The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-06-16 00:00:00

FOREIGN AID SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Liverpool auxiliary to this
society was held, on Tuesday evening, at the Amphi-
theatre, when a great number of the local clergy and
gentry were present. The Rev. Dr. Tattershall was
called to the chair, and the proceedings having been
opened with prayer by the Rev. T. Nolan,
The CHAIRMAN opened by stating that the spirit of
Christian benevolence in this country would be extremely
inoperative if it were not to turn its attention to the state
of the lost and apostate portions of Christendom. To
those portions of the continent of Europe this society
solely directed its efforts; and it was most gratifying to
know that these efforts had been eminently successful.
He then observed that no resolutions would be proposed.

Major THORPE was the first speaker. He rejoiced to
say that the past year had been one of immense success
in England, and particularly in France. All the former
branches of the society were in full vigour. To the So-
ciete Evangelique of France this society gave a grant of
£l,OOO in the past year; and to the Societe Evangelique
of Geneva, this society also gave a grant of .f. 600; and
these respective sums were equal to amounts collected
both in France and Geneva. This society had also given
a grant of £3OO during the year to the society at Belgium;
and it had also given another grant of £3OO to two other
evangelical societies which existed in France. It was gra-
tifying to know that the Word of God was being distri-
buted to many thousands of Roman Catholics in and
around Lisbon. In Germany, one missionary was preach-
ing the everlasting Gospel in no fewer than 24 churches.
A most devoted man was labouring in Bohemia ; but, on
account of the persecution which might prevail against
him if he were known, it was not prudent to mention his
name. Pastor Roussel had opened many new stations
within the past year ; and most cheering was it to find
that in one of his stations the Roman Catholic chapel
had been handed over to the Protestant consistory, there
being now no Roman Catholics to frequent it. The altar
had been removed, a modern pulpit had been erected, the
holy water pots had been displaced, and the second com-
mandment had been inscribed on the walls. The service
there at present was most spiritual. The gospel of Christ
was being preached in all its truthfulness and simplicity.
In another place 250,000 souls had left Rome, and were
ready to embrace Protestantism ; and in others the con-
versions were going on by fifties and hundreds. The
funds of the society were advancing steadily at home.
One lady had contributed the munificent sum of £l,OOO ;
and it was sincerely to be hoped, that in such a town as
Liverpool an increased interest would be felt in the pros-
perity of the society.
LE PASTEUR DE LA HARPE, Professor of Theology,
at Geneva, reminded the meeting that the Evangelical
Society of Geneva was the oldest on the continent, and
that, with the name of Geneva, was associated the great
movement of the Reformation. Geneva, in former times,
was honoured beyond other countries; but after the days
of fidelity, the days of unbelief succeeded. Where the
chair of Calvin once stood, men were found to introduce
something like falsehood; but after a while, seven men
elevated the standard of truth again, and by those seven
men was the Evangelical Society of Geneva originated.
The principles of that society were similar to those foun-
ded in France and Belgium. The first principle was, that
Christ was the Son of God ; and then it went on to assert,
the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and the doctrine of origi-
nal sin. These doctrines bore the same fruits to-day
which they did in the days of the Reformation, or in the
times of the Apostles. They were not sectarian doctrines.
They placed Christ first and last: And the means used
by the society were of the most unobjectionable nature.
It was divided into five sections. Two were confined to
Geneva in particular, and the other three had reference to
the Christian work in other countries. The two first sec-
tions were carried on by the pecuniary assistance ren-
dered by the people of Geneva themselves, but the three
other sections required support from other lands. An
ecclesiastical college was founded at Geneva, and over it
Dr. D' Aubigne was the president—a name well-known
in Liverpool. (Applause.) It contained forty-five stu-
dents, every one of whom had been born a Roraan Catho-
lic, but they were now studying for the purpose of preach-
ing the truth throughout the various continental countries.
Some of the students had come from France, some from
Belgium, and others from the rallies of Piedmont ; and
all were going on most satisfactorily. Then the society
employed colporteurs to sell the Holy Scriptures, at re-
duced prices, among the people in the country districts :
and within the last fifteen years more than three millions
of copies had been distributed in France in this manner.
He anticipated that, sooner or later, the distribution of so
many millions of copies of the Bible in France and other
Roman Catholic countries would be felt and seen by
Christians at home. He related several instances of the
good effects which had already attended the operations
of the colporteurs. The society, in addition to all this
machinery, employed Bible readers, or Evangelists, as
they were called in Geneva. These men prepared the way
for the preaching of the Gospel. Thirty of the students
of the College were now preaching in France, and a num-
ber of others would most probably be sent out in the
course of the present year. British Christians ought,
therefore, to support a work so holy and excellent in its
character. Lastly, the society had schools for the educa-
tion of the children of Protestants who were driven from
the towns and scattered by persecution throughout the
country. There were sixty colporteurs, and thirty Bible-
readers employed. The principal obstacle to the work
was the want .r men—the want of proper labourers ; and
this was occasioned by a disinclination on the part of the
society to employ any labourer who was not a proved and
devoted servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He ccnclu-
ded with an affectionate appeal in aid of the society, tell-
ing them that the cause of Christ was one, however it
might differ so far as names and denominations were con-
cerned. He sat down amid loud applause.
The Count de St. GEORGE, of Geneva, alluded particu-
larly to the missions in France and Belgium. The thirty
missionaries in France were labouring—some of them in
the east and some in the west of France. He had visited
the French missions three times during the past year, and
was most highly gratified with the results. The work in
the east was going on slowly, but in the west whole vil-
lages were embracing Protestantism. He believed that
the glorious progress which was now attending the work
in various places was in answer to the prayers of faithful
Christians. He related a variety of anecdotes to show
how much good had been effected by means of the colpor-
teurs and the other instruments employed by the society,
which were listened to with much attention. He ad-
mitted that in many cases the efficient operations of the
society had roused the Romish church to action, and that
priests were sent to villages where priests had never been
for years ; but still he thought the society should perse-
vere, though this effect had been produced, because there
was no fear for the success of truth when it came into con-
tact with error. Whole villages renowned heretofore for
thievery, infidelity, immorality, and sabbath-breaking,
had been converted to Christianity, and the results were
most encouraging.

The Rev. HUGH M`NEILE here read a letter from Ed-
ward Cropper, Esq., enclosing a subscription to the
amount of £lOO to the funds of the society.
LE PASTEUR AUDEBEG, secretary to the Evangelical
Society of Paris, here addressed the meeting in French.
He regretted that he could not address them in English,
from his imperfect acquaintance with it, but it was some
consolation to him to know that they were all travelling
to a country where they would all speak the same lan-
guage. When the first missionary went to Paris not a
single Bible could be found, but now, thanks to the Bri-
tish and Foreign Bible Society, a Bible was to be found
in very many houses. And not only were the poorer
classes of the people in this state, but all classes. He
himself was in darkness until the year 1822, and when
once he became enlightened, he felt an anxious desire to
preach the gospel to his Roman Catholic fellow-country-
men. His success in preaching had been exceedingly
great. Ile had founded two churches in Paris, in one of
which there were 1,500 converts from Popery now wor-
shipping in spirit and in truth. Three of the ministers of
the churches, the secretary, a count and countess, and
various others of the leading worshippers had all been
Roman Catholics. The Societe Evangelique had been
established by the congregation of one of these churches ;
and the collections raised there, which were very small a
few years ago, had last year amounted to £lO,OOO. He
stated that lie visited Burgundy a short time since, and
preached to 300 people in the dancing-room. He preached
from the orchestre, and was much struck with the atten-
tion of the audience. One of the results under God was,
that an old and confirmed b lasphemer and atheist was
most remarkably converted. Then, when the dancing-
room became to small too accommodate the numbers who
came to hear the Gospel, be preached close by the walls
of the Roman Catholic Cathedral, to anxious multitudes.
Subsequently, a commodious Protestant church was built
there, and on many occasions 800 and 1,000 Roman Ca-
tholics were now attending there to worship God in truth.
A short way distant there were 453 worshippers. He
assured the meeting that the society was not in want of
work, but that their want was in workmen ; and he pro-
ceeded at length, and amid much applause, to speak on
other interesting parts of the work.
'rite Rev. HUGH M'NEELE felt that the Christians in
England were in a serious position in undertaking the
work in France. lie asked why should England be dis-
turbing the people of Prance? Why not leave them to
their own Roman Catholic Pastors ? Nothing short of a
deep, honest, enlightened conviction that the souls of our
fellow-creatures were at stake, could justify such proceed-
ings. If the religion of the majority of the people of
France were true—if Rome could save, we were utterly
unjustifiable. If our position were a true one, then the
religion of Home could not save. This was a most awful
conclusion to come to respecting millions. Was the meet.
ing prepared to justify the position it had taken. Yes;
and so was he, or he would not be standing where he was.
What should they say to the prospect before them in
England. If the Government going on in England should
progress, societies would have to be established in France
to rescue England. Rome dealt in demands and diver-
sions—demands of money, and diversions in the shape of
amusements. Neither of these things could heal men's
disease. Rome dealt in symptoms, like all quacks, and
the more she used quackery, the more she opened the
disease afresh. Rome could not minister to the disease.
She had so mixed and neutralised the remedy, and the
application of the remedy, that it never touched the
disease. Jesus Christ alone was the remedy ; and there-
fore he said, " No man cometh unto the Father but by
me." Therefore Christians rejoiced when they heard of
the success of the Gospel in France, and every other
country on the face of the earth. Therefore they re-
joiced that their Christian dissenting brethren were about
to hold a meeting in the present week, in Liverpool, to
support the Evangelical Continental Society. It was a
libel to say Protestants were disunited. They were
one in all the fundamentals of religion. They opposed
Popery and Socinianism. Uniformity was not necessary
to amity. All the sections of the Protestant army were
under One Generalissimo, the Lord Jesus Christ, Let
the cavalry, artillery, and infantry, do their separate works
well ; and let Churchmen and Dissenters do their work at
arm's length, and they would do it well also. Ile was for
an Evangelical Alliance without amalgamation. Re. did

not believe that the present attempt at amalgamation
would be attended with any good. They all differed in
some way one from the other. Who ever saw two bro-
thers or two sisters alike? Some had larger noses than
others—(loud laughter)—and they wouldn't pack. The
speeches of that evening all differed from the Church of
England. They did not agree with him : he probably did
not agree in all respects with them. But they could all
mutually aid each other in their separate denominations,
until finally they arrived at their heavenly home, where
they all would be one ; and he believed that in the carry-
ing out of this spirit the Church of England had evinced
a truly Catholic spirit. (Applause.)
The meeting separated at half.past ten o'clock.