ASIA. CALCUTTA. A letter has came to hand from Mr. THOMAS, dated February 8th, 1849, containing information which will deeply interest our readers, and while it represents the prospect of usefulness, urging most powerfully the necessity of men of piety and zeal being sent out without delay. We trust our readers will feel it to be a call to exertion. You will be pleased at hearing that brother Parry baptized seven converts last month in Jessore. I hope towards the latter end of this month to baptize several at Bow Bazar. BARISAL. The brethren Pearce and Wenger have returned from Barisal, and you will be delighted at learning that their account of the people is very pleasing. Many of them seem to be truly converted, and to have eminently the gift and spirit of prayer. The following short extract from a letter I received from brother Wenger while at Barisal will, I think, interest you, as it did me. "When at Ghagor" (a place in the neighbourhood, where a number of the native Christians reside)" we catechized the people. The first man we called upon to give an account of his faith, stood up and said, 'Sirs, I am a poor ignorant man, and have not received much instruction, so you must not take it amiss if I cannot express myself well.' After this short preface we expected to hear a narrative, but instead of that he uttered a most beautiful prayer, quite extempore, for he dwelt a good deal on our visit. And last sabbath, having had some talk with a widow whom the zemindar had robbed of land, brother Pearce entered upon spiritual subjects, and having learned that she was in the habit of praying daily, asked her in what way she prayed, when she also prayed in the most affecting manner." and his family can reside, and consequently premises must be erected, and in addition to six or more native preachers, he must have an assistant missionary. The converts already number between three and four hundred, they are widely scattered, and from the nature of the country difficult of access, and only by water, and consequently a boat must be allowed. But more of this hereafter; I merely state these things that you may see that we have no idea of retiring from that promising field, and also that the carrying on of missionary operations there will of necessity involve considerable expense. DACCA. Brother Robinson, who has now been engaged in the mission more than forty years, quired at such a place as Dacca, and entreats finds his strength unequal to the duties re that some one in the vigour of life may be allowed to return to Calcutta, where he may early appointed to the station, and himself be for a few years longer enabled to labour with comfort to himself and advantage to the mission. It must be admitted there is much reason in what he says, and I do not see how Dacca? we can object. But what is to be done for We have literally no one to send. The prospects of usefulness in that district are efforts, and it will be a thousand pities if we encouraging, and such as to call for further are obliged to give up the station. A call for help. Our brethren also report that nearly all the people have given in their adhesion to the Society. We have, however, since learned But what are we to do? We greatly need that immediately after the brethren left Barisal recruits from England. Do send working measures were adopted by parties at the sta- men. Let me again suggest that you do not tion to place it in connexion with the Propa- restrict your search for men to the colleges. gation Society. We are endeavouring to pre- The Home missionary body would, I feel pervent this measure being carried into effect. suaded, furnish from among them some men The question, however, arises, and it is a very exactly of the stamp we require for India. serious one, what is to be done for the station? Men of piety and zeal, and able to tell imWe all consider it to be important that pressively of the love of Christ, what they effective means should be adopted to retain themselves have known and felt. Some such the station, and take advantage of the opening men, provided they have acquired some one prospects of usefulness. Whatever is done language besides their own, and thus proved must be done immediately, and nothing can their ability to acquire and use a foreign be even attempted without considerable ex-language, would answer for many important pense. One of our number must go and stations in India quite as well as men of reside there, and the only one at liberty is greater polish, more studious habits, and more brother Lewis. No house exists in which he commanding talent. MONGHIR. A letter has been received from Mr. LAWRENCE, dated February 1st, 1849, which will interest our readers. It is as follows: India so soon. I am very glad to learn that Mr. and Mrs. Sale were expected to leave England for More than ever does our mission require reinforcement. A great work is being done, and must not be given up. The next generation will probably reap the fruit of the labour which is now bestowed upon this unpromising soil. Since I wrote last I have spent a month from home in visiting some of the villages to the south-east of Monghir. In every place we were received with civility, and in some places with much deference. We were often cheered by the attention with which our hearers listened to our discourses, or rather conversations. There is increasing evidence that idolatry and superstition have less influence over the minds of the people than formerly, and that many are beginning to be awakened to the absurdities of the Hindu religion. Many openly avow their disbelief in their shastres, and ridicule their idols, but in order to maintain their standing in caste they still continue to perform puja, or worship, on particular occasions. Were it not for the brahmans and the fear of losing caste, I believe there are hundreds in the villages around us who would renounce idolatry altogether. him on his return from the mela (or fair) to which he was going. On his way back Nainsukh called, as he promised, but the man was dead. His relatives told Nainsukh that he refused to allow them to perform the usual pujas (superstitious rites) to their idols, and told them all that his whole confidence was on Jesus Christ, whom the Christians worship; and he exhorted them also to renounce their idols, and trust in Him. With this confession he died. May we not hope that he was a brand plucked from the burning? I have since heard of another instance at the same village, of a person being favourably impressed by reading a copy of the gospels, which he had received from some missionary. These, and similar facts, are encouraging, and lead us to hope for better things, and for greater success. February 8th, 1849. Yesterday and the day previous there was a mela (or fair) at a celebrated hot spring about six miles from our house, called Seeta-Roond, or the fountain of Seeta. Seeta was the wife of Ram, or Rama. The brahmans say that on her last incarnation she became invisible on this spot, or entered the nethermost regions there, and I have recently heard of three or four very immediately on her disappearing this spring interesting cases in our neighbourhood of good of hot water burst forth, and has continued to impressions having been produced by village flow ever since, as an astonishing proof of her preaching, and the distribution of the holy divinity. It is no valid objection to this scriptures and tracts. While at a village proof, in their estimation, that there are in about forty miles from Monghir, our native different parts of the country some twenty or brother Nainsukh was invited to go and see a more other Seeta Roonds, respecting all of man who was very ill, and who wished to see which a similar tale is told, and each of him. The sick person was in respectable which claims to be considered the very spot circumstances. He had heard the gospel, on which the goddess made her last appearand had read a portion of the holy scriptures. ance on earth. Two or three times in the When Nainsukh entered his room he ex-year large numbers of people come together claimed "Oh, I am so glad to see you. I have been reading your book, and I want you to instruct me in its doctrines. The religion of my own people is all false. I have no longer any confidence in idols. Jesus Christ appears to me to be the true Saviour, and I wish to know more about him." You may be sure that Nainsukh was delighted at hearing such a speech. He sat down by the side of the sick man, and preached the gospel to him for an hour. The poor man listened with the greatest interest. Nainsukh prayed with him, and left him, having promised to call and see from the surrounding villages from the distance of twenty or thirty miles to perform certain idolatrous ceremonies at Seeta Roond, after performing which they all visit a certain temple on the banks of the Ganges, about a mile from our house, and bathe in the river. The distance between the ghat at the river and the spring is about six miles. The whole line of road is thronged with people going to and fro from sun rise till about noon. We station ourselves on a convenient spot by the side of the road, and are able to collect large and attentive congregations for hours together. WEST INDIES. BAHAMAS. We have pleasure in inserting a letter from Mr. RYCROFT, dated Grand Cay, Turk's Island, 2nd April last, bearing testimony to the improvement of the people, and their exertions in providing a place of worship and a residence for their minister. Having an opportunity of sending a few lines to you, I embrace it to say that the means of grace established in the settlement where this chapel has been erected by the agency of the Baptist Mission, have, through Divine mercy, proved efficacious in uprooting many soul-destroying evils, of establishing an improvement in the general habits of the settlers which excites general notice and surprise, and of leading many persons to the adoption of gospel principles, the service of our dear Redeemer, and the hope of another and better state of existence. Here we have a native agent and his wife, around whom the settlers cluster to receive instruction for themselves and their dear children. On the Lord's day every inhabitant is found in the house of God, and every child capable of walking in the Sunday school, which contains not less than 100 dear children dependent in a great degree on the institutions established here for intelligent information on all subjects, especially moral ones. To see this school in its grotesque appearance, grotesque to an unaccustomed eye, is a sight worth crossing the seas to look upon, and in its results at present, not to refer to future generations, rewarding to the benevolence and labour laid out. now able to afford accommodation to three or four hundred persons, whilst the clean, neat, and suitable mission-house on the right renders our native agency comfortable, and being the most desirable residence in the settlement, is not unfrequently sought as a temporary abode by gentlemen having business in this place. It is gratifying to think that since our mission premises have been set up, the settlers are no longer satisfied with the huts we found them in, but are on the right and left erecting neat, clean-looking, and desirable residences. The present phy sical, mental, moral, and spiritual aspect of our friends here is every way satisfactory. We have now built, in the course of a few years, three chapels in these islands, and a fourth is far advanced. At two we are erecting a house for the use of native agency. Every settlement on the Caicos is now supplied with the means of grace, and has its little church and regular sabbath services, as well as week-day worship. But for the denomination we represent, these islands, apparently, would have been in a condition no language can adequately describe. But we are verily thankful to see the prophet's word verified with relation to these poor islanders, "Instead of the thorn shall come up the firThe chapel before you [vide frontispiece] tree, and instead of the brier shall come up has been built solely at the expense of the myrtle-tree; and it shall be to the Lord our poor people, some of whom have given for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall money, and others labour. Here we are not be cut off." JAMAICA. WESTERN UNION. In the Annual Report of the Churches in connexion with the Baptist Western Union for 1848, it is stated, "We are free to confess, that at the commencement of the year, knowing that spiritual deadness existed to a very fearful extent,— foreseeing the difficulties we should have to encounter in consequence of that deadness, and resolved at all hazards and at any cost to exercise strict and scriptural discipline, we anticipated a large decrease in the numbers of our members. In this, however, our fears have not been realized. We are pained at having to report any decrease at all; but are bound to praise the God of all grace for any aspect in our mission of an encouraging nature.' We cannot but express gratitude to God, that notwithstanding the altered condition of Jamaica, whilst on the continent of Europe, and in some of the islands of these Western Seas, contention, turmoil, and bloodshed have prevailed, yet in this land all classes have been permitted to enjoy peace, and that they have uninterrupted opportunities of attending the public means of grace. It is a matter of humiliation and for lamentation, that these peaceful times have not been so fully improved by the churches of Christ as they ought to have been in attempts to enlarge Messiah's kingdom. Notwithstanding, however, present appearances, we yet rely upon Him who has promised in answer to prayer, "I will pour out water upon the thirsty, and flowing streams on the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit on thy children, and my blessing on thy offspring." The Report then contains details of the respective churches, particularizing with deep concern the lukewarmness and backsliding of some and the awful falls of others who once ran well, and at the same time pointing out cause for rejoicing in the internal peace with which the churches had been favoured, and the spirit of prayer and of zeal which evidently characterized many of the members, with many pleasing proofs afforded that God had not forsaken his churches, but was still working by the power of His Spirit in their midst. The result of this information will be found in the tabular statement annexed, to which are appended statistical reports of the Sunday and day schools connected with the churches. TABULAR VIEW OF CHURCHES AND STATIONS CONNECTED WITH THE BAPTIST The Statistical Reports of Sunday Schools and Day Schools are postponed till next month from want of room; also several interesting communications which are now in print. |