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as I do not myself belong to this portion of the Church, that your prayers should be given first, of course, for your own Society, but also for every other evangelical effort that shall be made for China. I have great pleasure in seconding the resolution.

The Rev. JOHN ALDIS, in supporting the resolution, said: I have been requested to take this place simply as a sort of representative of the Baptist denomination. The Resolution distinctly points us to the great ultimate object we contemplate in regard to China-the salvation of the souls of the people. We must not lose sight of this; if we did, our object would be shorn of its glory, and our motives of their strength. This is the lowest point at which we can aim, and it is also the highest. We shall confer, no doubt, many advantages upon the Chinese; we shall give them ampler liberty, higher knowledge, more liberal views, cleaner streets, and more loving homes; but what we want supremely to confer upon them is the great salvation. We regard them all as we regard man everywhere in his natural condition, as guilty, depraved, and lost; and we wish to see them become forgiven, renewed, sanctified, and saved, that they may join with us in doing God service upon earth, and in celebrating his praise in heaven. There is a reference in the Resolution to the period during which these exertions have been continued. Forty-six years! That is a large portion of human life. The great majority of us were unborn when this work began; and of those who witnessed and aided its commencement few, comparatively, survive. Yet these years have not perished; not only have they gone up to the judgment to be examined, but they live upon the earth now, in holy and happy influences. They have laid the foundation, and prepared the materials; they call upon you to rise and build, that the top stone may be placed on the edifice; they have mustered, and accoutred, and disciplined the hosts; they call on you all to press forward, and smite the adversary, and possess the land, for you are fully able to do it. The Resolution also refers to those thirty excellent men who have been sent out by the Society. Some of them, as we have learned, have fallen on the field. We do not lament for them. We rejoice, and give God thanks

on account of them; but the question recurs, Who will go to fill up the places of the dead? Who will meet the new demand for ten additional Missionaries? Could their life have been better employed than it was? Could it by a possibility have been either more godlike in its course, or more peaceful at its close! Is Christian ambition entirely extinguished? Is there no passion to be stirred in the heart but by the love and the hope of gold? Oh! there is a Spirit on high, and that Spirit shall come down in answer to prayer! Oh! that it may be as a fire in the hearts of many, and give them no rest till they are constrained to say, "Here we are, send us!" It is vain, absolutely foolish, for us to attempt or pretend to predict the future, nor in this particular connexion does there seem to be any necessity for it. That which has been wrought already has been sufficiently wonderful. That this old homestead of humanity, whose inhabitants seemed wrapped in death-like slumber, should hear some voice of mercy, and be rubbing its eyes and asking, "Is it morning?"-that this longclosed empire should not only be penetrated at last, but have the hearts of its people impregnated with the living word-that these immoveable and stagnant millions should at last have been stirred freshly, as when the winds play on the surface of the lake, and deeply, as when the moon leads on the mighty tides of the ocean-that this strange people, at once braggarts and cowards, the very impersonation of cowardice on the one hand, and of vaunting on the other, should be taught at once to become modest and brave that those who had been steeped in the most exclusive forms of suspicion and malice should have learned to stretch out their hands to" the outer barbarians," and treat them with a kindness and courtesy which their Christian brethren would do well on all occasions to imitate,-these results are wonderful enough, and we need not speculate about the future, but exclaim, "What hath God wrought?" Seeing, then, what he has done, you may take heart to go on in this good work; and I pray God to guide and abundantly prosper you. There was a fact connected with the first develop. ment of these circumstances that struck my mind much. It was this. When the

tidings came that a great revolution had taken place, and, further, that a religious element was mixed up with it, the leaders, or, as Kossuth calls some of them, the misleaders of opinion in this country, speculated about the possible cause and agency that had been at work. First of all it was declared to be the Jesuits and the Church of Rome-none else were sufficiently powerful; next, it was said to be Nicholas and the Greek Church-none else sufficiently wily; and while this was declared, there were glorious hopes and jubilees of the most ecstatic description. But at last it came out that the true agents were unrecognised Protestant Missionaries; and then some were dumb, others murmured, others detected faults, others proclaimed all that was evil, and exaggerated that evil, and found evil that they had never looked upon, or thought about before. And so it must be.

This is

an illustration of a great principle: "Therefore, the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not." Your ambition has been, not that men should applaud you for your work, but that God should honour you in it; and rely upon it, you will find that this illustrates His method of procedure in the Church from the beginning,-by Joshua's rams'-horns, by Gideon's pitchers, by Paul's thorn in the flesh, by the work of the fishermen in Galilee, nay, supremely, by Him of whom we read,--" He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground." Such, therefore, being your position, and such your prospects, go on. But, the Resolution preeminently calls upon you to offer grateful praise to God for all that He has enabled you to do. This is your duty; this will be your strength. You have very many mercies; they deserve to be set to music, and celebrated in songs. It is thus they do with God's kindness in heaven. You shall never rightly understand it, or fully enjoy it till you do the same. Till then you will never be in a position to ask for fresh mercies, nor to enjoy and use them if God should see fit to give them. God has called you to this act of thanksgiving by what he has done; he has therein given you the theme of the song, the best reason for offering it, and the strongest impulse to do so. He says, from the

depths of his innermost love, "Let them shout for joy;" yes, "Let them shout for joy;" and it shall wrap the whole earth round as with delicious music; and the response shall come from the wild Bechuanas, the scattered Malagasy, and the humble wanderers in the South Sea; ay, from many a heart among those rude and unsettled multitudes moving on the surface of China. "Let them shout for joy," says our God and Father in heaven, and it will awaken responses in the hearts of the wise, the holy, the devout, and the good, in the sanctuary and in the closet, in the circle of friendship and in the exercises of public worship. "Let them shout for joy," says God, and he himself will reflect back your thanksgiving in new forms of blessings on your labours and in your hearts. They shall come swift as the lightning, glorious as the sunbeam, noiseless and refreshing as the morning dew; and thus the blessing shall be commanded upon you which God did command in Zion, even life for evermore.

The CHAIRMAN put the Resolution, which was carried unanimously.

The Rev. Dr. ARCHER moved the next Resolution. He said: My Lord, I have much pleasure in moving this Resolution, and at this hour I will merely move it. The Resolution is as follows:

"That the present state and prospects of China demand from the friends of the London Missionary Society the most energetic measures, for the purpose of adding at least ten new labourers to the present number of its Missionaaries; and to accomplish this important object, the Directors be instructed to present an urgent application to affluent friends of the Society for their generous contributions; and also to the pastors and officers of the several churches affiliated with the Society for simultaneous collections on the fourth Sabbath in January next."

The Rev. J. B. BROWN: My Lord, you may easily imagine that I find myself placed by my friend Dr. Archer in a somewhat dif ficult position. If an old veteran like DrArcher, and he has a better knowledge of public meetings than I have, thinks it time to bring this meeting to a close, it seems presumptuous in me to say one word except to support the Resolution. On the other hand,

my friend Dr. Tidman says, "By no means only support the Resolution, but say some few words to commend it to the meeting." But I feel that there is another ground rendering the support of this Resolution somewhat difficult, which is, that every speaker who has preceded me has spoken to it. It is after all the Resolution of the meetingsending out ten fresh Missionaries to China -and some how or other this thought bas haunted the mind of each of the previous speakers, and it has been amply sustained. Now, in saying a few words-and they shall be but very few-in support of it, I must at once frankly confess that I dare not enter into any prophecy; I dare not even conceive to myself any anticipations with regard to the immediate future of this great empire which now claims our notice. The temptation to prophesy under such circumstances, when these mighty social and political revolutions are proceeding, must be sternly repressed. A long and serious discipline awaits China. Only by suffering are men and nations forwarded on the path of progress; the day of God is a long day, and it needs much faith and patience to wait to the end of it. By suffering he purges nations and individuals, and afterwards, and sometimes long afterwards, "it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them who are exercised thereby." Four years ago what confident expectations were entertained, and what confident prophecies were uttered, that the year of European enfranchisement was come, that the yoke of Papal tyranny was just broken off the nations, and that Europe was entering on a career of peaceful progress and development that would conduct her to Millenial glory and bliss. Alas! how soon has the cloud settled down again over Europe! The Papacy and absolutism have again, for a time and let us say for the last timetriumphed over it, and, to a great extent, the former state of things has been restored; and we are compelled to feel and to fear, that there are yet many years of suffering, and struggle, and painful discipline before Europe ere she reaches that peaceful haven which we thought she would have entered some years ago. So with regard to China. With the history of Europe, during these past years, fresh before us, we must

not dare to prophesy; but one fact we will lay hold upon, and we will hold it joyfully, that, by the work of Providence, a plough has been driven deeply into the soil of human thought, and feeling, and passion, which has long been lying sterile beneath the fossil of Chinese civilization. The human heart, for the first time in China, is stirred; the human field is opened for the first time for cultivation, and whatever be the result of this great movement, whatever its political fruits, one thing we are sure of,-China can never be as deaf, as heartless, and as dead as hitherto to all but selfish and earthly interests. The crust has been shattered-it has been shattered for ever-and the Lord's highway, his own highway for the preachers of His Gospel, has been prepared. The Resolution I hold in my hand speaks about ten men. My Lord, I cannot but cling to this word "men." The book, as you have heard, is a precious book; it can reach where men do not, and do a work where men sometimes cannot come; but, after all, the aspect of a human countenance, and the speech of a human voice, are the mightiest and most excellent instruments; and I think it is no derogation to the honour due to the British and Foreign Bible Society in the noble and glorious effort they have inaugurated, to say, that I believe the question of the men stands first. Ten men among three hundred millions of Chinese! That is how it stands here in this Resolution. "Well, it is but a small matter," you will say, "ten men among three hundred millions!" My Lord, Heaven does not reckon by our measures. In the Church of Antioch, in ancient times, the Church of Antioch said, "Separate me two men for the work of the ministry." Those two men, Barnabas and Paul, went forth, and through them the whole Roman world was won to Christ. I say, give us men of that faith and mould; men of cultivated and disciplined minds, yet full of pity for the lost; men of vehemence and yet continent; men with fiery energy in them, yet gentle, patient, and loving as children; men of large-hearted and catholic charity; men patient, noble, generous; above all, men whom the love of Christ constraineth; men who are able to preach Christ's Gospel with words winged by their convictions and backed by

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sdeemer, the spoils of China shall not be e least, and there shall be "joy in heaven" cause this "son was dead but is alive ain, was lost but is found."

The Resolution was then put and card, after which the collection was made. Sir C. E. EARDLEY moved the last solution, which was as follows:-"That the best thanks of this meeting be esented to the Right Honourable the Earl Shaftesbury for his kindness in presiding the present occasion, and conducting the siness of the meeting."

He said, There is a principle embodied in + London Missionary Society which can more be excluded from it than an insect 1 be obtained from a piece of amber unless amber be broken in pieces, and that is, it it was founded with the intention of nbining all good men together. Can ything be more opportune than that over Society which combines all good men, the end of all good men should to-day have resided? The last few months have made e know how well that title appertains to he President of this day. I am sure you Fill all join in offering a vote of thanks to ord Shaftesbury. That is my No. 1, which I have tried to get within a Minute. My second point is this --We have been sking young men to join us as Missionaries I feel that there are two other classes who ought to unite,--those who are to go forth to preach the Word, and those who, in God's providence, may be able to contribute to send it. Now, I would just throw out a hint to the Directors of this Society. On this occasion I should be unwilling myself to make an offer upon conditions; but to what I am about to state the Directors may attach any conditions they please. I think there should be a condition attached to it. I should not like to afford help in this manner without others being induced to render similar help. I have put down my name, as you have heard, for 100. towards the object in view. I should like to do something more. With this donation of 1007. I should'ike to combine, for eight years, 50% per annum, leaving it to the Directors of the London Missionary Society to attach such conditions to it as they may think proper. I will contribute that amount if they

can get what they consider a proper number of persons to co-operate. That is my No. 2. My No. 3 is this,--After the scene we have had to-day, I do not know what we are made of if we do not learn two lessons, one for home, the other for Missions. The one for home I will inculcate myself, the one for Missions I shall leave for my friend, Mr. Brook, rector of Avening. My lesson for home is, that we should strive more and more to put forth those great principles of the Gospel of Christ in which we all agree, and to throw into its proper place every secondary question. There are two things which I pray God to enable me to bear in mind. One is, that I may be enabled never to deviate from principle and from conviction, to hold fast to the truth whatever may be the consequences. The other is,-and I believe it to be quite as important as the foregoing, that I may keep secondary matters in their secondary places, and let the world and the Pope see-and I always consider the Pope as part of the world-that on the grand primary question of the propagation of the Gospel we are one at heart, however we may differ with regard to minor points. The other topic is one which, as I stated before, I shall leave to be dealt with by Mr. Brook. I will only remark, that in the field of Missions, Christians ought to be much more united than they have ever yet been. We ought to be constantly taking leaves out of one another's books,—we ought to be consulting together as to how we may strengthen each other's hands. We ought to be uniting in a thousand ways which involve no sacrifice of principle. Having made these observations, I will conclude by most sincerely proposing our thanks to the Chairman.

The Rev. Mr. BROOK, rector of Avening, in seconding the Resolution said: I wish to make a few remarks on the subject which has just been indicated by Sir Culling Eardley. I think you must all have been impressed by the tone and spirit in which this meeting was opened-first, by the paper which was read, and secondly by the speech of the President. That paper and that speech tended to this-that the great movement initiated to-day on behalf of China ought to be commenced in a catholic spirit.

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