The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-02-05 00:00:00

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY

Sermons on behalf of the above Society wore
preached in the Trinity Church, Old Hill, on Sunday
last, by the Rev. Pargeter, late missionary in
Ceylon. Collections were made at the close of each
tiervice in aid of the Society. On Monday evening
a public meeting was held in the Trinity Church
Sunday Schools, over which Mr. W. Bassano, J.P.,
presided. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the
weather there was a good attendance. The Chair-
man said that in the absence of his dear friend, the
g iota, who, they wen sorry ict kw, lis4 ken req

ill, he was obliged to take the chair that evening.
They met together for the purpose of founding
a branch of the Church Missionary Society.
There were many of the young people there who,
perhaps, would scarcely know what the word mis-
sionary meant,and there were some older, perhaps, •
who had never been connected with any missionary
society, and, therefore, they would pardon him if •
he spoke very simply about missionary work, and
in introducing their friend Mr. Pargeter. who would
tell them some of the interesting particulars of
missionary work, so that those little people who
were growing up, would, bye and bye, come to be
energetic supp_eters of missionary work. Well
now. the Church Missionary Society was a society
which, he thought, was about as old as the century.
The object of the society was to send out men to
preach the gospel in heathen countries. Now, he
would admit, there was a great many of them who
did not know what heathens were, and it would not
hurt any of them to learn what they were.
They had them described in the Bible, where it
spoke about the foolishness of the man who took
part of the trees to cook his food ani warm him-
self, and out of another part he carved an image
and worshipped it.. There, exactly, they had a
picture, practically, of the heathens. There were
at this moment, millions, of people, everyone of
whom had an immortal soul, who knew no better
religion at this moment than to do as that man
spoken of by Isaiah. They may be surprised to
hear that they make gods of that kind in Birming-
ham and send them to thelheathens. In addition
to that, gross ignorance and idolatry prevailed, a
sin which grieves God ; the very sin for which he
destroyed those people in Canaan. There were
horrible, filthy, and dreadful rights and ceremo-
nies, far to horrible for decent people to kear about.
The Church Missionary Society was formed to send
out men to preach God's gospel to such nations as
these, and during the whole of this present century
this society has been going on with that work.
Before they would go any further they would con-
sider what the work of the society was in order to
do that. In the first place a man has to be found
who will give up his comfortable life in this country
in the midst of civilization and friends, and spend
his life among heathen', risking his life even, living
without the comforts of life, living even in the
greatest privation, where it was impossible to live
long, and many of them have laid down their lives
to the diases which belong to those countries ; living
among people more or less hostile to them. The
aociety had found such men and their expenses hae
to be provided for. From the formation of this
society to the present moment men have been
brought forward, and money had been collected for
doing that work, until there were now large num-
bers of missionaries spread abroad among the
natives of the world. What they wanted to do was
to help a little. They may not be able to help
very much, but they remembered what the text was
on Sunday night She hath done what she could."
They may depend upon it that if there is one thing
more certain than another, it was that the teething
or the halfpenny that is given with the desire that
the work should go on, should not be forgotten by
God. It was not the greatness of their gift, it was
the spirit in which they gave it, and what they
wanted to give should not give it in fact as the
honour of the work of sending the gospel to the
heathen, but as the privilege of having a share in
it. If they looked on that hi the right way .they
would get a number who would help all they could,
Well now there were two principal ways of contri
buting to this work. The first was bra list of sub-
scribers to put down their names to subscribe so
mach as they could afford each year and at this
time of the year, , because they should each year, as
long as they lived, they could have their missionary
sermons followed by their missionary Meeting, and
to hcar any new missionary who would give inform-
ation on missionary subjects. so as to increase the
number of their slits zibers and to show them what
was being done abroad with the money. He pointed
out that the society had an income nearly £20,000,
and all that was requested to carry on this work,
and they still had had missionaries who had come
forward to go out but their income would not allow
them to send them. He said that it was a great
and glorious work, and a privilege to be able to send
forth the knowledge and the love of Christ to those
who were in darkness; that, which may be and
must be, the salvation of many who hereafter shall
stand on the righthand of God. Their friend Mr.
Pargeter would now address them, who had lived
21 years in Ceylon doing missionary work. Now
he was engaged in the Society's work at home. He
had come to tell them about the missionary work ho
was engaged upon in Ceylon. They wanted to make
a good beginning. He had no doubt that those
who did not wish to put down their names that way
would give themeto Mr. Atkinson who would be
the Secretary and Treasurer.—Applause.
Mr. rargeter, on rising said he was very glad
that the chairman had explained the objects with
regard to Church of England Missionary Society.
He might just say that 81 years ago tide society
was commenced by about half-a-dozen cltrgymen
and laymen connected with the Church of England.
It was a very striking fact that for several years
not one single clergyman of the Church of England
offered to go out to cany out the missionary work.
They had to send for men from Germany to go out
in the missionary work. He was glad that was
changed and that men were coming forward in the
principle. Thew were some 17 men who were
to go out now. The income of the society (X 20,000
which was a very large sum in itself yet a very small
sum when looked at in other ways. The first mis-
sion commenced in Western Africa, which was a
very unhealthy place. and during the last 40 years
there were no less than 87 missionaries died. They
next went to India. That was not open fully to us
They did not have the libertyto go to every part of
India until the year 1835, and even then it was
looked upon with a suspicious eye, lest the natives
should rebel against the government. New Zealand
was the next place and then to North West America
They then took up the Isle of Ceylon. They then
went to Palestine, to Egypt, and then Central Africa,
and it has increased and thereis scarcely a heathen
land but from which the cry has come "Come over
and help us." It was a ery long time ago since
he took part in the missionary work in the Isle of
Ceylon. It was not then very much known. He
then gave ansinteresting account of his labours in
Ceylon, and pointed out that it was a very difficult
undertaking for the men who went out of this
country into foreign lands as missionaries.
The meeting closed by the singing of the doxology.