The baptist Magazine

interested them. A few brahmans seemed not indisposed to embrace Christianity, but found their future means of support to be a great difficulty, from their never having learnt a trade, and having been the objects of adoration of the other three classes of the Hindus. They ask for support by an assignment of land, on the part of government, or a pension equivalent to their gains as family-priests, and then they say they will be free to embrace the gospel. The examples of individuals and families, and tribes, are before their eyes, who under the Muhammadan emperors renounced the faith of their fathers, and were rewarded as above stated; but they have yet to feel the operation of a new principle, the love of Christ, leading them, without benefit or reward, to forsake all for the honour that cometh from God only, by believing in and following Christ, according to his word. It is true that this principle has been developed in several instances at the various missionary stations where the heathen or Muhammadans have given themselves up to God in the gospel of his Son, but the light reflected by such instances has been, in general, a dim light, and its lustre has been tarnished by human infirmity. Yet this divine principle will prevail, will satisfy observers of its heavenly origin and blessed effects; and lead them first to admire, and then to lay open their hearts to the admission of this principle, the love of Christ, and convince others of its

superiority to the sordid motives that now prompt some worldly minds to barter for a Christian profession.

Scriptures, &c., distributed.

The scriptures and tracts distributed this season amount to upwards of two thousand eight hundred, the former consisting of volumes of the scriptures, such as the entire New Testament, the Psalms, and the Gospels, and Acts, and smaller portions, as the Proverbs, Genesis, and Exodus, and Isaiah and Daniel, and the separate gospels. The tracts were single, and stitched together.

WEST INDIES.

JAMAICA.

SALTER'S HILL AND MALDON.

A letter has been received from Mr. DENDY, dated the 3rd of January, giving a very satisfactory account of the progress of education in the schools connected with his station. He says

Sunday schools.

discussions take place, having for their object the promotion of their efficiency and usefulness. These meetings promise to become very beneficial to the schools.

There has been a considerable improvement in the Sunday schools during the past year in the attendance both of teachers and scholars. The Sunday school at Salter's Hill appears There are still difficulties with which we have to consist of 263 children and eighty-nine to contend, but which it is hoped by steady adults, who are instructed by seventeen teachperseverance will be surmounted and over-ers, who meet once a month for the purpose come. Education is generally progressing. of transacting the business of the school, and There are now in these schools 269 reading in the sacred scriptures, and the scripture classes are committing to memory the portions of scripture arranged and published by the Sunday School Union. These are generally repeated to the minister previously to the commencement of public service on Sunday morning. The teachers of the four schools meet in union once in four months, when the state of the schools comes under review, and

once a fortnight for three hours on a Saturday morning for self-improvement, when the sacred scriptures and books of a useful character are read, and other exercises attended to calculated to increase their stock of useful knowledge.

The Sunday school at Maldon appears to consist of 140 children and ninety-eight adults, instructed by fourteen teachers. Teachers' meetings of the same character as those at Salter's Hill are held here, and the incon

venience which has been experienced from the room being used also as a place of worship, is removed, the congregation now occupying a newly erected place of worship.

In connexion with this school, one of the teachers has opened a school three evenings in the week at Hines Mountain, which is attended by sixteen children.

HAITI.

A letter has been received from Mr. WEBLEY, dated Jacmel, the 6th of February, containing information which will, we doubt not, gratify all our readers; and not having room for the whole, we will present an abstract rather than defer the noticing it.

It states, first, that he and Mrs. Webley have returned from a visit to Jamaica, and that the voyage has been blessed to the restoration of the health of both of them. Secondly. That the political state and prospects of the island have undergone a great change for the better, and now assume a brighter aspect than they have for some time past.

Thirdly. That the schools have been resumed with numbers equal to those of which they before consisted.

Fourthly. That there is much in the congregation calculated to afford encouragement that there is reason to believe several individuals to be the subjects of converting grace; that having baptized one candidate previously to sailing for Jamaica, he is about to baptize three more, one of whom has been for some time in the habit of inviting his neighbours into his house on the Lord's day morning, and reading and explaining to them the scriptures, for which Mr. WEBLEY considers him well qualified; and that there are several others whom he considers as in a hopeful state.

Fifthly. Mr. WEBLEY presents an application, in our opinion a very cogent one, to his fellow Christians in Great Britain to provide his congregation with a chapel, there being no difficulty in rendering the tenure secure, which had been conceived by some to be the case in consequence of the law preventing foreigners holding landed property. This application he urges on several grounds. 1. That the house, of which the room used as a chapel forms a part, is situate in a marketplace, the noise and confusion of which (very far beyond those of an English market) are so intolerable as to compel the closing of every door and window in that part of the house which is surrounded by the market, during the whole of the service, but that even with the doors and windows closed, the worship is frequently interrupted by the shouting and cursing of persons at the doors, and the jingling of money on the window-sills, sometimes by all the noises together, forming, to use a common expression, a perfect Bedlam. 2. That the house, of which the room used as a chapel forms a part, is completely at one end of the town, which contains a scattered population of 7000, and that the distance from the centre of the town and the lamentable indisposition to exertion prevent the attendance of those who have not learned to appreciate the worth of gospel truth. 3. That the class among whom they are called to labour feel a very strong prejudice against worship conducted in a dwelling-house. 4. That the room used as a chapel is also employed as a school-room, and that the desks and benches have in consequence to be removed two or three times a week; that great difficulty is frequently felt in procuring persons to remove them at the time required, and the missionary family have to perform that work themselves, thus employing time and strength which are valuable for more important purposes, and producing an exhaustion immediately before divine service, which it is highly desirable to avoid; and, further, that this continual removal is attended not only with trouble and expense, but with injury to the articles removed, so that some of them are already rendered unfit for use, and their renewal at an expense of fifty or sixty pounds must be looked for every three or four years.

Mr. WEBLEY states that a chapel capable of containing a congregation of 300 might be built for about £500; that it is not improbable the land would be granted as it has been on another occasion, by the government; that he expects a contribution of about £50 from the churches in Jamaica, and is about to make exertions in Haiti, so that if he could rely on from £250 to £300 from home, the object which he represents to be so important, in which we fully concur with him, would be accomplished.

HOME PROCEEDINGS.

JUVENILE MISSIONARY ASSOCIATIONS.

The Young Men's Missionary Association recommend the following rules for the guidance of those who feel interested in the formation of Juvenile Auxiliaries. the congregation, and all the scholars being invited to attend, when addresses shall be delivered, a different field of missionary labour, such as India, Africa, China, &c., being selected for each successive meeting.

1. That a juvenile missionary auxiliary be formed in connexion with each Sunday school, and that the young people of the congregation be invited to co-operate.

2. That the auxiliary be conducted by a committee consisting of the whole of the teachers, and that the business of the auxiliary form a part of the business at the ordinary teachers' meetings.

3. That the pastor be requested to become president, the superintendent of the school treasurer, and the secretary or librarian secretary, if they should be able to give the time which is requisite.

5. That the subscriptions received be purely the free-will offerings of the children, that they be received by the teachers in their respective classes every Sunday in the missionary box, each child being invited to contribute one farthing per week, if so disposed.

12. That an annual meeting of the auxiliary be held, when a report of the past year shall be presented, and resolutions of a simple and earnest character proposed.

13. That the meetings commence punctually at the time announced, and close within two hours; that they commence with singing and prayer, and that one or two appropriate verses be sung between each address-no address to 4. That the accounts be kept by the secre-occupy more than twenty minutes. tary in a book provided for the purpose, the The " Young Men's Missionary Associasubscriptions transmitted to the parent society, tion" feel it desirable to impress on their quarterly, and the accounts audited annually friends who are teachers, that whatever is by two members of the auxiliary. given by the children should be their own free-will offerings, contributed from an interest in missions, and in order to this, that they should inform the children of the miserable state of the heathen, especially of the young; that they should be made to feel, as far as possible, the value of their own souls, and the greatness of those privileges by which they are themselves distinguished from the children of heathen parents, and that care should be taken to guard against the idea of preference being shown to those children who contribute. Many may be willing who may not be able. It is hoped that such an interest may be excited, that the 150 day and Sunday schools connected with the various missionary stations may at no distant date be entirely supported by the children in our schools. A contribution of a farthing per week from each scholar would effect the object.

6. That the young persons of the congregation, and some of the senior scholars, whose interest in missionary objects is ascertained, be furnished with collecting books in which to enter the names of subscribers, and boxes to receive their subscriptions, and that the amount be returned to the secretary monthly. 7. That the subscriptions received be devoted to some special field of labour, such as the schools connected with a particular missionary station.

8. That a missionary working class be formed in connexion with each auxiliary, or, where it is thought advisable, two; one for the young persons of the congregation, and the other for the scholars; that they meet once a fortnight, or once a month, as may be found most expedient, the female teachers conducting the classes and reading extracts from the Juvenile Missionary Herald, or some other interesting work; the expense of the materials for work being defrayed from the funds of the auxiliary, if not otherwise provided for.

But in order to excite this interest preparation will be requisite on the part of those who conduct the meetings. They must furnish themselves with information of the country, its features, climate, productions, &c., and the character and customs of the people, particularly with reference to their state of heathenism, and to illustrate such addresses a large map of the world, and also drawings, rejected idols, and as many objects peculiar to those countries as can be obtained should be provided and explained to the meeting. In order the better to accomplish this a missionary museum, to which access can be had, is felt to be indispensable, and the association have 10. That a monthly address on Christian determined to take immediate steps for the missions be delivered in the school on a formation of one, in which they hope their Sunday afternoon, after which a missionary prayer meeting shall be held for half an hour. 11. That a quarterly missionary meeting be held in conjunction with each auxiliary society, the parents of the children, young persons of

9. That missionary information be constantly placed before the members of the association, and that the Juvenile Missionary Herald be furnished gratuitously to every regular subscriber.

friends will kindly and promptly aid them by the donation of articles of the nature referred to, which will be thankfully received at the Mission House, Moorgate Street.

ANNIVERSARY SERVICES.

A Meeting for SPECIAL PRAYER, in connection with the Baptist Missionary Society, will be held in the Library of the Mission House on the morning of Thursday, April 19th, at eleven o'clock.

ANNUAL SERMONS, APRIL 19th & 25th.

The Committee have much pleasure in announcing that the annual sermons on behalf of the Society will be preached by the Rev. JAMES SHERMAN, of London, and the Rev. OCTAVIUS WINSLOW, of Leamington. The former will preach at Surrey Chapel on the evening of Thursday, April 19th, and the latter at Bloomsbury Chapel, on the morning of Wednesday, April 25th.

Service to commence in the evening at half-past six, and in the morning at eleven.

SERMONS, LORD'S DAY, APRIL 22nd.

The following are the arrangements (so far as completed) for April 22nd. The afternoon services marked thus are intended for the young.