wandering and widely scattered in this land of the “Far West.” The missionaries now in the field are Rev. J. L. Shuck and Ah Moag, at Sacra¬ mento, and Rev. C. N.‘ West, in Sierra Nevada valley. Rev. E. J. Willis labored a portion of the year at Oakland. Domes¬ tic afflictions seemed to demand his return to Virginia. The Board have felt the importance of reinforcing tftij’missioiTr but- bave-noHelt-.»-»*,. at liberty to do so with the limited means at their command. Indeed, they could not have sustained the enterprise thus far, lifted to missionary labor than to that of king funds. DISBURSEMENTS, j Ike expenditures for all purposes per- [iniog tc the Domestic Department have i $16,191 02. Leaving a balance in p Treasury of $1,272 57. This is a much juger balance than for the preceding year. Ike reasons for this arc two. An unusu- II? large number of commissions expired |ith the quarter ending September 30th ; jad the number of appointments for the peceeding quarter much smaller than for * quarter closing with June, or for that pmencitg with January, consequently Pe expenditures for that quarter were [■'« less than for any other quarter dur- part or the whole of the year ; scattered through all the slave States, California, Kansas and the Indian Territories, They have supplied more than three hundred churches and stations with a preached gos¬ pel, delivered over 8,000 discourses, made more than 8,500 visits to families for reli¬ gious instruction and prayer, held ?„000 meetings for prayer and other devotional S. Carolina, was appointed to this field. It was deemed advisable by the Board that he spend most of the winter in an agency on behalf of his contemplated mission, to which he yielded. About the 10th of March he embarked for his new field. No tidings from him since his arri¬ val on his field. What will be the result of this effoit fair representation of the mining country. There is a slrongdcsire manifested on the pul of this people to hear the gispel. '1 hrougli this entire region there are more or less Baptists scattered as sheep with¬ out a shepherd. Twenty active and faith¬ ful ministers could not supply this portion of the Slate. exercises ;-been instrumental in the con- ■ none of U3 can ы|_ The DoarJ regard it version of some 2,000 souls, of whom 1,325 j the light of all experiment made in com- have been baptized, 400 added by letter p|iancc with lhe instructiolls of ,hc con. and restoration. They report an aggregate of some 9,000 members;— 133 Sabbath schools; 3,600 pupils; 475 teachers ; 141 I , _ » . i - converts, among pupils and teachers— the «year. Again: A large number ol ! organization of 20 churches, the ordina- №. s or services already rendered have I (ion of 28 ministers and 32 deacons— the l^yet reached the Mission Rooms. There ! completion of 25 church edifices, and the Тно»т3 r S°rl am0unl'no 10 b0,ne ; commencement of 19 others. In thc per- Кй . are Daily expected to be formance of these labors, they have trav- Г -еог • This will reduce the above cled over 70,000 miles. As has already fiance to S2,772, which is the true bah veritiou. The policy of the Territory is not yet settled— the trials aie not yet ended— human foresight is not sufficient to disclose the end when, or where, or what it shall be. The Missionary sent out has all the requisites of success, so far as human instrumentalities are concerned. CALIFORNIA. As lc« for the current year. LIABILITIES. Ь addition to the above named liabili- e Board l|as already made appoint- '“ s 10 lb amount of $18,000. Onc- L° ',k'cl1 "''II become due June 30th. me balance now on hand will not fence a qiissionary field California po=- been stated, a large number of the reports • sesscs many points of attraction. Its ex- are not received; consequently this report j tent of territory — containing nearly 190,- does not embrace all the labor performed . 000 square miles. Excepting Texas, it is during thc year. Yet it will be seen that larger than any three States in the Union. a vast amount of work has been done, great good has been accomplished. SELF SUPPORTING CHURCHES. Several churches under the fostering Its vast rcsouices of mineral wealth lias already attracted, and will continue to at¬ tract an immense population. No census statistics are capable of keeping pace with f B the past Up0n t|10 vo|untary con. 11 nS0J'hfi Clu,rches' bolh 10 mecl I •1лЬ,1|||са and to enable the Board I«m Г1*!* lbe'r al'Poinlrn“nt3 as they L ie. ‘mPerat'vely demanded. In L- ,El°ry0f,i,e Roard llieir со“«- L . the 'birches has not been disap. J e fir5‘ quarter’s salaries for thc pres- ' care of the Board, have received numbers 1 ‘be influx of the people. One who had re- gjar by nua,lJ *2,000. and pecuniary strength sufficient during ' «'Med thsrc three years says : “ Here cm- j ;..,erG“d,our reliance in the future the past year, to sustain themselves.— ! igrants arc rushing from every continent Among Ibis number may be found Chat- [ and isle; they crest every mountain; they tannoga, Tenn., Hannibal, Missouri, and 'cover every sea; they sweep in like a Fayetteville, Arkansas. Very many self- cloud from the Pacific, they roll down like ,( . Not 0,10 of llieir dralts has been Id io -.'.I131 0nc *bmr missionaries has Wllt for his salary beyond the first sustaining interest*, once, under the pat¬ ronage of the Board, furnish pleasing evi¬ dence of its great utility. Texas is a grat¬ ifying illustration. Formerly it received a large share of the sympathy and aid of the Board. Now Texas has a large Bap¬ tist membership, and an efficient ministry. a torrent from the slopes of the Sierra Nevada.” Thc moral condition of this people should awaken our sympathy, enlist our earnest prayer, and call forth our early efforts to send them the Gospel. In the absence of the restraining power OAKLAND CITV. At this point we have a church organ¬ ized, and for some time under the pasto¬ ral care of Rev. E. J. Willis, now of Rich¬ mond, Va. The Church is now without a pastor, yet anxious to procure one. MARYSVILLE AND SAN FRANCISCO. These are two important and thriving cities, having a considerable Chinese pop¬ ulation. An enterprise ought to bc under¬ taken at both these points in connection with the Chinese population, similar to that under thc care of Bro. Shuck, at Sacramento. CHINESE IN CALIFORNIA. Tlie Providence of God is bringing this singular people to our shore, rendering them easy of access. Removing them from many of the strong influences that operate powerfully against the truth, in their own country; such as the multitudes that believe not, and thc small number and bumble position of those who have the moral courage to follow Christ— the political and civil institutions that are hos¬ tile to tlie truth— (lie wicked and idola¬ trous customs and habits of the entire people — the persecution and oppression which arc certain to visit those who re¬ nounce the heresies of their religion and embrace the Gospel ; by removing them from these and kindred influences, and as¬ sociating them with Christian people, they may, by continually' observing the impro¬ ving and elevating power of Christian in¬ stitutions, gradually lose their long cher¬ ished and deep rooted prejudices. Thc success attending the efforts of the Board in their behalf, is proof of this. ginia, for that specific purpose. Here your Board will take occasion to speak of the example of that Association as worthy of all praise, and the imitation of other Associations. It pays one- half the salaiy of brethren Shuck anil All Moag, in California, end sustains brother Moffat and or.o native preacher, among the Indians. INDIAN MISSIONS. In another place the death of Rev. Samuel Worcester, a native Choctaw, has been announced. He died January 30th, 1857. During the fall he suffered from a severe and protracted illness— from which he so far recovered as to resume his mis¬ sionary labors. Early, in January lie wrote the Board, making grateful mention of the goodness of God experienced du¬ ring his affliction, and his settled purpose to devote the remnant of his days with more earnest zeal to his master's cause. How few was that remnant ! In less than one month he ceased from his labors and entered into his rest. He was educated in Kentucky— there united with a Baptist church, and was ordained to the ministry in the summer uf 1854. FINANCES. The receipts from all sources for the year have been $18,610,75. Balance in the Treasury, April 1st, .1856, $1,313,20; total, $10,956,05. By an examination of the Treasurer's report it will be seen that the several amounts received from the U. S. Government sale of lands, &c., the bal¬ ance in lhe Treasury at the beginning of the year, make up the sum of $10*233,90, leaving but $9,723,05, the total amount of collections from all the churches. While the resources for the pear have been $3,816,26 more than for.'jhe prece ding year, the receipts from (tic Churches have been $3,515,39 less. This retrograde movement is much.tobqdeplored.^ Itma^ be accounted for as in.lhe case of decrease in Domestic Mission receipts, 'in paif, the