Jamaica, which I would compare to what my old friend, Mr. Potter, used to call spiritual earthquakes. He used to say, that these spiritual earthquakes only removed mountains in order to fill up valleys, and prepare the way for the millennial reign of the Son of God. Having had so excellent an example set by my friend, Mr. Strange, I think I cannot better enter upon the duties of my office then by offering you a donation of £50 likewise.

The Rev. JOHN ANGELL JAMES moved the fourth resolution.

IV. "That such of the Directors as are eligible to be re-chosen, that the places of those who retire be filled up by the following list; and that this meeting urge it upon all the supporters of the Society, to implore the Great Head of the church to raise up well-qualified instruments for conducting and extending missionary operations, both at home and abroad."

The Rev. J. A. JAMES, in moving the resolution, said:-I confess that it was not without considerable reluctance I consented to take part in the proceedings of this day, as your respected Secretary will bear me witness. Not that I am unaffected, or illaffected, or coldly affected, towards the cause in which we are now assembled; but I have really so often appeared on these occasions, that I feel conscious some apology is due from me to my respected fathers and brethren, for occupying that place which they might fill to more advantage. But it so happens (thank God!) that we require a very large place, and to fill it requires a considerable compass of voice. And it is on this ground I have consented, at the request of the Committee, to appear before you this morning.

There are two classes of persons I could have wished had been present with us-perhaps we have some of them-or I would rather use the past tense, we had some of them I mean virulent enemies and desponding friends; for I am sure what has taken place will go far to remove the malignity of the former, and the despair of the latter. I will take shame to myself in the confession that, not being gifted with that enviable propensity of always looking at the bright side, which one of my brethren possesses, but having rather a propensity to look on the dark side, I confess that I never came up to an anniversary of the London Missionary Society with a greater load of anxiety pressing on my mind than I did this year. I looked without, and saw the political hori. zon of our country lowering and dark-I knew the convulsions that had agitated other institutions to their very centre-I was aware of the wild heresies that had sprung up within the pale of evangelical religion-I knew what diversities of opinion existed among brethren, and how these diversities of opinion, in some good institutions, have produced alienation of heart from each other.

I looked within, and found, on inspection, that nearly all our venerable fathers and founders of this Society had either retired to their rest and reward, or else had gone into that obscurity from which they must not be expected to emerge, till they emerge in the splendours of eternal day; and I found those, who, at the commencement of the Society, looked up to these men for their talents and spirit, called into the first rank, to grasp the standard. I knew the ravages of death among your missionaries. I heard of a change of officers, without knowing what the change was to be. I heard of a diminution of your funds-and all these things together I confess did bring a cloud upon my mind, a pressure upon my spirit; for I love your institution too well to be insensible to the smallest circumstance that can possibly affect its interests. But I have lost my despondency; the cloud has rolled off, the sun of joy has broke out upon me, and I feel that, instead of despondency, we ought to thank God, and take courage. Every thing I have heard from the speakers, and most of the report, tended to this; but, had all my despondency been well founded, still even then I could have extracted good from evil, and I would have taken up this as an argument to persuade the friends of the London Missionary Society to carry it to the footstool of the divine throne, to excite us to more fervent prayer and simple dependence on the divine blessing. What we have heard this morning has, however, removed all distress; but I would just say that any thing that could lead us to the throne of God, though it were a temporary disappointment and defeat, should be hailed as a blessing. I am persuaded of the truth of the observation which my respected brother of the Wesleyan denomination has made, that piety at home is closely connected with success abroad; exhilarating as this meeting may be, it is not here that the missionary cause is principally to be cherished; but in the retirement, silence, and sanctity of the closet, in close communion with God, and with the page of inspiration open before us. The missionary cause, to flourish, must be planted in the rich deep soil of Christian piety; every where else it would, sooner or later, languish; but never there. It might have every support, and be guided by consummate wis dom; but let piety be wanting, and the missionary cause itself must droop with it. The revival of piety at home will be the revival of missions abroad. What is it we want? More missionaries to go among the heathen, more money to support them, and more fervent prayer to bring down the blessing of God upon them; and a revival of religion will give us all this. Let us have a revival of piety in our churches (I do not mean by this that we are at a very low ebb)--but I do say, let us have a revival of piety in our

churches, and what number of men should we not see coming forward to devote themselves to the work of missions; who would flock to the standard of the cross, saying, "Here am I, send me?" We are smitten with the love of ease and home; for it is an indisputable fact that few, comparatively, are offering themselves to be employed in your missions in the distant lands of paganism. Then, as to money, the connexion of a revival of religion with an increase of funds shall be proved to you by a fact I will read from a letter, received from my friend Mr. Patten, in the United States of America. He has described, in the former part of his letter, a very extended revival which has taken place, not only in his own church, but in all the other churches of New York; and now I will read the substantial effects of this revival, in reference to the great cause on which we are engaged this morning. "During the year just closing, in addition to the reduction of a debt of ten thousand dollars, this one church has sustained twelve young men in their studies preparatory to the gospel ministry, at an expense of seventyfive dollars each, which is equal to 900 dollars. They also sustain one foreign missionary, at an expense of 666 dollars. They have set off a portion of church members, for the purpose of organizing a new church in a distant part of the city. They have also paid 500 dollars as a salary for their minister, and have subscribed toward the erection of a new building 1,200 dollars, making a total of 5,000 dollars; besides the support of the standing ministry among themselves, and also the aid they have afforded to all the other benevolent and religious institutions of New York." And now let our rich merchants, our flourishing manufacturers, and our wealthy tradesmen, hear what follows. "Indeed, my dear brother, some of our churches are beginning to view money as valuable mainly as it may be instrumental in the salvation of souls. What is the value of money but its capacity of blessing, and in return of being received? I do hope that our churches will take up the idea. I am considered to be a little sanguine and enthusiastic in my admiration of America; but I do believe that there is springing up there a benevolent spirit, expansive as her lakes, magnificent as her forests, and sublime as her cataracts. The American eagle is afloat on her mighty pinions, and, while some professing to be eloquent and correct writers, are telling us she is only fluttering around the meteor of her own enthusiasm and fanati

cism, I may say, in the language of Curran, that "with an eye that never blinks, and a wing that never wearies, she is pressing her way through the mid-air of heaven towards the sun, in whose beams she is delighting to play." And does it become the British Lion to be couchant in indolence, or only half awaking from its sleep?

If you will allow me, for a moment or two, I will refer to one of the most curious and interesting documents I have ever had the good fortune to inspect, bearing closely on the object we are met to promote; and which will enable me to institute a comparison between the Christian liberality of 1832, and the same disposition in 1795. I hold in my hand a very insignificant-looking little book; it is, literally and truly, a begging book-the book which Andrew Fuller brought to London, when he first appeared in this city to solicit aid for the Baptist missions. It contains the names of all the leading religious individuals of the city in that day; and, though the writer objected, from conscientous scruples, to mixed communion at the sacrament, he found he had no objection to a mixed communion in this book; for here are the names of Goode, and Newton, and Cecil, and Scott, and some of the principal ministers and members of the congregations of other different denominations; and Mr. Fuller took the pains to number all the names, and, in about the middle of the book, he commenced a chapter of comments upon the persons. Shall I read an extract or two?-opposite one name we find a remark of "He is a prosperous young man, and he is as generous as prosperous: and now let wives hear this: "His wife is not so generous (it is said) as her husband is. If you find him from home don't tell your errand, but if you can see him by himself, so much the better." This is not as it should be; wives should not stand between their husbands and the cause of God. For my own part, I cannot conceive a lovelier spectacle under heavena spectacle on which angels delight to gaze more than on Adam and Eve in the days of their innocence in paradise-than a holy couple inciting each other onward in the cause of Christian philanthropy and religious effort. But here is another entry, where the husband is described to be as covetous as his wife was generous. There is also another entry to the following effect. Mr. Fuller called, in the course of his perambulations through this great city, at a certain house and stated his case, and was refused because the mission were Baptist mission; and the individual stated he could not conscientiously give to the Baptists, because he himself was not a Baptist. To his name Mr. Fuller wrote, 'May God deliver us from such tender consciences as these!" But there is a memorandum concerning an excellent friend, which follows after:-"Mr. T. W. has not so tender a conscience." Let it, however, be recollected that there is a book in which the name of every individual is inserted, and not merely the amount which he gives to the cause of God, but the amount which he does not give, and which he ought to have given. No delicacy will keep those leaves closed; no silence will hang upon the records of that 2 D 2

volume, but they will all be published in the hearing of more worlds than one; and it will be known then who they are that have done any thing for the cause of the Redeemer, and what they have done.

But I should not fulfil my commission if I did not read an anonymous letter in my hand. The anonymous writer of this letter, which is addressed to the directors of the Society, states that, for some time past, he has anticipated leaving a legacy to the London Missionary Society; but, seeing their appeal in the Monthly Chronicle for pecuniary assistance in this great work, he looked into his worldly accounts, and, finding he had a surplus of £100, he most cheerfully gave it to the cause of Christ, with fervent prayer that the work might go on prosperously, till the knowledge of the Lord should cover the earth as the waters cover the great deep." It is not said that the good man has cancelled the legacy, and I hope the period is not very distant when the Society will receive a bequest from him, and that God will so prosper him every year, that he may find a surplus to give annually to the funds of this Society.

Had there been time, I intended to insist on the necessity of connecting fervent prayer with liberality; for, after all, the prayers of the church must be instrumentally connected with the conversion of the world. I have heard the thunders of eloquence frequently on this occasion, but God was not there; I have also felt a kind of earthquake on such occasions, but God was not there; but I have heard likewise the voice of prayer, and God was there! It is not by the eloquence with which we speak to each other, but by the humility and faith, the fervour and importunity, with which we address God,-that we shall ultimately prevail.

I will intrude on the patience of the meeting for another moment, while, with the utmost deference and the profoundest humility and affection, I say one word to my respected fathers and brethren in the ministry around me "My brethren, on us devolves the honour and awful responsibility of keeping alive that flame of zeal which now burns upon the altar of the missionary cause; and, should it languish through our neglect, on us will come a heavier crime and a heavier punishment than that decreed by Rome to the neglectful vestals. We live in times of momentous importance, and pregnant with events deeply affecting the moral destinies of the world. As the author of Saturday Evening has told us, “Paganism is waxing old, and is ready to vanish away." The superstition of Christendom has generated that and the spirit of infidelity, which at this moment is engaged in deadly combat with the mother that gave it birth. Oh, may we come up with a spirit suited to our age; not an exclusively political, or sectarian, or fana

tical, or speculative spirit, but in the spirit of prayer, of love, and of a sound mind! May we all be baptized, not in the turbid and troubled waters of angry controversy, but in that river, the streams whereof make glad the city of our God-the water of life, clear as crystal, that flows from beneath the throne of God and of the Lamb. We are not called, my fathers and brethren, to lead our churches to martyrdom by the marks of our own blood, or by the light of the flames of our own martyrdom (though I trust we should have grace to do this, were we called thus to act and suffer), but to lead them onward in the career of Christian benevolence and holy zeal. Let us seek for ourselves a circle of labour, the centre of which shall be our own churches, and the circumference the remotest bounds of the habitable globe. Let not our churches take us from the heathen world, nor the heathen world from our churches; but may we so labour that the society over which God has respectively placed us may be, in fact, a Home and Foreiga Missionary Society, for the glory of God and the good of immortal souls. May this be the prayer of our hearts and the object of our lives! God be merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known upon earth, and thy saving health to all nations!" "Let the people praise thee, O God, let all the people praise thee!"

The Home-Secretary here said :—I have another announcement to make, which, I am sure, will yield unfeigned gratification; it is a donation of £50 from W. A. Hankey, Esq.

The Rev. JOHN PETER WAHLIN, D. D. (Chaplain to the Royal Swedish Embassy), in seconding the motion, thus addressed the assembly--In calling on me to mingle my voice with that of so many eloquent and highly-talented men, on this occasion, it will be easily perceived that your Committee have had for their object to suspend the long succession of pleasing harmonies by a few passing discords. But in their kind and courteous invitation to me to appear before this assembly, I likewise recognise another purpose to afford a stranger a favourable opportunity for expressing his Christian regard and brotherly affection. And this call I could not but obey, even at a moment's notice. Though not a member of your Society, I have learned to admire, love, and venerate it, for the grandeur of its objects, its Catholic spirit, and its liberality. It opens wide its arms to Christians of every community; it accepts and invites their united co-operation; it has love and charity for all, and lifts its lofty standard high above all nominal distinctions. I am myself, and have long been, a sort of missionary. Not, indeed, one who has had to brave the heat of a tropical climate, or the

cold of a Siberian winter; not one who has had to leave all the comforts of social life, to pitch his tent in the desert among savage hordes, and, torn from home and friends, pine a solitary exile, perhaps a persecuted victim, and find an early and unnoticed grave in dark and distant regions. My lot and duties have been easier; my situation has been in the very centre of civilization in the enlightened and benevolent land of piety and freedom in the crowned and mitred city of the ocean queen, from whence the golden candlestick of the everlasting gospel spreads its pure and radiant light to the whole world around. And deeply have I felt this privilege, and never did I feel it more than at the moment when called by my Lord and Master to another extensive field of labour; probably for the last time I partake in this religious festival, and enjoy the cheering aspect of so many Christian friends assembled, whom I never more shall see, till again we meet in heaven. Oh! Sir, I have seen, in this religious and greatly-blessed land, that of which kings and prophets might have envied me the sight. I have witnessed such scenes of sacred rapture as never can be effaced from my memory, and on which my thoughts will dwell with never-ceasing gratitude to God. I quit England, but 1 leave my heart behind. I trust my stay here has not been unprofitable to me. I own myself a debtor to Churchmen, to Methodists, and to Dissenters; God bless them all! I have joined them in their religious services; I have endeavoured to warm my heart by their sacred fire, and to learn to imitate those holy men in Christian usefulness, and piety, and zeal. My ardent and constant supplication shall be for their happiness, and the success of all those sacred institutions, which are the noblest characteristics of Great Britain's grandeur. And if, at another season, cannot enjoy the heart-stirring spectacle of your anniversary meeting, my thoughts shall fly beyond the sea-my spirit and my prayers shall be with you, and my soul shall feel refreshed when I hear the cheering news of your activity and success. May our evergracious Lord and Saviour be, and remain with, you, brethren!-and may the stranger, who loves your land and institutions, be permitted to bespeak an interest in your prayers!

I

The Rev. Dr. BENNETT said :-You have another duty to perform. We owe great thanks to our Chairman, when few recollect that he has made a noble contribution to the Society, by furnishing it with his noblehearted son for a missionary; but, besides this, his conduct upon this occasion has been the means of carrying us through a most anxious day with great comfort and satisfaction. I move that we tender to him our most cordial thanks. The motion was then put and carried.

The CHAIRMAN then rose and said:-I return my grateful thanks for the high honour you have conferred upon me in noticing my humble services. The Rev. Doctor has reminded you that one of my sons is devoted to the work of the ministry among the heathen. I have given him up with the greatest pleasure, from a conviction that it was the duty of my son to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ among the Gentiles; and I have never felt, on this account, one regret from the moment we parted. In a letter I have received from him, he has urged me to endeavour to prevail upon his younger brother, who has now entered the ministry in the Establishment, to come out and assist him in cultivating the missionary field. younger son is now preaching the truth faithfully and affectionately; but glad should I be to bid him a long farewell, for the work of the ministry among the heathen, till we should meet again in that blessed state where parting will be unknown.

That

The meeting was then closed by singing "Praise God from whom all blessings flow, &c.

TOTTENHAM COURT CHAPEL.

The Rev. Mr. Halley offered the prayer before sermon. The Rev. John Jones, of Birmingham, preached from 2 Kings x. 16And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.

It was remarked, that it is delightful and instructive to witness in any creature the emotions of ardent zeal for the glory of the Creator. When his energies are thus devoted to the performance of God's good pleasure, he may be said to fill and adorn the station in which Providence has placed him. Jehu affected to be moved by a supreme regard for God's glory. But his thirst of human praise, the coincidence of his zeal with his interest, and its utter extinction when zeal for God appeared to be incompatible with a selfish policy (verses 29, 31), sufficiently prove that his zeal at best was essentially defective. His history may be regarded as an appropriate warning. When the professed object of the meeting is to give some proof of our zeal for the Lord in the diffusion of his truth, it becomes every Christian to be on his guard, that the modifications of selfishness may not be mistaken for the emotions of genuine Christian zeal. It was, therefore, proposed to consider,

1. The indications of a seal essentially defective.

(1.) The motives which usually prevail are such as are consistent with the reign of selfishness-i. e., natural compassion for human misery. A feeling excellent as far as it goes, and necessary to the preservation of the frame-work of society, but which may be

very fully developed in the utter absence of all that is essential to true religion.

The temporal miseries of the heathen may constrain a man to encourage missions, who yet feels no concern for the glory of God.

A desire to propagate our own practices and opinions. In proportion to the prevalence of these, some homage is rendered to the superiority of our own information and intellect. If

The vanity of being esteemed benevolent. any mode of philanthropy be popular in the circle in which we move, it becomes necessary to support it, in order to secure our share of public esteem. Zeal arising from this motive will always be displayed in proportion to the publicity of the occasion.

(2.) The degree of excitement thus produced may be, as to degree, indefinitely great.

(3.) But such excitement, in point of duration, will ever be limited and evanescent. Its coincidence with some selfish interest will prove the date of its vigour, and all the appeals of the most powerful eloquence will not prevent its decay.

II. The indications of a zeal permanently influential.

(1.) Such zeal must arise from the saving application of the truth to the heart-inducing conviction of the soul's value and statescriptural views of the excellence of Godcordial dependence on Christ for salvationand a consciousness of the sufficiency of the Spirit's power to bring others from darkness to light. Apart from such a state of mind, we do not see how a person can feel correctly with regard to the moral and spiritual state of the world at all.

(2.) The prevailing motives will necessarily correspond with this experience of the truth-such as a supreme regard for the glory of God, now dishonoured throughout the heathen world-a concern for the salvation of souls, now perishing for lack of knowledge-a desire to see the Redeemer honoured as the universal king-a desire springing from grateful love, and to which no sacrifice would be too great.

(3.) Universality and permanence of zeal would thus be secured-a zeal acting from an abiding principle-sustained by confident expectation resting on the promises and oath of the Almighty, and marked by earnest, patient, persevering, and abundant wrestling with God.

(4.) Illustrations of zeal springing from the power of religion are given in the example of Christ: John iv. 31-34, and ii. 17--the labours of the apostles-the vigorous efforts of the early Christians: 1 Thess. i. 6-8 ;-and the rapid success of the gospel in the first three centuries.

(5.). Hence it may be inferred that the intensity of our zeal will depend on that of our religion, and that to be truly zealous for

God and his cause is a sure mark of spiritual prosperity: Psalm cxxii. 6.

What, then, is the measure and character of our zeal? Can we be satisfied with that to which we have attained? How does it affect us in our secret approaches to God? A fervent prayer is a surer indication of zeal than a splendid contribution.

What are the claims of this Society? It is the cause of God, let it be identified with our warmest feelings. Our indifference will not prevent the advance of the Redeemer's cause, but will entail on us the curse of Meroz. By all the motives that tell most powerfully on a Christian heart, let us seek the prosperity of this cause. Money, indeed, it wants, but it is the last and least of its wants. Men are wanted to go forth to the heathen-wisdom is needed by the Directors -support and success by the missionariesand a more abundant effusion of the Holy Spirit by all.

Concluding Prayer-Rev. Mr. Lucy.

FRIDAY, May 11.

CHURCH OF THE UNITED PARISHES OF ST. ANDREW BY THE WARDROBE, AND ST. ANN, BLACKFRIARS.

The prayers were read by the Rev. Isaac Saunders, A. M., Rector of the parish; after which the Rev. William Bolland, A.M., Vicar of Swineshead and Frampton, Lincolnshire, &c. &c., preached from Matt. xi. 27-All things are delivered unto me of my Father.

When the Lord Jesus undertook the work of man's redemption, it was necessary, not only that he should bleed and die, but also, after his death, should, in his mediatorial character, be invested with full power and authority to accomplish this glorious work. For this purpose, all power was given to him both in heaven and in earth." The Father loveth the Son, and hath delivered all things into his hands, that he may dispose of all the affairs of the kingdom of Providence, in such a way as to promote the establishment of his kingdom of grace.

I. Consider the important declaration here