REV. T.J. SCOTT.

than before.

the Bible.

because it was in that way that I found God. If there is any other way, I have never yet heard of it, and having tried and found this to be a true way, I adhere to it. For the same reason I believe that forgiveness of sins is found through the blood of Christ, because it was by faith upon a suffering Jesus that I found the forgiveness of my sins. I have no theory, and care for no speculations, but keep close to clearly ascertained facts." Immediate and powerful conviction followed this testimony, and in a few days the inquirer was made happy in the love of Jesus.

The Rev. T. J. Scorr, A. M. E. M., Bareilly, said :-My observation leads me to say that, while in some respects, the spirit of Muhammadanism may be reviving, there seems to be Less antagonism less bitter antagonism than formerly. We do not now in the bazaars meet with such rude and abusive assaults in speech, as formerly. Arguments are more reasonable. To some extent bitter and ignorant antagonism is giving way. Certain lines of argument are not urged with such persistence and ignorance. For instance, the objection that the Sacred Scriptures have been corrupted is being either abandoned or modified. Educated men, like Sayud Ahmad Khan, whose opinion, as expressed in his Commentary on the New Testament, is that the Sacred ScripOpinions about tures have come to us intact-begin to mould the opinion of the masses. One powerful argument of Moslems against us is thus being neutralized. When they come to believe that they have the true and uncorrupted Scriptures before them, it must be Christ or Muhammad. They cannot hold to both as they claim, for they must see the Christ of the Gospels is opposed to Islam, and their prophet must fall. As indicated in the paper by Imad-ud-deen, a strong and well put work is needed on the uncorrupted preservation of the Sacred Scriptures. But in regard to preaching to Muhammadans and Natives generally, I am convinced that we need by the preacher more tesPersonal testi timony to the fact, that we know Jesus to be a living personal Saviour. Here is a kind of argument not easily gainsaid. We may not be able to explain to the objector how Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, or how he is God-man, but we can urge that he is the Saviour of sinners because he saves us and now communes with us. We are conscious that he has fellowship with

mony.

us.

Here is testimony that confounds them. Not many have the hardihood to affirm that the missionary lies. Here, too, is the fact of his life to confirm the testimony that Jesus saves him. We have the example of the Apostles in this matter of testimony. All will recall how Paul bore testimony to the conscious fact of his conversion. Jesus had met him and changed his heart and life, and he had fellowship with Jesus. In some places this testfying is producing a powerful impression for good.

A young Muhammadan of good education became a Christian in Budaon District, Rohilkund. He not only became a Christian

intellectually, but was brought to a sound conscious heart conver- Muhammadan sion, so that he realized Christ as a personal Saviour from sin. convert. This young man has been moving about that District as a preacher, and complementing the preaching with his testimony to a risen living present Saviour from sin. The effect is marked. It is an unusual kind of argument, and the man's life sustains his testimony. In Moradabad, Bareilly and other cities of Rohilkund, this testimony to personal salvation from sin through a risen Saviour, Jesus of Nazareth, is confounding hearers. They do not know what to make of it. If the life of the witness to this salvation is pure and holy and full of love, his testimony is placed beyond doubt. Jesus has saved him. We need then more of the "testimony of Jesus Christ" by witnesses saved from sin. This is the most powerful argument of the Gospel.

TER.

The Rev. E. CHESTER, M. D., A. B. F. M., Dindigul, South REV. Dr. ChesIndia, wished to know how many days itinerating missionaries remained in one place; how many catechists they took with them; their arrangements about tents, &c. Six catechists usually accompanied him, who went two by two to villages. They started early in the morning and returned about 11 A. M. At 3 P. M. Itinerations. they met together for prayer, and to talk over what had occurred. About four, they set out again. The evening was the most favourable time for meeting the people. During moonlight nights, they had audiences sometimes of two or three hundred. Hymns, to beautiful native tunes, were sung, which attracted attention. Scripture portions and tracts were sold at the close, the sales realizing about a hundred rupees a year.

The Rev. E. W. PARKER, A. M. E. M., Moradabad, remarked: Rev.E.W.PARKIn our itinerating tours we usually take all the native brethren FR. with us who can go, and stopping at some large village, or near some city, remain for one or two weeks as the interest may seem to direct. In the morning we all go out to visit villages in the

same manner as has been noticed by the other speakers. In Itinerancies. many parts of the Moradabad district there are native Christians scattered through many villages, and when we are in their vicinity we go first in the morning to them. While we sing and pray with them, many persons gather into their quarters and listen there. Afterwards we go to another part of the village or to another village, and collecting a congregation by singing, preach to them, or sit and talk familiarly with them, as may seem best. The same is done again in the afternoon. In the evening we select some place in the town or largest near village, where the people seem friendly, for a regular service, and at this place we have a meeting every evening Meeting at one while we remain. We think that our labor is made much place. more effective by continuing our meetings in one appointed place each evening. Usually at such times our congregation increases as the meeting goes on, and often conviction seems to

ing.

be awakened, and at the same time a spirit of opposition is often aroused. There are at certain villages in our district places that have been occupied during our itinerating tours for a number of years for these evening services. And now, as soon as a Missionary arrives at the village, it is understood that at evening there We will be a gathering under that tree or in that noted place. have at times continued these services until persons have come forward and publicly renounced idolatry and embraced Christianity quite often is the case at those places where the Christians live, that other persons from the same class from which our Christians come, renounce idolatry and confess Christ at these Bazaar preach services. I believe with regard to bazaar preaching also that our preaching can be made much more effectual by preaching at one appointed place every evening for a number of days or weeks or even months. At one time we preached from one well in the city of Moradabad every evening for three months, and we soon observed regular attendants, some of whom have since been converted. I love to preach in the bazaars, but I have often been made to feel that something else must be done in order to deepen the impressions made in the bazaar. Hence of late we have adopted this plan. We preach on a well near the door of our city school house and after preaching awhile, we tell the people that we are going into the school house to sing and have our kind of worship, and that if any would like to hear or see, they are invited to go in. Sometimes ten, sometimes twenty, and at times two hundred even, have gathered and listened to an evening service here. In this way we believe that our bazaar preaching is made much more effectual.

Meetings.

REV. R.H. MAD-
DOX.

Itinerancies.

REV. J. SMITH.

Itinerancies.

The Rev. R. H. MADDOX, C. M. S., Travancore, described the mode of itinerating in his field. Tents were not used; the Missionary went out in a boat, going up one of the numerous rivers. A hearty welcome was generally met with from the Syrian Christians. The church bell would be rung and the people assemble. After addressing them, the Missionary would be allowed to occupy a room attached to the Church. When he went to preach to the heathen, not unfrequently some of the Syrians, even the priests, would accompany him, and bear testimony to what he said. Such tours sometimes occupied two or three weeks.

The Rev. J. SMITH, B. M. S., Delhi, said:-The evenings, after the people have left their work, are very favorable for preaching. In Delhi we have found evening meetings for reading and explaining the Scriptures very successful. Twenty-one such are carried on weekly. In itinerating I preferred being without tents, as they tended to keep the people at a distance, and prevented that intimacy so desirable. During the cold season it is best to sit with them round their fires, and in this manner often most interesting conversations will take place and valuable instruction be given. During my ten years' residence

at Chitoura, I spent a great deal of my time in this manner, travelling from village to village, at night putting up in a Serai or at the farmers' Choupal.

SECOND DAY.

FRIDAY, 27th December, 1872.

Rev. J. S. S. ROBERTSON, C. M. S., Bombay, in the Chair. Chairman, Forenoon Session.

At the request of the Chairman, the following Papers were read:

HIGH MISSION EDUCATION.

PAPER BY THE REV. S. DYSON, C. M. S.,

Principal of the Cathedral Mission College, Calcutta.

IN estimating the worth and importance of High Educa- REV. S. DYSON. tion as a branch of Missionary enterprise, it is essential first of all to secure a definite conception of its end. The spread and establishment of Christianity is that which all Missionary Societies and Agencies set before them as the reason of their existence, and the reason, the sole reason, why Missionary Societies have established Schools and Colleges in various parts of India is, I conceive, the same,—the evangelization of the heathen.

issue.

For the compassing of this ultimate end, there is required, Question at as in all analogous cases, the application of instrumentality. The means in this case being varied and numerous, the first question which presses for an answer is ;-are we left, under God, to the unrestricted and responsible exercise of our own best judgment, or is there some one or more methods which are specially obligatory and authorised? There is one limit to employment of means for this end, which no one, I expect, will gainsay, viz., that which is derived from the very nature of the end we are all seeking to achieve. Christianity forbids our resorting to any instrumentality which is directly or indirectly inconsistent with Christianity itself. "Manifestation of the truth"* and "demonstration of the Spirit," are the forces upon which we rest as adequate to Limits, win men to the obedience of Christianity. Any scheme of evangelization, then, which savours of fraud and deceit, or which depends in any measure upon external force or

Expediency.

Ultimate end.

Instrumentali

ties.

Direct and indirect.

Number of paptisms.

worldly influence is, ipso facto, condemned. Any and all instrumentalities which are not in violation of this very obvious principle are legitimate, and no one is specially obligatory. The question as to which of the various methods at our disposal shall be adopted in any particular case is, I submit, purely one of expediency, to be answered by a consideration of its special adaptation to the end, as modified by the peculiar circumstances of the country to be evangelized. Beyond the principle of not violating the Gospel morality, I hold that the question of right and wrong does not apply to the methods of evangelization considered in themselves. All the methods, viewed abstractly, are right and equally right. That is the wrong method which, when our ability of application of means is limited, is found on examination to be inexpedient, or not so expedient as other possible methods. The whole question of means of Missionary enterprise, education included, is, I submit, within the limits stated, one of expediency.

Now the statement of the ultimate end of Missionary enterprise, evangelization of the heathen,-and of the principle of determining the means to be employed,—expediency, covers the whole field of discussion with reference to Mission education, and provides us with a definite rule and standard which we can apply, with more or less closeness, to every question connected with it.

If we choose, we can regard the connexion between the initiation of a Mission enterprise to a particular country and its completion in the evangelization of that country, as a chain or net of means and ends, and it may be convenient to classify these intermediary instrumentalities as direct and indirect. Those methods are called mediate which terminate, either in a more effective instrumentality for further operations, or a more suitable and fruitful material on which to operate; i. e., results which are called indirect. This arrangement, no doubt, is not without its use, but sometimes it leads, I think, to mental confusion, and false and injurious notions. For when subordinate means are mentioned, (subordinate, that is, in reference to the ultimate end contemplated), they are at once judged to be inferior in importance; when indirect results are alluded to, they are at once set down as comparatively worthless. Direct results, which are identified with the number of baptisms, it is assumed, alone are regarded as worth reckoning, and indirect results, though they may have an intimate and causal connexion with the effect aimed at, are not worth