estimation in which the officers and the beloved secretaries of this Society are held by you at home is a type of that confidence and that affection in which they are held by us abroad. I beg leave to move this resolution.

The Rev. J. GAWTHORNE, of Derby: Mr. Chairman, well satisfied that all the Missionaries abroad, and all the friends of the Society at home, repose full confidence in the Directors, I most cheerfully second the resolution.

The resolution was then put and carried. The Rev. J. C. HARRISON: The resolution which has been assigned me is a very plain one, insomuch that it requires no remarks at all on my part. It is

"That the grateful and most respectful acknowledgments of this Meeting be presented to the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, and to James Kershaw, Esq., M. P., for their kindness in presiding over the present Meeting, and for their valuable assistance in conducting the business of the day."

The Rev. HENRY BEVIS Seconded the resolution.

Mr. HARRISON put the resolution, which passed by acclamation.

The CHAIRMAN: My Christian friends, I will not detain you for a moment in expressing to you the great honour I have regarded it to have been permitted to occupy the chair after the Lord Mayor of London on the present occasion. I dare not venture, of course, to return thanks to you in the name of the Lord Mayor; but I am sure, if he were here, he would express very heartily and very gratefully his thanks to you for the honour which, when he took the chair, he said you had conferred upon him. I trust that the proceedings of the day, now drawing to a close, will tend to produce most holy and happy results, for which we now all lift up our hearts to Almighty God, and that this great Society will never want that assistance which shall enable it, not only to stand its ground, but to go forward in the great and noble work of prosecuting to the ends of the earth its high objects.

The Doxology having been sung, the Benediction was pronounced, and the meeting was adjourned.

EVENING MEETING.

An adjourned Meeting was held, as usual, at Finsbury Chapel. The Chair was taken at six o'clock, by GEORGE HITCHCOCK, Esq. The proceedings having been commenced by singing,

The Rev. G. R. CONDER engaged in prayer. The CHAIRMAN said, that he loved the London Missionary Society, and that for several reasons. He loved it for its evangelical principles, for its catholic spirit, for his early and close connexion with it, and for the blessing with which God had crowned its

labours in foreign lands. Loving the Society, he felt deeply concerned for its prosperity. It was sick and feeble, and it needed to be strengthened by both men and money. It would be lamentable if it languished for want of means to carry on its operations. Its funds had remained almost stationary for twenty years, notwithstanding the increase of the population, and the growing wealth of the country. It behoved them all to remember, that they were but stewards, and that, if they kept back that which it was their duty to contribute to the cause of God, they were in fact robbing him. The want of men and money clearly indicated the lack of piety in the Churches. There were two great evils He abroad, superstition and rationalism. thought there was not much danger of Congregationalists being affected by the former; the fear was lest the rising ministry should be tainted by the latter. If they were brought under its influence, the Missionary spirit would soon expire. The destructive effect which Neology had had upon the Ger man Mission to India was a solemn warning to the British Churches. He had been informed on the preceding day by a friend, that he had recently heard a young minister, who left college a short time since, occupy three quarters of an hour in dwelling upon the immortality of the soul, and, when remonstrated with upon the subject, he confessed that he had drunk so deeply into mental philosophy, that he had almost lost his spirituality.

The Rev. E. PROUT having briefly stated the financial position of the Society,

The Rev. J. K. HOLLAND, of St. Ives, rose to move,

"That this Meeting attaches the highest importance to the translation and revision of the Sacred Scriptures, the preparation of a native ministry, and the religious education of the young, as the most effectual means, in dependence on the Divine blessing, of extending the kingdom of Christ in heathen lands; and the Meeting rejoices that the Missionaries of the Society are labouring in these several departments with great assiduity and stedfastness."

The novelty of the Society had now passed away, and, if sustained at all, it must be by principle. He had, however, no fears on that subject. England had derived immense advantages from the possession of the Sacred Scriptures. All books were influential: they stirred the impulses of society, and the Bible was the most popular book, he rejoiced to say, in this land. It was to be found in almost every house, and its influence had been diffused from the British Throne through all the ramifications of the community. In consequence of the possession of the Bible, England had the best Constitution, the wisest and most equitable laws, and the highest degree

of liberty of any country on the map of the globe. To that source was to be attributed the preservation of the institution of the Sabbath, the observance of which was fraught with the greatest blessings to mankind. The Bible was the best conservative book in existence. The English were the best people on the face of the earth-and that arose from the possession of the Bible. Notwithstanding what was sometimes said, he believed that there was a large amount of religion in the country. The number of religious Societies now in existence, and the extent to which they were sustained, might account for the funds of the London Missionary Society not increasing. He approved of those new institutions, but he trusted that the old ones would not be neglected. The Bible was a great boon to men, and where it was withheld from the people, the result was not only intellectual and moral, but physical degradation. The men who would withdraw its light would not give them instead even a glowworm to illuminate their pathway to eternity. If they duly appreciated the Bible, they would consider it a duty incumbent on them to cast their money into the treasury of this Society, that they might diffuse the blessings of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

The Rev. JOHN SUGDEN, (from Bangalore,) in seconding the resolution, said, that he had been labouring in India for about seven years. He had left behind him brethren, the blessing of whose labours will never be known on earth. The associated labours of all the churches in India was abstractedly great; but, viewed relatively, were extremely small; they were but as a portion of leaven in a large lump, but that leaven was diffusing its influence. A heathen there had borne testi. mony, in a native periodical, to the effect which Christianity was producing in undermining Hindooism. He regretted that, there were many white men in India who had very black hearts; but there were some who upheld the Christian cause. Education had been felt to be of great importance; vernacular schools had been established, and upwards of 100,000 boys were now receiving sound secular instruction, combined with religious knowledge. Upwards of 13,000 females, many of them of high caste and rank, were enjoying similar advantages. During the last few years there had been a large number of conversions in India, especially among the young people connected with the schools. Many of them had to make large sacrifices in connexion with their reception of the Gospel, but they cheerfully submitted to them. There were large numbers who were now struggling with the convictions of conscience and their assurance

that the Word of God was true. The heathen had felt it necessary to establish schools in which to teach their own principles, and it was a remarkable fact, that into some of them they had introduced the Word of God. The printing-press was found to be an instrument of great importance in connexion with Christian education.. Not only had the Scriptures been translated into, and printed in, the vernacular tongues, but a vernacular literature had been created. The East India Company had employed some of the schoolbooks translated by the Society's Missionaries at Bangalore,--a high testimony to their value. The Missionaries were placed under great obligation to the Bible and Religious Tract Societies, without whose aid they could not have carried on their operations. There were now 309 native Churches, numbering 5000 members, admitted on the strictest principles of Christian fellowship. The natives were exceedingly adroit in the questions they propounded to the Missionaries; and, though those questions were of a sceptical character, they nevertheless proved that mind was at work. They had every encouragement to go on with faith and patience in their work. He believed, that there were thousands in India who were as firmly convinced of the truth of the Gospel as any whom he was addressing; but, from the sacrifices they would be called upon to make, and other causes, they were afraid to avow it. doubted not, however, that ere long great results would be witnessed in that country.

He

The resolution was then put and carried.

The Rev. GEORGE ROSE said he considered that great blessings had been enjoyed in England as the result of the creation of the Missionary enterprise. Was it not mar. vellous, that in India, China, Africa, the Southern Seas, and almost every part of the globe, God was setting before them an open door! In His providence, as plainly as in His written word, he was indicating their duty to disseminate the Gospel throughout the world. It was an honour and a privilege conferred upon them to be allowed to engage in such a work. In the pages of ancient prophecy, he could almost see this very Society named. God was showing them, in the case of Madagascar, as well as elsewhere, that he could carry on His work, almost independently of human instrumentality, to its great and final consummation. When the Missionaries were obliged to withdraw from Madagascar, they knew only of 7 converts, and now there were upwards of 200. Recently 2000 persons were there found carrying on Christian worship. He was persuaded that twenty years hence India would present a very different aspect to that which it now exhibited. In whatever direction they looked in con

nexion with the Missionary cause, they had abundant reason to rejoice. The sacrifices being made by native converts in various parts of the world might well put to shame the Churches at home. During the last year, the Missionary Churches had transmitted to the Society upwards of £10,000; while at home there was retrocession, rather than advancement. Instead of sending out Missionaries abroad, he thought it would almost be advisable to have some native teachers brought to England to instruct British Christians in their duty. He begged to move,

"That this Meeting regards the self-denying liberality of individuals and Churches gathered to the Saviour from among the heathen with peculiar interest and delight, and trusts that the friends of the Society in Britain will sustain the cause of Missions in the same generous spirit, and after the impressive example of these Christian converts."

The Rev. W. BEVAN (of Wolverhampton), in seconding the resolution, observed, that the contributions made by the wealth of British churches to the Missionary cause bore no relative proportion to the efforts made by the Missionary churches themselves. One-fifth

He

of the entire proceeds of the past year arose from the latter source. He was persuaded that the question must soon be examined, the result of which would be a large augmentation of the funds of this and other Societies. Where was the compassion for souls which moved the Apostles to self-sacrifice? desired nothing more for the churches in England than that they should arise to a sense of their duty in supporting the Missionary cause. He feared lest, in these days of luxury and ease, they should lose the lessons which their forefathers had learned, when they toiled, through difficulties and struggles, up to the position in which they had placed the Missionary cause in the hands of the present generation.

The Rev. W. HARBUTT, (of Samoa,) in supporting the resolution, adverted to the zeal and liberality of the Missionary churches

in the South Seas, and the readiness of the native converts to go, at the peril of their lives, and preach the Gospel in the islands where former teachers had been killed. He then contrasted the present state of the islanders with their condition when first visited by Mr. Williams, and drew from it the inference, that there was no man so degraded that the Gospel of Christ could not elevate him-no man so barbarous, that the Gospel could not change the lion into the lamb, and bring him into a position in which he would become a priest and a king unto God.

The resolution was then put and carried. The Rev. W. ROBERTS briefly moved, and EUSEBIUS SMITH, Esq., seconded:

"That the cordial thanks of this Meeting be presented to George Hitchcock, Esq., for his kindness in presiding on the present occasion."

The resolution having been put and carried by acclamation,

The CHAIRMAN, in acknowledging the compliment, said, that in his view every Christian was a steward, and consequently the whole of his property should be consecrated to Christ. A rich man, after laying his year's balance on the altar, and taking from it that which was necessary for the support of himself and family, and providing for the necessities of poor relations, if he had any, was bound to give the remainder for the extension of the Gospel. Was it his duty to provide for his wife and family in case of his removal by death? He thought it was, but not to treasure up an enormous fortune. With regard to the poor; as under the Levitical economy they were required to give one-tenth, so under the Christian Dispensation they could not be required to give less. He believed it was God's command that they should thus contribute, and that without it they could not enjoy the light of God's counte

nance.

The Rev. E. PROUT pronounced the Blessing, and the meeting separated.