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Anniversary of the Free Will Baptist Missiouary Society.

word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.'

The mission enterprise, then, is no experiment of the church. We embark upon no dangerous or forbidden ocean. Our passport, chart, and compass all aboard the safest ship, we put out at the great Captain's command. In this work we only assume our natural position. Christians had no sooner received the commission and the power from on high,' than they scattered, and went everywhere preaching the word.' The bounds of native country were not regarded, for they pressed the work forward, intent on preaching the 'gospel in the regions beyond.'

Our commission and motto are, 'DISCIPLE ALL NATIONS.' No labour is too arduous, no sacrifice too great, in achieving this glorious object. Our possessions, talents and lives, should be most sacredly consecrated to the work, with a holy ambition. A world's regeneration! Our fortunes, lives, and sacred honour are pledged to accomplish it, under God, if we are in Christ. No enterprise is so glorious!

Patriots have toiled, and in their country's

cause

Bled nobly; and their deeds, as they deserve,
Receive proud recompense. We give in charge
Their names to the sweet lyre. The historic
Muse,

Proud of the treasure, marches with it down
To latest times; and Sculpture, in her turn,
Gives bond in stone and ever-during brass
To guard them and immortalize her trust.
But fairer wreathes are due, though never
paid,

To those who, posted at the shrine of Truth,
Have fallen in her defence'.

the suffering cause. We, and all we have, belong to God. Being and possessions, all given to be most sacredly devoted to the glory of the Giver and the good of our fellow-men. How reasonable that we use what is God's according to his direction.

The Jews, by divine arrangements, devoted nearly one half of their time to sacred purposes in their years of Jubilee, Sabbaths, fasts and feasts. They gave a tenth of all their income, and much more, in voluntary contributions to the poor, and other objects. By a careful examination of the law of paying tithes of one tenth, in the ancient church, we find it not among the ceremonial laws, which were abolished by Christ, but that it existed and was recognized as an obligatory claim, by Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and by many others, before the enactment of the ceremonial law.

We shall find also that the New Testament abates nothing from our contributions, but rather adduces stronger reasons for giving to religious purposes. The example of the first disciples shows that they so understood duty. They adopted the same custom of contributing as was enjoined and obtained among the Jews, of supporting their ministers. Like them, also, they took weekly collections, when every one' was directed to give 'according as God had prospered him." This was appropriated to the relief of other churches; or missionary purposes, if you please.

Now, if every one' laid by something weekly, we think it could not be less than one mite,' equal to about In labouring to promote our object three-fourths of 8 cent of our we should

1. Make the duty of contributing to, and toiling in the mission cause, a systematic, business-like affair.

Is it not surprising that so little system and consistency are found, even among professed christians, in prosecuting this enterprise?-While the expenses of our families, stock-in-trade, banks and railroads are regulated by the most careful economy, the most grand, sublime and best-paying enterprise is passed by with an occasional donation, having as little reference to ability or duty, as to the real wants of

money, as that was the smallest coin in use among the Jews. Apostolical custom, then, it seems, required them to lay by regularly every week, a certain percentage of all that God had prospered' them in accumulating-the poorest to give their mites,' and those better prospered' to give accordingly.

Taking the precepts and whole history of the Bible, we find that Scriptural liberality' could not be less than a tenth of all their income. How different the rule, or rather want of rule, with many of our church members, who, if they do anything, it is

Anniversary of the Free Will Baptist Missionary Society. 77

ten, twenty-five, or fifty cents only, at the most, and that contributed more to get rid of the collector, when hard pressed, than from a systematic, business-like purpose to return the usury due to the Lord. God prospers us all; and we cannot see how even the poor est can excuse themselves from paying at least one cent a week for mission purposes. The wealthy might contribute, as they do to other purposes, their fives, tens, fifties and hundreds, and so do something liberal. At an average of twenty-five cents only, per member, the Freewill Baptists would raise more than double what they now do annually.

The term liberality, as applied to donations to the cause of God, should have as much force as when applied to other coutributions. The fond father is said to be liberal with his money in educating his children. He pays their bills till they graduate, of three to six hundred dollars a year. The affectionate mother furnishes them with all the invaluable extras, with a maternal fondness. With a generous outlay the old buildings and farms are renovated and made to pay better.' Why not let liberality mean something when applied to the cause of missions; and give dollars annually, or invest in a permanent fund, your fifties, hundreds, and thousands? Then you would have the satisfaction of knowing that your yearly contribution of three, six, or sixty dollars, would continue through all time.

2. The true mission spirit requires us to labour with patience, faith and prayer.

The works of God should be our example. Cycles of ages were evidently occupied in bringing this earth through the various stages of its transformations to become the fit abode of man. Had the Creator acted on the principle that some men do in their impatience to reap a harvest as soon as they sow, he would have hurled the forming earth back into chaos, as a thing that ought never to see the light, because it would not perfect itself in less than six days. One stroke would have dealt to Adam's race blank annibilation for not accepting of redemption in less than eightteen hundred years. God has borne

with us, and his long-suffering to usward should teach us to be patient, and sow the seed continually, and trust God for the harvest.

Too many take hold of the mission cause as an experiment, in doubt if it will succeed. An officer of the Burmese government once asked the devoted missionary Kincaid, how long he intended to stay in the country? ' Until all Burmah worships the eternal God!' was the prompt reply. We say a world shall worship the eternal God!

Judson was the best qualified, probably, of any living man, to translate the Scriptures into the Burmese language. Yet twenty-one years after he landed at Rangoon had passed before his translation of the bible was completed, and six more years were devoted to the revision of this great work. The work of converting the heathen seemed to move slowly. Some of the friends of the cause at home had fears of its failure, and broached the question whether they had not better abandon the work as a bad enterprise. His faith, almost indignant at the suggestion, replied by sending back words of lofty cheer, which struck upon the ear of the churches at home like the sound of a trumpet; adding the memorable request to be permitted to labour on in the name of the Lord of Hosts; and then perhaps, said he, at the end of some twenty years you may hear of us again.' He had that hearing. In thirty-six years from the time he commenced his, and the first of the American Baptist Missionary Union's work in Asia, Judson exchanged his earthly toil for the glorious reward;but not until some fifteen thousand souls, probably in all, had been gathered into the churches at the different stations. The number reported as belonging to churches when he died, was about eight thousand.

Thoroughly permeated with the spirit of Christ, which is a missionary spirit, like Paul, we should say, in view of all the sacrifices and sufferings we must endure for Christ's cause, None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself.' The thirst for power, fame, and worldly aggrandizement, will rouse the war spirit, which will roll its deafening

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Anniversary of the Free Will Baptist Missionary Society.

and everything else.-Nothing is fast, reformatory, or worthy the name of enterprise, having any inherent momentum, out of Christ. All of these appliances, which the world is improving for its sordid aims, its false philosophy excepted, are So many powerful forces in the hands of the

thunder over gory battle fields, and | religion of Christ strikes ahead of any, flash its death-dealing lightnings along the avenues of life and beauty. The love of money nerves its victims to brave the dangers and hardships of land and ocean, to secure corruptible things, that perish with using.' The christian, above all others, should be brave and daring-should unite the heroism of the warrior with the sub-church, if rightly used, in pushing the mission of the martyr; the bold enter- conquests of the cross, till its banner prise of the explorist with the docility, waves in triumph over a regenerated dependence and trust of the infant. world. Our cause merges all that is grand and sublime in the ideal into the most glorious reality.

We too often look upon the missionary to foreign lands as belonging to a class demanding special regard for their sacrificing spirit, their faith, patience, and fortitude. Every one ought to live a sacrificing, patient, prayerful, missionary life. Though not in a foreign field ourselves, our agents are there, and we should contribute, sympathize and pray with the same spirit that we expect missionaries to possess.

3. We should be zealous to obtain the promised triumphs of the gospel. This is called a fast age. We come into, toil through, and give up our lives in a hurry. Resolved on securing name and fame in a day, intellect is taxed and worked, till the high pressure of its steam threatens an explosion. -Science and art, wind and wave, time and tide, lightnings and departed spirits, all must come at our summons, to execute our orders. Enterprise projects her schemes in huge proportions. Railroad routes; lines of steamers; submarine telegraphs connecting continents; a monster Great Eastern' of twenty-six hundred horse power; an iron bridge crossing one of our widest rivers, costing some six millions; an aerial excursion from continent to continent; and many more as wild and daring are proposed; the stock is all at once taken, and, to our great amazement, they succeed! Though buffled for a time by difficulties, yet genius waves her magic wand over them, and they vanish.

But where are the friends of the mission enterprise, meanwhile? The

Now let the church awake, and consecrate her millions of wealth and hearts to God, put up her prayers of faith, and zealously and patiently labour for a world's conversion, and the enterprise will succeed. It will succeed whether we help or not. Jehovah projected this noble enterprise. counsels of eternity determined to honour us with the high position we occupy, as labourers in this mission work. Should we refuse this honour, God will give it to another people.

The

By all that is sacred in our libertyloving country, noble and free institutions, and holy religion,-by all that is grand in the work and service of God-by the love we bear for our race and for Christ; and by the love of Christ' for a lost world; we make this appeal to you; to rouse, and enlarge the sphere of your mission enterprise, by greatly increasing your contributions, and offering the more fervent prayer of faith.

associates, saw with indignation the When Peter the hermit, and his habitants, and the outrages they enHoly City' polluted by its infidel indured, who annually came to the Saroused all Europe to fly to arms by viour's sepulchre on pilgrimage, they their eloquent appeals for help, to rescue their sanctuary and sepulchres from the control of those who despised word-Deus Vult, and all the sons of their religion. They rang their watchthe cross in christendom, armed to their best for the conflict, rushed to the Holy Land. God wills it,' was enough to send courage and defiance through every nerve of that impetuous host.— But a more glorious cause is committed to our hands;-to civilize and Christianize all nations. With a stronger

Contributions.

Foreign Letters Received.

Contributions

RECEIVED ON ACCOUNT OF THE GENERAL BAPTIST
From November 20th, 1859, to January 20th, 1860.

7 7 0 Miss Bennett

Subscriptions and Donations in aid of the General Baptist Missionary Society will be thankfully received by Robert Pegg, Esq., Treasurer, Derby, and by the Rev. J. C. Pike, Secretary, Quorndon, near Loughborough, from whom also Missionary Boxes, Collecting Books and Cards may be obtained.