The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-05-30 00:00:00

LOCAL MEETINGS.

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY

On Tuesday evening last, the adjourned meeting of this
society was held at the Collegiate Institution, upon which
occasion the spacious lecture-hall was most densely filled
in every part by a most respectable audience.
The Mayor presided ; and on the platform we noticed a
numerous body of clergy.
The MAYOR, in opening the proceedings, was hailed
with loud cheers. He said it was a high honour to him
to preside on an occasion like the present. He regretted
that the funds of the society bad fallen off during the past
year, but he accounted for it by the immense pressure
which had characterised the state of the commercial world
during the last twelve months.
The Rev JOHN JONES proposed the first resolution, to
the effect that the remarkable facilities that now existed
for sending the gospel to different parts of the world called
for the expression of the most earnest gratitude. He
spoke at some length upon the mild tolerant, and prayer-
ful spirit which in his opinion should pervade the minds of
speakers and hearers at these missionary meetings, de-
precating the use of harsh and irritating language, and re-
ferring, in support of his views, to the example of our
Saviour, who wept over Jerusalem, and of his apostles,
who were men of a meek and gentle spirit. He concluded
by passing a glowing eulogium upon the Hon. and Rev.
Baptist Noel for the sacrifices he endured in leaving his
church and people and coming down to Liverpool and
other parts of the country to advocate the cause of mis-
sions.

The Rev. G. SMYTH, late missionary in China, se-
conded the resolution. After having referred to the late
revolutions on the continent, and the tranquility with
which England was blessed, he stated it as his belief that
this country had been mercifully preserved, during the
recent commotions, in order that she should still continue
to sustain the standard of Protestantism, and propagate
the religion of Christ. He referred at length to China,
and said that, although education prevailed in that coun-
try to an immense extent, and civilization also, still she
was a standing monument of the evils resulting from se-
cular apart from religious instruction. Female infanticide
prevailed to an alarming extent there. In one part of the
country, half the females were put to death, immediately
after birth. Women were despised there ; and, indeed,
in all the heathen countries of the world women were de-
graded, and it was only where the Gospel flourished that
females were considered as the fellow heirs with man of
immortality. Superstition and immorality also prevailed
to an alarming extent in China ; so did suicide, lewd-
ness, dishonesty, and lying. But there were now five
opulent cities open to the missionaries, and to these cities
merchants from the interior were constantly resorting.
He then referred to the various other openings which ex-
isted in the country ; and as a proof of the cordial respect
with which the missionaries were treated there, he said
that during his stay the whole of the missionaries at Amoy
were entertained by the mandarins at a public dinner,
consisting of fins of sharks, and other sea and land ani-
mals fattened for the table, every morsel of which the
missionaries were expected to eat, as a mark of respect to
the donors. The people asked many questions about re-
ligion in England and America, and expressed their sur-
prise and delight that missionaries belonging to various
religious communities could live together in unity, for in
foreign countries the missionaries of the various churches
harmonised together, and forgot all their differences.
(Hear.) He was happy to say, that though the Chinese
were a bigoted and superstitious race, neither their bigotry
nor their superstition seemed to have any very consider-
able hold on their minds. He was happy to say that both
Confucianism and Bhuddism were on the decline in the

country, and that scepticism was fast taking a hold on the
minds of the Bhuddist priests. He concluded by making
a powerful appeal in favour of Christian missions..

'The Hon: and Rev. BAPTIST NOEL moved the next
resolution, to the effect that, while we desire to acknow-
ledge the hand of God in the peculiar opportunities for
diffusing the light of the Gospel, which the long-continued
peace among the kingdoms of Europe has offered, we
would at the same time impress on ourselves and others
the necessity of availing ourselves of such opportunities
with renewed energy lest it should please God to permit
such convulsions and troubles to come as would dose
many effectual doors now open for publishing the ever-
lasting Gospel. He believed he might say that in the
stations of the society some progress had taken place, not
perhaps to any very large extent, but still to an impor-
tant extent. He gurrded the meeting against being led
astray by any misrepresentation which might be propaga-
ted upon the subject of missions, and he related one or
two instances to show how much of misrepresentation was
abroad upon this very subject. Sometimes it was said
the converts were all from amongst the lower classes of
foreigners ; but this was untrue, for some of the very
highest and wealthiest classes had embraced Christianity.
But supposing the converts were poor, they were not to
be despised. Why, here in England, riches did not al-
ways make men useful and religious, whereas many of the
poor of the land possessed many of the virtues, and much
of the fortitude, of the Christian. And were not Franklin,
Henry Martin, and Luther, all poor men ? Was not the
Saviour poor ? Were not the disciples poor ? And were
not some of the greatest revolutions effected by these poor
but devoted men ? Then let the work of conversion go
on among the poor of India, and let the tens of thousands
of idolators there be brought to the religion of Christ
here, and to a glorious immortality hereafter. Nay, let
the work go on among the very poorest, among the Parias
of India, for it was a work so pure, so holy, so excellent,
that it was one in which every humane man ought to
bear a hand in its accomplishment. There were now
8,000 religious meetings held in England annually for the
purpose of diffusing religion among the inhabitants of the
earth. He proceeded at some further length to advocate
the cause of missions, and to urge upon all to support it
with their money and their prayers.
The Rev. Dr. M'NEILE on rising was hailed with
enthusiastic applause. He said he had been thinking of
the concerts which were sometimes held in that room ;
but concerts were not performed on one instrument.
There were diversities of tones, but all was harmony.
They had heard that evening what ho might call—though
he was not a musician, and he might call things by wrong
technical names—(hear, and a laugh)—they had heard a
very sweet alto, giving an account of China—(hear, and
renewed laughter)—and it was harmonious, and he had
enjoyed it amazingly, and it went andante. And now
they had heard a sweet tenor, a soft, musical adagio.
Was he right? Would the concert go off well without a
bass ? (Laughter.) Were there those who were so
enamoured of the treble and the tenor, and who felt that
their own tastes should be always consulted, and who had
little taste and feeling for those who were anxious to have
a full diapason at times ? (Hear, hear, and great laughter.)
He rejoiced exceedingly in those softer tones which
became those who gave them utterance in all that was
gentle. tender, and affectionate, and he delighted some-
times to utter such tones his rude self ! (Great cheers
and laughter.) But he did this that he might seem, by
contrast, a little more staccato; and all that he pleaded
was, that his friends should cultivate a musical taste, and
remember that if all were tenor, where were the treble :
and if all were treble where were the bass ? (Continued
laughter, and cheers.) Now, they might all understand
perfectly well what this strange introduction had a gentle
reference to—(hear, hear)—and it was only a gentle
reference he wished to make, for he thought that was not
the proper place for one clergyman to lecture another ;
if he had any lecture to give he would do it aside, and not
before a large assembly at a public missionary meeting in
Liverpool. (Cheers.) The world was larger than their

individual observations conceived : let them, then, be
more catholic in their views not only about what they
liked, but snout what they did not like,—(hear, hear,)—
and let them sacrifice the individuality that belonged to
the man and put in abeyance personal preferences.
(Hear, hear.) He liked plain speaking of what he be-
lieved to be truth, and therefore he said that false reli-
gions threw the sable mantle of their superstitions over
the fair face of many lands in which Christian missionaries
were labouring. Now, the Protestant principles of the
Church Missionary Society were its glory. (Cheers.)
Interfere with them, or interfere with the free, bold, and
satisfactory declaration of them, and they cut the sinews
of this society through England—(cheers)—nay, more,
in that case they deserved to he cut. Interfere with those

Protestant principles, and he would be a champion for

. •
cutting those sinews—(hear, hear,)—although he was,-
and ever had been, a zealous friend of the society. These
great Protestant principles were set out by the society in
array against the mummeries of the Remish superstition.
He believed himself that the peculiarities of Romanism
cameinto the Christian Church from Paganism, Platonism,
and Pythagoreanism ; and now we were called upon to
contend against that system, and to sustain our true Pro-
testant principles,—those principles by which the early
Christians held fearlessly, by which our Reformers stood,
firm as a rock, before fire and faggot, and stake, and
dungeon, not counting their lives dear to them. (Cheers.)
These were the principles by which England and Ger-
many started into life, and by which our slumbering
universities and the careless ministry of former days were
startled into life again by Whitfield and Wesley, (Tre-
mendous cheers.) These were the principles' by which
the missionaries were sustained abroad and the church
was strengthened at home. Where was our strength ?
In timid men ? No ; look at the men who had carried i
these principles into the territory of Satan ! Look at the
boldness with which they encountered error ! Look at
Henry Martin, and Carey, and Duff--these were the men
under whom missions had prospered. (Hear, hear.)
These were none of your temporisers—your soft men
your men who, under the name of mildness, screened
apathy and left people in ignorance. Who were the men
under whom sound doctrine flourished, here and else-
where ? They were the bold men, the undaunted, the
outspoken, the plain, the Protestant men ! (Vehement
applause.)
The Rev. Mr. JONES said it was with extreme regret
he found that some words he had spoken had been mis-
understood by some of his brethren, and above all by his
very dear friend Dr. M‘Neile ; and therefore he had re-
mained at some inconvenience in the meeting in order to
offer an apology to him or the audience if he had, by
words or phraseology, conveyed any wrong meaning. He
could recollect what he said, but his dear friend was the
last person in the world he would willingly offend, and
certainly he had not the Doctor particularly in his view
when he spoke. His friend had gone, perhaps, at times
a little further than he (Mr. Jones) would ; but this was
a matter of opinion,—each of them was entitled to hold
his own opinion,—they loved one another, and he ho-
noured his dear friend Dr. M`Neile. (Hear.) He be-
lieved him an honest, straightforward, thorough-going
Church of England divine. (Cheers.) He honoured him
as a champion for the truth, and he hoped he would
kindly forgive him if any feeling whatever existed in his
mind. [Here Mr. Jones held out his right hand to Dr.
M`Neile; the Doctor grasped it in his right hand, and a
cordial shake was given amid the enthusiastic plaudits of
the meeting.]
Dr. WNEILE, amid renewed cheers, said that he most
cordially accepted the explanation Mr. Jones had given.
But the audience would bear him witness that he had not
spoken without reason ; and if Mr. Jones delighted in