By cash collected at Worcester, August 13th, at PrayerMeeting in the Baptist Church, 3,85 From Miss Susan Thomson,* per Rev. Dr. Bolles, 15,00 18,85 From Norman Warriner, Esq. Treasurer of the Evangelical Benevolent Society in the westerly part of Mass. per Rev. Mr. Barrett to be appropriated as follows, viz. Rev. Roswell Mears, Georgia, Vermont, per Mr. Wm. Nichols, ,43 1,83 From the First Female Primary Society, Sedgwick, (Maine,) Rebekah 21,37 *Who has just left her friends and repaired to the Thomas Station, M. T. for the purpose of instructing the Indian children. LETTER TO THE TREASURER. Rev. Henry Stanwood of Bristol, (Con.) lately sent a box of clothing, to the care of Dea. Lincoln, of Boston; and in hopes of inducing other benevolent individuals to include the African Station among the objects of their charities, we insert the note accompanying the donation. Sir, We have been making up a box of clothing, containing ten suits for boys and girls, besides some articles for Mr. and Mrs. Carey, for the school recently established by brother Lott Cary, at Big Town, Grand Cape Mount, Africa. And not knowing any way to convey it to Africa, more direct than by way of Boston, I take the liberty to forward it to your care, requesting that you will ship it as early as possible." This box, together with one from another source, has been shipped to Liberia. ARTICLES NEEDED FOR MISSION STATIONS. School books, Sabbath school books, writing paper, quills, inkpowder, inkstands, slates, pencils, &c. Printing paper, for portions of the Scripture, and Tracts, to be published in India. Bed ticking, bed covers, as sheets, blankets, quilts, &c. Clothing, cloth not made up, which may be made to meet the wants of pupils and others at the Stations-shoes, hats, &c Any of the above named articles forwarded to the usual places of deposit, or to the care of Mr. Calvin Haven, Boston, or Rev. Spencer H. Cone, N. York, will be gratefully received for the Stations, under the superintendence of the Baptist Board of Missions. Delivered before the Society for Missionary Inquiry of Brown University, on Monday evening, September 1, 1828. PERHAPS at no period since the as for religion, that they are gropdays of the Apostles, have chris- ing in the darkness of midnighttians, generally, been more zeal-worshipping gods of earth, wood, ous and actively engaged in the cause of their divine Master, than at present; and in no country have they ever been more favoured with the means of doing and enjoying, than in our own. I need not here attempt to draw a picture of our prosperity; for you, brethren, know the realityyou know that we are blessed with civil and religious liberty; that the sun of science is far above our horizon is still rising, and diffusing among all classes, not excepting the poor, the genial influence of his beams. And more than this, you know that the Sun of righteousness is dispelling among us the shades of moral death, and rendering all upon whom he shines ineffably happy. No need I attempt to portray before you the wretched state of other countries-that most of them are groaning under oppressions, that the fruit of their industry is wrested from them; that in point of intellectual culture, they are barbarous, or semi-barbarous; and Nov. 1828. and stone, the works of their own hands. All this you know. And the day when a laboured defence of the object and practicability of Christian Missions was called for, has, as we trust, gone by. It is now generally understood, that their object is no other than that for which the Son of God came into this world, and suffered, and bled, and died-viz. the salvation of sinners. And God has so blessed them by the effusions of his Spirit, as to give abundant evidence, both to those who have entered the field as labourers, and to those who contribute to their support, that he owns and approves them. The object of missions is the salvation of sinners-the rescuing of souls from everlasting death. This is the object of all christian missions, wherever may be the field, whether at home or abroad. The means used to effect this object, is the exhibition of Christ crucifieda means, though in the view of human wisdom, weak and despicable, 41 66 mighty through God, and all-suffi- tracts have been published, the goscient. Go," says the divine com- pel has been preached; and conmission, "and preach the gospel to verts have been multiplied. Look every creature, and lo, I am with now at Otaheite! Look at others you alway, even unto the end of of the Sandwich Islands! ... No the world." In obedience to this one, who reads at all the religious commission, the Missionary goes publications of the day, can be igforth; and yet, strange to tell! there norant of the moral transformations are those who bear the Christian which the gospel has wrought name, who openly declare them- among them. Shall I point also to selves opposers. Yes, there are the Mission Stations among the those, in this our highly favoured aborigines of our own country? . . . land, who profess to be the disci- || Every where, wherever the gospel ples of him, who being rich for our has been faithfully preached, it has sakes became poor, that we through proved to many the power of God his poverty might be made rich-unto salvation. It is true also, that profess to have received the forgive- to others it has been a savour of ness of their sins, and the Saviour's death unto death. But "what if love shed abroad in their hearts, some did not believe? shall their who will not give one cent to ex-unbelief make the faith of God tend the knowledge of this Saviour without effect? God forbid: yea, to those who have never heard of let God be true, and every man a him, and are perishing for lack of || vision! .... Can these, indeed, be Christians? them say, But many of "We are in favour of do liar." We are certain, that the cause of missions is the cause of God: and no Christian can be opposed to mestic missions; it is only to for-them-that is, can be so undereign missions, that we are opposed." And what is the difference? There is no difference. They are the same; and identical in fact with preaching the gospel in our own town. They are identical, in being the same means used on people of the same moral character, to produce the same moral effects. And such have been their effects. We point for proof to Greenland, to standingly-can oppose the object and the grand means for its accomplishment. Some may oppose ignorantly, in unbelief: for such we pray God grant them repentance. But there is another question which has doubtless occupied the minds of most of you, in reference to THE COMPARATIVE CLAIMS OF our own AND FOREIGN LANDS. Which should have the preference? Which should be first in our thoughts, in our prayers, and in our exertions? Which, if we could do nothing only for one, should that one be? The questions involved in our preliminary remarks, viz. in reference to the object and practicability of Christian Missions, and the duty of Christians to be engaged in them, and in the support of them, I presume are already settled with you. And perhaps, also, this last. But this No sooner did the Moravian Missionaries to Greenland begin to tell the wondrous tale of a crucified Jesus, than the attention of the nations was arrested. They wished to hear more of him. Their frozen hearts were melted. They wept. They declared that this was just such a Saviour as they needed. And many of them embraced him as their Lord and their God. Since the establishment of Christian Mis-last should not certainly be answersions in India, (a period of less thaned without consideration. And so forty years,) the Bible in whole, or important do I consider it, that I in part, has been translated into will, for the present, suppose you most of the eastern languages; undecided, and that you are wish ing to hear what can be said on both sides. And are most familiar with our own land, let us just suppose that the particular country specified was the state of Rhode-Island ;* and that instead of the command to go forth into all nations, and preach the had been, to go throughout all the counties of the state and preach the gospel to every inhabitant. Only conceive that all who had received the above commission, somehow or other had contrived to gather themselves together within the limits of one county. Imagine all the other divisions of the state immerged in heathen darkness; and that by these christians, who had had so unaccountably happened to settle down together in one little spot, no effort was made to evangelize the rest of the land, except by collecting a little money, and sending forth two or three itinerants to walk single handed through the length and breadth of the country..... Were I to ask you 1. THE CLAIMS OF FOREIGN LANDS. And here I avail myself of the reasoning of one* who had become convinced that it was his duty to spend his life as a missionary a-gospel to every creature, the order broad. "The main argument," says he, " on which I would insist, is founded on the commandment | of our Saviour; 'Go ye and teach all nations.' Not only do I look upon this little verse as the great foundation on which all arguments for missions must be received, but as the only scriptural authority which we can have for preaching the gospel at all. I can conceive many other inducements, which lead men in our own land to profess, or pretend to be the ministers of God. But I believe, that every truly christian minister in the land, must rest the whole authority of his commission on this and similar commandments. Now you must all perceive the bearing of this argument. It places our own coun-what, in the case we have supposed, try exactly on the same footing with the other nations of the earth; and it makes the work of the missionary abroad, and the minister at home, one and the same work. The world is the field, and the preaching of the gospel is the work to be accomplished. And it is only in as far as our own country is one of the 'all nations', specified in the terms of the commission, that we have any warrant from scripture to preach the gospel here. Grant me but this view of the subject, and the question comes home with irresistible force. How comes it that all the labourers have contrived to cluster together in one little corner of the vineyard? In what does the vast superiority of its claims consist? "Let us imagine that instead of the world a single country had been pointed out by our Lord as the field of action. And since we * John Urquhart. you would imagine to be the duty of the ministers who had clustered within the limits of a single county, when their commission embraced every county in the land? You would at once reply, that they ought to spread themselves over the face of the country, till every corner of the field shared equally in the benefit of their ministration. "I have thus tried to set before you the present state of the missionary cause, and the loud call which there is for efficient labourers. I have stated the great argument, that the world is one field, and that our Saviour's command is not fulfilled so long as the distribution of his ministers over this field is so very unequal. . . . . I have therefore resolved with the help of God, to devote my life to the cause." "It is impossible," says Mr. Orme, remarking on the above, "Rhode Island," is here substituted for "Great Britain." "not to be struck with the deep || world, I not only see no grounds earnestness of the advocate, the for believing: but much to the cogency of his reasoning, and the contrary. And affection and simplicity of his manner."-Let us now hear the other side. COUNTRY. First, I adduce the command of our Saviour to his disciples: "Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he vest." 2. THE CLAIMS OF OUR OWN will send forth labourers into his harAnd the reason-" for the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.' This language Suppose that another person, who had been much impressed on the subject of going to the heathen, but became convinced that it was his duty to remain in a christian land, should answer thus :— vine commission, exactly on the same footing with other nations of the earth; why should we leave regions-vast and inviting regions, in our own country, famishing for want of the bread of life, to cultivate the moral wastes of another? Lord will send forth more labourers; and then be ready to support them, whenever he, in his providence, may direct them? But, plainly declares the need of more labourers; and if those who were then already in the work, were located in any manner whatever, that I acknowledge that the field is they could not cultivate the whole the world; that one country, in it- || field, so that" every corner would self considered, has no claims above share equally in the benefit of their another; that every truly chris- ministrations." And if they could not tian minister in the land, must rest cultivate the whole field; and if our the whole authority of his commis-own country is placed, by the dision on "Go teach all nations, and similar commandments." And I find no particular fault with your supposing a state or country to stand for the world; and its counties for the different kingdoms, &c. provided you also suppose the number of ministers in that one coun-Rather, should we not pray that the ty is proportionably diminished with the territory. But in reply to your question, "How comes it that all the labourers have contrived to cluster together in one little corner of the vineyard?" I answer, they were born there. It is the place where it pleased their Creator to give them existence. But you say, that "our Saviour's command is not fulfilled, so long as the distribution of his ministers over this field is so unequal"-that "they ought to spread themselves over the face of the whole country, till every corner of the field shares equally in the benefit of their ministration." This needs proof. That those who are in the field might considerably extend their labours, and were they supported, as they ought to be, and were they sufficiently faithful, they would do it, there can be no doubt; but that the time ever has been, ored them not."+ From these Scripis now, when the existing iabourers tures it appears, that formerly God should be dispersed equi-distant from each other over the whole Secondly, Though one country, in itself considered, has no claims above another; yet the circumstances, connexions, and impressions of the labourer, may give to one for him, a decided preference-may make it manifestly his duty to labour in one, before all others. "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, separate me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them." Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia, and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they were come to Missia, they assayed to go into Bythinia, but the Spirit suffer * Acts xiii. 2. + Acts xvi. 6, 7. |