The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-09-20 00:00:00

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIWIT:

The meeting of the Sk John's Auxiliary to this
society was held on Monday evening last, at the school-
rooms. Sermons had on the Sunday previous been
preached at St. John's church, iii behalf of the society,
and Mi Si. had been collected, showing a falling off
from that of the previous year. ft must be remembered
that this is the second collection made this year for the
society, and that the present ,cullections came rather
close upon the nobte efforts made to assist the society
for relief of the sick and wounded.
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The public meeting was crowded; it was presided over
by the Rev. J. STYMIE:4BON, who, after it had been
opened in the usual manner, brought forward a brief
statement of account of the funds raised by this
auxiliary. He did not feel qaite satisfied with the con-
dition of the missionary work in this parish, and when
be read the statements for the past three years, he
thought they would feel cenvined he had reason for
some little anxiety. In 11.69 they received from ser-
mons, meetings, subscriptions. and boxes, 1:91 9a ; in
1868, ktei 170. 61.; and in 1867, 1:91 175., so that it ap-
peared they had late ly been quite at a standstill. Yet
at the missionary work it progressing on all aides, their
Interest should be growing. He prayed forte stronger
missionary spirit among them, and trusted God would
stir up their hearts to tide great and glorious work. lie
regretted that the collection after.the sermons on sun.
day lad was only 1:28 Si., showing a fain, ;,,,off and he
trusted the deficiency would be made up after the pre-
sent meeting.
The Rev. C. PIIINN aeologised for the unavoidable
absence of the Rev. T. T. ?crown°, who was announced
to be present, The work of the Church Missionary
Society was established on too firm a basis to need hie
advocacy. It had continued for seventy years faithfully
and unswervingly to do the work, which he might sum
up loon. Scripture phrase—that of "Preaching to the
Gentiles the unto archable riches of Christ." It was a
test of the prosperity of the church that it was earnest
in the missionary work, aml it was felt on all sides that
this work could not be set aside, but stood forward as
one of the most important and vital that • Chriatian
could be engaged in. The number of native ministers
employed by this society was 92. exactly the same as
that of the European missionaries, showing that the
natives durnseives took an interest in the work. The
work was progressing in Abtreokuta, Logos, and the
Yoruba country in Africa, and one of the native ilia.
triets bed effered to pay two thirds of the expense of
the missions to that part, and hoped to pay more
:moth r year. In conclusion he urge I that Christian
benevoler co tewards one object shauld not lessen their
benevolence to another object. They had .lone well to
reiliscribe liberally tower,' the relief of the sick and
wounded ; but that otieht pulp to open their hearts
more to rive to the mj.len CAll-e—(bear, hear.)
The Rev, ARTHUR 110131. r, missionary from Chine,
said it was hard to imagine a time when Christian
eympatby was more put upon its trial than at the
pre-ent time. Every one, even to our ()assets,
oroela feel the los,: ef the (',pt +in • • a vat *on • i
sorrow. If. owed mach to liar Majeety'a navy
in China, and roinetimet when he dreaded such
a calamity as that which had happened at Tientsin, he
felt that the pretence of English guoboata near had
prevented ouch a calamity. Therefore he felt the loss
of the Cantata as a personal loss. Then the war was a
subject •hat no ono can abut out from his thoughts,
aud he often felt that by it the misdonary work was
pushed too much in • corner— they felt as every thing
most go by for the preening need.of making bandages
and supplying all to the nick and wounded. But its
proterded against that idea, the more we are moved by
one need, the more we ought to ba alive to another. An
old lhneoo writer, 2300 year,' ago, said of a good
111110, "The more he serves, the more he has where-
with to serve ; the more ho gives the richer he
becomes." Ho trusted they would not be deprived of
eynesarhy for China beams° of the terrible deeds at
Tientsin, they must not set the Chinese as all
murderers mid worse than cannibals because of this
kdrible occurrence. They would not condemn all
England on account of the Denham murder; nor all
France because a country gestleman supposed to have
Prussian tendencies was burnt alive. Generally the
people do not object to foreigners as foreigners, and he
travelled about the country day and night, alai exempt
in some tracts where pirates abound. he felt safer there
than he should in his own land. Although he did not
agree with the Jesuit missionaries' teaching, for be
believed they taught Mariolatry as much in Chute as in
Europe, he could not but echo the wish they expressed
in answer than address of sympathy—that the massacre
would lead to the opening of the country for the spread
of Christianity and the only vengeance they prayed for
was the MILO that Christiana in England wished to take
upon India aftv the Sepoy revolt, that the Gospel
no.), be mere widely known in that land. Speaking of
the wounded in the war, he feared that it was only
unbelief that would lead us to think that their
necessities are more pressing than those of the heathen,
for the whole heathen world is drowning and drowned
in sin, alit, wounded, and dyingand going down without
Christ to the grave. And the Gospel brings relief as
true to the minds and souls of the heathen, as the
temporal reliefs offered to the bodies of the wounded
in the war. He went on to speak of his labours in
Ningpo, a city larger than Birmingham, like the other
cities of China entirely without a Sunday, a day of
red, where with exception of about three weeks at the
new yeae, there ie no holiday from beginning of the
year to the end. Ho related aninstanoof a man who had
sunk through poverty to that he wss obliged to sell his
wife and to °children to keep them from starving. For this
man he obtained • situation in tone of the irondust
workshops. It appears that the rain water largely used
is caught in earthen jars which are very liable to crack,
and they are mended by • putty partly composed of
irondust, and consequently there is a considerable
demand, But the poor people who work at pounding
up the iron get only 31, a day, Id. of which goes to the
master of the shop. Yet the man for whom he got this
situation was not only a consistent Christian, but was
the means of bringing the mecer to the services, and so
Impressed was he 'hat be wished to beco.ue baptised.
The Sunday work at his irondust shop stood in the way,
and at laot, although he was very poor, he determined
to run the risk of elating hi, shop it. Sundays, although
his men might leave him and get work elsewhere. The
men, tieept one, all enntintiml with him, came to the
services, and the shop was entirely closed on Sundays,
in the midst of that Sabbethlem city, and Mr. Mauls
asked the emelt of Christians for this man, that be
might be able to matinee firm in his resolution. He
went on to speak of the hopelessness of Chinese
religions, with regard to the spiritual state. Confucius
said there iu..y be spiritual beings, but the further they
kept aloof from them, the wiser men were. lie great
prize of Buddhism we. that of entering into • state
where there is no sensation at all, and the end expected
by Fautlian was to be swallowed up in the soul of
nature, in other words to cease to have a separate
existence. Moat of the Chinese hoped for some
place between heaven and hell, feeling they
were not good enough for heaven they yet
wished to escape hell; but he found that be
o luld put an end to all controversy about there
goodness by quoting their own proverb "There are Iwo
good people, one it dead, and the other is not yet
hot ii." He spoke at coosiderable length hi the needs of
China, of its great and num, roue cities, all of which
n. dud ninny missionaries and ho lamented that
tho mimionary society had been compelled at all
there stations to make a reduction of 10 per cent,
just at the time when more extensions is urgently
nquireal, and he asked if Christians would permit the
wars of the Lord to go beck for want of funds, when
England is going to pay £2.000,000 for increasing the
army and nave, and IA ono,ooo for the Abyssinian war,
and when France is voting I:6,000,000 to marry on the
dreadful war with Germany? He asked if we would
not be as solf-denyinz, and more so, for tho Lord Jesus
Christ, who gave Himself for us.
The Ilitutoeof the Falkland Islands also addressed the
assembly, urging that if we gave leas to the missionary
society, on account of giving to the nick and wournicds
it was not they who gave to the batten relief but India,
China, and all the places who would otherwise have
be, it assisted by their contributions.
The Rev, J. EITEP9 mos added a few words, the meet.
tog was closed with the doxology and benediction, and
• collection was made. producing 1:43 17s8—.we under-
stand double that of last year.