The Commission, February 1851

VOLUME 3, NUMBER 2, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” RICHMOND, FEBRUARY 15, Ш Southern Xkptict (ffonutiUion. Correspondence of the Foreign Board. Communications relating to the general busi¬ ness of tho Foicign Mission Board, may be ad¬ dressed, post paid, to James J). Taylor, Cor. Sec. Richmond, Fa. Communications enclosing donations, or relat¬ ing to tho financial department, may bo address¬ ed to Archibald Tnottts, Trcas. Richmond, Fa. Tho Chariot of Morey. The chariot of mercy is speeding its way, Far, far through tho shadowy gloom, Where the lands tlutiudeath'edaik obscurity lay, Are bursting the bars of their tomb. I seo where 'lis shedding its luminous ray, Dispersing tho shadows of night; And tho wondeiing nations aro hailing the day, And icjoico in its glotious light. Hallelujahs aro sounding melodiously clear, Homo sweet from tho isles of the sea; And the lands of tho cast send the echo afar, And the long-fettered pagan is free. And the Indian, that roams through the green, prairied west, Now raises hit tear-moistened eye, As ho welcomes with joy tho glad tidings of rest, In a home far away in tho slry. And tho datk-visaged son of tho African wild, Has tasted tho Immanuel's love, And his lion-Iikc naturo grows tenderly mild, As ho hears tho sweet “news” from abore. 0, chariot of mercy, roll gloriously on, And fly over mountain and tea, Till tho last gloomy shadow of datfticss is gone, And tho last fettered spirit is free ! norclty of the enterprise had passed Sway, the cause would declina. So far is this from being tho case, that tho enterprise is gaining new friends daily; funds are increasing every year, and того missionaries are annually sent to tho destitute and perishing. Many, who were once enemies or lukewarm friends of tho mission cause, am now its warm¬ est fiiends. Opposition is giving way. There aro nearly 4000 raissionaiies in heathen lands, and the number is constantly being increased. Some who once would have us regard them as Reform¬ ers, and who opposed tho missionary Baptists in their plans for evangelizing tho heathen, now Ьато at least one missionary in a foreign land, and some in this country. Some, who are called, and have been anti-missionaries, are preaching in favor of missions. The wholo earth will bo filled with tho glory of tho Lord, and lot every Chtislian say, “Amen and amen!” Yours, &c. Eli Ball. For tho Commleilen, Tho Advanco of tho Missionary Enterprise. Brother Editor,— -It is known to yourself and many of tho readers of tho Commission, that the missionary enterprise, which slumbered on for hundreds of years under tho chilling influence of nominal Christianity, was toviewed by tho Bap¬ tists in England. Tho first c (Torts of thoso noble spirits, who have waked the world to tho work of evangelizing tho nations of tho earth, were made in 1793. Their zeal and success fired Christians in Europe and America with holy ardor to en¬ gage in the great work of preaching tho g03pei to. tho destitute of erery land. When tho Baptists in England began their work, some opposed and hut few helped. A scanty sum was raised, after some effort, barely enough to send out three missionaries; now, tho English Baptists have missionaries in tho four quarters of tho globe, and thousands are reading tho scriptures which they havo translated, in wholo or in part, into about 40 different lan¬ guages! When, in 1610, tho Presbyterians and Con- gregatioualists in tho United Slates formed tho Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, they thought they would not raise funds enough to send out eight missionaries; and 1). D. Judson went to England to obtain aid to sustain that number, Now that Board is sustaining 5 17 mis¬ sionaries, and expended last year того than $250,000, and aro making an effort to raise $ 500,000 this year. In IS 14, tho Baptists in the United States formed tho Triennial Convention for Foreign and Domestic Missions, and they did not think they would collect тою than about $ 8,500 for for¬ eign missions annually; now they appropriate probably того than $ 150,000 for foreign missions annually, and того than $ 150,000 for homo mis¬ sions. It was onco feared by tho friends, and predict¬ ed by tho enemies of missions; that when the For the Commission. Try It! Wo sometimes hear tho friends of missions lamenting that the brethten in their section take so little interest in tho mission cause. Wo would say to such, that they will find that this want of interest generally proceeds, with a few excep¬ tions, from a want of information on the subject. If such persons could bo induced to take the Journal or Commission, they would become in¬ terested. But the question here arises, how can they ho induced to tako these papers ! I can just state that I havo in a number of instances paid for the Commission, and had it Bent fo such persons without their knowledge; and they havo invariably, I believe, become sufficiently inter¬ ested to wish it continued, and to pay fot it also. A young friend who seems deeply interested in tho mission cause, recently informed me that ho had directed ten copies of the Commission to dif. ferent membets of his church in this way ; and they all became sufficiently interested to have it continued themselves. To thoso pastors and pri¬ vate membets who aro willing to aid the cause of missions, wo would suggest this plan as being worthy their attention, These papers will preach effectually for you, and even where your own voice cannot bo heard. Ono dollar spent in this way may ultimately bo instrumental in bringing back (ens and hundreds into tho treasury of tho Lord. To all wo say, try it. A Friend to Missions. lor the Commlsiloa. Prayer for Laborers. We often pray tho Lord of tho harvest to send forth того laborers ; but it is to be feared that in топу instances these prayers aro not really sin- сего. Are wo willing that the Lotd may send any ono, even our nearest friend and dearest re¬ lative! When the Rev. Mr. W - , of the Church Missionary Society, had determined to bccoma a missionary, he could not at first broach tho subject to his aged father, through fear of the pain it would give tho old man to part with him; be however told his sister, and received this and swer: "My dear brother, I havo often prayed tho I,ord of the harvest to raiso up laborers, and to send them forth into the harvest; but I have never prayed, I never can pray, that ho may send you.” Reader, is this tho kind of prayer you havo been making ! But how different was the reply of the father when his son made known his intentions through letter ! After expressing the strongest affection, he added, —“If the Lord has need of you among the heathen, I dare not op- poso your going forth among them; for I know what Ho has done for me. He gave his adora ble Son, not merely to live for me, hut to die as an atonement for my sin 1” Manifesting tho true spirit of a Christian, he e|nt him forth with a father's blessing. Chris, tian, when you find, yourself unwilling to make a sacrifice for God, recollect, as this aged father (Udj "what lie has done for ms." if А. В. C. The Reflex Influence of Christian Missions. f Tha striking manner in which tho missionary enterprise enlivened the piety and increased the happiness of those who first espoused it, may be illustrated be3t by tho following quowfims : “There was a period of my ministry,” said tho 'devoted Andrew Fuller to a friend, “marked by tho most pointed systematic effoit to comfort my serious people, but the more I tried to comfort them tho more they complained of darkness . . . I knew not what to do, nor what to think, for I had done my best to comfort the mourners inZion. At this time it pleased God to direct my atten¬ tion to the claims of the perishing heathen in India I felt that we had been living for ourselves and not caring for their souls. I spoke as I felt. My serious people wondered and wept over their past inattention to the subject. They began to talk about a Baptist mission. The females, especial¬ ly, began to collect money for the sptead of the gospel. We met and prayed for the heathen, met and consideted what could he done amongst ourselves for them, met and did what we could; and, whilst all this was going on, the lamenta¬ tions ceased— tho sad became cheerful and the desponding calm. No ono complained of a want at comfort, and I, instead of hiving to comfort njy flock, was myself comforted by them. They 'were drawn out of themselves, sir, that was the 'real secret. God .blessed them while they, tried to ho a blessing.” ‘ "After the departure of our brethren,” the first Baptist missionaries to India, says the brief narrative of the Baptist Mission, “wo had time for reflection. In reviewing the events of a few preceding months we were much impressed. The thought of having done something towards en¬ larging the boundaries of our Saviour's kingdom and of rescuing poor heathens and Mahomme- dans from under satan's yoke rejoiced out hearts. We were glad also to sect the people of God of¬ fering so willingly ; some leaving their country; others pouring in their property, and all uniting in prayers to Heaven for a blessing. A new bond of union was formed between distant minis¬ ters and churches. Some who had back-slidden from God were restored, and others who had long been poring ever their unfaithfulness and ques tioning the reality of their personal religion, hav¬ ing their attention directed to Christ and his king¬ dom, lost their feats and found that peace which in other pursuits they had sought in v»in, In short, our hearts weie enlarged, and, if no other good had arisen from tho undertaking than tho effet produced upon our own minds and the minds of Christians in our own country, it was того than equal to the expenso.” Chinese Funeral. . A Chinese funeral took place yesterday. The Chinaman died at the Chinese Restaurant of Macoa and Wooung. The funeral was large, thcio being over one hundred and fifty Chinamen in the procession, each wearing a piece of white crape. A largo number of petsons visited the burying ground to witness the ceremonies, which were as follows : They lowered the coffin as wo do. They then throw the white bandages worn on their arras into the grave ; then matches and tha wax candles, and a bottle of wine. Beforo covering the coffin, each person bowed his head to the earth and uttered some few words rot by us understood. Then each threw a handful o' diit on tha coffin, and passed round the liquors, wine and segars, &c., of which they invited each American to partake, and the grave was then filled up.— Sen Francisco Courier ; Interior of Africa. We know nothing that is more likely to keep up a deep interest for some time than tha pro- gtess of 1he expedition which is now on its way to Lake Tehad. This sheet of water is in the Soudan country, about fifteen degrees' north of tho equator, a little south of tho great Desert, and about midway between Capo Verde on the west, and Cape Guardafui.on the east. The region about the lake is not much known, though wo believe it has generally been supposed to be ono of high and ferula terraces. Soudan is wholly isolated from tho ocean, is made up of numerous petty kingdoms, and is governed by pompous and tyrannizing rulers of the black race. The object of the expedition, which Ls conceived on a grand scale у and conducted by energetic men on strictly scientific principles, хз to obtain definite facts in regard to a country so little known. Letters giving seme account of the expedition have been received in Europe. They were writ¬ ten at Mursuk, as late as the 25th of May, and describe the routo from Tripoli directly south to that place, whence the patty would proceed still south, through. Fezzan, across the desert, to the lake. The tract h continuous table land, being at an elevation in one place of nearly 3,000 feet. Ruins of Roman columns and monuments were discovered. Fezzan, without the yellow sand which relieves its otherwise monotonous, conical surface of black rock, would be an arid wilder¬ ness. Bat in this yellow sand зге wells and ра1т-1геез in abundance, and cultivated wheat and barley fields. Iaformation was obtained to induce the opinion, intimated by other travelers, that tho interior of Africa is a vast table land, which extends from Lake Tehz-1 to the Capa of Good. Hope, and is inhabited byuiations'euperior to other Africans in civilization. This informa¬ tion must have impelled tho members of the ex¬ pedition forward with hope of a rich harvest of discovery. — Ex. paper. Liberality. “The liberal soul shall he made fat,” has fre¬ quently been found, by many a benevolent heart, a proverb of truth. Wo once knew an instance where this was remarkably verified. A man was sitting in a missionary meeting— the monthly con¬ cert for prayer— and during the reading of tho intelligence from tho different missions, he be¬ came deeply affected. The ignorance and de¬ pravity of the heathen ; their lost and ruined con¬ dition ; the impossibility of their being saved/* except through the mercies of Jesus Chiist ; tho good that had already been done by our mission¬ aries in cariying the gospel to them ; ali these were presented to his mind, and his gencioits heart grew warm. Ha thought what might he done — but he was poor. The contributions were called for. He put his hand in his pocket— there was but a solitary dime, which he had reserved to buy his morning meal. ’Twas all he had in the world. Should ho give it, and go without his breakfast on the morrow ? On one side ho saw the benighted heathen, on tho other were the cravingsof nature. It was a severe struggle; but with tears in his eyes, and an inward prayer that God would bless the sacrifice, ho gave Ыз last dime— fits all. That night, in humble con¬ fidence, ho committed himself to God, and slept sweetly upon his h-.rd pallet of straw; The' morning came, and with it a basket о/ provisions from one who knew tho poverty of the honest old man. And, with tears of gtstimde, ho acknow¬ ledged this as a first return for the sacrifice which had made— a sacrifice that was known only Id him and his God. Ten years after this scene, we met this tnan. He had no longer tho appear¬ ance of one pinched by the hand of poverty.— Around him were thocomforts of wealth. “God,1 said he, “has made mo to tun over with' his' goodness. He has given me wealth and content¬ ment, for the sacrifice 1 made ten years ago.”’ Ho was then worth $20,000, and all hia'pios- perity he ascribed to that one sacrifice. • *-"» 0;!