The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-05-20 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

MEETING OF THE LIVERPOOL AUXILIARY.

The annual meeting of the Liverpool Auxiliary to this
excellent society was held yesterday morning in the Hall
of the Collegiate Institution. The attendance was not
very numerous. A second meeting will be held in the
same place this evening, at which the Lord Bishop of the
Diocese will preside. At the meeting yesterday, the
venerable Chancellor Rairces presided, and among the
clergy and gentlemen upon the platform we noticed
Revds. F. Barker, J. H. Jones, Dr. M'Neile, Wm.
Rawson, Wm. Falloon, W. H. Wright. G. W. Ward,
F. Parry, J. R. Come., Thos. Robinson, W. Brewster,
R. W. Wolseley, Wm. M'lver, F. Parry, Win. Pollock,
John Scott, R. B. Arthy, J. Tucker, J. East, and Henry
Carpenter, C. Inman, Esq., and T. D. Anderson, Esq.
The Rev. CHANCELLOR having taken the chair, he
almost immediately arose, and remarked that he felt he
should be consulting not only his own feelings, but those
of his auditory, by proposing to them that they should
commence their proceedings by humbly praying for the
blessing of the Almighty on their exertions in behalf of
the Church Missionary Society. (Hear, hear.) After
appropriate prayer had been offered up,—
The CHAIRMAN very briefly addressed the assembly.
He observed that the results of the labours of this
society, which would soon be brought before them in
the Report that their Secretary would read, and the
communications that would be made to them by
their friends who would address the meeting, would
enable his hearers to think with him, that there was never,
probably, any occasion on which the anniversary of the
Church Missionary Society was held under circumstances
more cheering than the present. The variety of openings
for their labours that presented themselves,—the large..
ness of the blessings that God had vouchsafed to their ex-
ertions,—all exceeded the expectations of the most ardent
supporters of this society, and called for from them a
spirit of gratitude and thankfulness. (Hear, hear.) In
proof of this he might mention, that when they looked
at the state of the nation at large, and that of the
church itself particularly, there might be reason to con-
ceive that there would be some falling off in their
funds. They could not deny that in the agricultural part
of the country considerable depression existed; and they
could not overlook that some falling off in the contribu-
tions would arise from this circumstance. He had, how-
ever, the satisfaction-of knowing, that with the exception
of a single year, the past twelvemonth had been the most
productive the Church Missionary Society had ever had.
(Hear, hear.) The reports from every part were exceed-
ingly satisfactory, and showed abundant cause for increased
zeal on their part. -The blessing of God had already been
bestowed on their:proceedings ; and whilst it was so sin-
cerely felt, God forbid that they should slacken their
efforts for the advancement of the cause in which they were
engaged. He was unwilling to detain the meeting longer,
as many interesting addresses were to be delivered to them,
and he, therefore, would request their attention to the
reading of the report by his friend Mr. Carpenter.
The annual report, of which the following are the prin-
cipal features, -was then read ; and the treasurer also sub-
mitted a balance sheet of the receipts and expenditure of
the society for the past year, from which it appeared that
the total receipts of the Liverpool Auxiliary were upwards
of £2,500, and that £2,416 Ils. had been -remitted to the
Parent Society, being about £lOB more than was last
year sent to London.
The report -opened with an expression of thankfulness to
God, for the numerous blessings which he had bestowed during
the past-year on the society, the income having been greater
than at any former period, except in 1339, when a special ap-
peal was made. For the year ending March last the income
was .e 112,252, but the report strongly urges the friends of the
society against relaxing their efforts. Liverpool ought specially
to watch against any such declension, because its contributions
in the past year, though larger than the preceding, are still
short of the amount they had previously attained. This de-
serves consideration, for our churches here are multiplying,
the number of the society's supporters are on the increase, and
yet a proportionate increase in the funds is not witnessed.
How can the society supply the Punjaub and Scinde, and Foo
Choo and Syria, where wide doors are opened, with teachers of
the Word of Life, except by increased liberality; and this would
be an appropriate response for what God has given to the
prayers and labours of the missionaries. There are now
107,000 living converts from heathenism, and there are 40,000
children committed to missionary care. Some hundreds of
native-teachers have been raised up to help in this labour of
love. and no fewer than twenty-one native converts are now
ordained clergymen of our church- Surely these labourers are
worthy of their hire. On the subject of the recent aggression
of the Pope the report says :—Long indeed have the emissaries
of Rome been engaged in endeavouring to undo the work of
God in several of the missions of this society. In North West
America, in India, and in New Zealand efforts havebeen made
to corrupt our converts from the simplicity of the Gospel, but
our missionaries prevailed, as our forefathers did, with the
Word of God, and by this weapon alone can we with the Divine
blessing obtain the victory in that struggle with Rome which
has already begun, and in which, ere long, every individual
will have to choose his side. The glory of the Church Mis-
sionary Society is to be found in the Evangelical and Protestant
principles which it has steadily maintained. Let us unite in
guarding the society against the open assaults of avowed Ro-
manism, and the still greater dangerto which many are exposed
from Romanism, more or less disguised among ourselves.
This is no time for indecision. Men must 'be Whole hearted
and single minded for Christ if Evangelical religion is to be
fully preserved, and unscriptural error successfully resisted.
The Rev. Mr. ARTHY, of Macclesfield, one of the de-
putation, was then called upon to move the -first resolu-
tion, to the effect that the annual report of the committee
be printed and circulated, and the treasurer's account also
published, and confirming the appointment of the com-
mittee and officers for the ensuing year. 'He expressed
that he felt great pleasure in moving this resolution, par-
ticularly after hearing how liberal bad been their contri-
butions during the last year, and feeling, too; that it must
be a pleasure to all of them to pledge themselves by a
resolution of the sort he submitted to them to this zreat
and holy cause. The result of those labours, as detailed
in the report, was sufficient to prove how well adapted
they were for the work to which they had devoted them-
selves as a society and a portion of the church of Christ.
He-moved the resolution in his hands that morning rather,
he believed, as a matter of form, reserving the few re-
marks he had to make until the meeting on the following
(this) evening; but there were one or two observations
which he might offer as properly introductory to the
work which had called them together that day and
the following. In the first place their christian friends
ought to remember that the desire to spread the gospel
and extend the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ seemed to be inseparable from pure and undefiled
religion. Supposing a man made any great -discovery in
physical science—suppose be gained any new light con-
nected -with politics, or religion, or morals,--that very
instant that he obtained the light he seemed to be seized
with the desire to communicate it to the world around.
In other words, along with every discovery of importance
there seemed to be a desire to publish it abroad. Now,
if in ordinary matters that desire existed, surely there
ought to rise up in every christian heart the earnest
desire to impart to the world the knowledge they had
acquired, and the mercy they had felt. (Hear, hear.) It
ought, indeed, to be their earnest wish and feeling, that
when a man was forgiven, accepted, and saved, be should
seek to, bring others to the fold of the Lord Jesus. That
was exactly the theory of every missionary society.: it
came to them and asked them to unite and propagate the
Gospel among their fellow Christians. God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in -Him should not perish, but should have
eternal life; and missionary societies appealed to them
not to hold those truths they possessed in the Scriptures
as matters of abstract belief, but to apply them in the
spirit of the word. (Hear, hear.) It was not merely
a problem to be demonstrated ; it was not a mere
matter of curious speculation : it was a remedy for man's
ills, a comfort for his soul and the food of his life ; and
whether Jew or-Gentile, Chinese or Hindoo, barbarian or
Scythian, they would all equally feel the power and influ-
ence of the Word of God. (Hear, hear.) After some few
further remarks, the rev. gentleman said he trusted, that
notwithstanding the apprehensions in many Christian
minds at present, there was much more success about to
dawn on their mission than they had yet seen. One great
reason of that apprehension, both in their Protestantism
at home and their diffusing it abroad, was, that they did
not expect enough of success. Some people began to
think they were already, wrong in expecting that they
could not have the success of the primitive church,
because the days of miracles were passed ; but they
might believe him that no miracles were more mighty
than the conversion of human souls, and the Almighty
never left them, in their fields of labour abroad,
without some instances or proofs of that wonderful work-
ing power. (Hear, hear.) He admired this society es-
pecially because it seemed to him to be an important
auxiliary, as the report had suggested, in carrying forward
the great contest which is at this hour (going on, between
the supporters of superstition and the disciples of the
Lord Jesus—between those who merely supported an out-
ward formalism, a system of mere externalism, and those
who were seeking to spread the spiritual gospel of the
church of God. (Hear, hear.)
The Rev. Mr. TUCKER, late of Madras, seconded the
resolution. As one of the secretaries of the Parent So-
ciety he thought they would rather expect from him a
mere statement of facts than arguments to move them to
more large contributions towards this society. And he
might say, at once, more large contributions—because, as
he thought, if he understood the report right, although
whilst fresh churches were opening, the funds at Liver-
pool did not increase in the same proportion as in the case
of other associations. If he had heard that correctly, he
must just remind his friends of another circumstance,
which was also stated in the report, that if they were
really in earnest in this matter, and desirous of
carrying it out, they should consider whether they
were likely to go on or to stand still. If, as they saw,
from the report that had been made to them, and the
communications with which they would be made
acquainted during this anniversary, God really did bless
their mission, they would certainly have increased demands
on the resources of their friends at home to meet the
demands abroad ; and he might say, respecting the
increase of the funds of the Parent Society, it was a
special cause of thankfulness that that increase
was not from legacies, but from the contributions of
associations. (Hear, hear.) The increase from asso-
ciations only was £6,398 14s. 11d. ; and while mentioning-
that the amount of remittances from associations was
£80,753, he should further observe that the expendi.
ture of the committee had kept pace with their income.
They had been obliged to increase their expendi-
ture, and that they must expect, from year to year,
until the native churches were able. o support themselves.
One thing in which they were wanting was in labourers: -
in that respect the increase was from 147 to 158. The
increase in foreign clergymen was from 47 to 52, which
was ovdngto the native missionary societies already having
failed ir resources; and the missionaries in India
were left in
ledttited determine whether they would return home
or connect themselves with any other society. The result
of this was, theet the Parent Society, after a full exami-
nation, and with the full approbation of the bishop, had
received five of the clergymen in connection with theirown labours. (Hear, ,hear.) The Increase of the foreign
clergymen from 13 to 21, added the rev. speaker, was
particularly to be rewarknil, Bat what, he asked, wail tbia ?

Th
and 1
this
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They had never had such a year as this. It might be
safely considered the laying the foundation of the
Christian Church, for those clergymen were ordained and
required for native pastors. They were not only ordained
as native missionaries to go out amongst the heathen, but
the object of the committee was to place their native
clergy down within certain spheres, so that gradually,
those spheres becoming contracted, they might be formed
into parishes such as we have in our own beloved country.
(Hear, hear.) In mentioning many interesting parti-
culars of some of the society's foreign missions,
the speaker remarked that the Sierra Leone mis-
sion was flourishing, and becoming more and more
the reservoir from which supplies of the waters of
life would flow forth through the whole of Western
Africa ; and to show the progress the labours of the so-
ciety had made there, be said that Mr. Nichol, a native
of Africa, had been ordained, and that the Bishop of Lon-
don remarked that that gentleman's paper, which he gave
in at the time he was passing for orders, surpassed any
paper he had ever received from any English candidate
for orders. Mr. Nichol had since written home to say
that they had heard of the death of their respected
friend the Rev. Mr. Bickersteth, and besides paying a
high compliment to that gentleman's labours in the
cause of the society, added that he had thought it right
to preach a funeral sermon on one who had been the
means of effecting so much good for the poor be-
nighted heathen. (Hear, hear.) The speaker next
related a very interesting anecdote of two young per-
sons, the sons of an Indian chief, whom the missionary
had converted. One of them, he said, was taken captive
by a slaver, from Brazil; but this vessel being afterwards
taken by an English cruiser, the youth was landed with
the other crew at Sierra Leone. Here 'he enlisted as a
soldier in a native regiment, and learnt something, al-
though but little, of the English language. The other
son, in the mean time, had received an education at Sierra
Leone, and had reason to believe that his brother was re-
scued from the slayer, and was somewhere in the regiment
at the place. He therefore went and looked through the
ranks, and eventually recognised his own brother.
After embracing each other most affectionately, be
ascertained that the soldier was desirous of leaving
the service, and a communication was made to the com-
mittee of the society. By this means, an application was
forwarded to the Duke of Wellington, and his Grace most
kindly issued orders that the youth should be discharged,
and the two brothers were placed in a school for the purs
pose of being further educated. He mentioned this
circumstance to them, in order that he might show the
effect of the society's exertions in Sierra Leone ; and he
then read a letter to the meeting from the two brothers,
thanking, in very appropriate language, the Church Mis-
sionary Society for the kindness conferred on them
through their means, and expressing gratitude to God for
the establishment of so excellent an institution. (Hear.)
One of the brothers wrote thus expressively on this
point : " I am now able and willing to go among my
beaten people, and tell them the good things God has
done for my soul, and to make known to them the riches
of Christ." (Hear, hear.) Mr. Tucker then stated that
six native catechists had been selected and educated at this
station, and the result of the society's labours there,
under the Divine blessing, was most cheering and satisfac-
tory. After passing a deserved eulogium on the labours
and earnestness, and sacrifices, of the late Rev. Mr.
Fox—who buried his wife and child in India, and yet pro-
secuted his work of preaching the gospel to the heathen,
(the author of the jubilee hymn, and appointed secretary to
the society just previously to his death in Durham)—the
speaker observed, that although the labours of that good
man might appear to have been useless, yet they were not
so. On the contrary, they were most eminently conducive
to the holy object the society desired to promote ; and the
establishment of a Scinde mission was owing principally to
a native, who was indebted to Mr. Fox for imparting to
him the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. With
respect to Eastern Africa, he only remarked that the ex-
cellent Dr. Pratt was there working laboriously in his own
sphere; and he added that the reports with respect to
Jerusalem were most cheering. Only within the last
month the Sultan had issued a firman, giving freedom to
all churches, and all who chose to embrace the Protestant
faith were now protected by the Mahomedan powers.—
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) Respecting the station of the
society at New Zealand, Mr. Tucker said that the vene-
rable Archdeacon Williams had lately arrived from the
colony with a New Zealand chief, who came over at his
own expense, and who, having been 'brought from his
heathenism to a knowledge of Christ, had expressed an
earnest desire to come and see England for the improve-
ment of his mind, but above all for the spiritual improve-
ment and good of his soul. This chief addressed an
assembly in London, by means of anlinterpreter, and
though his feelings were so excited that he was almost
unintelligible to the audience, from rapidity of his speech,
Mr. Tucker read the substance of his words to
the meeting, and they expressed in fervent language
the gratitude the chief felt to this society for having
made him acquainted with the holy Scriptures.
Since that period, he added, the committee of the
Parent Society in London had had the chief before
them, and had agreed to receive him in their institution,
in order that he might receive as good an education as
they could give him. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) He
had not much to communicate to them with respect
to the Newport's Land Station, with the excep-
tion that Dr. Anderson bad ordained Henry Brown, of
whom the meeting might read the history in the earlier
publications of the society. When the first missionary
from this institution, Mr. West, went out, he soon after-
wards got hold of two long-haired wild savages, and took
them under his care; and God had been pleased to en-
lighten their hearts, so that one of those (Henry Brown)
was now the first ordained priest on that station, and was
held in high estimation by the natives there. (Hear,
hear.) It would also be interesting to remind them that
at their Cumberland station, (one of the most flourishing
of their missions.) before any one was resident there,
many of the natives had been prepared for baptism by
Henry Bunn, who was the entire founder of that impor-
tant station. (Cheers. The rev. gentleman, (after
reading a letter from the missionary on the station above
referred to, speaking in very eulogistic terms of the
labours of Henry Bunn,) then directed his observa-
tions to India, remarking that one-fourth of the
Mahommedan population of that country were under
the protection of this country. He felt when he
touched on this subject as if ho were powerless and
paralyzed ; and why ? Because the fact was so solemn,
that God had given to us India, and that those Mahom-
medan people were really and truly our fellow-subjects ;
and at this moment he said he could travel through the
length and breadth of that land, he might say with more
security than he could in his native country. He had
travelled there by night unarmed ; and he never thought,
except to secure his money from being pilfered in small
sums, of locking his door, or had the least fear of any
insult or injury being done to him. And ho would also
add, that that immense extent of territory was now in a
state of perfect peace and tranquillity. Did any one
suppose the reason of this state of things to consist
in the mere fact of the commerce that was carried on
with that country; or would they not rather be
induced to say that the blessing of God was upon their
mission, and that they ought now, under such circum-
stances, to send out missionaries through the length and
breadth of the land. (Hear.) In referring to the Tinn&
velly station, the speaker said that about £2OO was con-
tributed during the last year by native converts alone to
the missionary cause; and that female education wrs
attended to there to a very considerable and laudable
degree. One of the converts, who had been ordained
there, had nearly a thousand of his own countrymen to
whom he preached every Sunday ; and a female relative
of his had recently printed a book in the native language.
In conclusion, the rev. gentleman urged on his hewers
the importance of increasing their efforts in aid of this
holy cause ; and begged of them to consider if something
more could not be done than had been. He entreated
them to offer up prayers for the success of their labourers;
and whilst enlarging on the great want of labourers in
this holy undertaking, he reminded those perents present
that if they had a cadetship offered to their sons, they
would gladly accept it ; how much more importent was it
they should impress on their minds, from their earliest
years, their duty to submit to some sacrifices, and, like
the lamented John Fox, devote themselves to the mis-
sionary labours abroad. (Cheers.)
The resolution was unanimously adopted.
The Rev. Mr. Ease, of Bath, moved the second reso-
lution, and encouraged his hearers to continue their sup-
port to the missionary cause, by the remark that their ex-
pectations and the expectations of the earliest friends of
the society had been more than realised. It was a remark
that the sun never sets on the dominions of England's
Queen, and he might say with equal truth that the sun
never set on the mission of England's Church, for to
quote the expression of the Bishop of Rupert's Land,
" the Church of Britain spanned the earth." (Hear,
hear.) Their difficulty at first was where they should
send their missionaries, but now that every land was
opened to them the want of labourers was complained of,
and he entreated Liverpool not to be behind-hand in this
respect. He was sorry to say Rome was very busy in our
missions ; and while the Turk was giving liberty of con-
science, and encouraging the missionary coming into his
territory to propagate the truth. the unholiness of Rome
had just now, in these days of free liberty, concluded
a concordat with Spain that no religion should be tolerated
there but the religion of .Rome. That church had been
trying to undo what she conceived the work of man—
were it the work of man, referring to the missionary ex-
ertions abroad, she might succeed, but where it was the
work of God she never could prevail in her projects
(Hear, hear.)

le Rev. Mr. SCOTT, of Hull, seconded the resolution,
urged on his hearers the importance of supporting
society more liberally. exhorting them to practice
denial for that and similar holy purposes, and enforc-
ing on their minds the advantage that would result from
their fervent prayers to the Almighty for the continuance
of his blessing on their holy work.

The resolution baying been put and unanimously car. I
ried,

The Rev. CHAIRMAN, before the meeting closed, ex-
pressed regret that the attendance in numbers had been
so thin. This circumstance, it must be obvious to every
person, was no doubt, in a great measure, attributable to
the unfavonrable state of the weather ; but he hoped to
be allowed to remind them, as had been observed by a
preceding speaker, in moving the first resolution, that
wherever God -bestowed a privilege, he intended ;that
privilege should be employed by communicating it to
others. Those Christian friends whom he then addressed,
enjoyed no ordinary privilege themselves ; and he hoped
and trusted they would now go forth like missionaries
into their own domestic circles—that they would repeat
there what it had been their privilege that moreing to
hear, and that they would thus be enabled to see the
result of their domestic mission by increased numbers
attending the future meetings of this anniversary, to-
morrow, and on every other occasiot! when they might
be permitted to meet together for a similar great and holy
cause. (Hear, hear.)
The proceedings then terminated
E-eParatal shortly before two o'clock

and the meeting i