The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-04-26 00:00:00

Should. But let us not be discouraged, though we be humbled I
by the past. Let us remember the power of Christ. and the
promises
‘ made to thebeliever's prayer: " Whalsoever," he says,
IT shall ask in my name, that will I do." John xiv., 13.
"He giveth to all men liberally and upbrai,leth not." James
5. "Ask and ye shall recevie, that your joy may be fall."
John xvi, 24.
The Treasurer next read a statement of the collections
Made in Liverpool and its neighbourhood on behalf of
the Church Missionary Society.
The Rev. FREDERICK F. GOUGH, M.A., missionary
from China, was the first speaker. He moved the first
resolution, which was to the effect that the report now
read be adopted and printed for circulation. In that
report one interesting item, which he had observed
with sincere pleasure, was the increase in the collec-
tions. When he said so, it was proper, he should also
state that be liked to see that increase, not from
mere love of the money, but because of the fact, that
't indicated the existence in their hearts of a deepened
interest in the glorious work of extending the truths of
Christianity. (Hear, hear.) They could not forget,
however, that the wealth and population of the town were
on the increase. The question had occurred to his mind,—
Did the increase in the collections for the Caurch Missionary
Society, during the last year, correspond with the mate-
rial progress of Liverpool ? That was a question which
ate, of course, could not answer,-but he merely threw it
•out as it occurred to his mind. But there were other in-
teresting items in the report which he could not now refer
to, although they might suggest many an interesting topic.
He would occupy a portion of their time, having only re-
tend), returned from China, with details concerning the
State of that far-distant land. He would confine himself
chiefly to such particulars as had come under his own eye,
and in which he himself had been permitted to take a part.
They were not to suppose, for a moment, that what
he had to say referred to the whole of China; his
subject included only a very small fragment of that
country. He rejoiced, however, that, though very little
had been done, comparatively speaking, that heathen
land, which had been so long hermetically sealed against
the admission of the Gospel, was now opened, and a
way rev for the introduction of the truth, which
would entually cover the whole world. It was now
tirpe and a-half years since he first left England for
China. The voyage thither, as the most of them was
probablyr aware, occupied four or five months, in the
of ther
ally struck way, by going round the Cape. He was especi-
snecalc_dtubring that voyage with the beautiful islands
and
heathen temples ; where there was not a single
Christian missionary—not one individual to testify to the
Saviour. He prayed that those numerous islands of the
sea, so lovely and attractive to the eye of the pilgrim on
the sea, might not be forgotten or neglected by Christians
at home. (Hear, hear.) The field of missions to which be
was about to direct their attention was the city of Ningpo,
in which he had laboured. He merely made a passing
allusion to the immense districts of Shanghai, Canton,
and Hong Kong; in particular to the vast population in
which the only Christian missionary was the Rev. Dr.
Walsh. Why was he left alone ? Because the Chris-
tians at home did not come forward to the work. Hence
did it arise that the solitary missionary must be left with
all the discouragements and difficulties of his strange
Position—a weak-handed instrument for so great a work
as that which the missionary to a heathen land undertook.
Ningpo was situated about 900 miles from Canton. It
lay upon the banks of a river at the distance of twelve
Miles from the coast. It was situated in the midst of a
large plain, surrounded on every side by hills and lakes;
the scenery, in fact, bearing a close resemblance to that
of Cumberland. The mountains were not lofty, but at
the same time, he believed, were as high as those of
Cumberland. The city, of course, differed widely in its
chief features from an English town. The streets were ex-
ceedingly narrow, and not very clean. There being no
horse vehicles in use accounted for their narrowness ; and
there were unfortunately no sanitary commissioners to
ensure cleanliness. ( Hear, hear.) With regard to the houses,
they Were never more than two stories in height, in gene-
aajheY were only one. Even the majority of the Man-
i. Banns resided in habitations of a single story, With
prasl)ect to the people themselves, they were no -t
barba-
rians in the common acceptation of the term. They were
had and polite to a very considerable extent. They
i„ not the complicated machines that were to be found
Operation in England ; but they had very many clever
which man ingenious contrivances
nc of a mechanical kind, with
y of the audiee were to a certain extent ac-
flaainted. As to their politeness, it more resembled what
might be seen in Paris than that which they were accus-
tomed to find in England. This he illustrated by speci-
mens of the common Chinese conversation, especially the
Stock phrases in everyday use among the middle and
upper
classes of Chinese society. (Applause.) With
regard to their spiritual state, which was the maiepoint
they had to consider, he must make one general remark
before he entered into details. In China, and especially
in that part of it where he lived for the space of more
than two years, he found that the upper and educated
'classes were, to a very great extent. atheistic, whereas the
females were invariably the victims of the gloomy and
repulsive system of superstitution which prevailed. They
worshipped the gods out of fear and dread, not from love.
Not unfrequently their devotions were dictated by a de-
sire for some temporal good,—for offspring, or wealth, or
honours. If you ask what form of doctrine prevails in
the country, the reply was that there were three.—the
doctrine of Confuscius, oh Bhudda, and a third the disci-
ples of which might becalled the Rationalists of China. The
educated class of the people all affectod to be the disciples of
Confuscius, and look up to him as the author of their doc-
trine, and of whom they make a boast ; though they did
not call him God, yet they worshipped him, and sacrificed
to him. They looked up to him as the great head and
leader, not of their religion, for it was unworthy of the
name, but of their doctrine. The books of Confuscius did
not contain anything but the most indistinct notion of a
Supreme Being. They contained, however, many admir-
able ethical maxims, among which there was one that had
never probably been heard in any other heathen land.
From a passage in a book which, to a certain extent,
resembled Boswell's Life of Johnson, in that it was writ-
ten by a disciple of Confuscius, who recorded most slavishly
the sayings of that great man, it appeared that on one
occasion he was asked if he could include the whole of
113,1 r, duty in one word ? He gave one word, which,
c`ng translated, meant, " What you would not have
others to do to you, do it not unto them." It
Zas a very remarkable circumstance that this saying
Tad been put forward in a very prominent manner.
till° sneaker next proceeded to notice the position of
_le literary or educated class of the Chinese, who were
the most proud and bigoted class of men, perhaps, who
ever_ existed upon the face of this earth. He referred
,_°l,?re especially to those who were acquainted with, and
ro,o made their boast, of the writings of Confuscius. The
i'enlYlind in accoChinese literatuunt of the creation of the world which was tothe
be
i„"re, was one
"elligence of a Creator. It was to this effect. They say
that, there existed a certain principle called the great
vztreme from which emanated two other principles, the
generative principles of nature, and that these produced
,sheaven and earth. This was the way in which they ig-
,,red the existence of an intelligent Creator, and by their
,;(3111, unhappy system reduced their disciples to the lowest
deaths of idolatry. He next proceeded to detail the con-
(11ion of the disciples of Bhudda, producing a great num-
berof the idols in daily use among the unfortu-
nate. victims. The first he produced was one which
Olt be found in every shop in Ningpo : it was a
s' ba
figure with a piece of silver in its hand, and the
oPkeeper not only gave it accommodation in his pre-
mises. but also burned incense to it regularly every
,a4rning and evening, for fear that he might lose his trade
Ind fall into poverty. Bhuddism had been
oftmported from
la into China. It is related that one the Emperors
'.; China saw in his sleep the gigantic figure of a man.
le consulted the learned men of the land, who told him
Whiteayng in the book of Confuscius, that there were
patched
men in the West. Ambassadors were at once dis-
Viache.d on a mission of discovery ; and instead of going to
Palestine, and it was then the very time of our
saviour's appearance upon earth, they arrived in India,
and from that land brought back the idolatry of
ttßhudda. He showed the Bhuddist idol of the Holy
'other, as they call it, to which the poor women of
61.
i„°i na were especially devoted, and related an anecdote
connexion with it which powerfully illustrates the crafti-
ness and subtlety of the Pap it missionaries who have
been sent out to China. One of his neighbours, a poor
and ignorant woman, came to him and told him that she
Was about to be baptized in the Roman Catholic Church ;
and upon inquiry he ascertained that the only preparation
Which had been specified for her, was the committing to
memory of a liturgy to the holy mother,—(hear, hear,)
the very idol which she had been accustomed to worship
all her life. The god of small pox—Jupiter of the Pan-
Lher—and other idols were then shown in succession--
'ue speaker presenting to the view of the audience
What required no explanation, namely, the beads in-
rduced by the Romanist missionaries. (Hear, hear, and
ails:lse). The Bhuddist priests are distinguished by their
Oapnpaeitiehiidds. by the peculiar colour and cut of their
also by the vow of celibacy which they take
and reeeir: tthe priesthood. They live in monasteries,
from afar, wil" offerings of the poor women who come
-caricature of 11.01Int.ilie related might almost appear a
,eirl name -
operation in that parn:l3fla ; but he had witnessed it in
likewise there was al °f China where he lived, in which
•eould be called by naortatiamber of nunneries—for they
taken
certain
to
awyhoi
wc h
offemc
celibacy,
rev
side, who, like the priests
and who devote themselves to
in the nunnery. (Hear, hear.) t.T duties performed
passed to a re-
next
view of the Rationalist body, who-`1:17
the Bhuddists, and who profess to work bac) numerous as
and thus to drive away the ,on magical arts,
haunt man ; and who likewise, for sPirits which
professed to be in possession of the :jrzti7 years,
Mortality. With regard to the treatment of
Missionaries, he mentioned that for a Period of sin
si
Months he and a dear friend of his had dwelt in a Chinese
community numbering about 100,000 inhabitants; and
that, during the whole of their stay, they had only been
insulted on one occasion, and then it was by a Roman
Catholic. He stated that the missionary was able to teach
and preach in the Chinese language after a year's acquaint-
ance with it, though, of course, it took ten or twenty
Years to obtain a literary knowledge of the tongue; that
the lower classes of the people were always willing to be
addressed or instructed; that it was found more difficult
to obtain a hearing from those in the middle or upper
ranks of society ; that in Ningpo there were several converts
°f great promise—oneof whom, adevotedtailor, had been ap
pointed a catechist. The speaker likewise stated, that it
evangelizing
his intention to return to China, to resume the work of
Z.vasugelizing the benighted population of that vast country,
'%,.,00n as his health became properly re-established.
„3,,_the Rev. J. C. RYLE, Rector of Helmingham, Suffolk,
v_cotscled the resolution. He said that, unlike the last
,sPe.eaker, he had never been out of the country, and con-
utie'lc_ntlY had not had any experience of the Heathens
ta !'s Mr. Gough had alluded to. All be could do was
bt,„'sring before them a few facts illustrative of the pro-
tlpves,
.of the Society. He was aware that he was now
farea_Klen„g a peculiarly business-like town, where the
the %t figures was more especially felt ; and, therefore,
withuon TOs he was about to lay before them would not be
th t their value in a town like Liver o she . po . Knowing
P°tion f
was coming down to Liverpool as one of the de.
k_. rom the Parent Society, he thought he could not
beeleltet* than go to the offices of the Church Missionary
fart c'Y in London, which he did the other day. He,
unately found that a commi*tee
being held,meetin was then
and that the report which was tog be brought