church to hold fast, and be diligent for God. | son, now offered on the sacrifice of faith, Tell Kaitara (his brother deacon) to be to the arms of a Father, who is present in strong in the Lord, and active in his cause; every region. Mr. Colman uttered some also to Tupai.' Then to me he said, with expressions as the ship was moving, but his dying breath, Aua koe e taitaia, Be they were not distinctly heard. About the not cast down.' same time Mr. Wheelock was understood to say, "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy

Shall the Baptists of the United States continue their united efforts for evangelizing the heathen? We propose briefly to consider this question. It requires but little discernment to perceive, that the advantages arising from such a combination of effort must be very great. These benefits may be contemplated in two lights:-1. As it regards the direct influences that arise from a union of effort, in giving enlarge-ed together. Economy at home as well as inent and permanency to the enterprize itself; and 2. As it regards the reflex influences that must be exerted on all who are thus associated.

ed by it, if its divine precepts were com- of this association is, first, to collect the municated to them, he has all that is indis- pecuniary means necessary for sending the pensable for membership in such an asso- gospel to the heathen, by soliciting all ciation. He has not every thing that is whomsoever it pleases to contribute for this desirable, certainly, for such a service; to object; and in the second place, to select render one most effective as a fellow la- such agents for communicating the gospel borer in the missionary enterprize, he must to the heathen as are deemed competent. have experienced a gracious change-he The constitution of the Baptist General must have been made alive from the dead, Convention provides that any man who and have associated himself with those considers himself as being associated with who were bound by their profession, to the Baptist denomination, whether he be a live not unto themselves, but unto Him member of the church or not, may become that died for them and rose again; but it a member of the Convention, with full certainly is not an indispensable qualifica-powers, by paying annually the sum of one tion for membership in a missionary asso- hundred dollars. Missionary societies, asciation, that a man be a christian. Such manifestly was the view taken of this subject by the framers of the constitution of the Baptist Triennial Convention. They named as the persons to be associated, members of the Baptist denomination, including both churches and congregations. This is a broad platform, upon which all may stand. Such is the nature of this work that the most of those who will be attracted to it will be a devoutly pious people, but if any should come with their offerings, who have not yet attained to the liberty of the sons of God, let them not be frowned away. It is the altar that sanctifieth the gift.

sociations, state conventions, &c., may send one delegate for every three hundred dollars contributed, and they may send whomsoever they please.

Such being the broad principles upon which our Missionary Convention is associated, we see no objection to union; none which the most scrupulous can urge as a ground of conscientious objection. The churches in one section of the country may have reason to believe that those in another section are infected with the error of Arminianism, and those thus suspected may suppose that their brethren, who are disaffected towards them, are leaning to the opposite error of Antinomianism; and notwithstanding these differences of opinion, both of these sections of country may unite in an effort to send the gospel to the heathen; and their intercourse with each other, upon a subject in which they are agreed, would have a tendency to correct whatever was erroneous in the doctrinal belief of either party.

We do not admit the truth of the sentiment, current with some, that by allowing an individual thus to associate with us, we sanction whatever of error in sentiment or practice he may have embraced upon other subjects. With as much truth might it be maintained, that our Savior in eating with publicans and sinners sanctioned, as being right and proper, every thing that The Missionary Convention differs matewas vile in those characters. He associat-rially from an Association. An Association ed with them in a thing that was right in is composed exclusively of church members, itself, and yet was "undefiled;" and by and has for its object the welfare of the thus associating with them, he put himself churches. The Missionary Convention, ou in a position of easy approach to them. the other hand, is composed of all who choose to enter it in the prescribed form; and it has for its object the moral improvement of those who are debased by ignorance and sin. An Association partakes more of the nature of an ecclesiastical organization, and yet an association has no

We associate in the missionary enterprize, not upon the basis of church fellowship, nor even of christian fellowship, but as the friends of humanity and religion, for the single purpose of sending the gospel to the destitute in foreign lands. The design

power to make laws for the regulation of the churches. Like all other voluntary associations, it may say who shall be admitted to the privilege of membership in the body; and it may suggest what it pleases for the general good, to be received or not as each church may see fit. The Missionary Convention corresponds more exactly to one of our congregations, which is made up of believers and unbelievers, associated for the simple purpose of maintaining the worship of God, and in which the pious have a predominant influence. The Triennial Convention, as now constituted, symbolizes exactly with the true congregational principle. It claims not a particle of ecclesiastical authority; and in no other form, it is believed, could the Baptists be associated. Presbyterians, Methodists and Episcopalians, who respectively have their ecclesiastical judicatories, can be otherwise associated for missionary purposes. Our churches are absolutely independent, and none are admitted to membership in them, but credible believers on a profession of their faith. There is, therefore, a considerable portion of our congregations competent to this work, and not embraced in our churches, who ought to be called into service, and who, upon our principles, can be readily associated.

We can see no just ground of objection to this form of association. A provision is made for an equitable representation of the interests of every man and every body of men. If an individual pays one hundred dollars per annum, he is entitled to a seat in the Convention, or if one hundred individuals pay this sum, they are entitled to a representation; and these representatives constitute the Convention, each individual having an equal right of discussion and of suffrage. The Convention thus constituted has absolute power; a bare majority elects a Board of Managers, and a majority of two thirds may amend, or repeal any fundamental principle.

The security that the Convention will always be found in the hands of good men, arises from the nature of the institution itself. It is a benevolent association of the

highest, noblest, purest character. It proposes to do good to those who are poor, ignorant and degraded, and who are removed from their benefactors at a distance of many thousand miles. It proposes to do good for the sake of doing good, without any earthly hope of reward. It has no power by which it can influence others, except what christian principles and a pious example give to one mind over another. The expenditures of the Convention are ne cessarily regulated by the receipts, and or dinarily correspond very exactly the one to the other; and it is compelled, by public opinion, to limit the support of those in its employ, whether at home or abroad, to the smallest practicable amount.

The Triennial Convention is an institution of the Baptist denomination. It has hitherto attracted, and will, we believe, so long as it keeps to its legitimate object, in all future time attract to it the best gifts and the purest hearts among us. So long as the Convention keeps to its original design, it will never engross the attention of the ambitious and the designing. Should it seem to be in the way of such, in the prosecution of their schemes, they may seek to destroy it, but never will they seek to take possession of the convention, with the view of performing those heaven ap pointed labors for the conversion of the world.

We have spoken, be it remembered, exclusively of the Triennial Convention. The Convention appoints a Board of Managers to attend to its business during the recess of three years, which Board, under certain general instructions, is required to report its proceedings to the general body at the close of every term of service.

It is required in the constitution that no person shall be eligible to membership in the Board, "except he be a member of some Baptist church." It was provided originally in the Constitution, adopted in 1814, that no persons should be employed as missionaries, except those only who "are in full communion with some church of our denomination, and furnish satisfactory evidence of genuine

piety, good talents, and fervent zeal for dence-which, to those who have received the Redeemer's cause."

We proceed to speak of some of the reflex tendencies of our Missionary Convention, an association in which are united brethren from every section of the Union. We shall not, at this time, dwell upon those happy effects that always accrue to personal character when one is engaged from right motives, in acts of benevolence, except to remark, that whatever of good influences upon the heart and character may be derived from labors in the work of foreign missions, they can be secured to the members of our congregations only by this combination of effort. Destroy combination, and you destroy the power to act. The hearty cooperation of all our congregations in the land, is to the success of this enterprize what the healthful action of each member of a church is to the prosperity of that church. A church may have a measure of prosperity, while but a portion of its members are attentive to their duties; so the Convention may have a partial success, while, as yet, but a portion of our people are associated.

No one suitably informed upon the subject, will undertake to deny, that our foreign missionary operations have had a most happy influence upon our churches at home. Since 1814, when the Baptist Triennial Convention was formed, the denomination has enjoyed a measure of prosperity before unknown; and we account for this fact by ascribing it, mainly, to the reflex influence of missionary labor abroad. We know of no method of accounting for the fact so satisfactory as this. Such a result is just what might have been expected; and it might have been predicted with as much certainty as may the future obscuration of one of the planets; and with equal certainty may it be predicted that disaster will follow, should anything be allowed to interrupt this union. Should this offence come, which may kind Heaven prevent, wo unto him by whom the offence cometh. There is, however, another ground of evidence by which this fact may be established—shall we call it the internal evi

it, has all the certainty of a demonstration. All who have been particularly active in these services have this kind of evidence; it is what they have seen and felt. When assembled in convention, with brethren from the extremities of the Union, they have witnessed and felt the light of one mind beaming upon another; the sympathies of As one heart have enkindled another. brethren from the North and the South, the East and the West, have in their wisdom proposed their respective plans for the general good, they have been kindly received, and have been made the common property of the whole body. On these occasions, too, there have been manifested such christian affection and brotherly kindness, that all hearts have been melted and cast into the same mould.

Could we summon before us the sainted spirits of Furman, and Baldwin, and Rice, and Staughton, and Knowles, and Mercer, and Chaplin, and many others who have gone to their rewards in heaven, how gladly would they testify to these facts. But we need not appeal to those who have departed,-there are hundreds of living witnesses who can testify to the things which they have seen and felt. Neither have these influences of which we are now speaking been confined to occasions when the Convention has been assembled, nor have they emanated exclusively from a contemplation of the more immediate objects of the association; many advantages have arisen from this general intercourse. On these occasions the best gifts in our ministry, and some of the choicest spirits among our brethren, have been brought together upon terms of free and familiar intercourse; and by these means a happy impulse has been given to all our various plans of benevolence. The ministry has come to be better supported, and, consequently, has been more fully devoted to its appropriate work. Plans have been matured and carried into effect for the better education of the ministry; other national societies have been originated; and a spirit of general benevolence has been awakened and foster