472 Missionary Retrospect and Foreign Intelligence. NETHERLANDS. Majesty ordered a church in Tournay to be set apart for him to preach in when he pleased, and has settled fifty pounds Gen-a-year upon him to preach the gospel, and signed the order with his own hand. The king is accessible to the lowest of his subjects. I heard De F- twice in the church last Lord's-day, and in the evening in a private house. He delivered a very pleasing and useful discourse in the afternoon on the new birth. It is at present a day of small things. His audience in the city amounts to about 60; and he preaches in a village three Pro-leagues from Tournay to about 130 persons, who come out of seven villages. He says, that he has reason to believe there are above ten persons, since he has been in the country, who have been savingly converted to God, most of whom were Roman Catholics. They have renounced Popery, and are much persecuted by their relations and the priests. I have conversed with much pleasure with his little flock. You must recollect that in Brabant the people are all bigoted Roman Catholics, who would persecute the Protestants to death. The government is mild, tolerant, and Protestant. Brabant is to Holland, what Ireland is to England; it is full of ignorant and furious Papists. In France it is quite the reverse. There the government is bigoted, and thoroughly devoted to the priests, who triumph; whilst the lowest of the people are much more enlightened than their government. The majority of the people in France laugh at and despise the mummeries of po pery, and cordially hate the priests. The government have augmented the salaries of the priests two-fifths, and reduced the pensions of the soldiers. I have seen the French Protestant minister at Brussels. He is a converted character. He preaches the gospel, has the interest of Christ at heart, and has lately opened a lecture on Sunday evenings, which is well attended. Here is a Wesleyan Methodist preacher, who preaches in a room. Extract of a Letter from an English Oh, that the drop may become a rivulet, the rivulet a river, and the river an ocean! May the Lord hasten it in his own time, amen. Yours, &c. &c. T. B. BAPTIST MISSION. INDIA. Extract of a Letter from Dr. Marshman to Dr. Ryland, dated Feb. 15, 1818. I Now write merely to send you a half-finished copy of a "Review of the Mission." The rest will follow, I hope, in a week; it may indeed reach you before this. My heart has been cheered beyond measure in writing it. The Lord is surely blessing the Mission, and that abundantly. He will plant the gospel in India. Four hundred baptized in these three years past;-the gospel made known in twenty-five stations, of which twenty are occupied by gifts he has raised up in India. not do? Bless the Lord with us, and What can he trust him evermore. Mr. Phillips to Mr. Hinton; Samarang, January 1, 1818. I ARRIVED at Samarang on the 9th of November, and am now occupying the house which Mr. T. occupied, and in which he finished his course. To all human appearance, the cause of the Java Mission suffered severely when he was called away. Perhaps more missionaries may here finish their course before much is done towards the conversion of the Javanese; but whether this may happen or not, is not our concern. To attempt to gain access into these strong holds of Satan is our duty; and if we should meet with death in the endeavour, it will be a pleasurable reflection in the moment when heart and flesh shall fail, to think that we have in any way laboured for God. An indulgent Providence has preserved me during the most sickly part of the year from any very severe sickness. I have occasionally been unwell, but am now in the possession of a good share of health. My wife has also been restored from a fever, with which she was distressingly afflicted. Our babe is in good health, and is a great comfort to us in our retired situation. My course of employment is as follows:-On Sabbath morning, I preach or expound at Mr. Diering's, on the west side of Batavia; in the afternoon, I preach in a house on the east side; and English worship in my own house, when at seven o'clock in the evening, I hold attend. On Monday evening I hold a a few Americans and English sometimes prayer-meeting in Batavia, to pray for the spread of the gospel in Java. We have two or three praying friends, beevening I speak to a few people, at Mr. sides Diering and myself. On Tuesday Diering's; and on Wednesday evening I explain the scriptures to a few poor people, at a house about midway beThursday evening I call my servants totween Batavia and my own house. On gether, and any neighbours who choose to come, and speak to them for half an the same house as on the Sabbath afterhour. On Friday evening I preach in noon; and on Saturday evening I shut myself up in my study. The rest of my time is spent in studying, writing, &c.; and in doing many things which I canregular task, I have not an hour, from not particularize. When I perform my rising in the morning to the time of retiring to rest in the evening, for reading an English book: yet, after all, the Musselmans and Chinese are almost neglected; I mean, as it respects going to talk in part supplies this deficiency, by going to them in their own houses. Diering about whenever he has leisure, to talk to the people, and deliver tracts; and I have several other friends, who assist me much in the distribution of tracts. Dier. is a very valuable acquisition to the Java Mission. I have never yet seen a I have endeavoured to collect an English congregation, and have succeeded in persuading a few persons to attend worship at my house on Lord'sday mornings. I have begun to preach in Malay. The Sabbath before last, I had about twelve persons present: some of the Javanese understand Malay, and I have signified my intention to preaching to them every Sabbath evening. 1 have begun to learn Javanese: I person born in a hot country, who pos .VOL. X. $ P sesses his energy of mind, and talent for exertion. He is employed in a mercantile house, where he does more business than two or three other persons would do; but not content with that, he employs every half hour he has to spare in the service of the Mission. I sometimes hope that the Lord's having given mé this helper, is a token for good. We stand in great need of help, and if I thought the funds of the Society were adequate to it, I should press the sending of two more missionaries to Batavia; one to learn Chinese, and another to assist me in the Malay. help to me. We have begun a prayermeeting on Monday evening, but it is not very well attended. There are three persons, besides Diering and myself, who sometimes engage in prayer. If we may judge by their prayers, there is some reason to hope well of each of these persons, for they pray like Christians: but after so many disappointments, my hopes are not very sanguine. I hope there may be one or two amongst the female part of my hearers who are pious; but still my hopes are mixed with fears. At our prayer-meetings, and some other meetings, we sing Malay hymns, which now amount to 46 in number. I give regularly copied by several persons who out a new hymn every week, which is keep books for the purpose. Should I ever be master of 100 Malay hymns, I should then like to print them, if I have opportunity. I preach or expound in Malay five times in the week, at three different places, and have a meeting in my own house on the Sabbath evening, when two or three English or Americans sometimes attend. A native of Batavia, whom I baptized on the 2d of August last, has since fallen away; but I have, at the present time, some slight hopes of his restoration. Domestic Religious Intelligence. BIBLE SOCIETY. From the Fifth Report of the Cinque Ports Auxiliary Bible Society, at the Anniversary on Thursday, November 6, 1817. The Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, President, in the Chair. IN addressing the Meeting, (which was by far the most numerous since the formation of the Institution,) his Lordship took a comprehensive view of the object and constitution of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and expressed, in the most clear and decided manner, his increased attachment to both. The Noble President adverted also to the high station which he had the honour of holding in the government of the country, and the consequent duty which devolved upon him to maintain inviolate the trust thus reposed in him by his So vereign. With this impression, and with the firmest attachment which he entertained to the established church, he could not, from a sense of duty, lend his support to any Society which stood opposed to it. In uniting with the Bible Society, however, he conscientiously believed he lished church in particular, and that of was supporting the interest of the estab Christianity at large. He was a warm friend to a kindred Society, because its object was the extension of that church. of which it was his happiness to be a member; and he cordially gave his support to the Bible Society, because, its operations being unlimited, it could extend itself where the other could not; and, by uniting the energies of Christians of all persuasions, it was, in fact, carrying the word of life to every nation,, and every clime. His Lordship concluded an able and energetic speech, by stating, that his motive for supporting the Bible Society, was the same as that as Central Bible Society. signed by his venerable Sovereign, who, | Letter from His Majesty the King, to the on one occasion, expressed the hope, that he should live to see the day, when every subject in his realm would be able to read his Bible; and his Lordship, acting upon the same principle, hoped the day was fast approaching, when every man throughout the whole world would be able to read the Bible, and have it to read, in his own language. Making a general Total of 21,132 ditto. Auxiliary Societies have this year also been formed at Ruhland, in Upper Lusatia, and at Ruhrort, in the vicinity of Duisburg; and from the connexion in which they stand with other filial Societies, the sphere of action of the latter is likely to be enlarged. Although the exertions of all these filial Societies are, in a great measure, obstructed by the still continuing difficulty of obtaining a supply of Bibles, there is a prospect, that, by the new editions now undertaken, and the enlargement of other printing establishments, the supply may be rendered equal to the demand. May the zeal for the dissemination of the Holy Scriptures never cool among us! May it be excited in all who feel deeply interested in the progress of the Gospel, by a due consideration of the want of the Holy Scriptures, and of the blessed effects resulting from the promulgation of the word of God! Then, with the blessing of the Lord, this our work will infallibly contribute to build up and edify the church of Christ, both in purity of doctrine, and holiness of life. I HAVE observed, with peculiar interest, the happy success which has attended our exertions to promote the promulgation of the Holy Scriptures, communicated to me in your letter of the 19th of this month, which accompanied your Second Report; and I join you in the wish you express at the conclusion of it. "May the Giver of all good bless what is doing, with a sincere desire to promote the extension of his kingdom (Signed) among all nations.” FREDERIC WILLIAM. Berlin, February 21, 1817, To the President and Directors of the Central Bible Society in Berlin. From the Fourth Report of the Bombay Auxiliary Bible Society. September, 1817. THE Committee have great satisfaction in reporting, that they have supplied, to a considerable extent, among the European soldiers under this Presidency, the deficiency of English Bibles and Testaments, which they lamented in their last Report. In this they have been much assisted, both by favour of His Excellency the Commander in Chief, and by a very li beral supply from the Naval and Military Bible Society of London. The Commander in Chief, with the most laudable attention to the wants of the European soldiers, recommended to the government, that a certain number of English Bibles and Testaments should be assigned for the use of the patients in the hospitals belonging to the different corps and detachments, and maintained at the public expense. This recommendation having met with the ready approbation of the Right Honourable the Governor in Council, was forwarded with that sanction to the Committee, who immediately took the necessary steps to fulfil a proposition which so entirely promoted the wishes and views of the Society. No sooner did the Naval and Military Bible Society of London come to the knowledge, that many applications from commanding officers of ships and regiments for the Holy Scriptures in the English language, could not be complied with by the Bombay Society, for want of an adequate supply, than they unanimously resolved to send out 250 Bibles, and 500 Testaments, for the use of the navy and army under this government. These Bibles and Testaments have been received by the Committee, and will be carefully distributed. At the request of an Armenian gentleman, a few Armenian Testaments were sent for the use of a school at Bushire; and there is reason to believe, that many more might be usefully distributed among the Armenian churches in Persia. The few copies of the Syriac Gospels received from England, at the time that the last Report was printing, have been forwarded to the residents of Travancore and Cochin, for the use of the Syrian Christians on the Malabar coast: they proved exceedingly acceptable, and are said by their priests to be correctly printed, in a very legible and beautiful type. There are very few copies of the Syriac Testaments among them; and the Catanars, or Clergy, expressed a very anxious wish to have copies of the whole of the Holy Scriptures printed in a similar manner. As the Committee have since received a further supply of these Gospels, they will not fail to forward them for distribution in the best manner. BAPTIST ITINERANT AND BRITISH Missionary Society. The following Subscriptions and Collections were received by the Rev. JAMES UPTON (of London) for the Baptist Itinerant and British Missionary Society," in August, 1818. £ s. d. Abergavenny, collection at. 6 0 BristolCounterslip Meeting,do. 5 19 Bradford, Wilts, ditto ...... 0 0 5 10 8 Ditto, Rev.J.Hinton, donation 1 0 .... 0 5 2 5 6 0 0 Beckington, donations.. 0 17 The intelligence which the Committee of this Society continue to receive, is of the most interesting nature; nothing but such affecting facts as are laid before them at their monthly meetings, could convince them of one-half of the ignorance and moral misery, which still prevail in England and its adjacent islands. It is therefore earnestly hoped that this and all similar institutions, will receive such support from the Christian public, as may enable them to continue and extend their operations, till every town, village, and hamlet in the kingdom have a preached gospel within their reach; and thereby possess and enjoy the best guardian of public morals, and the only safe guide to everlasting happiness. The following extract of a letter from one of our Itinerants to the Secretary, is a specimen of the correspondence refer red to, DEAR SIR, Tresco, Aug. 21, 1818. The increasing state of the schools made the last parcel of tracts very acceptable; but we still want many more school books. The Lord has also been graciously pleased to give me opportunities of preaching to, conversing with, and distributing tracts among seamen, which we hope has been useful to many, as the following extracts from letters 3 12 4 lately received will tend to shew. J. W. belonging to an English brig, called upon me after service one evening to thank me for a Bible which I had given him last winter. " I hope," said the poor seaman, "I shall prize it more and more; it has been an anchor to my poor soul." R. S. wrote from Bristol, May 24, 1818. "DEAR SIR, 2 4 9 Long-Ashton, Mrs.Hodges,sub. 1 1 0 0 0 4 0 Overbury, Mr. B.... 1 Salter, Mr. S. jun. 1 Stancomb, Mr. J. Stancomb, Mr. W. Small sums amounting to.. 0000 0 0 6 £52 11 2 The following sums were received by the Secretary, for the same object, in a journey through the county of Salop and part of Denbighshire, when five of our Itinerants were visited, and several new fields of labour, affording prospects of usefulness, were pointed out. "I did expect to see you in Scilly before this time. Never shall I forget the blessing which I received on that evening when you preached about the sufferings of our dear Lord Jesus. My poor wife was much distressed about her soul after reading the tract entitled 'Serious Thoughts on Eternity.' I have since bought a Bible for her and my dear children, which I hope will be blessed to their souls." |