OUR MISSIONS: THE MISSIONARY AT HIS WORK. IN the course of his speeches at the annual meetings in London, the Rev. W. A. Hobbes, of Jessore, gave some lively illustrations of the way in which missionaries converse with the people, and strive to lead them in the way of salvation. Here is one of them, which we are sure will interest our readers. "I will introduce you to a crew of Mahommedan boatmen. One day about noon, whilst I was being rowed down a river in Jessore, I saw a large boat full of wood put to; and as my own boatmen were somewhat clamorous for their midday meal, I allowed them to put to likewise. After eating, finding that the crew of the wood boat made no preparations for starting, I went amongst them, and inquired if we could have a little talk about religion. At first there was some reluctance, but presently we got into a very lively conversation. To fix the subject I said, Brother, say yes or no to this thing: are we all sinners in the sight of God?' 'Yes, we are all sinners.' 'Is sin a bad thing?' 'Oh, yes, God gives punishment for it.' 'Yet I suppose you believe some Mussulmans get into paradise?' Oh, yes; the faithful get there.' 'The faithful! but the faithful are faithless, and are sinning all their life long; so if they get there, there must be some kind of atonement. Now tell me in what does your Mahommedan atonement consist.' They looked at each other smiling and nodding, and at last one said, 'Oh, there is fasting, and there is prayer, and there is going to Mecca, and oh, I forget the other two.' 'Why, brother, what kind of man are you? You tell me there are five works which a man must practice to obtain atonement for his sins, and yet you do not know what they are! Now let me tell you what the other two are: there is almsgiving, and there is reading or hearing read the Koran. These are the five works that you regard as bringing atonement for sin; but, brother, listen to me. I will try and show you that there is no merit in any single one of them.' "I went on in this way: 'A servant has received a letter which purports to have come from an absent master; because he reads that letter very diligently indeed can he by-and-by plead that fact as part atonement for not having attended to the requisitions and commands which the master gave in the letter?' 'No, sahib, of course not.' 'Then away goes one of your five works, for neither can the constantly hear. ing read or the reading the Koran be regarded as part atonement for your sins, because you still act in opposition to its commandments. Again, you talk about almsgiving. I believe there are some Mussulmans who do give away one-twelfth part of their income; but there are a number of little Mahommedan chil dren in my wife's refuge, and they would never have been there but for this fact, that no Mahommedan would save them from starving; and besides, what do you give? Do you give a thirtieth or a hundredth part of your income? And if you do give what do you give? That which God gives you in the first place that you may give it away to others. To give for the sake of relieving distress that which you can spare, or that which by a little self-denial, you can make yourself spare-there is no merit in that.' Just at this point a Hindu who, unobserved by us, had been listening to what was going on while bathing, called out somewhat jocosely, 'Oh, Mussulman brothers, the sahib has pulled two planks out of your boat; I advise you to jump on shore, your boat will be sinking presently. We laughed somewhat at his sally, but after a minute or two I said, 'Give me your ears again, and we will see whether any atonement can come out of a pilgrimage to Mecca. I know tradition says that Mahomet said a man who died without seeing Mecca might as well die a Jew or a Christian; but still I hardly know what to make of this, because out of the half million of Mahommedans who are living in Jessore there are not half a hundred who have ever performed the pilgrimage to Mecca.' "Some discussion arose as to whether, supposing God really did. give these five works, obedience to them might not be regarded as an atonement; but as one by one they soon confessed that they had not attended to these five works at all, they at last allowed my remark to go unchallenged, that no salvation could come to men's souls from Mecca. 'Neither,' said I, 'is fasting an atonement. It is not the body which has sinned, but the soul; but in fasting it is not the soul which suffers but the body. If you can prove that making the body suffer hunger and thirst for a month makes you stronger in piety, then I say thisevery God-devoted man ought to fast; but brothers, it does not do it, and it cannot do it. Fruits cannot ripen in the snowy Himalayas, neither can piety flourish upon an empty stomach. Fasting is a good thing if a man has eaten too much goat's flesh at a feast, or as an exercise of self-denial, but it has not the power to sanctify the heart. Punishing the stomach cannot change the nature; I know it cannot, because here are some of my boatmen, and, although they fast, yet they cheat me every time they get an opportunity.' 'Sahib, your words are good; I never fast, my stomach would cry out directly if I were to attempt it. I shall be able now to say why I do not do so.' As you will about that, but now let us get to the last pointprayer? Sahib, that is my brother there, he prays three times a day.' I said, 'Friend, will you tell me what you say to God when you pray?" and instantly he treated me to a lot of Arabic, not a word of which could I understand. I said, 'I do not understand Arabic; tell me what you say in Bengalee.' 'I can't, I can't.' 'Do you mean to tell me you offer prayers to God in a language you do not understand? Oh, brother, how foolish is this, for not only can there be no heart in it, but you cannot be sure that you pray to God at all. Any Mussulman teacher might cause you to blaspheme God instead of praising Him.' This seemed a somewhat new idea. I called one of my boatmen to me who had been recently trying to get hold of a few words of English. 'Come here, I want you.' When he came I said, 'You have been learning a little English.' 'Yes, just a little.' 'Now,' I said, 'let these people see how well you can repeat English; just say these words after me- No nations or people are so passionate, lustful, and cruel as are Mussulmans. This is owing to their religion.' 'Now do you know what you have said ?' 'Yes, I have said what you told me.' 'I know you did, but what I told you to say was this,' and then I told him in Bengalee.' 'No, no, sahib, I never said such a word as that; you caused me to say it; you drew me into your net. I do not want to learn any more English.' 'Brother, do not be excited; I have been bringing you forward to help me to give an illustration in preaching.' Then turning to the men I said, 'Now brothers, you see how easy a thing it would be for any wicked man to teach you naughty words, and for you to think you were praying to God when in reality you were saying the opposite thing. There is no virtue in prayer. Suppose a man wasted his substance, and being brought down to beggary, asked me to give him a few pice to keep him alive, is there any merit in such an act as that? Neither is there any merit in any sinner praying to God because he feels himself to be in trouble.' Having thus shown them the worthlessness of resting upon the five works for salvation, and the necessity of resting upon the glorious atonement of the Lord Jesus, I earnestly requested them to put their faith's confidence in Him." NEWS OF THE CHURCHES. A NEW Baptist chapel has been opened in Bath, under the name of Hay Hill chapel. The pastor is the Rev. J. R. Chamberlain.-A new chapel has been opened at Redbourne, Herts, under the pastorate of the Rev. H. Dunington.-A new chapel has been opened at Richmond, Surrey, for the pastorate of the Rev. R. Colman.-A new chapel has been opened at Elmsted, Kent. The chapel at Semley, Wilts, has been re-opened, after enlargement and improvement.-A new chapel has been opened at Peterborough, for the pastorate of the Rev. T. Barrass. The foundation-stone of a new chapel has been laid at York Town, Blackwater, under the care of the Rev. J. Sale, of Wokingham.-The chapel at Silver-street, Taunton, has been re-opened, after restoration and enlargement. The Rev. W. Morgan, late of Glascoed, near Pontypool, has been recognised as the pastor of the Church at Monmouth. The Rev. J. Alcorn, late of Burnley, has been recognised as the pastor of the Church at Loughborough. The Rev. J. Lewis, late of Haverfordwest College, has been recognised as the pastor of the Church at Martle Twy, Pembrokeshire.-The Rev. J. Jack has been recognised as the pastor of the Church at Leylands, Leeds.The Rev. W. Clark has been recognised as the pastor of the Church at Ashford, Kent.-The Rev. R. J. Beecliff has been recognised as the pastor of the Church at West Malling, Kent.-The Revs. W. Woods, and H. M. Foot, M.A., LL.B., have been recognised, at a united meeting, as the pastors of the Churches in George Street and Derby Road, Nottingham, respectively. The following reports of MINISTERIAL CHANGES have reached us since our last issue:-The Rev. S. Couling, of Scarborough, to Oakengate, Salop; the Rev. J. Compston, of Barnsley, to Park Road, Leeds; the Rev. G. W. Genders, of Wandsworth, to Park Street, Luton; the Rev. E. T. Scammell, of Bristol College, to Bideford, Devon; the Ryeford, Herefordshire; the Rev. Rev. T. Nicholson, of Gloucester. to T. R. Sturges, of the Metropolitan Tabernacle College, to Brentford, Middlesex; the Rev. W. W. Willis, of Carlton-le-Moorland, to Milton, Northampton; the Rev. B. Bray, of Brixham, Devon, to Cutsdean, Worcestershire; the Rev. J. Bloomfield, of Westgate, Bradford, to Brunswick Road, Gloucester. The Rev. T. Baker, B.A., has announced his intention of resigning the pas torate at Great Whyte, Ramsey, near Huntingdon. The Rev. W. Morris has resigned the pastorate of the Church at Princes Risborough. The Rev. J. Chadwick has resigned the pastorate of the Church at Milnsbridge, Huddersfield. The Rev. T. Jones has resigned the pas torate of the Church at Chepstow, after sustaining it nearly forty years. We regret to announce the death, on the 8th of May, of the Rev. T Lomas, of Charles Street Chapel, Leicester. THE CHURCH. "Built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone." AUGUST, 1870. SHADOWS OF RELIGIOUS LIFE. BY THE REV. L. BOWER BROWN. "The cloudy and dark day."-Ezek. xxxiv. 12. NIGHT and morning are familiar types of human life in its alternation of shadow and sunshine, its chequered history of grief and joy. Eternal darkness, with never a break in its long and dismal reign, would be simply frightful. But God has ordained that, when night has done its work, it should lay down its sceptre; and that beautiful morning, crowned with golden splendours and welcomed with universal songs, should reign in its room and stead. Perpetual sorrow, stretching like a cloudy are from the cradle to the grave, were likewise a hapless fate. But in tender pity, He who fixes our lot and knows our frailty has willed, that pain should be the harbinger of pleasure, that tears should give birth to smiles-smiles all the sweeter because of the fountain of bitterness from which they emerge; and that, when the ministry of trouble has accomplished its purpose and abdicated its functions, the angel of celestial comfort should ascend the vacant throne. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." It is the law of nature and of humanity. of rare Is it not, also, the law of the higher spiritual life? Do you suppose that piety means exemption from all suffering-the attainment of a happiness which henceforth can be neither overcast nor eclipsed? Can religion itself so sanctify the current and influence of events as to dissipate every cloud, and change our life on earth into one bright, genial, and protracted summer's day? No doubt there are moments enjoyment in the experience of a godly man; moments of special communion with the Unseen, when he seems to touch the very skirts of the Almighty's garment as it rustles by, and his face shines with the reflected glory of that Divine presence, and the minstrelsy of the opened heavens lulls him into forgetfulness of the world's unceasing wail of sin and sadness. But there are seasons, too, of a widely different complexion, when the firmament above him darkens into a hemisphere without a star, and the air around him echoes with tempestuous noises, and the way before him is a sort of Chinese puzzle, a Q labyrinth of hopeless perplexity, and the heart within him grows sick of the weary struggle, and he is sorely tempted, like Elijah, to fold his head in his mantle, and lie down in despair to die. The truth is, that the work of this earth can never be done by merely singing psalms or nursing devotional ecstasies; and the inspiration gathered on the "Mount of Vision" must be spent, not in building tabernacles there, but in acting a manful part in the valleys below. Pisgah is but one stage in the march of life, and around it lies the wilderness, with here and there a palm grove and a spring of water, and with endless toil and conflict besides. Transfiguration is full often but the prelude to Gethsemane, the crown of thorns, the cross of anguish and shame. To be "caught up into Paradise" in rapt mystic meditation, is to come down again ere long with some "thorn in the flesh," to do battle for yet awhile with "the world, the flesh, and the devil." And as there is a "shady side of nature," when she reveals herself in moods of terrible sternness, so is there a shady side in Christian experience-times and circumstances in which the spirit is overwhelmed with disquietude, and its bright outlook shrouded in utter gloom and despondency. These shadows of religious life sometimes originate in physical disease. Very wonderful is the sympathy between body and soul. Systematic neglect of the former, must react injuriously on the latter. When the house is plague-smitten, no marvel should the inhabitant catch the infection. Frequently, the natural history of madness and suicide is nothing but the history of loose living and of shattered nerves. The street called Dissipation leads on to the "Bridge of Sighs" and the desperate plunge into the black river. It is no idle fancy, it is sober philosophy to say, that the state of the stomach has more to do with the serenity of the mind than is commonly thought. Many a life might be comparatively blithesome, but that chronic dyspepsia fills it with morbid fears and feelings. Trifling with the delicate mechanism of the human frame, has brought upon many excellent people a settled melancholy, an impression that they have committed some unpardonable sin, and are absolute outcasts from God's covenant of mercy. And whereas neither reason nor Scripture, neither council nor prayer, could yield them comfort, a proper regard to dietary rules has scattered their phantomterrors, and made them every whit whole. The derangement is constitutional rather than spiritual, and requires the doctor of medicine rather than the doctor of divinity. It is not a case of conscience, but of régime. You may laugh at the notion of "muscular Christianity;" but if by muscular Christianity is meant conformity to the laws of health, you may be laughing on the wrong side of the mouth. So long as men abuse the body, and either pine it to death by fasting like an anchorite, or pamper it to death by feasting like a friar, there will always be a tribe of sombre-visaged saints, whose sanctity has hardly a glimmer of light and gladness in it. Let the organ be out of tune, and Handel himself could not bring good music out of it; and when the nervous organism is unstrung, it is not surprising if the secret harmonies of the soul be turned into jars and discord. Temper |