Additional Contributions towards sending out Ten Missionaries to India. The thanks of the Committee are presented to Mr. Hunt, of Upper Clapton, for two years' numbers of the Patriot; to Mrs. Knight, of Staughton, for a quantity of valuable books; to Miss Dymond, and friends, of Taunton, for a Box of useful articles for the schools in Spanish Town, under the superintendance of Mr. Phillippo; to Friends at Wellington, Somerset, for a box of fancy and useful articles, by Mr. Horsey, for Mr. Henderson, of Belize; to Ladies at Hackney, per Miss Luntley, for a box of useful articles for Mr. Knibb's schools; and to Mr. Armstrong, for a box for the Jamaica Schools, prepared by the late Miss Grant, of Stirling. A paper parcel for Mr. Quant, and a box for Mr. Applegate, have been received, and forwarded by the "William Forster." A box and canvass parcel for Mr. Leslie, and a box from Mrs. Rouse, Torquay, for the Jamaica Schools, have been also received, and will be forwarded by the first opportunity. IRISH CHRONICLE. MAY, 1838. Subscriptions and Donations received by the Secretary, Rev. S. GREEN, Walworth; by the Rev. J. DYER, at the Baptist Mission Rooms, 6, Fen Court, Fenchurch Street; and the Rev. STEPHEN DAVIS, 92, St. John Street Road, Islington; the Messrs. MILLARD, Bishopsgate Street; SANDERS, 104, Great Russel Street, Bloomsbury; LADBROKE & Co., Bankers, Bank Buildings; by the Rev. C. ANDERSON, Edinburgh; the Rev. Mr. INNES, Frederick Street, Edinburgh; the Rev. J. FORD, 1, Rathmines-road, Dublin; by Mr. J. HOPKINS, Bull Street, Birmingham; by Mr. J. H. ÁLLEN, Norwich; and by any Baptist Minister, in any of our principal towns. The Annual Meeting of the Society, May 1, at eleven o'clock, at Finsbury Chapel; EBENEZER FOSTER, Esq. in the Chair, The following extracts from the correspondence of the agents in Ireland, will be read with interest. M. MULLARKY, Clonmell, writes, March 29, 1838, as follows: : every street, village, and lane, but in many or most of the cabins; and if the Lord will With respect to my work, I am sorry to say bless his word, my feeble labour will be more it is very little compared with the wants of than compensated. One of the meetings, the people. What can an individual in my which I mentioned in a former letter, we capacity do, that would be commensurate with were obliged to discontinue during the winter, the wants of the thousands who are dying from its being a little out of town, and those around me? Here the baneful effects of who might attend being widely scattered. popery appear in their most glaring colours. Instead of this, there is another meeting estaIt would seem as if this were the stronghold blished in the other end of the town, which of Satan; but when we remember that error it is hoped will be made a blessing. We meet and darkness have been already penetrated in the room of one of the young men whom I by the rays of the Sun of Righteousness, we mentioned as learning to read. It is in the have encouragement to persevere, in the as- most abandoned part of the town, attended surance that, if we are faithful, God in his by Roman Catholics and Protestants, and own time will crown our labour with success. some of those who attend since its establishI have divided the town and suburbs into ment, have attended at our meeting-house. four districts, in order to visit the cabins in I trust the persons to whom I read the book, regular order, that I may not appear to make are taking an interest in it. I came in cona determined attack by visiting several cabins tact, some time ago, with a number of men in the same place. On some occasions they who were working at a lime-kiln in this neighinvite their neighbours to come in; and in bourhood; their appearance was rather formany other instances I contrive to turn away bidding, and I hesitated whether I should the repulsive sneer, by a pious sentence in introduce the gospel among them; in short, their own language. On some occasions II feared they might be tempted to throw me am obliged to leave without speaking or reading; but these are very few. The time that I regularly devote to this is from twelve to four o'clock. If any circumstance should occur to interrupt, I try to make up the deficiency by a part of the evening. In this time, avoiding every thing that has not a bearing on the one thing needful, I frequently have as much exertion as if I conducted two regular services, and constantly as much as if I had conducted one service. This, to say nothing of my time being otherwise employed, is as much as my strength is adequate to perform. I often return hon e quite fatigued; but I trust, in time, that I shall preach the gospel not only in into the lime-kiln that was burning before them. However, after offering up a mental prayer to God for strength, I took cccasion to direct their attention from the fire that was burning before them, to the burning that awaited the unconverted, and pointed them to Jesus Christ as the only means of escaping from the wrath to come. They heard with marked attention, and seemed affected. Since I frequently visited the lime-man's family, who seem very anxious to hear the Scriptures read in Irish. A short time since, while Mr. Smith and myself, with another friend, were reading in a cabin about two miles from that, an old woman felt surprised that I had not visited her for same time, but said she heard | month, together with a list of subscribers' I was at the lime-man's on a certain day. From this I concluded that the people are taking an interest in my visits among them, and speak among themselves about what I read to them. In looking over the lists I have sent, you will perceive that the Lord has enabled me to visit ten preaching stations this quarter, and preach seventy-two times, besides visiting several families from house to house, for reading and prayer. In prosecuting these missionary labours, some weeks I have walked about fifty miles, and preached six times. But this is nothing in comparison to the labours of Grimshaw. "His sermons," says Mr. Newton, in his letter to Mr. Førster, "in his working or busy weeks, often exceeded the number of twenty-four, and sometimes amounted to thirty." I might notice the apostle, who "laboured more abundantly than they all;" at the same time ever remembering Jesus, "who went about doing good," thereby setting us an "example that we should follow his steps." The rolls will give you a faithful account of the schools during the whole quarter, at one glance; this plan I consider to be a great improvement, and will afford great satisfaction to the Committee. This next quarter the children will be employed in the field, and I do not expect that the schools will be so well attended. In looking over the abstract of the four journals from the daily readers this last month, you will perceive that they have visited 229 families; spent 622 hours in reading, praying, and explaining the scriptures to their neighbours; distributed nearly 100 tracts, and some few copies of the Holy Scriptures, in English and Irish. One of your readers says, "I have had the pleasure of reading and explaining for 313 Protestants, and 431 Roman Catholics, from the first of the month, and travelled 217 miles." I hope that we shall all labour in faith, and with humble dependence upon the blessing of God to grant success. I hope that we shall all be men of holiness and prayer, as well as men of zeal and exertion. The more I know of Ireland, the more I feel persuaded that it is by plain and faithful preaching, united with reading the Bible from house to house, that sinners will be converted, and the gospel of Jesus established amongst us. The pigmy popery of a Protestant establishment will never be able to slay the giant of Rome. names. From the journa: you will see that I am endeavouring to do all the good I can. You will be good enough not to suppose that no houses are visited, or persons conversed with, but those mentioned in the journal. I have endeavoured to give you as brief an outline as possible, but I fear I impose tco much upon your time by the length of my letters. Tracts are distributed, persons conversed with on the wayside and in the houses, and portions of Scripture read. In markettowns, especially, I embrace several oppor tunities on market-days to introduce the sinner's hope. Sometimes I am heard, and sometimes scoffed at. On sabbath-days also, when at home, I give a little assistance at Mrs. Berry's Sunday-school, which is latterly somewhat increased. You will be pleased to hear that good men of other denominations bid us God speed in the good work. Your letter of instructions will raise up friends. Not having a report to give the excellent Mr. Wingfield, I showed him the letter of instructions. Upon returning it, he sent me a friendly note, one or two sentences of which I take the liberty of transcribing :-"I was much gratified by the perusal of your instructions, and think they breathe a very wise, faithful, and catholic spirit. I shall not at present subscribe to your schools, but will give you a mite for your foreign missions." I wish these instructions were more public, as I am persuaded they will ensure the co-operation of the good and pious in this country. Here I would observe, that I have not called upon any person for aid towards our foreign missions. I do think that good men, in their zeal for the conversion of the heathen abroad, overlook the heathen at home. I am far, however, from thinking the foreign missions should not be zealously promoted; may the Lord prosper them. Whenever I may be offered anything for them, I will receive it with thankfulness, and send it to you for them. You will be pleased to see that our little church is on the eve of being increased. Next Lord's-day, I trust, will be a happy day to us, if spared; until then, may the Lord enable all of us to work whilst it is called to-day. Surely our time is short, and precious souls are perishing. Two of the members are supplying the place of sabbath-readers for me, of course without any expectation of being paid; and I have reason to hope that Mr. Henry Dunn, who is to be baptized Lord's-day, will give me assistance in preaching. Although I am not now connected with the brethren at Easky, lately employed by you as sabbath-readers, still I will transcribe a line or two from letters I received, since I came THOMAS BERRY, Abbeyleix, March 29th, here, from E. Devany, formerly a Roman writes to the Secretary :Catholic, and Thomas Cook, a nominal ProWith this I send my daily journal for this testant. E. Devany says, "I think I will become a travelling pedlar, as it would suit a scripture reader very much." T. Cook says, "I feared some of the brethren followed the loaves and fishes, but my fears were ground. less. Mr. Bates is well liked by all, and there is a revival at our prayer-meetings," &c. These letters were a reviving cordial to me. At the National Schools I endeavour to do a little. Having been all my life accustomed to scriptural free-schools, I very naturally love them, for to them I owe much. I felt uncomfortable after coming here, but now, in some measure, my visits to the national schools give me that pleasure; and if the whole of the word of life were admitted, I do think them excellent schools. Their books are good, their Scripture lessons simple and instructive, and the children generally well instructed. You and the committee, and the whole body of dissenters in England, would confer the greatest blessings upon our country by having the whole Bible introduced into these schools, at least one or two days in the week; and at present, I understand, there is a motion to that effect under consideration by the Board. I am sure your united voice would induce the government to bring about this desirable change. If you have not seen a circular sent to each teacher by the Secretary of the Board, I will send you a copy, by which you will see what your ministers here are permitted to do. DENIS MULHERN, under date of March 2nd, writes: You will see from my daily journal, which accompanies this, that, in addition to my reading and conversation engagements, I have had, during the last twenty-eight days, fourteen opportunities of endeavouring publicly to set forth Christ crucified as the only foundation of the sinner's hope, to congregations varying in numbers from fifty to twelve. During this month I have been twice to Rathgran, a station in which I feel a peculiar interest. The last time I attended here, before I stood up, the remembrance of the first religious meeting held in this village by any of the Baptist Society agents, forced itself on my mind: this was a sabbath-morning prayer-meeting, which about four years ago I was enabled, by God's grace, to open, in the house of the late Moses Chambers. This prayer-meeting was regularly kept up during nine or ten months, when it was thought advisable to introduce preaching here, which, since that period, has been regularly supplied by one or other of our agents. From this small commencement this meeting has gradually increased to its present standing. The last time I preached here I reckoned forty persons, about the average attendance now on weekly preaching in this obscure village: and some of these persons, as it appears, not being satisfied with this opportunity, attend, as you can perceive, at some of our other stations, namely, Coolaney, Deenode, and Temple-house. That a considerable change in the morals and religious opinions of many in this neighbourhood has taken place, since the period above referred to, admits not of a doubt: at that time you could find, on sabbath evening, the members of two or three families, assembled in one house, listening to some one reading a newspaper, or engaged in some more idle and anti-christian exercise: now you might find the same, in a greater number, assembled on the Lord's-day with religious tracts, or copies of the Sacred Scriptures in their hands, which have been distributed among them, either by the Baptist or London Hibernian Society, searching for the faith once delivered to the saints. May the Spirit of the living God open the hearts and enlighten the understandings of many of these poor benighted people, and enable them to find Him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write-Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph. WILLIAM CAVANAGH, March 3, writes: Late last night I returned from inspecting the schools in the Foxford division. The children are improving remarkably well. The teacher of the Shraheen school was in a very low state of health, with an inflammation in his bowels; the doctor that was attending him had no good opinion as to his recovery. I read and prayed with him, and asked him what was the state of his mind, that in all probability he would not survive long in the world. "I thank my God," he said, "that the Holy Spirit has drawn all my affections from this world, and has brought me to see the beauties of the Saviour of mankind, who died that sinners might live. Christ has borne all my sins, which were innumerable, and nailed them to his cross. If I had a thousand tongues I could not utter half his praise. I can now rejoice in God through Jesus Christ, and, with the apostle Paul, say, Death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" and with many other like expressions. I have no doubt, if it be the will of God to remove him from this earth, but he will be made meet for the kingdom of God, to join the throng in singing praises to God. 28. Left the Mohena school, went to Ballyquinn, to the house of John Cougherane; after reading to forty-seven persons through the course of the day, about seven o'clock at night there came upwards of twenty of the neighbours into Cougherane's house. I read, and explained, and prayed, and distributed tracts to several of them, to the number of eleven remained till after one o'clock. I read and explained different passages to them; :: they are all very ignorant as to the gospel plan of salvation through Christ. Several of them belong to the Church of Scotland, and others to the Established Church; neither the one nor the other could tell me the difference between the different churches to which they belonged, but that their parents were such. They attended with great attention, and requested of me to stop a night with them as often as I would come that way. willingly visit them often, but the journey is so far it is about 18 Irish miles from my house. I would On my way home I met with two men, who travelled with me better than nine miles; they were R. C. I talked to them on justification through faith, showing them that it is by faith alone, without the deeds of the law, that the sinner is justified in the sight of God; pointing them to the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world; and also showing the weakness of man to depend on his own strength, or that of another; that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. I was very much pleased with their questions and answers; they both requested that I would give them Testaments, which I hope will, through the blessing of God, be the means of bringing them to the knowledge of God, which alone is able to make men wise unto salvation. P. S. Intelligence has just reached the Secretary of the death of this reader. |