The New York herald., 1870-05-30
CENTENARY METHODIST EPECopAL CHURCH.
Discourse ON the Chinese Missions by Rev.
q. l.. Baldwin.

Discourse the Chinese Missions by Rev.
s. l.. Baldwin.
Union Hail. Jersey City, was filed yesterday by
respectable assemblage OF Methodists, who came
chiefly to hear the discourse OF Rev. Mr. Baldwin.
This Clergyman has Just returned to his native land
after s0ourn Of many years In China where he
laborcd for the conversion OF that people. After the
chanting of the usual hymns he proceeded to address
the congregation, taking his text from the prophecy
Of Isaiah-"Behold, these shall come from far;
ana lo these from the North and from the West and
these from the land Of Sinim.r The speaker Sc
ected the text not because he was about TO preach
q sermon but because 1t is supposed that wnen the
prophet spoke OF the distant country and described
its natives advancing to the fold OF Christ,
he referred to the land OF China. This
vast empire is about to become q great
field for missionary labor, and can lay special
claim to the attention OF Christian Americans. 1t
is similarly situated with respect to the ocean, and
is boundless In extent, like our own. IT'S people,
however numbering 4OO, ,0oo 900 OF souls are beyond
the pale of Christianity, and hence 1t has always
been the special object Of the Christian Church to
bring to them the tidings OF the gospel. Not long
ago prayers were offered in our councils that China,
then Isolated and comparatively unknown, might
s. OPENED TO THE WORD OF GOD.
Agreeaby to our desires, the United States gov
ernmen. has obtained the solemn assurance OF The
the teachers Of religion shall have freedom to preach
and hold their meetings The representatives OF
peror make those concessions. In 1S47 our church
sent out It's first missionary band TO China. They
peculiar dialect Of the people of FouchaI on whose
shores they had landed was no small obstacle to
tne progress: ~ Time r nGweve made them con-
ters, every word being monosyable. Many words
and phrases consequently have different meanings,
and the tone in which they are spoken
becomes the sole criterion OF their meaning.
ON one occasion where the preacher was
discoursing to a number OF Chinamen he stopped at
intervals, sayng--"Do you understand me ~ Next
day lie WAS Informed by brother that in conse-
qnence OF the wrong pitch of his voice in putting the
question he was really saying
40 YOU KNOW HOW TO LOVE ~
During the delivery of their sermons the inhabi-
mers under their arms, others with clubs, inaets
and andc.,, Implements embematc Sd,, Of their re.
carelsssiy found found '' the Church, eriticlslng the
gesticu!aiio OF the speaker, making remarks
Des S se Of hs H s weeT e w
itinerant or not, the audience was sure to be so.
itimes they interrupted the speaker, asking all
the peop.e in America were like him, whether the
land and the trees were the same as In China
.ng or Whether the oy SKY ana and the same stars
TO learn also II the Americans had sun and moon.
and were astounded TO hear that they were the
lights that appeared in their own country. BY de-
down, missionaries were respected, and many ma
reS yeS TO worship a, Idols Inc @ had hi
theY perseyered, and alter ten years mad the pleas
ure OF seeing
ONE MAN CONVERTED.
A child was then baptized two young men were
admitted TO the church and became ministers. Tic
latter had the happiness OF seeing their aged father
die confessing the power OF Jesus. AT the END OF
thirteen years there were few Christians attached
60 the church, and seventeen confirmed opium
smokers were on the path to reformation. One
smoker was induced to give up the wicked prac.
tice completely, and lie now feels happy
There was blacksmith there who kept
his Bible perpetually at hand and had
one eye on the Scriptures while the other eye was
his work Another remarkable conversion was that
OF q sorcerer and smoker, who is now an ordained
minister and named 'The Peter" on account OF the
resemblance between his character and that of saint
Peter. The ministers were invited to preach at
by natives in singing praise 70 Jesus Seven men
who had bowed to idols ten years previously were
ordained recently by Bishop Kingsley. During that
solemn ceremony the hymn
Oh, how happy are they
who the Saviour obey
was sung By those present. and while the postulan,s
testified TO the power of aesus the good bishop was
the Interior Oh the Yang-tse-Kllng, another mis-
sion has been established, and there is a church
OF SIX members there. Thirty persons offered
the speaker chapel If he would go and talk
TO them about Jesus. In sight of the imperial
residence at Pekin is another missionary church,
Sons. The Pekin dialect is spoken all over the
northern provinces and Is OF much use to the mis-
sionaty. There 200 Christians In Pekin, but not
or the Methodist denomination.
At the close OF the interesting discourse prayer
was recied by the pastor, Rev. j. b. FauKs, for the
success Of the missions In China ana the welfare OF
those who have embraced the faitn.