The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-05-25 00:00:00

pel in Furei4n Part," and in tine laUer with the " hish
. . .

A: very gratifying revival has taken place in the association
connected with St. 'Mark's Church. To this association belongs
the djstingoished -honour of having been the first in Liverpool
to manifest an enlightened and liberal zeal in behalf of missions
to the heathen. It-has now been re-organized and placed upon
the same footing with those of West• Derby. There is a pros-
pect of one or two more branches being formed in the course of
th, present year.
The total sum received by this auxiliary during the past year
amounts to £1=19955. 6d., which, compared with that received
during the preceding year, exhibits a defalcation of 1:40 3s. 6d.
In order, however, to have a clear view of the state of the funds,
it will be necessary to analyse thein•sornewhat More minutely :
for, on the one baud, it will be remembered that in the year 1836
there was an anonymous donalion of•Eloo,exclusive of which
sum the receipts of 'last year will haVe exceeded those of the
preceding year by £59 un the other hand; iNve deduct
front the last year's income the sums derived trona the new
sources before referred to, which amount to £l5l 6s. Bd., the
balance comprising what has been obtained through-the older
channels will have fallen short of the preceding year's receipts
by £B.l [Os. 2d. 'faking into consideration, however, the severe
pressure of the times, arising from commercial erntiarrasments,
which was so generally felt at the commencement of last year,
the committee are glad to think that this decrease may be
satisfactorily accounted fur, without attributing any diminution
of zeal or love to those who have been lung engaged in this good
work: .

The amounts received from the several b►anch associations
are as follows :

Saint Andrew's £2'2o 1 3
„ Bride's
„ Jude's lO5 1 2
„ Augustine's
, 61 18 11
All Saints - 0
Saint Mai k's
„ Michael's
Everton . 127 5 .0
8913 11
Wallasey
Seafort h
Wavert ree - 9 8 6
West Derby
Saint Ann's, West Derby
Orinskirk
Southport - 20 8 1
Burscough
liuffird 8 18 9
Pre,cot BB .3 1
St. Helen's...

The • treasurer has•.received official intimation that the late
Jonathan Stott,,Esq.• of Water-millock, in the county of Cum-
berland, who formerly resided in this town,. has bequeathed to
this society a legacy of £53.
In consequence of the increased labour which, from the..addi-.
tional number of branches, will devolve upon the secretaries,
the committee, in conjunction with the committees of several
other religious societies, have engaged an agent at a small
salary. By this arrangement it, is hoped that greater regularity_
and despatch will prevail in the distribution and forwarding'of
the society's-publications than would otherwise have been ex-
pected.
The proceedingi thus detailed comprise the substance of those
duties in which the committee have been engaged during the
now ended year of their employment. They -cannot, however,
conclude their report without expressing their earnest desire
that Liverpool and its neighbourhood may soon come forward
in a manner still more proportioned to its opulence and advan-
tages than it has ever hitherto done. When it is considered
that this port engrosses upwards of one-third of the commerce
of England—that every favourite breeze wafts to its harbour
hundreds of vessels from every part of the world—it is not easy
to calculate the amount of responsibility which rests on its in-
habitants. Remembering that they are only stewards of their
property, may they be anxious to consecrate it to their Lord's
service, and use it for His glory! The committee trust that
this feeling is becoming more general, and from present appear-
ances there is eyery reason to conclude that their successors
wilt be aisle to speak yet more confidently on the subject:
Fur themselves, and for all who are or may be associated with
them in this good work, they would adopt the prayer of the
Psalmist—" God be merciful," &c.
ADANI Honc-isost, Esq. then read the treasurer's accounts,
fruci which it appeared that the total receipts of this auxiliary,
fur the past year, were £1,499 :Is. Gil., and t hat after deducting
fur necessary expenses the sum of £1,155 Os. lid. was remitted
to the parent society in London,
The Rev. Junx JONES moved the first resolution, which was
as follows :

" That the report pow read be received, anti that it be printed
anti circulated under the direction of the committee; that the
officers of this aneiliary be requested to continue their services;
and that the gentlemen (a,list of whose names he read) be the
committee for the ensuing year."
There is, said the reverend speaker, a common phrase—it may
be called vulgar in one sense, but it is really classical in an-
other,—that you haves' Hobson'sashoice." -1 call it classical,
because 1 believe it took its origin in the University of Cam--
bridge, where you, Sir. and I took our early instruction. The
origin of the phrase is this : Hobson was a celebrated horse-
keeper, and kept a livery stable in Cambridge, and the young
men went to the stable for horses when they wished to take an
airing or a drive. It was his habit to do justice to his horses,
and never allow a favourite horse to be'used more than another,
and so ill used. His plan was, to have always one saddled and
bridled, and when a young man came and said, " Hobson, I
must have a good horse to-day,--let me have such an one ?"
His answer was, " No, Sir, you must have that or none ;" and
so aeose the phrase of Hobson's choice. And so it is. with re-
gard to myself. in moving this resolution—it was "this or none."
Arid it is a resolution I least of all like, for I always speak best
when I ant a little warm; and-say first feeling, when our Se-
' cretary asked use this morning to take this resolution was
very well, I will just break the ice. Bat really, sir, I find no
ice here, (a latgh ; ) I find it excessively wales; I think it can
scarcely be wanner in Demerara. But now, Sir, you have done
your part,-and oar Secretary in another sense has done his, and
the ice is altogether broken, and I take up my hammer merely.
to ,eive (me stroke to complete that -which is already begun:
and now to revert to sacred things, it is furnished by the labours
of the. great Apostle, when he had jusesetherged Croat sumo
troubles, " thank God and take courage." And this is just the
simple opening with which tweuld•begleave to-open the speech-
es of this evening, " thank God amt take courage. We have
much to be thankful for, both. as it respects this auxiliary and
the society at large, I do thiuk it a cause of, thankfulness
to Almighty God that Christianity is diffused thrterghout the
world in almost any forrn...Chi istianity-in itself is a great bless-
ing. If we have not this view of it, I think we differ• from St.
.Paul, for he certainly, in speaking of the subject, adverts to
souse who preach the gospel from envy i.snd strife instead of
good will, and his remark was this, "whether by good will or evil
will, the gospel was preached, awl he rejoiced and would rejoice.
And I must say, l rejoice front the betwixt of ,my heart, what-
ever be the instruments, if they preach the gospel; whether
accepted by their Saviour or nut, the work is a work in which
we should rejoice. But, sir, on looking over a passage-recently,
the apostle would refer rather to the defect of the instruments
than to the defect of that preached. It was the instiuments he
referred to, and he said, whether the instruments were vain-
glorious teachers and pereont who envied. hint his reputation or
not, and though from envy they preached the same gaspel, and
endeavoured to out via him in his exertions, still he' rejoiced
much that religion. prevailed. ;Therefore, lam thrown back on
.another view, that christianity may be diffused in such a shape
as to make us rejoice with trembling. Now, when men deal
with one another in temporal matters, the act very differently
often to the manner in which they act in spiritual matters. I
have lived so long in a commercial town that I have learned to
view christianity es a commodity, a precious commodity, which
we are undertaking to export. We know in the commercial
world, there ate men at least of integrity, men who would not
deliberately do a dishonest thing, men who would nut deliberate-
ly send abroad any article specious, yet not sound; yet we know
many have other principles, and that, on receipt of an order to
send any goods abroad, send off some specious -articles that
look very well; anti off they go. Now, we all condemn such
conduct. Suppose it be machinery, and something be wanting
in the machine, and it will ,not work when put up, is it not de-
ceiving the purchasers? If a watch Maker embarks in a specu--
lation, and sends out watches to a place ignorant of their use,
and they are told they will tell the hour of the day, but the
mainspring is wanting, and when they get abroad they are
useless ? We call this freed ;we call it dishonesty. Now treat
Christianity in a similar manner. Christianity is the most precious
of all constuodities; and yet we know very well that Christianity
may be exported, as it were, from this country, most defec-
tive in its character—radically defective, not possessing the
essence of Christianity, and yet still bearing the time. For
instance, it may want the essential dextrines, such as the divi-
nity of Christ—the atonement of our Lord. Shall-we presume-
te rejoice in the spread of such Christianity? Shall we under-
take to assist such efforts? Shall we not regard it as dishonesty
to seud out such Christianity to the heathen world ? It is dis-
honest; it is defective. That is Socinianism. (Hear.) Then
there is another kind of dishonesty, - not marked so much- as
redundency—by a mixture of impurity. 1 will suppose a com-
modity; let it be corn, here is chaff and rubbish amongst it,
anti it tills the sack, and away it goes. It is true there is wheat
in it. There is Popery. ( tear.) There are grains of truth
in it—thatie graitts of.truth in it—but there is chaff ;'there is
a mixture, and it is dishonest to call it the pure Christianity,
and we de a dishonest action in contributing to send that as
good a heat which is not. (Hear.) Nay, I go further than
that; the commodity may not be defective, and not mixed with
rubbish, but yet it may be—
An interruption here occurred from some individual at the
bottom of the room, getting up and speaking; the only word
we could distinguish, was the word "diabolical." After the
slight confusion, which had in
.some degree, by this been occa-
sioned, had subsided, ou the request of the Chairman, that those
standing up would resume their seats, anti attend to the speaker.
59r. JUNES proceeded.—l was going to observe, that there
may be commodities that may be very shapeless -in their cha-
racter. I would suppose, that *we undertook to export china
from this place; suppose we undertook to send a few hundred
sets of chins to some- country afar off, and the order was, that
we should sen,l the hest; anti send it altogether perfect; we are
'fraudulent, we suppose, and we go to the potteries, and nego-
tiate for a sort of second rate-china; or it may be very good in
the substence, but, as often happens in the potteries, it' gets
mis-shaped in the baking. That is the china sent by our die-
senting-brethree. (A hiss.) Jtruay be very good china, but it ,
is nut in order, it is not a perfect set. Now, I think it a subject
of rejoicing, that our society ittelet takes to export Christianity
in as perfect. a shin-se as it*can be furnished. I. den't say it is
perfect, but it is in
_consepience of human in firalit ies ;. it came
perfect eta of the hand of Jesus, but.we, alas ! in consequence
of the weakness of our tee ure, have warped it, and put it aside
in some. measure. But, Llesseu Le.. God! I hope generally, in
the conviction: of our Minds, coolly .and deliberately funned,
that the Chili:eh of England as now constituted; does possess
the best roan of Christianity under .the sun; and therefore, I
sits truly thankful. in lending my feeble aid in propagating its
doctrines to every corner of the world. (Hear.) Never may
We be ashamed in sending' forth something that is imperfect,
but that see *may send to the heathen the very best form of
'Christianity we can -possibly obtain. And, therefore, Ido re-
joice, " I thank God, and take courage." And now, sir,.as the
ice has been broken, I leave the question to those of our excel-
lent brethren Who are to follow. The rev. gentleman sat down
amidst held applause.
The 11ev. JONATHAN WOODWARD, one of the secretaries
from the parent society, rose to second the resolution. He said
—lt will tint be necessary for me, my friends, to take up any of
Your time in explaining to you the objects of our assembling
together. We were told by 'our respected chairman, that with-
out Christianity there is no teal happiness. There are r;00,000,000
that have never heard of Christianity. 'rhereare, therefore, sjx
hundred trillions of unhappy beings whom it is our object, so
far as Gil gives us grade, and so far as God gives us power, to
make known to them the only secret of the happiness of the soul.
It is often said, sir, that though the heathen have not heard of
Christianity, they are nevertheless happy in their Own way. My
friends, this is altogether false. There is a tradition amongst
the natives of Hindostan, who ate perhaps as happy,as any
idolaters under the sun. that there was a-period when this world
which we inhabit was joined to the centre of light of blessed-
.ness :And of bliss • that an evil spirit carne.and cut it off from
that centre, and that ever since it has been going dOwn, and
down, and door in the abyss of darkness; that the world is