an excellent discourse, taking as his motto, "What mean ye by this service." In the evening the ordinance of the Lord's supper was administered, when thirteen of the above number were received into the church, the other three belong to the Methodist New Connexion. BAPTISM AT KIRKBY WOODHOUSE.-On Lord's-day April 11th, 1841, we had a public baptism, when Mr. Wood, from Mansfield, kindly afforded us his assistance. In the afternoon the newly-baptized were received into the Church, with one who had previ. ously been a member at Mansfield, making an addition of seven to our little number at T. E. Kirkby Woodhouse. WOLVERHAMPTON.-Since last Noveinber we have had three baptisms, and with additions from other Churches, we now number thirty-nine members. Our congregations are good and still increasing, and we trust some good impressions are made. Our school is very encouraging. A new school-room is much wanted, but the needful is wanting. F. B. BAPTISM AT STONEY-STREET, NOTTING. HAM.-On May 2nd, Mr. Hunter preached, and baptized fourteen persons. gregation was unusually large. Several of the candidates were scholars in the Sabbathschool. The con GENERAL BAPTIST CHAPEL, PRAED STREET, PADDINGTON.-We understand that the church here, have invited Rev. W. Uunderwood, of Wirksworth, to become their minister and pastor, and that having accepted their call, his stated labours commence on Lord's-day, July 11. REVIVAL AT SHORE.-The church at this place, for some time had been in a cold declining state. The measures taken to improve ourselves, one after another failed to attain their object. Several things occurred that cast a gloom over our prospects, such as removals of families out of our thinly populated neighbourhood; supineness and disaffection seemed prevalent in some, the latter is the effect of the former, for if we be indifferent and negligent, satan will find us work of mischief and strife. In this unhappy way we were proceeding as some thought, towards extinction, when a weekly meeting was begun, for the purpose of praying for a revival of religion among ourselves, and for the salvation of sinners. It was not promising at first, but a few were agreed to persevere. So they did, and the meeting began to wear a more encouraging aspect, and in a short time, a better spirit had not only pervaded the church, but also a considerable part of the neighbourhood. Indeed, the spirit was poured out and it came upon us like a gentle gale. The consequence was, an increase of love, energy, and fervour in the conductors of the revival meeting, sinners were strongly impressed, few came once who did not come again; really none could attend without being moved more or less. Since its commencement, sixty-four have been added to us by baptism. There are many now, who are hopeful enquirers, not fewer than sixteen, and more are expected. The meetings are not protracted, seldom exceeding an hour and a half. The prayers mostly short, simple, fervent, and we trust sincere. A short address suitable to the occassion has been given, not occupying more, in general, than a quarter of an hour. Eight persons, or more are employed; not more than three verses of a hymn are al. lowed to be given out by one worshiper. One feature of deep interest, in the practice of the young converts, not yet no. ticed, is as follows: One at the close of a revival meeting in conversation with a number that remained, stated, that he had prayed for three individuals, for whose sal. vation he felt a strong desire, and they were all converted. This occasioned simi. lar statements by several present. The addresses delivered, were plain, fervent, and generally suited to excite, and promote brotherly love, a devotional spirit, and strong sympathy for perishing sinners. These should be kept in view, particularly the last, in keeping up a proper degree of of our brethren have stood aloof, or if unpleawarmth and feeling in the meeting. If any sant words have been spoken, no reference has been made to them as that would have diverted the attention of the worshipers as well as chilled their spirits. During the progress of the revival, there is one thing that has been remarkable in the converts, viz., their boldness in prayer, and in inciting others to flee from the wrath to come; after the public services of the Lord's-day, they have retired into the chapel for prayer, taking with them such as had been moved by the services of the day, when nearly twenty of them have engaged in earnest supplication. This has had a powerful effect on many who have been present on these occasions. Some of us have witnessed the general progress of the interesting change effected with wonder, rejoicing and fear, never having seen, nor been present in so extensive and powerful a revival before, in a place so obscure and thinly populated as the locality of Shore. O that the work begun may deepen, widen, progress, and be permanent; that it may be perfected in the glory and bliss of heaven. THE NEXT ANNUAL ASSOCIATION.The ministers and repesentatives of the General Baptist churches, will assemble at the General Baptist chapel, Brook-street, Derby, on Tuesday, June 29th, at ten o'clock in the morning. The Inn appointed by our Derby friends, is the County Tavern, St. Mary's gate. OPENING OF THE NEW BAPTIST CHA. PEL, BARTON.—The above place of worship having been entirely taken down and rebuilt, with new school-rooms, will be opened for divine worship on Tuesday, June 15th, 1841. The Rev. J. P. Mursell, of Leicester, will preach morning and evening; and the Rev. J. Goadby, of Leicester, in the afternoon. Service to commence at half. past ten o'clock in the morning; at two in the afternoon; and at six in the evening. On the following Lord's-day, June 20th, the Rev. J. Stevenson, A. M., from London, will preach. Service to commence at two o'clock in the afternoon, and at six in the evening. At the close of each of the above services collections will be made towards liquidating the debt on the chapel. In addition to building the above chapel and school-rooms, it has been found necessary to considerably enlarge the buryingground, to fence it round, and to have conveyance made of the newly-purchased ground, all of which will materially increase our outlay; and as we do not intend making any further application to the neighbouring Churches, we hope both our neighbours, and friends at a distance, will favour us at the opening with their kind and liberal support. J. D. POETRY. ECHO. I STOOD On the banks of a swift-flowing river, "Flow on in thy course, rapid stream of the valley, "Then where," I exclaimed "is there hope for the mourner, A balm for his sorrow, a smile for his grief! If beautiful scenes like the present shall vanish, MISSIONARY OBSERVER. MISSIONARY ANNIVERSARIES IN NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE.* Monday.-Rode to within two-and-a-half miles of Gainsborough. Walked four miles to Misterton, and carried my luggage. A gentleman who was obliged to walk the same distance kindly invited me to call upon his nephew and have a cup of coffee, which was very acceptable before I went to the meeting. The persons were entire strangers to me, and unconnected with our people; which greatly enhanced their hospitality. I got to the meeting about an hour after its commencement. Brethren Fogg, of Retford; and Goodliffe, of Kirton; were present. The little ancient sanctuary was filled. I was sorry to find there were only two or three members in Misterton. The chapel will hold about 120 persons; and for some time has been supplied by brother Plowright. It was erected about seventy years ago. Upon inquiry, I found that there are about eight acres of good land connected with this place of worship. The population of the place is about 1000. Many of the houses appeared comfortable, if not respectable. I cannot see why we should not have a considerable interest in this place. Formerly, there were some very respectable persons connected with this place of worship. We were treated with great kindness and affection. Some useful talent, blended with holy zeal, and heavenly love, would, under the blessing of God, soon raise a cause in this place, low as it is. Collection, &c., £1 10s. Od. It appeared, after some anxious inquiry, that there was no conveyance for us; so that on the morrow we set out to walk to Epworth. A young friend walked part of the way to assist in carrying the luggage. A great part of the road was exceedingly monotonous. Here and there was an interesting spot, which afforded a gratifying change to the scenery. After a fatiguing walk, we arrived at this farfamed town-famed not for its vastness of extent, or amount of population, but for the men who were raised up within its precincts to promote the interests of the Church of Christ. When I gazed on the church, situated on a considerable elevation, I thought of Wesley, that wonderful man-that man of piety and zeal, of order and regularity, whose name will be embalmed in the memory of the virtuous and the good to the latest generations of men. The town contains about 2000 inhabitants. I ought to mention Mr. Alexander Kilham, who also was a native of this place who is generally supposed to have been a pious and good man-whose anxious desire, with others of his brethren, was to reform Mr. Wesley's system of Church government. With regard to the merits of each, we must leave them to both parties, and the public to determine. I found my way to the church through a common iron gate; but the avenue up the hill I found very rural. On the left is a beautiful row of trees; in the centre of the avenue a neat walk, or path of flagstones, closely joined together. The church appeared very neat; and near the south door were two plain slabs, beneath which several of the Wesley family were sleeping. Not far from the north-east angle of the church, I saw the trunk of an ancient sycamore, supposed to be planted by Mr. Wesley's father; it is going fast to decay, teaching a daily lesson to every thoughtful beholder, that every thing beneath the heavens is perishing, and that nothing but spiritual life can endure for ever. From the burying-ground, westward, may be seen a distance of at least twenty miles; and a very long way in an easterly direction. The principal part of the town lies contiguous to the Church; but when I came to seek out the chapel belonging to the General Baptists, I found the truth of a remark of one of my fellow-travellers as to the form of the town. He said it was like the letter Y; so I found it, and the chapel almost at the extremity of the tail. So much for the taste and judgment of our forefathers. We had to walk a full mile from the centre of the town to this ancient place of worship. Preached to a small congregation, and collected eight shillings. During the time that one of my brethren was opening The places visited by our brother are unknown to many of our readers. They will, we doubt not, be gratified with his sketches and obervations.-ED. the meeting, I occupied one of the benches, and found that I had a headstone, belonging to a grave beneath, to support my back. The floor had been paved with brick, but it was very uneven. What an absurd and injurious custom to inter the dead within the precincts of the house of God: it is very pleasing that public cemetries are causing such practices to be discontinued. The place was crowded in the evening. We were assisted by the New Methodist minister, as well as by the brother who has been the preacher amongst our friends here for some time. The collection, with five shillings sent by an old lady on the verge of another world, amounted to £1 2s. 2d.; making in all, £1 15s. 2d. I found that our friends, at least some of them, on former occasions had been kindly entertained by persons of other denominations; I felt, however, disposed to lodge amongst my own people. When I said so, a kind-hearted woman, with christian love and human kindness beaming in her countenance, told me that if I could put up with their dwelling, I should be most heartily welcome. Brother Goodliffe and I accepted the invitation. We were treated with great kindness; and although there were three beds in the room where we slept, yet we enjoyed sweet repose under the kind protection of our heavenly Father. Next morning we set off for Crowle. A young friend very kindly sent our luggage by the mail cart, but we had to trudge on foot. There were two or three interesting rural spots which presented themselves to our view, and which gave a pleasing change to the otherwise monotonous scene. On our way we called at an old lady's, who, if I mistake not, was a member of the Church, if Church it might be called. She had extensive property, and was just about to leave it for ever. How necessary that the cause of Jesus Christ should have a corner in our last will and testament. But I love to see the rich supporting it liberally while they are living: they have the pleasure of seeing what may be done. Crowle contains about the same amount of population as Epworth. It is rather more compact; but not, in my estimation, quite so neat a little town. Some of my friends thought otherwise. Here we were most affectionately received, and most hospitably treated. I have seldom been more fatigued, yet had to preach in the afternoon. The collection amounted to 12s. 34d. In the evening we had a good meeting; brethren Fogg, Goodliffe, and myself, together with a minister belonging to the Primitive Methodists, addressed the meeting. Collection £1 10s. 8d.; total, £2 2s. 11d. We were sorry to find that there was little but confusion and disorder in the Church. The chapel, on the whole, is a decent place of worship, capable of holding at least 200 persons. At the distance of two or three seats from the pulpit, the pews are elevated, and continue to rise to the other extremity of the chapel. This was done in order to have a school-room below. In my opinion the school-room is inconvenient; and the back seats of the chapel, especially to tall persons, are equally inconvenient. We found that considerable property belonged to the Church; several fresh trustees had been appointed; a respectable and intelligent friend, though not a member, had the books and papers consigned to his care, and it was hoped, that the most would be made of the property, and that it would be devoted to the sacred purposes for which it was intended. It appeared, however, that the trustees, or part of them, had acted quite out of order. Instead of calling the members of the Church together when they were about to part with the person who had formerly preached amongst them, and to invite another, two or three individuals send off an advertisement to the cover of the General Baptist Repository. There was no Church meeting, no vote taken, no book in which to enter any resolution, except the book containing an account of the property, which of course belonged to the trustees. This was quite contrary to the New Testament, and to the order and discipline of our Churches. We took breakfast at the house of one of the trustees, who seemed most anxious that the property should be devoted to the interests of the General Baptist Church at Epworth, Butterwick, and Crowle. I trust we shall have the pleasure of hearing that he has given his heart to Christ, and his hand to his people. After commending our hospitable friends to the keeping of God, we entered a conveyance, which kept us in pretty good exercise by its various movements, on a road not one of the smoothest; however, I was thankful VOL. 1.-N. S. 2 B for any conveyance, as so much pedestrianism had rather unfitted me for my work. On the way, we were visited by some heavy showers of rain; but leaving our conveyance only one mile short of our next station, we arrived at Butterwick pretty comfortable, in time to partake of a good and substantial dinner at the house of a friend. I preached in the afternoon, and 7s. 9d. was collected. The chapel was not full in the evening. Collection, 13s. 74d. Two young friends had during the year collected £1 17s. 5d.; making in the whole, £2 18s. 9d. I was sorry that one of these could not be persuaded to continue as a collector. The state of things here was even worse than at the other places. The people were driven away from the chapel, or rather, I should say, they would not attend; so that sometimes not more than a dozen persons would be found in the house of prayer, out of a population of perhaps 1500 souls. An old deacon of the Church wished the friends to be called together and state their grievances, but this I declined. If we want the cause of Christ to prosper, if we wish a numerical increase to the Church of God, we must be examples of humility, love, holy zeal, and fervent and continued piety. After the meeting we passed over the Trent to East Butterwick. Here we found a very comfortable lodging. The stars shone clear and bright; Venus was splendid; her glory shed a light over the whole western horizon; and we sung a hymn of praise to Him who gave Venus her grandeur, as the oars of the watermen impelled our boat toward the opposite shore. Next morning, after commending each other to God, we set out on foot; happily, we did not walk more than a mile and a half, when we were met by two conveyances, which rendered the rest of the journey very comfortable indeed. We arrived at Kirton just in time for the morning service: brother Fogg preached. In the afternoon we had our missionary meeting the Independent minister from Redburn kindly assisted us: the place was comfortably filled. In the evening I preached to a crowded congregation. There appeared a very good feeling in all the services; and, I trust, under the blessing of heaven, that some good was done to precious souls. The collections, including Mrs. Nicholson's box, containing £1 3s. 3d., amounted to £5 19s. 7d. It was very agreeable to find, that our cause in this little town was on the increase -that here there was something like order, co-operation, and a spirit of christian love; hence, a considerable degree of prosperity. The chapel will hold perhaps 230 or 240 persons. I understand that it is too small for the congregation, and that it is about to be enlarged. Brother Goodliffe has not laboured in vain. This place ought to be encouraged: the friends are disposed to work themselves. The minister's house is neat and comfortable. The town is singularly situated: the principal part of it, with the exception of the little market-place, is on the declivity of a steep hill. The population is somewhere about 2000. Only let our friends continue to be united, faithful to Christ and to each other, regular in their attention to the means of grace, and they will see their little Church prospering in number, respectability, and piety. I cannot forget the christian kindness with which we were treated by the dear friend in whose hospitable dwelling we found a comfortable home. On Saturday morning, after praving for and with each other, we separated. Brother Goodliffe brought me to Redburn, from whence I travelled to Nottingham by coach. On looking over the places which I have visited, it strikes me, that if the land at Misterton were given into the bands of a minister, to make the most of it, I mean as his salary, that a respectable preacher might be obtained. This could be done without taking the power out of the hands of the trustees. At present the property is doing very little good. It is exceedingly desirable that a deputation of ministers visit these places at the anniversary of the missionary society. They scarcely ever see the face of a strange minister except on such an occasion. Were the association to adopt some plan whereby small Churches may be occasionally visited by regular ministers, there is no doubt but it would be productive of great good. It is a grievous thing that any Church united with us should act in direct opposition to the express desire, request, and regulation of the annual meeting. This last remark does not apply to any of the places visited in my missionary tour. |