Milne, the late Mr. Pritchett, and other valuable missionaries; and, in reference to the labours of the former, said: In what a wonderful time we live! and what a thing it is, that for 1800 years after Christ, there had never been a translation of the Sacred Scriptures into the Chinese language; that language which is spoken by the greatest number of men in the world. Now, however, that great object is accomplished Dr. B. then noticed the pleasing fact, that of the great number of those trained up by the Society, &c. and sent out by it, so few, comparatively, had forsaken the field of missionary labour. Many, alas! (said he) have been called away to their eternal rest. We lament their departure, and can only say that Infinite Wisdom has seen fit so to act. We have reason to rejoice that there are so many still labouring in the cause of Christ with exemplary success. The Doctor then particularly alluded to the South Sea Islands, where so many have been converted to Christianity, and observed, that hardly any thing superior has occurred since the day's f the apostles. He then stated, that the Missionary Society was the first protestant society that ever had a seminary for the education of missionaries, but that now almost every other Society had established one. Our missionaries also are training up converted natives, to go forth to preach the gospel to the heathen around them, and upwards of 30 are so employed in the South Seas alone; some of whom have been instrumental in turning the population of whole islands from idolatry. Having expatiated upon the several topics above-mentioned, as so many grounds of thankfulness and praise to God, he in conclusion adverted to one which he considered as affording a powerful motive to supplication and prayer, viz. the comparatively small success which has hitherto resulted from the operations of the several Missionary Societies in the East Indies. In the South Seas, the Almighty seems to say, "Behold what my arm can do with regard to the most unlikely of the human race, in converting beasts into rational beings, and even into saints;" but with regard to India, where civilization is far advanced, and the people more intelligent, he seems to say, "Behold how little canye effect, unless the arm of my power be stretched out, and the efficacy of my grace accompany the labours of missionaries." Let us then ask ourselves, "Has there been that wrestling with God in prayer for the ontpouring of the Spirit, that ought to mark all the disciples of Jesus Christ? Or are we guilty?" The Doctor then urged every minister and every pri vate Christian, to examine himself on this point, and exliorted all to abound more and more in this good work, of praying for the outpouring of the Spirit, particu larly on India; observing, that we have the greatest encouragement to expect that our prayers will at length be turned into praise, and that in due time, "the king doms of this world will become the king doms of our Lord and of his Christ;" and that he will reign for ever and ever. The REV. R. W. HAMILTON, of Leeds, seconded the motion; and observed, that for any feelings of confidence and encou ragement he might have in addressing the meeting, he must acknowledge himself indebted to the kindness which he had received from the friends who surrounded him. He also felt that whatever might be the difficulty or responsibility of the occasion, there was, at the same time, a pleasure enjoyed by those who take part in missionary proceedings, that seems to render the "yoke easy and the burden light." They seem to rise superior to the present life, and to break off from its mean affairs, to breathe a purer air, and are enabled to adopt the beautiful lines of the poet, and say: "The way to heaven above, Leads through a heaven below." I do not, said Mr. H. appear to-day in this place as an advocate or as a debater. An advocate! what cause have I to plead? An advocate presupposes opposition, but here you are all true to the same great cause. And what can there be to prove? What powers of reasoning, what induc tion of facts can be requisite, when we have the "demonstration of the Spirit," and "the word of God." Again, are there any adversaries to contend with? Is not the Christian world, as it were, gone out after this great enterprise, and, are not those who were once against us, now rather remembered than seen? Mr. H. then adverted to that part of the motion which relates to the Report, and observed that he knew of no documents so truly interesting as Missionary Reports. The correspondence of mo❤ narchs, the archives of state, the codes of legislation are not to be compared with them, because the latter are the records of moral facts, and bear the impress of eternity. But he could not be insensible while he heard the Report read, that though much had been done, much still remained to do. A foundation has been laid, a scaffolding has been erected, but the superstructure is, as yet, but very partially raised. Instead, therefore, of being satisfied with their exertions, in consequence of what was detailed in the Report which they had that day heard, they should rather be stimulated to greater liberality, to more diligent efforts, and to somewhat of even Apostolic zeal. Mr. H. then alluded to the imputation of enthusiasm, which is supposed by some to be too much indulged in at Missionary Meetings, and on this subject expressed himself to the following effect: An intelligent Christian, Sir, has feelings, as well as judgment. He is not only made for cautious research and deliberation, but has also a taste for the fine colourings of moral beauty. He has a right to expatiate in the fields of light, which religion discloses, to think of the rising splendour of the Redeemer's reign, and to rejoice in anticipation of the glorious results of that happy period. And when thus employed, he feels that he is not yielding to a sentimental delusion, but dealing with facts and relying on principles which bear the stamp and signature of a divine hand. Mr. H., however, further remarked, that although, to use the language of the Great LEADER of Israel, it might be allowable sometimes to STAND STILL, and contemplate the progress of the work of God and the promises of his word, it was, nevertheless, our great duty to GO FORWARD. If our forefathers were not engaged in this great cause as we are, we must recollect their peculiar circumstances, and beware that we offer no sacrilege to their ashes. They were truly most zealous and most anxious to accomplish a great work, and Baxter has left it on record, that hav-' ing been an exile from his church, he meditated a Foreign Mission. If, however, he, and men of equal zeal and piety, had left their own country at that period, who can say what its condition, as to religion, would have been at the present moment? And, Sir, let it be considered, that we ourselves, are not missionaries to the heathen, but sit at home, yielding the scanty pittance of our aid, and, therefore, at least, need make no boast of our own zeal. Mr. H. then intimated, that it was not DOW a question, whether we should or should not commence the great work of sending the gospel to the heathen. We are committed; and shall we now with draw the lifegiving chalice from their lips? But to whom is the work committed? Why, Sir, to missionaries. They have gone forth as forerunners, they have entered the breach, they have mounted the ramparts, and they bid us follow. And instead of this, shall we sound a retreat, and cease to support the heralds of salvation, whom we have, thus sent forth? As to the formation of the character of the Missionary, Sir, we may carve our marble statue and twist our plastic clay, but if we would have the true missionary character, we must receive the fire which is from heaven. Who, then, would not desire to be the parent of a Missionary? Mr. H. then noticed the beautiful union of Christians composing the Society, and compared it to the blended colours of the rainbow. He also alluded to the delightful conversions of the South Seas, where it might almost be said, that the people are all righteous; and concluded by reminding his auditors, that they were accountable beings, and expressing a hope, that nei ther he nor any of them, should have to say at last," Vitam perdidi laboriose nihil agendo," "I borious trifling consumed my life in la Tutor of Rotherham Academy, moved the second Resolution: viz. II. That this Meeting most cordially approves the measures adopted by the Directors during the past) year, for promoting the study of the Chinese language, and other Oriental Literature, and by the means, of the Society previously to their taken for imparting to the Missionaries quitting England, an acquaintance wh the languages spoken in the countries to which they have respectively been appointed." [The Chairman here observed, that the Directors had offered the advantages of the Chinese department to individuals appointed by other Missionary Societies, and that the offer is still in force.] Mr. Bennett, before reading the Reso lution, expressed the cordial pleasure he felt from seeing the Treasurer in the chair, as well as his hope that his life and usefulness would be prolonged to a far distant period. He commenced his speeck by adverting to the charge which, in a certain quarter, had been brought against Missionary Societies, because they had not, as is alleged, followed the apostolic model. Mr. B. pleaded guilty to the charge, and hoped the Society would be chargeable with the deviation no more. The apostles, before they went forth to preach the gospel to the Gentile nations, were commanded to tarry at Jerusalem, where they were first endowed with the gift of tongues; and it was now the de t sign of the Society to supply this deficiency with regard to its Missionaries, as far as human means would go, by causing them to be instructed in the languages of the heathen, before they are sent forth to preach the gospel to them. The East India College, at Hertford, is acting upon this principle, and the Propaganda College of the Church of Rome has long acted upon it. Having mentioned that Church, I cannot (said Mr. B.) but feel exultation in that I am thus enabled to say, God has rewarded the labours of his servants in a way the members of it did not anticipate. That Church, after the Reformation, immediately began to be zealous in the cause of Missions; and what did they say? They said, we are the only true Church, for Missions are the mark of the only true Church. God, Sir, has lately withered this laurel upon their brow, by the lightning of heaven, while the dews from heaven make it flourish on ours. Wę exult to know that the heathens are, and shall be, converted and brought to the Lord, by Protestants. And while I trust that God has taken away from the Papists their false glory, I hope we all feel that he has given unto us the glory and the honour, and the recompense which attend them that do well. Nor is this all; for they tell us also that theirs is the true Church, because they have unity. Unity of what? Of mere names. Sir, we well know how hollow is the pretence of unity on the part of the Church of Rome. We well know that there are many divisions and sects among them, as indeed there are among ourselves. But we also have our unity; a unity, not of names in the bitterness of ignorance, but a unity of the Spirit in the bonds of love and confidence. But they tell us too, that theirs is the miracle-working church. They have miracles among them still, and their Prince Hohenloe sends the sound of his miracles throughout the whole world. We have, indeed, heard of them, Sir, and we should have thought more of them, if we had not happened to have read in a certain Book, that miracles are sent to them that believe not, whereas the miracles of Prince Hohenloe were performed only in the presence of Catholic witnesses ! So that he is placed between the two horns of a dilemma; either the Catholics are those that believe not, or their miracles are thrown away on those who do not need them. But, Sir, miracles of a nobler order, such as the Christian Church may still prize, and will prize until the world shall have been subdued, are still wrought. Sir, we look to the South Seas; there we see our best and purest glory; and with such miracles attending our Society, we may well leave the glory of curing the rheumatism and other diseases to Prince Hohenloe. But I do not speak of the Church of Rome and its conduct with regard to miracles merely for the sake of effect; I am sorry to acknowledge, what I do most frankly, that expecting,' if not now, yet hereafter, some of us may be called upon to meet popery with the arms of Truth, and Scripture, and Reason, I would not willingly lose any opportunity of sharpening my weapons for this warfare, and teaching my young friends around me how to buckle on their armour. Mr. B. here adverted again to the design of the Society, to give instruction to Missionaries in the languages of the heathen, prior to their being sent forthto preach the Gospel to them. He remarked in the first place, upon the practicability of the plan. Ample means were already to be found in this country, for carrying into effect the object in view, and if these be in any respect insufficient, the defect may be suppled. He next alluded to the desirableness of such plan, and described the painful situation of the zealous. Missionary, who is placed among the pe rishing heathen, without being able for a long period, to warn them of their danger, or to point them to the Saviour. He fain would speak to them of the momentous realities of the Gospel, but alas! his lips are sealed. In the third place, he adverted to the additional expense that would be incurred, and on this subject, expressed himself to the following effect : But the question may arise, whether the plan may not be very expensive-expensive! After what you, Sir, have said to-day, and after what we have known of the Society, I should blush if I knew the nianwho would require me to give an answer to this question. We knew the time when the entire aggregate expenditure of this Society, was little more than its annual income is now. How then ought we to feel, were it necessary to import numerous Missionaries from the East, from tlre West, from the South,and from the North? Why, we ought to be ready to do it; for I own Sir, though I am not very sanguine as to the expectations of long life, and hardly know whether I ought to say,—I hope to live to a certain time, (for there is something beyond death, worth dying for;) but while I am not very sanguine in such expectations, yet I do, Sir, say, that I should not be at all surprised, were I to live to see the day, when all the past engagements of this Society will be looked upon as mean and paltry! and I antici pate the period when no man, that bows his knee before the Father of mercies, will rise from his bed, or retire from his secret closet, without commending all Missionaries, who are gone to the perishing heathen, to the protection of the living God. Having done so, the poor man will probably take out his penny, and lay it, as he rises from his knees, in a Missionary Box, and say, there is my contribution; and at the end of the year, his 30s. will form his contribution to the cause: while another, in better circumstances, will every morning, take out his shilling and lay it in his Missionary Box, and thus at the end of the year 207, will be presented from those who now think they do well if they give a guinea. While richer men will every morning take out their guinea, and lay it in the same treasury, and their 365 guineas will be as common a sort of Missionary gift, as one guinea is now in our days. Nor do I regard such anticipation as at all extravagant, for really where a man has his thousands a year coming in, I do think 365. a year from him, for the conversion of six hundred millions of the heathen, is but a moderate sum. Whatever objection therefore may be made upon the score of expense, I confidently put this motion to this assembly, trusting it will be unanimously passed; and that it will thereby acknowledge the necessity of some instruction to Missionaries in the languages of the heathen, before they go out, and thus add to their usefulness when abroad, and to the repntation of the missionary character at home. REV. THOMAS MORTIMER, A M. Lecturer of St. Olave's, Southwark, and Afternoon Lecturer of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch. The motion I have to second, Ladies and Gentlemen, you have just heard, and therefore for the present, I shall say but little on that subject. I certainly, how ever, feel it my duty, my bounden duty, to give my reasons for appearing in this place; and I must throw myself on the charity of those that surround me, when I say I never made a speech in a dissenting congregation in my life before. I will . candidly confess my feelings upon this subject. In the first place, Sir, I recollected that this Society was formed before that Society with which I myself love to stand connected, and in which I delight to labour. I mean, Sir, that the London Missionary Society was formed before the Church Missionary Society; and though I candidly confess myself to be a strong supporter of the latter, and I hope to do all I can to extend its influence, yet I did feel that a Society formed before the Church Missionary Society, certainly deserved my kind feelings and regard. I felt it my duty, my bounden ducy, no longer to stand in the trammels of party feeling, but to put my hand over all such trivial things to the great work. But, Sir, allow me to state, that notwithstanding this is the first time I have appeared here, I have long watched the operations of your Society, and when, from time to time, I have heard of the success with which God has blessed its labours in various parts of the world, and especially in the South Sea Islands, I have rejoiced in your joy and blessed God for your success; and allow me to state that this is the feeling of many of my clerical brethren; yea, there are thousands of clergymen belonging to the Church of England, who bless God for your success. I think it but right to state this, Sir; and I cannot but sincerely hope for the time, when one after another will put his hand over the wall and say, How do you do? But allow me, Sir, to say also, that rejoicing in your joy, we have also lamented in your sorrows. I am certain that many whom you know not, take a lively interest in your concerns, and have often wept over the grave of your sacrificed Missionary. Sir, I speak not with any political feeling; I reflect on no one: but this I do say, when one part of the Church weeps, it should all weep; when one part of the Church is in scrrow and grief, let all be seen in mourning; and I cannot help thinking that the time will come when, if one of the Members of the universal Church shall rejoice, all will rejoice; and if one member suffers, that all will suffer. But, Sir, may I be allowed to state a stronger reason still for coming here than any I have yet noticed. I counted the cost. I considered what might be the effect of my doing so. I knew that many of my old friends might and would disapprove of it; and, Sir, I declare before this assembly, that I would have kept away if my conscience would have permitted me; but that passage in our Saviour's prayer for his Church, has been deeply impressed on my mind. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us :"And why, Sir? Why ?-that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. Sir, when I meditated on this passage, I felt this, that it was my duty to do what I could to show brotherly love to all who love my Saviour, without any compromise whatever. And I am sure you will allow me to say, without any compromise, with all respect to our Government, with every feeling of affection to my own Church, and every wish and inclination to obey those who are set over me, that I am determined to obey my Saviour above all, and, therefore, upon this passage I take my stand. My conviction is, that we shall never make a complete or decisive blow upon the kingdom of Satan, until all Christians are united in one band. And I do believe, that one of the great causes of the comparatively small success which has attended our efforts is, our having been so much disunited; I mean our Missionary Societies. Besides, we are now living in a day when AntiChrist is raising her head, and therefore I consider them not as times when we should be separated, but, on the contrary, when we should come forward unitedly in defence of the truth, and in one grand attack against error, idolatry, and superstition. With regard to the motion, Ladies and Gentlemen, give me leave to say that I deem it a highly important one. Other Societies are adopting a similar plan; they are endeavouring to teach their Missionaries the languages in which they are to preach to the Heathen the wonderful works of God. And let it be considered that a Missionary, when he arrives at the place of his destination, meets with many great discouragements; he feels that he has left those who are most near and dear to him, far behind him; and, perhaps, soon after his arrival, part of his own faamily falls a victim to the climate, and leaves him without a companion. In such painful circumstances, and under a veritical sun, a man so situated needs support both in mind and body, and can, generally speaking, have but little strength for acquiring a strange and difficult language. Therefore, Sir, I rejoice to find that you have proposed, for adoption, such a motion as this. You are aiming at a great end-the instruction of missionary candidates in the oriental languages; and I trust that all Missionary Societies will see the great importance of it. I bless God and rejoice when I see what these several Societies, by his blessing, have effected; and it seems as though he would so honour his Church, that no one part of it should glory against another part of it. If we look at the Church Missionary Society, we see how greatly they have been blessed in Western Africa; if we look at the Baptist Society, we see how greatly they have been blessed in teaching at Serampore; dwe look at the Wesleyan Missionary Society, we see how greatly they have been blessed in the West Indies; and if we look at this Society, we 1 see how it has been blessed in the South Sea Islands. I am sure we must all rejoice in what you have been doing. Mr. M. made many other highly interesting remarks suggested by the occasion, and before he sat down, the following ingenuous confession.-Sir, I was twice written to, some few years ago, to preach the Church Sermon, as it is called, for your Society; the first year I got over it very well; for having had to preach for the Moravians-I said I had to preach for the Moravians, on that day, and therefore I could not comply with the request. The next time I was applied to, I had not to preach for the Moravians, and therefore I could not make that an excuse, still I refused to comply; and I now declare, that I have never repented of it but once, and that has been ever since, and I have determined never again to encourage this party feeling.. Mr. Mortimer concluded by repeating, with much devotional feeling, tlie following appropriate verses : Thou, whose eternal word, And took their flight; Thou who didst come to bring, Spirit of truth and love, Speed forth thy flight; Blessed, and Holy, Boundless as ocean's tide The REV. ROBERT PHILIP, of Liverpool, moved the Third Resolution, which fol lows. III. "That this Meeting fully approves the principles adopted by the Directors, of inviting Ministers and their services to the Society, for limited other well qualified individuals to offer periods, and expresses its affectionate acknowledgments to those Gentlemen who have signified a readiness to accept the invitation; and hopes further, that many eminently qualifed |