Subscriptions and Donations in aid of the Baptist Missionary Society will be thankfully received by W. B. Gurney, Esq., Treasurer, or the Rev. Joseph Angus, M.A., Secretary, at the Mission House, Moorgate Street, LONDON: in EDINBURGH, by the Rev. Christopher Anderson, the Rev. Jonathan Watson, and John Macandrew, Esq.; in GLASGOW, by Robert Kettle, Esq.; in DUBLIN, by John Parkes, Esq., Richmond Street; in CALCUTTA, by the Rev. James Thomas, Baptist Mission Press; and at NEW YORK, United States, by W. Colgate, Esq. IRISH CHRONICLE. INCOME AND EXPENDITURE. THE smallness of the income of our Society has been a topic of frequent remark. Some have been surprised and sorrowful; others have helped to increase it, many more intend we hope, to do so this year. The expense of conducting the Society, and collecting funds, has occasioned great surprise, and many have strongly urged its reduction. The proportion of expense to income is very large. It is easy to say all this, and a great deal more; and quite right to say it too. But how to remedy the evil is quite another matter. The Committee are as fully aware of all this as any persons can be. They have looked to it carefully, and they are now anxiously repeating that investigation. The shortest way of removing the difficulty, would be for churches and subscribers to double their contributions! But if this cannot be, something good would be effected if our brethren would assist in forming the country into districts and auxiliaries. In some quarters this has been done with great advantage. A more regular income is secured, time is saved, and money too. In this way help may be effectually given, and much expense and anxiety spared. We wish we could diffuse the spirit of the following remarks, which we quote from the letter of a kind friend. "Do you know any just cause or impediment why a thousand persons should not each contribute one penny daily for the Irish Society, or £1 10s. 4d. at once, and thus raise a grand total of £1516 13s. 4d. What mortal man could calculate the amount of good that would result to poor ould Ireland, by such an effort as this? Much prayer is offered up; but we must do something as well as pray!" If this could be realized, we should indeed rejoice. We should augment agency in Ireland, keep out of debt, and bring expenditure and income into a more desirable proportion. Well, all people are turning an eye to Ireland just now. Come, Christian friends-you especially who reside in those districts where trade flourishes, and wealth is pouring in upon you, help in this good work. It is the age of reform and enterprise. Let the Irish Society be made to feel its quickening influence. It is with pleasure that we present to our readers some extracts from the correspondence of the agents, which has greatly accumulated since our last. Mr. SHARMAN, of Clonmel, says : I have lately been to Kilcooley Hills. The ervices in the different villages were well attended. It had previously been arranged that I was to baptize an interesting young woman, daughter of pious parents, who themselves had long been convinced of baptism, but had shrunk from the odium which they thought a compliance with this duty would bring upon them. Another daughter was in a similar state of mind, having some years ago proposed herself as a candidate. I had much anxiety respecting this family, for they all, except the youngest, opposed the administration of the ordinance except by moonlight, in order to escape observation. This seemed to me an unworthy concealment of what they considered right, and I consequently refused; at last it was mutually agreed that it should take place the morning before I left. After worship in the farmer's house, when I spoke to those present as seriously and appropriately as I could, we went down to the water, and I baptized the young woman. The mother now stepped forward, every scruple overcome, and said, "in the fear of God I will do the same;" and as I was quite satisfied of her piety, I readily complied with her wishes. Conceive my surprise and pleasure, when the father, too much overcome to speak, presented himself, and I baptized him; and the elder daughter, who had lingered so long, also came forward, and the tears, which rolled fast down her face, showed how she felt; so that instead of one, four were that morning buried with Christ in baptism. I wish I could speak so encouragingly of Clonmel. The difficulties common to such places have been greatly increased since the agitation of the Maynooth question. Still we are not left without some tokens of approbation from above. A Bible class, commenced a short time ago, has succeeded beyond my expectations; and will, I hope, be productive of much good. Oh that I had a good reader. Never did any part of the mission more need one than this. Mr. BENTLEY has had a pleasing addition to the church at Ballymoney. He observes, in a recent letter, Mr. MULHERN having visited Dungannon, and the promising district around that rising town, has forwarded an interesting report: one or two extracts only can be inserted; but they will excite great interest. I remained from Saturday until Wednesday. I preached four times to good congregations, baptized three disciples, who have since joined the church, and had much pleasing conference with the brethren on many important subjects. At Mullycar, four miles from Dungannon, there is a small Baptist chapel, where we had a congregation of about two hundred. There are seventeen members in the church, which has been kept small chiefly through emigration. About seventy of America. its members having from time to time gone to After preaching on Monday in the house of one of the members at D to nearly You will be gratified to hear, that on Sab- 100 persons; I went, accompanied by many bath morning, June 1st, I baptized four per- others, about a mile to the river, where I bapsons in a neighbouring river. The service tized an aged woman, whose husband and six was interesting and solemn, and the greatest children have all been baptized. The next evenattention and seriousness was manifested by ing I preached in the court-house to a good the spectators. Many were deeply affected, congregation, among whom were several Rowhile the important truths, symbolized by the manists. We went afterwards out to the ordinance, were enforced. An old man, nearly river, and I baptized two young disciples. seventy years of age, is about to put on Christ The friends here think it high time to occupy by baptism. Thus the Lord is making one and another willing in the day of his power, and giving signs that his servants are not spending their strength for nought. Mr. MULHERN still continues to labour with encouraging tokens of success. We extract the following from his letters, in April and May: The Sabbath before last a young woman, who had given satisfactory evidences of her conversion, through the instrumentality of an aged member of the church, was baptized and added to our number. Last Lord's day I baptized another, a man from B- Mills, seventeen miles from this, where I preach once a month. That ten hopeful converts have been added to us since January, is cause of gratitude for the past and hope for the future. The Lord is prospering our efforts to get up a school-house beside the chapel. Dear friends in Glasgow and Edinburgh have contributed £25 10s, towards this object. Besides what we have raised ourselves, we want £12 more, which we hope other friends to Ireland will supply. Many places in this part of the country are opening up to us, and inviting our attention. We want more faith, more zeal, more prayer, and more men. The harvest is great, but the labourers are few, very, very few! this post efficiently; and I think that Dun We wish to call attention to the following statement in Mr. LORIMER's letter dated Tubbermore, May 31st. One thing I wish to state, and that is this. A spirit of inquiry into the nature of Christ's kingdom, has for a length of time found its blished customs of the place. I scarcely talk way against all the prejudices and long estawith intelligent persons of other denominations, without this being the subject, though stitious regard heretofore given to creeds and not introduced by me. I find that the superthis as an opening to a great reformation in this confessions, is rapidly lessening. I look upon country; for there is no hindrance to the gospel more difficult to remove, than the systems bound up by human laws. Let these be up, and religion will be emancipated. broken ADAM JOHNSON's of the 18th March, affords another proof that all the oppo sition to the truth does not come from Romanists. Mr. O'Connor, the curate of this parish is very diligent of late, going from house to house, collecting the tracts which Miss Gilmore and I have been distributing. He came to Mrs. L., and showed her his pocket full of these pernicious tracts (as he called them), which he had collected; and warned her in particular to beware of Miss G., as he looked on her to be a very dangerous person, whose daily employment was standing behind her counter, thrusting tracts into the hands of every one that comes into her shop. Thus, sir, the priests of Rome are striving to take away the scriptures, and the state priests are endeavouring to take away our tracts, and thus leave these people in ignorance. But they do not succeed. The work we want to accomplish is of the Lord, and they cannot overthrow it. The result of Mr. O'C.'s expostulation was, that Mrs. L. has got a good number of the tracts since from Miss G., has read them, and approves very much of their contents. JOHN NASH has been exceedingly ill lately, though now somewhat recovered. In his last communication he states: After coming hoine from my journies in January last, I fell sick; but the Lord was merciful, and did not give me over to death. Twelve persons who learned to read the Irish testament from me, and renounced popery, came to see me in my illness. I have recently taught four men to read, and have three now who are learning, and are reading the glorious gospel. Though sometimes reproached for leaving my father's religion, I am generally well received. The intelligence from the readers in Cork district is encouraging, Mc CLURE writes: PHILIP WILLIAMS sends the following, which will show the importance of having readers well acquainted with the peculiar points of the Romish controversy; and is a fair specimen of the nature of one part, and an important one, of their work. above remark. A Romanist named J. D. asked me one evening how I could be a judge whether the scripture was the word of God or not, without the authority of the church? If you were acquainted with the writings of St. Augustine you would not ask that question. He smiled and said, I think I have read more of his writings than you. I again repeated the hear what you have got to say about him. Come then, said he, let us The following then are his own words: "I do not desire to prove the holy church by huthe church of Christ is marked out in all man documents, but by divine oracles. If nations by the divine and certain evidences of of the canonical scriptures, whatsoever they may adduce or repeat from here or there, let us rather, if we be his sheep, hear the will of our Shepherd, saying, believe them not, for we should seek that in the holy canonical scriptures." I confess, said he, if I have read either against the truth, or the force of the that I have forgotten it. That says nothing statement. Certainly not. I then added Eusebius Pamphyli says, in the name of three hundred and eighteen fathers, at the first council of Nice in the year 325, "Believe the things that are written, the things that are not written, neither think upon, nor inquire after;" and St. Ambrose says, "The Lord bears witness, that the reading of the scriptures is life, saying, 'The words which I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."" He was silent. I lately paid several visits to patients in one of the hospitals. To these persons I have reason to believe my labours have been useful. One of them an aged female, formerly a Romanist, professes to have experienced the power of converting grace. The others, one of whom has renounced popery, are anxiously inquiring what they shall do to be saved. May their captive spirits soon enjoy liberty, and their troubled consciences have peace. The congregation at Blackrock continues steady and attentive. I have conducted nine public services during the past month, paid 104 visits to families and individuals; of these, a fourth have been to Romanists, and distributed about forty tracts. PATRICK GUNNING's letters supply many encouraging facts. for one or two. We have only space When I was at D- last, I met with some ill treatment from a man who came into a house where I was reading. He struck me with a stick, and was about to do so again, but was prevented. He was somewhat in liquor. He stayed some time, and before he left the house, he confessed his fault, and after a long and interesting discourse he brought me home to his own house, and kept me for a good part of the next day. He sent out for some of his neighbours, to whom I read and explained portions of holy scripture. They heard at tentively, and expressed their thankfulness that the poor man who had showed himself as my enemy at first, now calls me his friend, At out meeting at B, I found thirteen Romanists. Some contended with me in favour of the doctrine of human merit. I referred them to Titus iii. 5; Romans iii. 1928, and other passages, on which I reasoned for some time. Some said it was surprising how the priests should keep these things from the people; and others added, they know well what suits best for themselves. Some time ago, PAT BRENNAN wrote respecting a poor man who was engaged in teaching in the farm-houses in the neighbourhood, and doing much good. He asked whether any Christian friend would give £4 a year to assist him in the work. The treasurer has engaged to do so, and the following extract from his letter of April 21st will be read with pleasure. I trust that the four pounds that our kind friend has granted to the poor teacher will do great good; as it will give me an opportunity of visiting both old and young. I send you the acknowledgment, and you will be so kind as to let our friends know that our teacher will open a Sunday-school next Lord's day. I hope many of our friends will follow the above example, and in this way they may support schools in the back country at very little cost. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We beg to return sincere thanks to S. for a dozen copies of Pike's Popery Contrasted with Christianity; to J. King for a parcel of Magazines; to a friend unknown for a parcel of sundries; to the Religious Tract Society for a grant of books, &c., for Mr. Hawley, the missionary schoolmaster at Ballina; to the British and Foreign School Society, for a case of school materials for the new school about to be opened in that town; and to the friends at Sevenoaks for a large package for the use of the school under their peculiar patronage. Subscriptions and Donations thankfully received by the Treasurer, ROBERT STOCK, Esq. 1, Maddox Street by the Rev. J. ANGUS, and by the Secretary, Mr. FRED. TRESTRAIL, at the Mission House, Moorgate Street; London; and by the pastors of the churches throughout the Kingdom. J. Haddon, Printer, Castle Street, Finsbury. |