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III. To examine the wondrous form in which Jehovah condescends to assure his servant that the project of his infinite wisdom and benevolence shall not fail of accomplishment.

Under the first head of discourse, Dr. Morison endeavoured to show that the simplest and grandest idea of the glory of the Lord is, that assemblage of infinite perfections which combined to form his wondrous character, irrespective of the existence of any of his rational creatures. He then proceeded to take another view of that glory, in the forms in which it may have been displayed before sin entered among a portion of accountable beings. Having glanced at these views of the divine glory, he showed that they were not the immediate subject of the text; that the Christian revelation contained a disclosure of God's character and glory to a sinful race; and that the brightest and most overwhelming manifestation of Jehovah's glory was now to be traced in that surpassing scheme which exhibited the possibility of a sinner's deliverance, through the incarnation and blood-shedding of the Son of God, for the redemption of a lost world.

Under the second head of discourse, the preacher marked the affecting circumstances under which God spake to Moses; and before calling the attention of his auditory to the bright vision of the text, paused to contemplate the past and present mournful state of the world. The picture of Paganism, Mohammedanism, Judaism, nominal Christianity, and even of the true church, was truly mournful. The preacher then proceeded to exhibit the opposite scene; but at the same time entered his warm protest against the personal reign scheme. Four things he regarded as necessary to the fulfilment of the text: 1. That the gospel should be universally proclaimed. 2. That providential events should contribute their aid. 3. That the Holy Ghost must be more largely effused. 4. That the world must be converted to the faith of Christ.

Under the last head of discourse, Dr. Morison dwelt with much force on the absolute and unconditional form of the assurance looked at the state of missionary operations, and warmly eulogized the London Missionary Society.

THURSDAY, May 10.

ANNUAL PUBLIC MEETING,

EXETER HALL, STRAND.

JOHN DYER, Esq., having been called to the Chair, the proceedings were commenced by the Rev. JOHN ARUNDEL, the HomeSecretary, giving out the cix. Hymn in the missionary collection of the Society, beginning,

"How sweet and awful is the place," &c., which was sung by the vast assembly.

The CHAIRMAN then rose and said:-In consequence of the resignation of my muchesteemed friend on my right hand, of the office of Treasurer, and the gentleman who, with your permission, will be proposed to succeed him having declined to take the chair, I have been requested to do so. I, therefore, take the liberty of requesting your kind indulgence, to myself in particular, from the conviction that I am not sufficiently qualified to stand before you on this interesting occasion. Allow me, however, as one of the oldest Directors of the London Missionary Society, to congratulate myself, and many of my friends now present, that we have lived to see the 38th Anniversary of this god-like Institution-an Institution which has done incalculable benefit to the souls of men, not only among the heathen at large, but even among Christians at home; for I have no hesitation in saying, that many in this country have been, individually, benefited, in consequence of the establishment of this

Society. It has also been, under God, the means of awakening the dormant zeal of many who before were engaged in promoting missions among the heathen. It has, likewise, led to the formation of many other societies, bearing very strongly upon it. I believe I may venture to say, without fear of contradiction, that it was, instrumentally, the parent of the Bible Society. We have much cause for thanksgiving, that, by means of the establishment of that Society, the Scriptures have been translated into so many languages, not only among civilized, but heathen nations also. A writer has very justly asked, "Are we to expect that our Bibles will spread their covers for wings, fly through the world, and convert the nations without the agency of Christians?" We may, I think, very fairly answer that question by asking, "How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?--and how shall they hear without a preacher?—and how shall they preach except they be sent ?" Blessed be God! our missionaries have gone forth-they have laboured long-they have laboured hard --and, I think I may venture to say, they have laboured successfully. We have seen especially what has been done in regard to the South Sea Islands, and other distant parts of the world, and we believe that the time is fast hastening when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our

Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

It is not my intention to trespass on your time, because, happily for me and you, I am surrounded by a great number of gentlemen who are well qualified to support and advocate this holy cause. Allow me, however,

just to drop one word. I trust that, as this must be considered a religious meeting, all allusions of a political nature will be avoided. I will now call on one of the Secretaries to read the report.

The Rev. J. CLAYTON then rose and said:Before I present the interesting documents which I hold in my hand, I throw myself upon the candour and kindness of the Chair, while I ask permission to offer one or two remarks to the large assembly now convened within the room. I believe it is well understood, by all who are in the habit of conducting these public meetings, that the Secretaries of your Institution should, on such an occasion as this, somewhat resemble the springs of the watches in your pockets. They are to be comparatively unseen, except, so far as they may be called to explain circumstances which require elucidation, and to make a distinct enunciation of the report for the year. With regard to the latter duty, that naturally devolves upon me this year, and most cheerfully should I proceed, but for two reasons; the first of which relates to myself, since I am exceedingly enfeebled, in consequence of a recent attack of indisposition, which almost disqualifies me for a public appearance; and the second, relating to a valuable individual who will assist me in the engagements of this consecrated hour-an individual well known to the friends of all missions, and to the friends of this Society in particular, as one of the most powerful advocates of the missionary cause from the pulpit, from the platform, and the press. The individual to whom I allude is he who has been the principal instrument in assisting in the Foreign Secretary depart ment of this Institution for the last few months, and who has also been particularly engaged in the construction of the report-I mean the Rev. W. Ellis. I also cast myself on your kindness while I make one additional remark. It may happen that, in the course of our proceedings this morning, there may be an allusion to one or two topics which may excite not only powerful, but very painful, feelings in the mind of every Christian. I trust we shall all carefully recollect, therefore, that religion is given not only to excite our affections and passions, but also to discipline and to control them, and keep them under due and proper subordination; and also to empower us so to conduct our public meetings, in conformity with the principle suggested from the chair, as to leave upon the popular mind an impression of the piety of their character. ́ We

are assembled together to advocate the cause of God-to advance the best interests of millions-and thus to promote the glory of Him who gave himself for the sin of the world. I venture, therefore, to express my confident anticipation, that, with a certain holy guard kept upon our minds, this meeting, in particular, will be distinguished by its sacred intelligence, by its sacred fire, and by its sacred affection too; and that, in the exercise of deep gratitude to God, and of a kind, charitable, and catholic feeling one towards another, we shall bring our Association into a nearer resemblance than ever to that of the angels of light and blessed spirits above, who dwell in those happy regions of love and peace, of which we so often sing in our Christian assemblies.

Rev. Messrs. CLAYTON and ELLIS, then, in succession, read an abstract of the Annual Report, the leading features of which (and we are desirous that all the members of the Society should particularly notice this statement) were the DECEASE OF MISSIONARIES, the DIMINUTION OF FUNDS, and IMPORTANT OPENINGS FOR EXTENDED OPERATIONS, each of them presenting powerful motives for increased efforts on behalf of the Society.

W. ALERS HANKEY, ESQ. then stood forward to present the cash account, from which it appeared that the total ordinary receipts of the Society, during the past year, amounted to £34,568 3s.. 8d.; and for special objects £517 3s. 2d.; and the expenditure to £39,240 10s. 7d. The Society had been under the necessity of selling £3,700 Exchequer bills, and was now in debt to the Treasurer the sum of £852 8s. ld.; such is the summary (continued Mr. Hankey) of your financial affairs. Happy should I have been, in performing this concluding act of my office, if I had had it in my power to tell you that the two branches of your prosperity had run in pa rallel lines, and thus have sustained those feelings of gratification which the former part of the report cannot but have excited in your ** minds. But such is not the case. You have had prosperity in that which lies nearest to your heart-in that which it has been for the honour of God himself to confer upon you. All that you could expect on his part has been performed, for you have heard of the success of your operations in every quarter of the world. With regard to that part of the prospects of the Society which has been dependent on the zeal and the efforts of man, that certainly has fallen short; for the income of the Society, including all its branches, has been this year £6,300 less than it was last year. But one part of it has not at all depended upon any human arrangements. That portion resulting from legacies has been short this year £2,740 of what it was last year. But we have to congratulate ourselves that our friends are living, and will dispense

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with their own hands those benefits to the Society which, in case of their removal to a better world, in which they could not have the honour of contributing to the cause of God on earth, they had intended to leave as a lasting memorial of their attachment to your Institution. But there is nothing in the statement that I have read that makes it necessary to utter a single note of despondency. It is true that the voluntary part of the subscriptions, which are the best indication and index of the zeal of the churches in supporting the Society-I mean those that arise from personal subscriptions and other contributions-has fallen short of the preceding year to a serious amount: such I will call it, for it is no less than £3,500; and I am quite sure there is no one who hears me that will not think it a subject of very considerable diminution of satisfaction; because that which ought to have been progressing, like the other parts of the Society's interests, has, on the contrary, been retrograding. But I say this only as a means of stimulating to those future exertions that will be more than adequate to counterbalance all the deficiencies of the past year. I trust that will be one of the happy results of the meeting of this important day. The very idea of relaxation in the cause in which we have embarked is wholly inadmissible. There can only be two legitimate grounds for such relaxationone of which is, that the cause has lost its importance in the esteem of the Christian community, and the other, that the end we had in view has been fully accomplished. Will any of us say that either of these is the case? Surely not. It, therefore, only remains for us constantly to go forward and make progress, till the object which the Society, not only from principle but from affection, embraces has been fully accomplished. The Society is advancing in its most impor tant interests; the reports that we are receiving from day to day are cheering in the highest degree, and encouraging to our Christian efforts. Truly I can say this is not the day for relaxation in any one of those objects that are necessary to our final and complete success. Addressing you, therefore, as a Society, and after having sustained so long the office which I have done in it, I beg to tell you, and all the members of the Society through you, that you are not only under obligations to God, but you have come under obligations to man. There is an implied and strong engagement subsisting between yourselves as a Society, and those to whom you charge with the management of your affairs. You expect from them fidelity and zeal, and you pledge to them an adequate degree of support in all their well-intended measures. The report that has been made to you will be, as it were, the Judge between you. That report will tell you how far the directors have done their duty in the management of your affairs;

and your opinion will be proved in a short time by the vote that you will pass upon it. The financial report rises up to tell you in what manner and to what degree you have fulfilled the obligations which you have voluntarily laid yourselves under to them. From the experience that I have had in the management of your affairs, I can truly tell you that the directors need not the addition to their ordinary labours of the care and anxiety which a deficiency in the funds must necessarily throw upon them. Your affairs, so far as they are secular, bear a commercial character; and I will tell you what is plain fact and truth, that your business can no more be managed successfully with defective funds than any other commercial establishment can be with insufficient capital; and therefore, as this is not a thing dependent upon the option nor upon the inclination of those charged with your affairs, I beg you will take it seriously into consideration, and feel it is your duty to take care that the directors of the Society have both ample and timely supplies of funds for the maintenance of their necessary engagements on its behalf.

I have another fact to state to you, and that is, that the expenditure of the past year has exceeded that of the preceding year by about £1,050. Now this is a very moderate increase, and I have always held out to you that excess in each year is the proper and natural course of your affairs. So long as they are going on prosperously there is no impeding this progress, because every where success generates a necessity for additional expenses. An increase of schools is requisite, and various other things, and this necessarily leads the missionaries to call upon your directors for larger supplies, the refusal of which would frustrate their intention and impede their operations. But how is this necessary advancement of your funds to be attained? Not merely as the effect of a temporary excitement. Showers, which may fall into your reservoirs in such seasons as those, are soon exhausted, because they cannot be expected to be seasonably supplied. But allow me to tell you what it is that that excitement ought really to produce. It ought to lead the individual, under the influence of those holy feelings to which just excitement always contributes, to say, What shall I render unto the Lord? That is the question which the slightest consideration of our ob ligations, not to say serious deliberation upon them, will propose. It is a question addressed to conscience, to the feelings, to the moral sense of each individual, and, there* fore, it is a question not to be resolved and satisfied, as it were, by the mere act of a moment, but it is to be taken into the closet, where the whole import of it is to be weigh ed; and after the individual has reviewed what God has done for him, and requires of him, let him act upon the answer which

conscience dictates; and then, I apprehend, with submision to my reverend friends around -to whom I ought not to preach--the inquirer will have found a genuine and legiti mate application of the text.

Now, I trust there is no need whatever for any further remarks from me, but, before I sit down, I must say that my esteemed friend, who is to be my successor in the office of treasurer, will feel the need of an increased attention on your part to the obligations that I have thus endeavoured, though feebly, to point out-I mean not only in an ample, but also in a timely supply and recruiting of the Society's resources. In the situation in which I stood, connected with commercial life, which my friend is not, I had opportunities and facilities, which I was always happy to employ, of rendering assistance to the cause in seasons of need, and thus economizing the resources of the society, which an individual not in a similar situation cannot have. Therefore, I beg to say, on behalf of my esteemed friend and successor in office, that you must, if you please, be more attentive to him in the management of his department than it was necessary that you should be towards myself. I have been under very large advances indeed, from time to time, which you cannot expect to receive, under different circumstances, from similar resources; and very, very sorry should I be to see the affairs of the Society cramped in any way from a defect in the required supplies. Having thus acquitted myself, in some measure, of the obligation I felt myself under to address you on these topics, and fulfilled what my regard for the interests of the Society has led me to state, I beg your acceptance of that part of the report which it has been my duty, and, as I esteem it, my privilege, also, to present on this occasion.

JOSIAH CONDER, Esq., moved the following Resolution:

I. That the Report which has been read, and which contains ample materials to excite devout thankfulness to God, for his continued smiles on the operations of the Society be accepted and printed in the usual form.

JOSIAH CONDER, Esq., in rising to move the first resolution, spoke to the following effect-I will not waste one moment of the precious time of this audience by expressing what I nevertheless feel most deeply, my inadequacy to discharge the duty which the kindness of the committee has imposed upon me. The motion which has been put into my hands, points out what is the feeling which every speaker upon this platform ought to endeavour to excite in his own heart, and in the hearts of those whom he addresses. Devout gratitude to God is, indeed, the element at once of humility—that humility which especially becomes us when

engaged in such a cause as this. It is also the element of zeal and activity. I might appeal to you all, whether the report does not, according to the language of the motion, contain ample materials to excite devout thanksgiving to God. Truly was it observed, in the report, that the era in which we live is the most important era the world has ever seen since the apostolic age; and, if it will not be trespassing too much on your time, I would take a hasty retrospect of the past, in order to contrast the circumstances attending our missions, at this moment, with what they would have been about a century ago, had they then been established; for it is only by a contrast of this kind that we can arrive at a correct idea of the real aspect of the times, and the real position which this coun try occupies. When I reflect, indeed, what would have been the gratification of the founders of this society, could they, thirtyseven years ago, have conceived it possible that such a meeting as this would have been assembled upon such an occasion; I feel astonished at the wonderful progress which the cause has made within that short space of time. But allow me to ask you to place yourselves, in imagination, in the political condition in which you would have been one hundred years ago. At that period, as you

must be well aware, there was not, strictly speaking, a single Protestant Missionary Soci ety in operation.* With the exception, at least, of the Danish Mission in the south of India, every Christian mission among the heathen, was a Roman Catholic Mission, and the only religion in the world that was not mak ing progress, was the Protestant faith. One

*The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, incorporated in 1701, was formed for the purpose of sup plying the British colonies with Episcopal ministers and schoolmasters; and though some attempts were made to bring the Mohawk Indians under Christian instruction, the design was soon abandoned, and the operations of the society among the heathen have been very inconsiderable. In 1709, the Society in Scotland, for Propagating Christian knowledge, was established, the chief design of which was the extension of religion in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. By this society also, between 1732 and 1772, some feeble attempts were made to establish missions on the borders of New England among the Indians; but they were unsuccessful, and were soon relinquished. But the first society formed with the express view of planting Christianity in Foreign parts, was the society or company for the propagation of the gospel in New England, constituted under the sanction of an act of parliament in 1646, and re-established by royal charter in 1663. This society originated with the Puritans or Non.

hundred years ago, what was the political condition of the world? The great powers who divided the empire of the world amongst them, were France (which had succeeded to the predominance of Spain), Germany, Holland, Turkey, and India, the latter under a Mohammedan ruler. What was the political condition of Great Britain at that period? The total number of the subjects of the King of Great Britain, including all its dependencies, was, I believe, under 13,000,000; so that it was not equal to that of the United States of America, at this period. What is the number of the subjects of the British sceptre at the present time? Upwards of 152,000,000, which is more than a sixth portion of the human race;—considerably more than the population of the Roman empire; nearly double that of the nations now subject to Mohammedan rulers; and greatly exceeding the number of those who acknowledge the supremacy of the pope, who professes to be the head of the catholic world.* Now when we only look back for 100 years, and see the wonderful change, which, by the providence of God, has been made in the distribution of political power, a man must indeed be an atheist not to be struck with the fact, and to exclaim, "6 What hath God wrought!" And why hath he wrought it?

After the Portuguese power had been overthrown in India, a Portuguese priest of Goa was asked, "When do you expect that your nation will recover its power in India?" The answer of the priest was, "As soon as the wickedness of your nation shall exceed that of ours." Now God has given India to us; and let us consider for a moment what is involved in the trust. Upwards of 120 millions of human beings are thus placed under the sceptre of England. England has conformists; and it still exists under the name of the New England Company. But its operations have not been worthy of the pious design of its founders. The Danish Mission, at Tranquebar, dates from the year 1710. The foundations of the Greenland Mission were laid by Hans Egede, in 1721. The Moravians commenced their modest labours in the missionary field in 1732. But these obscure proceedings excited little interest in the Christian church; no general feeling was awakened; and the rise of the missionary spirit dates from the closing years of the last century.

*Malte Brun estimates the number of Roman Catholics, throughout the world, at only one hundred and sixteen millions; that of Mohammedans at one hundred and ten millions. The subjects of the various Roman Catholic states, according to Balbi, form an aggregate of one hundred and thirtyfive millions; those of Moslem states, seventy-two millions.

succeeded, within the past century, to the possessions of Holland, and of Portugal in India; she has also succeeded to the empire of the Mohammedan sovereigns of India-to the commercial ascendancy of the Venetians in the Levant-has, in fact, by the pòlitical and moral ascendancy she has attained, more nearly approached to universal empire than probably any other empire of which we read in the page of history. Well, therefore, may we feel that we occupy a deeply responsible trust. Now what has been done by missionary exertions in India? It may be thought that hitherto little has been effected; little, when the amount of success is compared with the vast amount of the population. But those best acquainted with India will tell you, that you must not judge of the effects of missionary exertion there by the number of converts. Gratifying as it is to think that any have been rescued from the deplorable state of idolatry which has prevailed there, and, if a single soul only be saved, it is a matter of rejoicing among the angels of God; we must rather look at the general state of society there--at the change which has already begun to take place. We are assured, by those who are impartial judges of the fact, that idolatry has been undermined, that it is tottering on its base; and we may believe that the time is drawing nigh when a revolution will take place in India, somewhat similar to that which God has wrought in the South Sea Islands. When you consider what is being effected in the shape of schools for the instruction of the rising generation; when you hear also of the multiplication of printing-establishments there of a native press in India, what may we not look for? When you hear, again, of whole villages in Southern India casting their idols to the bats, pulling down their pa godas, or devoting them to the worship of the true God, must we not believe that God is really working with us, and on our hehalf; and that we have ground to hope that we shall be spared as a nation? God gave India to Portugal, but she was unfaithful to the trust, and lost all her possessions there. He gave Holland the ascendancy in the Indian seas, but Holland was unfaithful to her trust; for, though she did introduce a species of Christianity in her dependencies, yet the result has proved that it was neither the work of the Spirit of God, nor any thing more than the device of secular policy. Now God has put India into the hands of England-and for what end? The language of divine Providence to us, as a nation, is that which was addressed to ancient Israel :"Not for your sakes do I this."

I must not take up your time by adverting to other subjects of thanksgiving in the report. I understand that the information from the South Sea Islands is highly gratifying, and affords a triumphant refutation of

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