Subscriptions and Donations in aid of the Baptist Missionary Society will be thankfully received by William Brodie Gurney, Esq., and Samuel Morton Peto, Esq., M.P., Treasurers, or the Rev. Joseph Angus, M.A., Secretary, at the Mission House, 33, Moorgate Street, LONDON: in EDINBURGH, by the Rev. Christopher Anderson, the Rev. Jonathan Watson and John Macandrew, Esq.; in GLASGOW, by Robert Kettle, Esq.; in DUBLIN, by John Purser, Esq, Rathmines Castle; in CALCUTTA, by the Rev. James Thomas, Baptist Mission Press; and at NEW YORK, United States, by W. Colgate, Esq. Contributions can also be paid in at the Bank of England to the account of "W. B. Gurney and others." THE ANNIVERSARY SERVICES. THE Committee have great pleasure in announcing to their constituents, that the Rev. W. BROCK has kindly consented to preach the ANNUAL SERMON, on Friday Evening, the 20th of April, at the Weigh House Chapel, Fish Street Hill. Service to commence at 7 o'clock. The ANNUAL MEETING of Subscribers will be held on Monday, April 23rd, in the Library of the Mission House; the chair to be taken at 11 o'clock precisely, when the proceedings of the past year will be detailed, Officers and Committee chosen for the ensuing year, and such other business transacted as may be necessary. The presence of all ministers and friends from the country, who may be in town, together with that of the London pastors and subscribers, is earnestly desired. The ANNUAL PUBLIC MEETING will be held at Finsbury Chapel, on Tuesday, April 24th, when the Rev. J. BIGWOOD, C. M. BIRRELL, W. HAMILTON, of Ballina, and Rev. J. BURNET as a deputation from the Irish Evangelical Society, are expected to address the meeting. The chair will be taken at Six o'clock precisely, by RICHARD HARRIS, Esq., M.P., of Leicester. SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. The preceding announcements will doubtless give great satisfaction; and we earnestly hope that the coming meetings may be distinguished for earnestness, solemnity, and a spirit of prayer and love. But while looking forward to these meetings our friends should have some definite object placed before them, which they may in the meantime carefully consider. Among many others we select the following cases : Some time ago, the Rev. H. POLLOCK, A.M., who was at the head of the Newtonards school, patronized by the bishop of Down and Connor, and most of the ministers in the vicinity, was baptized at Conlig, considering it his duty to follow the command of Christ. The consequence is, that the patronage of the abovenamed parties has been withdrawn, and his establishment has been broken up. The Rev. Mr. M'NAMARA, formerly a Romish priest, and for some years a clergyman of the established church, has also, with his wife, been recently baptized at Ballina. He, too, has had to give up his curacy. Our readers may At Cork, have observed some interesting accounts of him in the last Chronicle. Mr. MORIARTY, a member of Trinity College, Dublin, who came there to take the classical mastership of a large seminary, has been baptized by Mr. YOUNG, and the consequence has been similar in his case. Here, then, are three brethren, natives of Ireland, well acquainted with the habits of the people, and the two latter able to preach in the native Irish with perfect ease, as if it were their vernacular tongue, each of whom has given the best proof of his sincerity in renouncing temporal advantage at the call of duty; trusting only in the Lord, offering themselves as agents, and ready to go forth into the field. Though Mr. HAMILTON is absolutely sinking in health and spirits for want of help, and Mr. M'NAMARA would be able to supply the help he wants, namely, giving instruction in Irish, to those who but imperfectly understand English, as well as preach in several stations, making Mullifarry his residence, where a congregation of more than one hundred persons could be gathered at once;-and though at Cork a work has begun among the poor people there which promises to be somewhat like that at Ballina, and Mr. MORIARTY has shown great adaptedness to that sort of work which no Englishman is fitted for,-the Committee are prevented by want of funds from at once employing agents so evidently raised up by the great Head of the church. They have taken some steps to test the qualifications of these brethren, in the hope that ere long the means may be forthcoming. One of our Scottish ministers writes and says,-"Why do you not make a special appeal for this, Mr. M'NAMARA?" We have our special appeal for the debt, and to send forth another would be neither discreet nor kind. But what will our Scottish friends say when they read about Mr. Moriarty? As we have had no help yet for the debt from them, suppose they were to take these cases up, and by guaranteeing something like £150 per annum, in addition to our biennial collections, the thing would be done. We commend this proposal to them. In the meantime let all our friends consider this, the mission is eminently prosperous. The Lord is graciously giving souls to our brethren. The promise of usefulness is brightening every day; and yet the pecuniary embarrassments of the Society are relieved but in a small degree. We pretend not to explain this strange thing, but we would fain indulge the hope, that as the divine blessing is given to the agents in their labours, so also will the hearts of our brethren in the churches be opened to enable the Committee to strengthen the hands of their missionaries by sending these waiting brethren into the vineyard. Friends of the Society, consider these things! During the past winter, some of the poor members connected with the Abbyliex church have been employed in teaching night schools, and paid out of the Relief Fund, much preferring to do something rather than to receive help merely gratuitous. The reader thus reports respecting some of these schools. RELIEF SCHOOLS. At Clonmore I saw forty-eight children: I said, I will hear the readers. I cannot tell how glad I was to see twenty-seven around me, with their bibles and testaments open. I asked them several questions on the portion of scripture read, and was well pleased with the answers. In the five schools which I have inspected, there are 147 children under scriptural instructions; eighty-five of whom are Romanists. May God in mercy bless the efforts of these teachers to sow in these young hearts the seeds of divine truth. A READER'S SUMMARY. During the past year, I have visited from time to time 653 families, held forty-nine public meetings for prayer, distributed about 300 tracts, besides the regular visits to the schools. I have had opportunities of presenting the gospel of the Lord Jesus to more than three thousand persons in the year ending the 1st March, 1849. for the road. I spoke to them of the bread of life, and when I had read the sixth chapter of John, and spoke of the sufferings of Christ, they were deeply moved, (upwards of one hundred present,) and they all begged me to come and speak to them the following day. AN INTELLIGENT WISH. I have also visited the workhouse, and had an opportunity of stating the gospel in the hearing of a good many of the poor people. I found one man having a testament in his bosom. I said I was glad to see him so careful of the word of God as to carry it about him. "O yes, sir," he replied, " and if I could put it into my heart, I would do it." "Well then, pray to the Lord the Spirit, and believe in the Saviour that is revealed in that blessed book." He lifted his hands as in prayer, and added, "May the Lord grant that." Many of the poor people are beginning to know the value of the bible, and I hope the Lord is fast removing the fear of man which worketh a snare. JOHN MONAGHAN's report substantiates the opinion which is common to all our agents of the growing intelligence of the people, and their increasing desire for the truth. The opposition made by all parties is resisted, and in the right way. We may just cite the following instance PAT. BRENNAN writes, February 26th, of as follows: CASTING SEED BY THE WAY-SIDE. A few days ago, I went to a place where a number of poor men were breaking stones A REBUKE WELL GIVEN. The protestant curate of this place has called on one of the families in whose house I hold a meeting. After reading and prayer, he told the people they need not heed me, as they could read the bible for themselves, and were near enough to the church to go there. They told him that they got no person to read for them, or to take notice of them till I came, and that all the religious knowledge they had was the consequence of my visits, and that therefore they wished me to continue them. On hearing this reply, the reverend gentleman proceeded no farther. The interest excited by Mr. M'Namara's preaching at Ballina, especially in Irish, continues unabated. His case, and that of Mr. Moriarty's at Cork, has engaged the serious attention of the committee, and we would fain hope that ere long the means may be provided to justify their addition to the band of agents labouring in Ireland. Mr. M'Namara preached, writes Mr. HAMILTON, in English and Irish, at our twelve o'clock service last Lord's day. I afterwards gave an address on baptism, and then baptized four persons, on a profession of their faith in Jesus. Three of these were from Mullifarry. Others from that place intend very soon to join the church. den calls which come unexpectedly upon him. We are going on steadily and joyously in the good work. Last Lord's day we received into fellowship another disciple, who dates his conviction of the truth of our principles from the lectures I lately delivered, in reply to professor Wilson, on baptism. He was convinced that those only who are "buried with Christ in baptism," as the disciples of the commission, are rightly baptized. His Christian character having been found to be satisfactory, he was baptized and united to the church. There are others too, who like him, came from curiosity to hear these lectures, and who The congregations are increasing, and the have since continued to worship with us. attendance at the sub-stations improves. every hand we have reason to believe that we are favoured with the divine approbation. On Mr. ALEXANDER HAMILTON who gives his time to preaching at the out-stations, and to extensive visitation in Belfast, has been much encouraged in his work. We are beginning to reap some fruit from the out-stations, for there is a constant attendance of some at the meeting in Academy Street, who first began to worship with us at these places. One man and his family, now regular attendants, have offered me the use of a large room to commence a preaching station in his neighbourhood; and from another station, in a remote part of the town, we have three or four who regularly come to the chapel on Lord's day evenings. I have from five to six preaching engagements every week, and numerous calls to visit the sick and other persons. In this work I have had great satisfaction, and the more time I give to it the more numerous are the opportunities of usefulness. Two persons have lately spoken to me about the ordinance of believers' baptism. One of these has had very frequent conversations with me on the things of God; the other is the person before mentioned who had offered me the use of the room. One will be baptized shortly by Mr. Eccles, and the other is waiting the result of a visit from brethren who have been deputed to wait upon him. Some of the sub-stations are very encou raging. My visits are everywhere gladly received, and I am frequently solicited to call on many people who express their wishes through those I have been in the habit of visiting. The congregations at the chapel continue to increase. |