and to every place where the heathen are ready to receive Christian teachers, they ought to be sent to itinerate among the untaught, to be pastors to the converts, to write, print, and distribute religious and useful books, to multiply primary schools, and by means of superior seminaries to train up native converts for the Christian ministry. "India ought, at once, to be filled with associated missionaries. Those stations, in which at present single missionaries are wasting their strength on duties which are oppressive and often fatal, ought to receive four or five missionaries to labour either on the same spot, or in contiguous parishes. Calcutta and Benares want more labourers; but other cities need assistance still more. "Much more regard ought also to be paid to China than has hitherto been paid; and that there should be immediate efforts to distribute Christian books along its coasts and among its emigrants. With or without their permission, English and American missionaries may at once do much for a large Chinese population in the Indian Archipelago. If the tyranny of a heathen despotism forbids our entrance into Japan and Cochin China, and if Papal bi gotry excludes us from the Philippines, Siam at least, and Singapore, Malacca, and Penang, offer an increasing population of Chinese to be at once instructed. Why then cannot more missionaries be sent to them? But while thus India and China demand immediate and increased exertions, there are many other countries which ought not to be overlooked. Were the Church of Christ in England animated with the spirit of the exiles at Herrnhut, or of the early Christians, it would immediately send its missionaries throughout the world. They would go to New Guinea; they would spread themselves over New Zealand; they would occupy the islands of the South Pacific; they would rescue the tribes of Australia, and the remnant of North American Indians, from the ruin which threatens them; and lastly, proceeding from the frontiers of the colonies of the Cape and of Sierra Leone, they would meet on the shores of Lake Tehad, and bring all central Africa within the sound of the Gospel. Almost the whole heathen world is ready to receive them. "Towards this great work almost every one may contribute something. And since it is an enterprize so excellent, that to engage in it adds dignity to the most noble; and since the will of the Almighty has been so plainly declared, that it must bind alike both the prince and the peasant; I venture to express my earnest prayer, that God would be pleased to incline our gracious Sovereign to use the great influence committed to her stewardship by him for the promotion of this cause. "At length then, my Christian brethren, we know our duty. We know that the heathen are perishing by millions in ungodliness, vice, and error; we know that they are ready in many lands to listen to the Gospel; we know that when they do listen, souls are saved, churches are formed, society is reformed, numbers are made holy, and Christ is glorified; we know that professed Christians could easily teach the whole Christian world, that the real disciples of Christ could do much more towards it than they do, and perhaps that we are among those who are most faulty; we know that many missions are weak for want of men, and languishing because they are weak, while there are large funds at home which are wasted upon self-indulgence, and numbers of young men who scarcely know how to find employment; we know that the past neglects of Christendom in general, and of England in particular, have been disgraceful to the Christian name; we have met with eminent examples of liberality and of missionary zeal; we 'know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor;' we know his compassion for souls, his love for us, and that it would please and honour him should we show ten-fold zeal in his cause; and lastly, we know what each man may do to promote it. And he has said, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.' Are we then ready so to do? We have all the requisite means. The heathen world is prepared to receive the Gospel, and without it, we cannot see how they can escape destruction. Should it be preached, all experience shows that God would make it the means of their salvation. All then is depending on the Church. All, under God, is depending upon us. "Worldliness, disunion, and unbelief, both lessen exertion and degrade it. They hinder many from going to the heathen, they spoil the spirit of those who go, they corrupt our motives, they paralyze our energy, they withhold the Divine blessing, they dishonour Christ, they prolong the reign of Satan, and seal the doom of millions who are passing into eternity untaught. Grace only can set all right. If, in answer to our prayers, God would be pleased to pour out his Spirit on the Church, worldliness would be changed into spirituality, discord would cease, and a humble con fidence would make his people to say, we can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth us.' Were the selfdenying liberality, the brotherly affection, and joyful faith of the first disciples reproduced in the Church, then we should also be prepared to achieve similar victories. Were our hearts set upon the greatest and best objects which can occupy them, we should deeply sympa thize with the heathen; and for their salvation we should think sacrifices and labours light. Then would many be eager to go, and the rest would zealously support them; while their united prayers would bring down the most abundant blessings from God. What might not be accomplished by the energetic supplications of the whole multitude of Christ's true disciples ?" VIEW OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS. AMONG the remarkable occurrences of this remarkable era, one of the most striking is the triumphant success with which Sir Robert Peel is carrying forward his extensive plans of financial policy. His measures affect almost all classes of conflicting interest; he urges them broadly, and with little deference to adverse suggestions; he proposes a mitigation of the Corn laws, which, while it alarms the landowner, the titheowner, and the farmer, as destructive to agriculture, is denounced as illusory by the anti-corn-law leaguer:-he draws up a tariff materially relaxing the imposts on a great variety of articles of foreign growth or manufacture, so as to terrify numerous and powerful bodies of homeproducers, from the grazier who rears cattle to the cordwainer who converts their hides into shoes; yet without such extensive partial benefit to any one large interest, as to outweigh the opposition of those who have special cause for serious objection: and he imposes an incometax, which almost every man who is affected by it dislikes, not merely because of its pressure, from which he cannot escape, as from many other taxes, by economy and retrenchment, but on account of its inquisitorial character; and which its proposer himself acknowledges must press with very unequal weight on various classes of persons and yet, burdened with these three heavy mill-stones, Sir Robert Peel is swimming upon the crest of the wave, as if scarcely conscious of a weight to be borne, or a torrent to be stemmed. This result must surely arise from a very general conviction in Parliament, and throughout the land, that the affairs of the country require to be searchingly looked into, and its difficulties unflinchingly met; that patch-work temporary expedients are not wise or honest; that old debts must be paid, and new ones prevented; that the present Ministry have shewn the ability and the nerve to address themselves to the whole question; and that notwithstanding the many inconveniences and sacrifices which the proposed measures involve, they will upon the whole work well, and promote the public welfare. will The overwhelming tidings from Cabul, so fearfully confirmed in the main particulars by the late arrivals, are the more afflicting because the heavy calamity which has befallen the nation, and has carried desolation into so many families, has not arrived in the prosecution of an enterprise in which we had any ground for expecting the blessing of God to rest upon it. We will not, in the hour of depression, speak more strongly on this point than we did in the hour of victory, when the triumph of exultation at the success of the national arms was allowed to drown the quiet suggestions of reason, and the still small voice of conscience; but from the first we could not but regard our late hostile enterprises in central Asia, as unjust, and not even recommended by the most short-sighted expediency. The promoters of this war were afraid that Russia might sometime and somehow meditate hostilities against our Indian empire; and to ward off this possible contingency, we passed over intervening rivers, deserts, and mountain barriers, which were a protection to us, and an almost insurmountable obstacle to Russia or Persia, should they desire to invade us; we attacked the warlike natives, who had never given us even a decent pretext for warfare; we made them our bitter enemies; we imposed on them a hated usurper as their sovereign; we incurred a heavy expenditure, and sacrificed many valuable lives, in gaining and garrisoning their inhospitable country; and we shut ourselves up in their fastnesses in detached fragments, as if inviting them to combine, and to cut us off in detail, without the possibility of escape; or to aid our hypothetical enemies in making a descent upon India, if they wished to do so. The fatuity of the proceeding was on a level with its injustice; and the issue has been, that more than 13,000 of her Majesty's subjects, English and Indian, including soldiery and camp-followers, have been massacred, and the few who may still survive, in which mournful list are included wives and children of officers, are in hourly peril of their lives among hordes of savage mountaineers. And under these circumstances England is crying out for sanguinary revenge! Now we feel convinced, as men, as Britons, and as Christians, that under the perplexing difficulties in which we have involved ourselves, humanity and justice require prompt and energetic proceedings, in order to prevent worse evils. Any appearance of what the natives might deem weakness or fear, would entail new miseries on all parties; and, unjustifiable as has been our past conduct, it would be folly, and in the end cruelty, to shrink from acting as the existing pressure of events may require. But to speak of revenge is inhuman. These uncivilized tribes found us invading and garrisoning their country; they knew nothing of our nice political reasons; they had nothing to do with our speculations upon the balance of power between us and Russia; we were unprovoked assailants, and they routed and expelled us by arms and stratagem, not indeed with the conventional observances of European warfare, but with what they probably considered subtantial justice and patriotism. Revenge, if ever lawful, were here most unlawful. We have far higher duties; we have first to rescue those who are still in peril; we have also to prevent outbreaks and revolts elsewhere; we have to act as we might in the first instance towards a madman whom we had unjustly provoked, with a strong hand, but with no vindictive feeling; but we have also to restrain our ambition and retrace our steps; and to return to moderation, yet so as not to encourage aggression by any semblance of weakness; and to act more wisely and religiously for the future. These will be no easy tasks; but we pray that counsel and strength may be conferred from above on our government at home, and our delegated authorities in the East, to achieve them. Our affairs in China, though not hitherto exposed to like disasters, require a similar course of conduct. Our wrong-doing brings evil upon us; and we seek to wreak revenge upon those whom we have incited to offend us; in the course of the proceedings real and grievous causes of provocation occur, and such as it were not right that we should overlook. whatever, under such pressing urgency, may be necessary, the end pursued should be, not revenge, but peace; for dreadful as war is under all circumstances, it is most horrid when fomented by cupidity, ambition, or vengeful pas sions. But It may please God in his mercy ultimately to overrule the melancholy proceedings in central Asia, and also in China, in order to bring vast nations, hitherto isolated, into closer intercourse with European civilisation, and, in the end, to open a way for the introduction of the Gospel among them-though, alas, under most unfavourable auspices ;-and this is our wish, our hope, our prayer; but we must first "cease to do evil, and learn to do well;" for there can be neither peace nor righteousness, if our intercourse with distant lands is not regulated by far more of wisdom and justice than has characterised it in the cases under consideration. These considerations lead to the serious question, What has England done towards the discharge of her high religious responsibilities and large opportunities to Asia, or other parts of the world with which, by her colonies or dependencies, she is connected? Alas little; so little as in many places to be almost nothing! Yet we will not at present renew the objurgatory strain. We will rather trust that she is beginning to awake to her obliga-. tions. Every month we have to record new illustrations of the zeal and liberality which God has infused into the hearts of the faithful in our land. Compared with the wants of the world, or our national wealth and privileges, it is little; yet it is at least a hopeful beginning; and one important feature of our Christian efforts is that they are taking a higher range, and a character of more systematic effort. It is something to send out an individual missionary; but the effort is now increasingly to establish and support wellcompacted missionary stations, as central sources of influence, and a nucleus for native churches; and to crown, perpetuate, and enlarge the whole, the importance is now acknowledged of locating bishops, as well as private clergymen, wherever we have colonies or churches. A bill is now before parliament for tripling the number of bishops in the West Indies; three being at once established by the division of the diocese of Barbadoes, the Bishop having retired after a zealous and laborious discharge of his duties during sixteen years in that enervating climate; and three being proposed for that of Jamaica when a vacancy occurs. Volun tary agency is also extensively in oper. ation. The Bishop of London's diocesan collection last month, for the colonial bishoprics, has amounted to upwards of £8000; and funds are coming in, though it were to be wished still more largely and rapidly, for the general object. Individual instances of pious munificence are not wanting, at the head of which, more especially as we have been alluding to India, we must place the noble contributions of the Bishop of Calcutta towards his projected cathedral, which we rejoice to learn from the Report lately published is rapidly proceeding; and is likely to be a most beautiful, convenient, and interesting structure. We have read that Report, and the zealous and indefatigable prelate's appeal speaks in it like the voice of a trumpet. He glows with cheering anticipations of the blessings, which, through divine grace, may, and will, arise from the establishment of a central body of clergymen in Calcutta, headed by their bishop, with his archdeacon and other officers and assessors, having daily service;* promoting various reli * The Bishop does not say, but we hope he means, choral service, at least a certain number of times in the week, if not daily, as the circumstances of India may justify. This holy exercise, besides the immediate object of daily devotion after a manner which we, and others, feel to be eminently beneficial a solemn, elevating, and blessed service, and which those who do not find to be to themselves thus edifying, ought not to grudge others the use of-might be connected with the establishment of a school of sacred music, in its highest departments, for India and the East; and also with popular Hullah classes for parochial psalmody. We see no reason why English Church singing should be nearly the worst in Christendom ; why the Church of Rome should attract those who can appreciate harmony in its sublimest moods, and various Protestant sects and churches those who can at least appreciate and unite in simple melodies; while (with the exception of a very few of our cathedrals) we know little in England of the former, and in the majority of our parish churches are as destitute of the latter. We strongly suggest to our Right Reverend friend to consider both these points. The late interesting singing exercises at Exeter Hall, shew that effects may be produced -and rapidly and cheaply-which a few months since few persons would have ventured to predict. It was not without higher purposes than mere animal gratification that He who made man gave to him an ear to taste sweet sounds; and the experience of all ages proves that hallowed melodies are among the means of grace which God has condescended to honour; as they are also some feeble anticipation of the anthems of heaven. St. Ambrose restrained the choir at Milan to the tetrachord; and it was considered an excess of ecclesiastical luxury, involving the vain secularities of the theatre, when Pope Gregory ventured to allow the whole octave and its harmonies. But even the most simple and severe gious and benevolent designs; cultivat ing theological, liturgical, and pastoral studies, biblical criticism, and church history; planning missions and locally prosecuting them; in short, becoming a focus of spiritual light and warmth to the whole Eastern world. May God grant his plentiful blessing to this great undertaking, and its pious and liberalhearted projector! We rejoice at the above-mentioned and all other symptoms of increased zeal and vigour in our beloved national Zion and her offspring in other lands. They are proofs, we would trust, that the Lord of hosts is with us; that the God of Jacob is our refuge. There was a time when the Church of England was taunted for its inertness; the Romanist especially urged that we could not be a true branch of Christ's Church because we lacked a mis sionary spirit. Now the reproach happily begins to assume a new and better form, as witness the following complaint lately made by the Morning Chronicle. "A great change has come over the hierarchy of England. Instead of standing aloof from Bible and Missionary schemes, as was the case within the memory of the existing generation, they are now moving forward with a zeal and activity unknown since the Reformation. Not content with obtaining the entire control of the Church Missionary Society (which hitherto had repudiated episcopal superintendence, though it sought episcopal aid) and not content with the wide field of our colonies for the manufacture of new bishops, they are obtaining the aid of foreign potentates in endeavouring to plant what are called English bishops in countries where such dignitaries have no more right to exercise episcopal authority (except as chaplains or missionaries over those who choose to submit to their care) than they have to exercise such authority in the moon. This is but the beginning of a series of encroachments in contempla Ambrosian chant is not incapable of inspiring powerful emotions; and when the heart goes with the lip and the ear, thrice-blessed is the combination. But our Right Reverend friend's design admits of introducing into India both the higher cathedral style and the useful parochial style; and also in a good measure combining them where desirable. The singing and chanting in the Eastern churches have degenerated into tasteless and indevout drawling ; the transplanted Anglican Church should exhibit a better example. People can sing, even in hot climates; and often with refreshment of mind and body, and holy elevation of spirit, when too much enervated for severe intellectual exercises. tion. Every channel of communication or of influence which can be commanded in this country has been already secured. Even the British and Foreign Bible Society-a Society founded by Dissenters, with the aid of a few more zealous Churchmen, and which used to be exultingly termed a great Catholic platform where Christians of all sects met on common ground-even that Society is already all but Church of England." There are several mistakes in the above pasrage; but may nothing worse ever be urged against us ! We have an accumulation of Oxford Tract matters, but gladly take breathing-time from this distressing topic. Some new and melancholy instances have occurred of perversion to Romanism vid Oxford-tractism; but there is a spirit of re-action from which we augur well. The Bishop of London has added his name to those of other prelates who have sent out a warning voice on this subject; by some well-timed and powerful remarks in his sermons on the Church; defending our own sacred orders, but protesting against the unchurching of all non-episcopal communions. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. W. W.; K.; W. G.; H.S.; C. C.; H. J. B.; R. B.; C. J. B; W. P.; M. ; and T. S.; are under consideration. L. R. F.'s inquiry is resolved by the last rubric at the end of the Communion Service, which directs that "The money given at the Offertory shall be disposed of to such pious and charitable use as the Minister and church-wardens shall see fit; wherein if they disagree, it shall be disposed of as the Ordinary shall appoint." We may notice the point alluded to by Cantabrigiensis, when we resume our biographical notices of English ritualists, which we have held back this month, not wishing to sate our readers with one topic. We might have added in our paper on Lord Orford and Lord Chesterfield, that the Bible which Lord Orford gave to Hannah More is in the possession of Lord Teignmouth, H. More having presented it to his venerable father. Bible Society Extracts.-We have always great satisfaction in referring our readers to the Bible Society Extracts under our cover; being convinced that the Society is an honoured and efficacious instrument in the hands of God for extending the kingdom of our Divine Lord and Saviour; and that its proceedings are its best panegyric. We have never ceased to lament the conscientious difficulty or mistaken policy which prevented our bishops and clergy uniting themselves in one vast body to this admirable institution; for if they had done so, besides the benefit which would have accrued to the world at large from their aid, the result we are persuaded would have been highly beneficial as regards our own branch of Christ's church both at home and abroad. We believe that among foreigners the Anglican church sometimes enjoys more credit than is due to it; it being taken for granted that the National Church of England is the main-spring of this cosmopolitan institution; and even at home Dissenters have in general evinced good and kindly feeling at Bible Society committees and meetings, in giving marked prominence to the efforts of the clergy and lay-members of the Church in order to subserve the common object. In the Extracts for last month occurs the following passage, which illustrates our remark as to the good effects of the conciliatory spirit of which we have spoken; though we do not think that warm-hearted suggestions are always well-weighed, or that conscientious differences of religious opinion are of no moment; nor should we wish to see the meetings of any of our societies convened in places dedicated to God solely for religious worship. The writer is speaking of a recent meeting of the Bible Society at St. David's, where the Dissenters are a strong body :-" The spacious old Cathedral would take in the inhabitants of the whole city and of the country many miles round. On an occasion like this, the Dissenters of every name would crowd its gates, and fill its long-extended aisles. We may live to see it; and there are many things far more improbable. The worthy Bishop manifested the best feeling towards the Society last year for when he was informed that the Auxiliary intended holding its Anniversary at the hour he intended preaching, he kindly altered the hour from the morning to the afternoon and to shew that the Non-cons appreciated his kindness, they repaired to the timehonoured edifice in large numbers; and such a congregation had not been seen in the Cathedral for many long years." Can any man calmly believe that the Church of England lost anything on this occasion? |