VOLUME 1, NUMBER 11. “Go yc into all the Avorld and prnacli the gospel to every crcatiire.4 RICHMOND, NOVEMBER 15,- .1849.
From tie Juronllo Missionary Repository.
Tlic Bible in Africa,
Toll-»om and fnlnt, o'er AM burning «and
Two travelers journeyed: ’Inis a stranger laud.
Athirst and hungry, wearily they moved,
FrlondloM nnd far away from all they loved i
A way from all aavo Ono -• his pitying eyo,
Who hears tho ravens when for food thoy cry,
lVho’ watches o'er tho desert's lonely Bower,
Was on them still In that distressing hour. ‘
Ho sent a pitying woman to their side:
Soon tho dark stranger every want supplied.
And when they asked her whence her kindness came,
She said, “Ido It In my Master’s name:
Vou servo tho Saviour; I would servo litm too;
From loro to him I minister to you."
01 It was sweet to Bud lovo's holy light
Thus burning brightly In that land of night;
For years Its steady flamo had softly shone,
Like a fair star that trouts tho heavens atone.
Tho travelers asked, “ Who told you of our lent! ”
“ Twin his own voice,” she said, “ Ids blessed word.
Years liavo passed by slnco to my childish hand
A Christian stranger, from a distant land,
Onto tills most precious treasure and oho drew
A tiny, weh-worn volume forth to view,
“’Twas hem I lighted first faith's heavenward llano,
And hero for fresh supplies of oil I come;
Nor hath It failed mo yet, nor over will :
Where Brat I trusted, I am trusting still.
From this blessed book I know that you and I,
Strangers, are children of ono family;
To meet at last, life's lltilo Journey o'er
llcslde Our Father's throne, and part no more!"
Children of out land, send tho llihlo forth,
TUI o'er tho oast, and west, nnd south, nnd north,
It shed its holy Influence, full end free,
As the glad waters of tho boundless sea.
E. M. S.
The Spirit of Christ,
If the Lord of glory shrunk not from ignomi¬
ny and scorn, untold agony, cxqulsilo torture
and tho most cruel death, can any ono possess
much ofhis spirit, nndiyctconsidout.too.mnch
to forego some of tlfo comiorts ana aengnw ur
this fleeting life, and to labor and toil with per¬
severance and self-denial on a foreign shorn, to
instruct tho destituto and tho dying— to enlighten
tho millions and hundreds of millions of heathen,
who have never heard tho precious name of
Jesus, and are entirely ignorant of the consola¬
tions of ills grace? Is it too much, even to ex¬
pose ones self to nn early grave in a sultry
clime, if necessary, that somo lay of hope may
break in upon the gloom of the benighted and
perishing nations! God bo praised, that .'he
prospect of death did not daunt tho spirit tf the
self-denying Jesus !
The Work lo he Dene.
Let any man cast his eye over a map of our
lobe, with a geographical and historical know-
;dgo of the tyranical governments, tho idolatiois
cligions, the savage haibarism, tho r,tullifario|s
ingtiages, the unapproachable suspicion, whifh
tc comprehended under tho names and witjin
lie lines that are beforo him; and then thinljof
tinning all this lo Christ, and covering all tltsc
lark domains of sin and satan with the heaps
if holiness, the joys of hope, and the Uesinga
,f salvation — ami yet this is tho business of the
lat roll, its labor, its hope.— James.
The Crown of Glory,
An archangel coming direct from the throne of
God, with all tho scenes of eternity and heavenly
glory fresh in his recollection, could not make
you comptchcnd the weight, and tho brilliancy,
and the worth of that crown which is held forth
by tho hand of infmito love, to engago your ar¬
dor in tho contest against sin, 3alan and the
world.— Ibid.
Piety Essential to Success.
The
того
active it is in the way of proselyting
tlm more devoted it should bo in tho way of pie¬
ty. Without this, even the present missionaiy
ardor, instead of being as tho light house of the
world, will be but as- a bonfire upon tho heights
of Zion, a transient blaze, which will soon burn
itself out, but which will yield no permanent
illumination. — Ibid.
Tlic Highway of the Lord Opening,
The door is opening wide, more wide, and tho
day is coming— coming fast, when the impious
claim of a right to prevent free passage over the
highways of God’s earth shall be relinquished.
“ Tho earth is tho Lord’s, and the fulness there¬
of.” IFe hath given it to tho 11 children of
men,” and not to him who styles himself the
11 Son of Heaven.” Now that “ men run lo
and fro, arid knowledge is increased,” a pope
among the nations will find it as hard to “hold ”
what lie calls “ his own,” as a pope in the
church has found it. May the God and Father
of us all put it into the hearts of many of his
filial children lo go forth, and lead back their
wandering, suffering biethren, into the paths of
knowledge, faith, and obedience.. — Syle.
•«■«US . . • | ,,V,
Opcnin,
■gs m
Tlic Clirbtinii's Great Busing.
idwlicn
Wo can conceive that a time will com
the heavenly and holy calling will bo bcur un¬
derstood and mote perfectly exhibited, d’licn
Christians will he seen on every hand, ta ng up
as their rulo of conduct the apostle’s epi nm of
his whole moral self, and saying in truth
me to live is Christ,” When person:
domestic comfort, and the acquisition of
knowledge or fame, though not neglect
all bo considered as very secondary atn
dinate matters to tho great business of
testimony for God, and converting the vrld to
him. — The Church in Earnest,
■ For
ease,
caltli,
. will
tthor-
taring
That our readers may feel more deeply the
appeals of our brethren in Shanghai, we insert a
brief allusion to the readiness o( tho people in
that city to hear the gospel, by Rev. Mr. Spald
ing, an Episcopal missionary.
I went to a place by the name of “Chur
poo,” to which plaeo I had been requested to go
ami preach. Tho man who asked mo to go is a
carpenter by trade, and with whom I became ac¬
quainted by hi? very regular attendance upon the
sciviccs nf the chapel. This place is about ten
miles distant from Shanghai. 1 walked going
and returning. I left Shanghai at 10 o’clock,
A. M., in company wilh my guide, and reached
the place at half past I o’clock,
г.
m. My
friend who had desired mo to visit the place,
lived on tho opposite side of the town from
which I entered il, so that I was obliged to pass
through the principal street, of course follovvo
by a great number of people, who were not a
littlo curious to know tho precise reason that had
brought me to their town. Before I reached
the house, I was met by my host, who received
mo very kindly; and us lie was a man in humble
circumstances, he seemed to take no small pleas¬
ure in doing all that ho could for tho comfort of
tho person who, for the time being, was the lion
of tho place. Having airived at tlic house, I on.
teted with about forty persona, whom, I was
told, wete the fiiends of my host, who had come
out lo receive me, hut more probably to gratify
their own curiosity of seeing a foreigner. Soon
after wo entered the house, lea was passed
round, with some other refreshments, such as
cakes and r.tits. I partook freely of them, and
after I had rested myself from tlm walk, 1 started
fortho“Zung-YVong-Meaw," the chief temple
of the place, where my friend had previously
given the people to understand I would preach
In going through tho town to the temple, which
is in about the centre of the place, I was follow¬
ed by a great concourse of people, who, on ar¬
riving at the temple, soon filled it. In fiont of
the huge idols, slooJ a table outside of the rail¬
ing, .Which surrounds them. I stood upon this,
and thus elevated above a sea of heads, between
400 'and 500 pcoplo, I preached to them fur half
an hour. They were very giiiel, for such a pto-
misepns crowd, and did not interrupt once during
thth'whole time I was preaching. I did not think
it 'prudent to attempt to distribute books, so I
did tint take any with mo from the house to the
temple. I then returned to tho house of my
friend. A short time before sunset, I went out
to^o a portion of tlm town through which I did
not pass when I entered it. I was followed by
a 'few people, and by a good number of boys,
some' distance from the town into tho country;
aiid/vTiien I had gone as far as 1 desired, I stood
still; and talked to the boys— about 75 or 100,
who had gone out with me. They said they
Woiild never forget what 1 had told them. They
were all neatly dressed, and appeared intelligent.
In the evening, I preached in my friend's
house, to a congregation of about sixty peisons,
as many as tho room would hold ofhis friends
and neighbots whom he had called together to
hear me. Many remained lo ask questions, and
get books, with one and anotbet of whom 1 con¬
versed, until neat 11 o’clock, before the house
и'аз
cleared. I then went to bed on a lounge
which had been prepared, where I slept soundly
and securely, until the dawn of the next day.
My breakfast was served up, and soon after,
several neighbots came in, to whom and the
Household, I read the 10th chaptei of the Acts
of. the Apostles, explained a portion of it, then
knelt down and prayed with and for these poor
heathen, in their own hard tongue, and soon
after, took my leave of my friend, to return to
Shanghai.
Аз
I passed by tho shops, I heard
|he people within say to each other: “That’s
the man who preached yesterday at tho temple.
.Where1, did ho sleep! When will he come
'joint To;day he is going lo Shanghai. He
believes the doctrines of Jesus,” and very many
more such words, until I had got beyond the
town. I reached Shanghai about 12j P. M.,
thanking God for his protection and blessing, in
permitting me on one occasion to preach to so
many porn heathen and idolaters. At 2 o’clock
to-day, I addressed the poor people, and gave
them their alms, After the others had departed,
I instructed the three from among them who are
candidates fur baptism, and prayed with them.
In the evening, there were about forty persons
present at tho service, it being a dark and wet
evening, but those who came remained during
tho whole sctvicc. Many of them had their
lanterns in their hands, and
аз
they entered the
chapel, extinguished the lights, and took their
scats as quietly as any congregation at home,
1. Now, if disciples do not speak lo warn tho
wicked from their evil way, they will die in their
iniquity, as tho text declares. Wo might infer
this from the nature of tho ease. They are poisr
oned by sin, and there is no remedy, save tho
blood of Christ, of which they have no knowledge.
We infer it also from other passages of scripture.
“ For whosoever shall call upon the name of tho
bird, shall he saved. How then shali they call
on him in whom they have not believed ? and how
shall they believe in him of whom they have not
hoatdl and how shall they hear without a
preacher! and how shall they preach except they
bo sent! ” (Rom. x: 13—15.)
2. Their punishment will ho just. They die
in their iniquity. (Text.) They are without
excuse. (Rom. i; 20.) They are worthy of
death. (Rom. i : 32.)
3. Disciples are accountable for tho death of
all who die unwarned. More than 700,000,000
now in heathenish darkness, are dependent upon
Christians of this generation for the knowledge
of Christ. Must they perish! Who' will warn
them? Who will furnish tho means to send
them tho gospel ! II. G.
■ For the Commission.
Short Sermon,
11 When I say unto the wicked,
О
wicked
man, thou shall surely die; if thou dost not
speak to warn tho wicked from his way, that
«irked man shall die in his iniquity; but his
blood will I require at thy hand.”— Ezekiel
xxxiii: 8.
If a man takes poison into his physical system,
it will tend lo destroy it. And his ignorance of
the poison, or the remedy, will not in the least
prevent its fatal operation. A man who is glid¬
ing smoothly down the current, will not be ptc-
veateil from ruin by his ignorance of tho falls
bebtv. Tho text declares tho same principle
tru* with regard to the consequences of sin.
Now all have sinned. (Rom. iii: 0-18.) God
Ktyj the soul that silmeth shall die. (Ezekiel
xvji: 4-20.) Then, unless Christ had died, nil
mint perish. (Acts iv : 10.) Christ lias died,
and offers free salvation to believers. (John hi:
10.) Disciples are commissioned lo go into all
the world and proclaim to every creature that
Clnist has died to save sinners. (Mailt, xxviii:
10,20. Mark x\i: 15, 10.)
For the Commission, ,
Mount Pleasant Association, Mo.
This Association has just closed its annual
meeting. It met In Howard county, at Mount
Olive meeting-house, on tho 0th, 7th and 8th
days of October, 1849. I had the pleasure of
attending the meeting on Sunday, the 7th, and
Monday. The house was crowded wilh females,
lo whom I was invited to deliver a discoutse
after the first sermon. In the afternoon, I was
also pressed to deliver a missionary address to
both males and females, the formet standing out¬
side around the door. Much interest seemed. to
bc.'fblt. and a-coilccttolfffiiblic. and private, «’as
made of S 42 80‘.
On Monday I attended the Association, pre¬
sented my credentials from the Board, and was
cordially invited to a seat as a minister, their
missionaiy and agent. I found in the Associa¬
tion a very affectionate, cordial and working
body of brethren. Their deliberations all seemed
conducted in love— not a discordant note among
them— they
«его
exercising the right spirit, and
teally engaged in matter of fact work, for they
were receiving and counting their cash when I
went in. They had employed two domestic mis¬
sionaries at least a part uf tho year, who repotted
their own progress. They recommended, by
resolution, that tiic chinches should adopt some
systematic plan of collecting funds monthly for
benevolent purposes; and they adopted a resolu¬
tion recommending the “ Missionary Journal,"
and the “Commission,” which are published by
tlic Southern Baptist Convention, at Richmond,
Va., to be patronized by the chuiches and mem¬
bers composing the Association.
Just before leaving, I had tho pleasure' of
making a short missionary address to the Associ¬
ation, which suspended its business in order to
take a final leave of the missionary, with prayers
for his success, with a song and tears. Here lie
had also to give the final parting hand lo n be¬
loved sister, in tho fiesh, and bet children, after
having been separated twenty-six years, to see
them no more. Truly a missionary must be
more than human for such a scene not to try his
soul, his heart, his eyes, and indeed his whole
man. Our meeting anil parting, and indeed the
seven days wo were together, was almost an.en-
liro season of tears. A very good feeling
seemed to pervade the Association in behalf of
our China mission when 1 left; many kind wish¬
es, prayeis and tears, were offered for my future
success in China; ard more than ono testified
their good will by even a more substantial part¬
ing generosity, one of whom slipped a fice dollar
bill into my hat. When 1 left, I felt that it was
well that I had gone, and tho more so, as this,
perhaps, will bo tho only Association I shall
have the pleasure of attending while in the
Stale. I- J. Roberts.
Glasgow, Missouri, Oct. 9, 1849.
