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mary object of the Parent Institution; but they do not, in general, ap pear to consider, that to maintain an establishment necessary to meet their demands, at the reduced prices, requires a considerable capital, and has therefore a fair claim upon some portion of their funds. The Society at Leeds has duly appreciated this, and remitted 20.; a few others have furnished smaller sums; but the far greater part of the Auxiliary Societies require to be reminded of the necessary attention they should give to this point; and when they are informed that the receipts of the Society in the past year have been 49017. 7s. 6d. while their expenditure has been 51997. 18. 8d.; and that, at the period of the Audit," the Society was 7797. in debt for Printing Paper, we hope the matter will obtain their serious attention.

HIBERNIAN SOCIETY.

THE Annual Meeting of the Hibernian Society for the Diffusion of Religious Knowledge in Ireland, was held at the New London Tavern, Cheapside, on Friday, May 15, at Seven in the morning. The attendance was numerous and respectable. The Report, which was read from the Chair, was peculiarly interesting. It could not fail to gratify the friends of the Institution, to learn that the dark cloud which hung over the affairs of the Society at their last Meeting, was completely dissipated. The violent opposition of the Popish Clergy, which then threatened the annihilation of the Schools, had subsided, and their fulminating censures vanished in empty air. The Schoolmasters soon resumed their functions, and the Parents took courage to send their Children afresh; since which the Schools have increased instead of being diminished :—where there were twenty last year, there are now thirty-eight.

The plan of employing Roman Catholic teachers, on the condition of their using those books only which are approved or furnished by the Committee, has had the happiest effect, not only on the scholars but on the teachers themselves; several of whom, since the introduction of the Testament into the Schools, have renounced the errors of Popery, and are become decided characters: in others, a spirit of enquiry is excited, which, it is hoped, will soon become universal.

There appears now to be no reasonable doubt but that the system so happily established in one district, may be gradually extended, till it has covered a large proportion of the island. But, to effect this, a considerable augmentation must be made to the funds. To accomplish what was done in the course of the last year only, the Society incurred an expenditure of more than one thousand pounds, while the annual subscriptions, for the same year, amounted to little more than two hundred.

The friends present were so impressed with a sense of the necessity of exertion, to enable the Society to carry its plans into effect, that they immediately commenced a contribution; some doubled their Annual Subscriptions, and others gave liberally in addition thereto. They also agreed unanimously to pass the following Resolution: -That it be recommended to the Ministers present to make Collections in their respective Congregations, and to form Auxiliary Societies to replenish the Funds of this Institution, and to enable it to carry into effect those plans of extensive usefulness, which without such aid must be necessarily relinquished.'

We cordially unite with the friends of this Society to recommend the object of the above resolution to the practical regard, not only of the ministers who were present on that occasion, but of all the ministers of the united kingdom; and hope that in the following Numbers of our Magazine, we shall soon have occasion to record the amount of such Collections, which may be transmitted to Samuel Mills, Esq. No. 20, Finsbury Place, London, the Treasurer to this Institution.

OF

THE EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING

OF

The Missionary Society,

HELD IN LONDON,

ON THE 13th, 14th, and 15th DAYS OF MAY, 1812.

Ir may probably be surprising to some persons that, year after year, multitudes of ministers and private Christians, from all parts of the kingdom, are drawn together in the metropolis, to attend the meetings of the Missionary Society; but this surprise will cease, at least in the minds of those who are acquainted with the influence of gospel principles, when they consider that the subjects presented to the Christian on these occasions are, above all others, calculated to excite the best and warmest emotions of the renewed heart. When Christians meet for the purpose of diffusing the light of the gospel among the Heathen, they cannot fail to contemplate the glories of that precious gospel with which they are themselves so richly favoured; and to appreciate the privileges and blessings which are connected with the truc knowledge of it: When they advert to the divine Redeemer, of whose great salvation they are happy partakers, they cannot but feel a glow of ardent love to Him, who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood: When they turn their eyes to the Heathen world, and observe their ignorance, their vices, their cruelty, their idolatry, their misery, the most tender commisseration is powerfully excited, and their hearts' desire prayers, and endeavours are united that they may be saved. To these considerations may be added, the pleasure of meeting in the metropolis numbers of ministers and friends, respected and beloved in the church of God, whose faces they never saw before; and increasing their acquaintance with many of the most excellent and useful of the earth; communicating also at the table of their common Lord with multitudes of fellow Christians of various denominations and forms of worship—and, as a proof of the sincerity of their benevolent wishes, pouring into the sacred treasury their several contributions, great or small, of worldly substance, to further the glorious work. These considerations combined, will well account for the vast assemblage on these annual occasions, and for the pleasure and delight with which the visitors return to their stated abodes, determined, if possible, to diffuse, in their particular connections, a degree of that love and zeal which they felt and witnessed in the great assemblies.

With pleasure we resume our annual task of presenting to our readers an account of the several meetings which took place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the 13th, 14th, and 15th days of May, 1812

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At SURREY CHAPEL, on Wednesday morning, a very large congregation assembled, long before the hour appointed for the commencement of the service. Mr. Hill read the prayers of the church, with appropriate lessons; after which Mr. Watson, of Musselborough, prayed in the palpita Mr. MATTHEW WILKS (who, in former years, had been in vain solicited to preach for the Society) delivered an excellent discourse, on Jeremiah vii. 18, The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.' He proposed from these words, First, To contrast the different objects of attention, the pretended queen of heaven (or the moon) adored by the idolatrous Jews, and the glorious Jehovah, the only living and true God, the gracious Redeemer of sinful men, and the immortal souls of our fellow-creatures. Secondly, He compared the zeal which these idolators displayed, with that which Christians ought to discover for nobler purposes referring to the fidelity of the for

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mer to their vows, their courage, in daring to encounter the wrath of au offended God, their constancy, in persisting in this practice, and their liberality, in contributing of their substance to the honour of the queen of heaven. Thirdly, He mustered the agents employed, the children who gathered the wood for fuel,-the men who lighted the fires, and the women who kneaded the dough: all which was ingeniously and judiciously applied to the occasion; and all classes of Christians were exhorted and cacouraged to exert their best energies in the Missionary cause. Dr. Young, minister of the Scots' Church, London Wall, concluded the service with prayer.

On Wednesday evening, the Rev. JOHN LOVE, A. M. minister of Anderston, Glasgow, who was the Secretary of the Missionary Society at its commencement, preached, to a great congregation, a judicious discourse, well adapted to the present state of the institution, at the TABERNACLE, near Moorfields, on Romans x. 13-15, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?, and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without. a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent ? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel or peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! In this passage Mr. Love contemplated, Ist, The Heathen engaged in spiritual prayer to the true God, calling on the name of the Lord;' and this, with respect both to individuals and collective bodies of the Heathen world. 2, He considered the principle and cause of that prayer, they called on Him in whom they believed, it was the prayer of faith, a grace wrought in the soul by the Spirit of God. 3, He adverted to the means by which this faith is produced,-the word of God: he then made a judicious inquiry into the comparative effects of reading the Scriptures and hearing the gospel preached, clearly shewing from the text, and from the history of the church, the great superiority of the latter in the conversion of the Heathen, and the spread of Christianity. He concluded by taking a serious view of the present awful state of the Heathen world, and recommended the steps that should be taken to amend it; with suitable exhortations and encouragements to the Society engaged in this laudable work.

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Mr. Adkins, of Southampton, prayed before the sermon; and Mr. Moore, of Plymouth, after it.

[An account of the meeting of the Society on Thursday morning, will follow this narrative of the devotional exercises of the week.]

On Thursday evening, at TOTTENHAM COURT CHAPEL, a large congrega tion was assembled at an early hour; and the service commenced before the time appointed. Mr. Huckwell, curate of the chapel, read prayers; Mr. Alexander Fletcher, minister of the congregation in Miles's Lane, London, then prayed in the pulpit: after which, Mr. Alexander Steill, of Wigan, in Lancashire, preached an excellent sermon, on Haggái ii. 7, And I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come.' From this Scripture the preacher deduced the following doctrine, viz. That the convulsions and revolutions which happen in the world are ordered and over-ruled by God, to prepare the way for the coming of Christ, in the display of his love and grace.' In explaining this truth he considered, 1, The peculiar character under which the Lord Jesus Christ is here represented, the desire of all nations.' 2, He enquired how the shaking of the nations,' or, the convulsions and revolutions which happen in the world prepare the way for his coming. Under the first head, he shewed that Christ is the desire of all nations, on account of his personal dignity and excellencies,-on account of his character and work as Mediator,-on account of the blessings he communicates to believers both in a present and future state, and, as he has been so esteemed in all ages by those who have discovered his unspeakable werth. Under

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the second particular,-How the convulsions of nations prepare the way of Christ, he showed that they did not this, considered simply in themselves, but under divine superintendence and direction, as they are necessary to remove and destroy those things which oppose the spiritual reign and government of Christ,-as by them, in the providence of God, new scenes present themselves for the diffusion of religious knowledge in the world, and because thereby the minds of men are prepared to listen to, and cordially to receive divine truth. The preacher concluded by considering the subject as a rule of duty, and as affording ground for hope.

Mr. Thom, a Missionary intended for the East, concluded with prayer. On Friday morning, at ST. BRIDE'S CHURCH, the use of which was again kindly granted by the Vicar and Churchwardens of the parish, the prayers of the church were read by Mr. Jones, the Curate; after which Dr. Gillbee, Vicar of Barby, near Daventry, in Northamptonshire, preached an admirable sermon on John x. 16, Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd.' From this well-chosen text the preacher considered, first, Our Lord's affectionate regard for the Heathen world,

other sheep I have,' &c. this was to correct the sad mistake of the Jews, who imagined that the blessings of Messiah's kingdom were to be exclusively their own, the contrary to which had been intimated by the offering of the Magi from the east to the infant Saviour; by his conversation with the woman of Samaria, and by the commission he gave to his disciples. This consideration was improved, to awaken our gratitude and stimulate our exertions.

The gracious design of our Saviour towards the Heathen world, was Secondly considered: Them also I must bring;'-and-They shall hear my voice.' An obligation is here implied, 'I must.' - Fidelity to his covenant-engagements required it, and his own glory depended upon it. The means were next considered by which these sheep were to be brought, they shall hear my voice: the preached word is to be the chief instrument of their effectual calling. Then followed, Thirdly, The glorious consequences that would result from the aceomplishment of Christ's gracious design towards the Heathen, — ' There shall be one fold,' &c. which implies that all the families of the earth shall be incorporated into one body; that they shall all be actuated by one Spirit,all be united together in love and affection. To this unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, the preacher warmly exhorted his numerous hearers, as constituting the strength and beauty of the church of Christ; observing, that if Christian love will cover a multitude of sins, it may well be expected to cover smaller infirmities. He concluded by exhorting the Society to the most strenuous exertions in the Missionary cause, and that they should think no sacrifice too great, that they may become the honoured instruments of bringing the Heathen into the fold of Christ.

On Friday evening SION CHAPEL was again crowded at an early hour, both by the communicants in the area of the place, and the spectators in the gallery. Mr. Cockin presided at the sacramental table; the bread was distributed by Messrs. Davies, Emblem, Evans, Field, Gardner, Harrison, Hillyard, Jackson, Maslin, Sloper, Snelgar, Thom, Tyreman, and Walker, the wine by Messrs. Brooksbank, Clunie, Creek, Daniel, Geary, Jeanes, Lloyd, M'Lean, Millward, Palmer, Parkis, Vautin, Weston, and Whitefoot. Mr. Arundel, Mr. Burns, and Mr. Thom, addressed the communicants and spectators. Mr. Hill concluded with prayer.

As Sion Chapel has, for several years past, been found insufficient for the accommodation of all the friends who wished to communicate, the Lord's supper was administered at the same hour at Tonbridge Chapel, Somers' Town, which was well attended, but not crowded. The Service was conducted in the same manner as at Sion Chapel. Dr. Winter pre

sided. Mr. Fletcher, Mr. Roby, Mr. Watson, and Mr. Bennet, gave ad dresses. Mr. Redford, Dr. Winter, Mr. Burder, and Mr. Slatterie, prayed.

The following gentlemen gave out the hymns which were sung at the several places of worship: Messrs. Creak, Hillyard, Harrison, Snelgar, Reed, Goulty, Eryan, J. Hyatt, E. J. Jones, Mather, Williams, Start, Platt, Adkins, Lewis, and Tracy.、

The Missionary communion was, indeed, a season of sacred delight, a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; which will long be remembered with pleasure and thankfulness.

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Thus concluded the Eighteenth General Meeting of the Missionary Society. All the places of worship were well attended; a great number of ministers (especially of the younger ministers) were present. The sermons, we are persuaded, gave great satisfaction. The zeal manifested by the Ministers, Directors, Members, and Friends of the cause, appears not to have abated; but, we trust, is enlivened and inercased, as the object in view, the conversion of the Heathen, appears to the religious world to be more and more important the more it is contemplated; and the duty of exerting ourselves to promote that object, is, we believe, better understood and felt than ever. May we not reasonably hope that the time is approaching when the dark clouds which have long covered the earth shall be dispersed, and the Sun of righteousness arise on all the be nighted nations? Amen and Amen.

PROCEEDINGS at a General Meeting of the Missionary Society,

May 14, 1812.

THE Annual Meeting of the Members of this Society, for the dispatch of business, was held on Thursday Morning, May 14, at Silver Street Chapel; when that commodious place was crowded by a large number of the friends of the Institution. In the absence of the Treasurer, Robert Steven, Esq. was called to the Chair. Dr. Wiater implored the Divine blessing on the proceedings of the day. The original Plan of the Society was then read by Mr. Platt. After which the Report of the Directors, containing a summary account of the transactions and occurrences of the past year, was read by the Secretary.

The Chairman then read a General Statement of the financial situation of the Society, which was as follows:

A Statement of Receipts and Disbursements from April 1, 1811,
to April 1, 1812.

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The Disbursements have exceeded the Income of the two last years,]

£2,570 17 s. 1 d.

Mr. Steven proceeded to make some pertinent remarks on the State of the Funds, referring to the few institutions of a religious kind which subsisted when this Society was formed in 1795, and the unavoidable competition which now prevails; and exhorted the friends of religion to support the parent institution, and even to forego some of the superfluities of life rather than not afford the aid it requires. The Rev. Mr. Bogue then moved, that the interesting Report which had been read should be accepted. Mr. B. made some serious remarks on the state of the world, containing almost 700 millions of Heathens and Mahometans, to whom Christ has commanded that his gospel should be preached. He observed, that

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