Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. DEAR SIR,-It is known, doubtless, to many of your readers that the article "Baptism," for Kitto's "Cyclopædia of Biblical Literature," was first offered to Dr. Neander, the church historian, and professor of theology in the university of Berlin. In a foot-note, however, appended to the said article, and inserted in the above-named work, we are told that His (the doctor's) multiplied engagements induced him with the editor's consent, to consign the subject to the Rev. J. Jacobi of the same university. The MS. so prepared was accompanied by the following note from the doctor," As my other labours would not permit me to work out the article (on baptism), I requested a dear friend, J. Jacobi, to undertake it, who, by his knowledge and critical talents, is fully qualified for the task; and whose theological principles are in unison with my own."

Well, sir, through the kindness of one of my deacons, I became possessed of a copy of this invaluable work-an example, by the way, which, in numerous instances, might be usefully imitated. Some time ago, I paid a visit to a brother minister who was on the eve of quitting his charge in this neighbourhood for one in the metropolis, whose friends, as a testimonial of esteem, had presented him with this, along with some other biblical works. Taking up the first volume of Kitto, it was my intention to read to him an extract from the remarkable paragraph commencing with the honest, straightforward avowal, “Infant baptism was established neither by Christ nor his apostles:"-but to my utter amazement and perplexity it was not to be found! I went through it very circumspectly, and read the title page, thinking it possible I held in my hand a "second edition, with additions," and subtractions too; but found there no such intimation.

The fact is, sir, part of the original article is suppressed in my friend's copy, and something else substituted, which is, to say the least, but a sorry compensation for the noble testimony of two great and independent minds, careful only to set forth what they knew and felt to be the truth, despite, too, of their sectarian bias. But, sir, what is more amazing still, to this mutilated and interpolated article the names of Neander and Jacobi are still appended.

On these facts I make no comment; but

[blocks in formation]

CONTEMPLATED PROVISION FOR aged
MINISTERS.

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. DEAR SIR,-The leaves of your magazine, and other periodicals of the same description, have within the last few years often testified that there is an impression existing in the Christian church among us, that the claims of aged and faithful ministers are not felt and responded to, in such a way as their character and circumstances demand.

Various plans have at times been suggested as likely to remedy this matter of acknowledged regret and obligation, but none of them have secured that attention to the subject which its sacredness requires. Agitating the subject, may have induced some ministers, at a painful sacrifice, to seek shelter from the apprehended evil in the promises of a life assurance society, and others it may have reminded of a desideratum they had little chance of obtaining, but it has failed to awaken the benevolent sympathies of Christian churches generally. The Wesleyans are the only people that have taken up this subject denominationally. They have done it, and it is well known that those of their ministers who have faithfully devoted their best days to the service of the church, are not permitted to suffer want when enfeebled by age. it is believed that if those on whom the business of providing for the pastor's necessities rightfully devolves, were to present this subject becomingly to the minds of the members of our churches and congregations, they would be found ready to provide as amply for aged ministers as the Wesleyans do.

And

Under these impressions allow me to suggest a plan for the accomplishment of this object that appears to me practicable. Suppose every church, at the settlement of a pastor over them, were to present him with a policy assuring him, say (for example's sake only) thirty pounds per annum after attaining the age of sixty. This would in few cases require.more than ten shillings per month. Long as the minister continued his labours in that place, the premium should be regularly paid for him, but if he removed, the policy should be given up to him, that the people of his next charge might continue the required payments, till the contemplated period was run out.

If something of this kind were generally established, it is probable we should not see churches so often unwilling to invite the services of ministers of advanced, though not enfeebled age; nor Christian pastors so often unhappily clinging to their ordination titles, or chapel endowments, as the only security they had for partial support in their declining

years; and certainly it would free the present | been passed, another Resolution was passed generation of young ministers from the appre-authorizing the sub-committce from which it hension of humiliations, that they know very many of their aged brethren to be enduring. Allow me, then, very respectfully to request the above remarks may have a place in your Y. periodical.

EDITORIAL POSTSCRIPT. Though we have long discouraged anonymous communications, and have made it a rule never to insert any intelligence that came to us in an unauthenticated form, we have been unwilling to adopt the determination now generally avowed by the conductors of respectable periodicals, to refuse every article which is not accompanied with the name and address of the writer. It appeared to us not absolutely necessary to exclude anonymous poetry or anonymous argument, and sometimes we have accepted pieces of the parentage of which we were ignorant. The character of some anonymous communications which the editor has received during the last few months, the apparent disposition of some of their writers to draw him into controversy, and the tenacity with which animadversions on honourable men have, in some cases, been urged, have, however, induced him to resolve that in future he will not notice such pieces in any way. He does not shield himself from personal responsibility by concealing his own name, and he will not allow himself to be made a stalking-horse, from behind which others may privately shoot their arrows. Henceforward, let all correspondents clearly understand, that though it is not always necessary that their names should be made public, the editor does not intend even to read communications which do not bring for his personal information the names of their writers.

Anxious to give every facility for the full discussion of the proposed incorporation of the Baptist Missionary Society, we have published all that we have received on that subject; and we hope that our readers will not think that we have allotted to it too much space. The question having been asked repeatedly, Which is the correct copy of the Report of the Sub-committee, that which appeared in the Baptist Magazine for February, or that which appeared at the same time elsewhere? it may be desirable to explain the origin of the slight variations between them. A few copies of that document were struck off in the beginning of January for the exclusive use of the committee, that every committee-man might have opportunity to deliberate upon its contents before he came to the quarterly meeting at which it was to be discussed. After the Resolution that it should be published had

had emanated to revise it for publication. When this had been done, it was officially given to us for insertion in the Baptist MagaThe Report as it zine, where it appears. appears elsewhere was taken from one of the copies which had been furnished to members of committee before the meeting, and, consequently, before the sub-committee had finally revised it.

We are requested to announce that on Wednesday, April 25th, after the Missionary Sermon at Bloomsbury Chapel, it is the intention of ministers educated at the Bristol, Stepney, and Bradford Colleges, to dine together at the Guildhall Coffee House, adja. cent to the Guildhall, London. Dinner is to be on the table precisely at two o'clock. The price is to be half-a-crown each, exclusive of anything that may be taken to drink. It is intended to spend the afternoon in conference of all the colleges united, or of the colleges separately as may appear expedient and necessary.

Affairs at Rome become increasingly interesting. The pope, who has been for some time an exile, is now, as a temporal ruler, formally deposed. His spiritual supremacy he is to be permitted to exercise, but he is declared to be divested both in point of fact, and in point of right, of all claim to temporal power. A grand Te Deum was chanted on the occasion of the proclamation of the republic, but, it is said that the clergy having refused to officiate, mass was celebrated by a military chaplain assisted by soldiers bearing torches. An order was issued for the removal within three days of every emblem connected with the pontifical reign, and the arms of the pontiff, surmounted with triple tiara are only allowed to figure on church porticos, and over the residences of ambassadors supposed to hold merely spiritual intercourse with the head of the church in reference to their various territories. Though no dependence can be placed upon the stability of the new arrangements, and it is not improbable that efforts will be made by some of the military powers of Europe to restore the deposed pontiff to his former position, the facts are very remarkable, and countenance the expectation that Italy itself will be the centre of the great and terrific struggle which has yet to take place. May the rulers of this country be preserved from the temptation to unite with others in fighting against God!

We have just learned that the Rev. T. Moore is compelled by ill health to resign his charge at Shadwell, where he has laboured twelve years, and that he intends, in pursuance of medical advice, to embark in the spring for Australia.]

[merged small][merged small][merged small][graphic][merged small]

PORT OF SPAIN.

We present our readers this month with a view of Port of Spain, the capital town of the island of Trinidad, a town containing, probably, 20,000 inhabitants, the population of the island consisting of about 80,000. The Mico Institution being compelled to close its schools in 1843, this Society formed a station at this place, purchasing the premises which belonged to the Mico Institution, and Mr. Cowen, who had been their agent, becoming our first missionary. It has been said of this island, that its climate and productions have obtained for it the title of "the Indian Paradise," but when Mr. Phillippo visited it a few years ago he declared that, as compared with the peasantry of Jamaica, the lower classes were awfully demoralized, and it has been found that the difficulties of the missionary were increased by the prevalence of popery, combined, as is frequently the case, with the worst forms of African superstition. Up to the year 1797, the island belonged to Spain. It was then taken by a British force, and was ceded to Great Britain by the treaty of peace in 1801, and much of the leaven of false doctrine still remains; but the field was felt to be a very important and interesting one, and already the clouds which hung over it are beginning to disperse, and we feel sure that our readers have been gratified by the intelligence conveyed through this medium, from time to time, of the progress of the mission.

[ocr errors]

ASIA.

MONGHIR.

A letter has been received from Mr. LAWRENCE, dated 29th November, expressing his regret at having heard of the depressed state of the funds of the Society, and stating that the friends there felt deeply concerned, and had all given their mite towards the liquidation of the debt. He proceeds to state that no conversion had taken place of late, but that he was labouring in hope, and that in the meantime it was gratifying to reflect that the church continued in peace, and that there was much unity and good feeling among the members; that there had been comparatively little illness and no death, and that there had been a valuable addition to the congregation by the removal of a family from Benares, two of whom were members of the Baptist church in that place. He then states,

Brother Hurter has removed to Bhagulpore, where he has built himself a comfortable house, all at his own expense. We have been able to send him an excellent native Christian as an assistant in the mission work there. He draws no support either from our or any other society, but depends for support on his own resources. We have promised to help him from our local funds to sustain a school as soon as he shall be able to undertake the superintendence of it. This is all the assistance he expects of a pecuniary kind. I pray that the Lord may bless his labours there as well as ours here. He purposes making a tour on the hills, in the month of January ensuing. Dear brother Parsons will accompany him.

Native assistants.

It is cause for thankfulness that our native assistants have been favoured with good health throughout the year, and have been permitted to pursue their labours without interruption. They have been much employed this year in visiting the villages and towns around Monghir. Nainsutch takes great delight in itinerating, though advancing in years, and by no means so strong as he was, yet his zeal and diligence is nowise diminished. He continues to labour to the utmost of his strength, and sometimes beyond his strength, for the salvation of his countrymen.

Bazar Schools.

We have been compelled to dismiss one of

the teachers (a heathen) for bad conduct. This occasioned the breaking up of the school for a time, but we have succeeded in reestablishing it. The chief object I seek to attain by these schools is the teaching the children to read, and the making them acquainted with the gospel. In this we succeed but imperfectly, for as soon as the boys can read pretty well, they are taken away to

engage in business; still many of the children do every year learn something of the gospel which they never can wholly forget, and which may, through the divine blessing, prove of the highest benefit. I am thankful to say that the members of our mission families have enjoyed, with the exception of Mrs. Lawrence, pretty good health. On the whole, I think her health is not worse than in former years.

MADRAS.

The Committee have had the pleasure of receiving a letter from Mr. PAGE, dated the 10th of December, stating that Mrs. Page, who had been ill with fever, was better, and that they were both in good health, and conveying the following information.

[blocks in formation]

I am very anxious to do something for the education of the female portion of the East Indian community, many of whom are sadly neglected, and my reason for this is not only the benefit they would themselves get, but the benefit they might confer on the down-trodden native women of India. I am anxious to have an East Indian girls' school, from the elder scholars of which young persons might be selected and trained (as in the Borough Road institution) for the general education of the native female community. I have been thinking very much on the subject, and am most decidedly of opinion that the great desideratum is a band of well trained female teachers, and that they cannot be supplied so advantageously from any community as from the East Indian. 1 am going to make an attempt at the begin

ning of the year, and have put forth an advertisement that a class will be formed in January for young persons of fifteen years of age and upwards, who may desire to devote themselves to native female education. I intend to have them meet every morning from seven to nine. Three days in the week I shall teach them myself, the other three days I shall employ a Moonshee to teach them the Tamil grammatically. They all speak the language in common use, but cannot read it. I shall be well satisfied if I get half a dozen to begin with. book, &c., about £20 a year. For this I of expense, I calculate, will be for Moonshee course am responsible. I look upon the should fail I shall not be either surprised or movement as an important experiment. If it discouraged; if it succeed I shall then aim at the establishment of a large training institution on a broad catholic basis.

The

East Indian society.

I should have no doubt of success if there were a greater number of pious East Indian families, but, as you may suppose, it is not to be expected (perhaps not to be desired) that any would give themselves to so self-denying a work as the education of the poor native girls who are not moved by the love of Christ. O that God would raise up devoted Christian young men and women from the descendants of the British parents settled in India. What a noble work would be before them! Well, with God all things are possible, and why may we not pray, and labour, and hope for that blessing. I think if I could see an active East Indian church taking up the work of evangelizing India as if there were no Christians in the world to toil for it but themselves, I should bless the day that I lost sight of old England as the happiest of my life.

« PoprzedniaDalej »