there can be no doubt, that their success was due to their being in possession of the promise with it given; and, consequently, to their having built the Gospel on that foundation to which the promise was annexed. In other words, it must be a very important criterion of the true rule of faith, delivered by our blessed Redeemer to His Church, to see whether the preaching according to any given rule has been attended with that blessing which was promised, and which secures the enjoyment of His support; or, whether, its total failure proves it not to have satisfied the conditions He required.

Such, my brethren, is the subject on which I am going to enter. I wish to lay before you, in this and my next discourse, a view of the success which has attended the preaching of the gospel, according to the two different rules of faith which I have endeavoured to explain. I will begin in the first place, and it will occupy me this evening, with examining the history of the different institutions formed in this and other Protestant countries, for the purpose of diffusing truth among the nations, who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. For this purpose, it is my intention to make use, as much as possible, of authorities which no one will impugn,—I intend, perhaps with one or two exceptions, not to quote any Catholic witnesses; indeed I will endeavour, as much as I can, to confine myself to the testimony of such as are actually engaged on these missions, or to the reports of the societies which direct and support their efforts.

The progress of conversion had gone forward from age to age, ever since the time of the apostles; and not a century, particularly among those commonly designated as dark and superstitious times, not a half century had passed in which some nation or other was not converted to the faith of Christ. By conversion I do not simply mean their being kept in the missionary state under the direction and tutelage of persons sent from another country, but their being so established, in the course of a very few years, as to be able to exist indepen

dently of foreign aid. They of course always remained in connexion and communion with the Mother Church, whence their faith had originally come; but yet so as to have their own native hierarchy, governing many congregations and churches regularly organized; and to be so well and solidly established that where once this had taken place, the errors which had been removed no more sprung up, and resumed their influence. This is the only idea which we can justly form of complete conversion; this alone was meant by conversion during the ages to which I have alluded. And so far was this spirit of conversion from failing in later times, that, on the contrary, it is remarkable how, just at the moment of the Reformation, a new field opened, and was cultivated with success, among the natives of America, and in the peninsula of India.

Now, when the new religion took possession of this and some continental countries, it soon struck those who embraced it, that it was incumbent on them to show themselves inheritors of the promise made by Jesus Christ; and, moreover, to diffuse the new light which they imagined themselves to have received, among those nations who did not enjoy the same happiness. Hence it was, that so early as the year 1536, the Church of Geneva instituted a mission for the conversion of heathens, who had not received Christianity in any form. Of the history of the mission I can say nothing: but it is acknowledged, on all hands, that it proved abortive, and was very soon discontinued, in consequence of its ill success. We may, therefore, date the missionary labours of Protestantism from the beginning of the last century. the year 1706, Frederic IV., king of Denmark, established a mission, which still enjoys considerable celebrity, and of which I shall later give you some details. It flourished chiefly after the middle of the last century, under the direction of Ziegenbelg, Schultze, and Schwartz: and this seems to have been the first mission attended with any appearance of success.

In

In this country, in the year 1701, the first Missionary

Society was formed, and incorporated by Royal Charter,— that is, the "Society for the Diffusion of Christian Knowledge ;" and, about the same period, the "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," was also completely organized, and in activity. From that time, until towards the end of the last century, nothing particularly striking was done in this department. It was in 1792, that the Baptist Missionary Society, since become so celebrated by its many versions of the Scripture into the eastern languages, made at its head quarters at Serampore, was first instituted and consolidated; and in 1795, the "London Missionary Society," which belongs to the Independent Congrega tion, was also formed; followed in the next year by the "Scotch Missionary Society." In 1800, the "Church Missionary Society" came into operation. Since that time, a great number of secondary associations have sprung up; many of them formed by members of different religions in this country, as the Wesleyans, and others, whom it is not necessary to enumerate. Besides these societies in our own country, there are similar oues in America, in Germany, and in France, which have directed their labours to the same important purpose. In other words, I may say, that the most wealthy and most enlightened nations of the earth, according to the flesh, have devoted themselves, with extraordinary zeal and diligence, to compass this important end, of bringing heathens to a knowledge of Christianity.

Next we may enquire, what are the means which they have in their hands? They are such as never, from the time of the Apostles, have been brought to bear, I will not say upon the work of conversion, but on the attainment of any great moral object. I have not always had the convenience of consulting documents down to the very latest period; and I have conse quently been obliged to content myself with such as have come within my reach. I mention this as a precaution, that if I do not always quote the notices received within this and the last year, it may not be supposed that I have been ruled by

a wish to avoid what might appear adverse to my assertions. With the greatest pleasure I would have examined the history of every mission down to the present day, if my other avocations had permitted me; or if it were possible to have access to the necessary documents. It has been in my power, however, to obtain those of two or three years ago in a pretty complete form; and this is why I shall seem to chuse my specimens from that period. The statements I shall be able to make will be sufficiently accurate, to direct your attention to the working of a principle,-to the discovery of how the method pursued has been found to act; for this will be accomplished whether we take the average of a smaller, or a greater number of years. For if we shall discover that the failure of these attempts has been in consequence, not of a want of time, but of a want of power in the means employed, we can arrive at a proper estimate of the correctness of their principle.

We find, from authentic documents published in the "Christian Register," for 1830, that five of these societies, from among which some of the most opulent are deducted,* amassed funds in this country alone to the amount of 198,151.; and if the other societies received in the same proportion, the sum must have been perhaps nearly double that amount.† In addition to this, however, we must not omit the co-operation of Foreign Societies, especially those of America, the contributions of which have also been very considerable.

*The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and the Scotch Missionary Society are omitted.

†The following are the specific details:

Wesleyan Missions

. £55,565

47,328

48,226

17,185

29,847

£198,151

There are omitted, the Society for Promoting Chris

tian Knowledge, which we may moderately reckon at 50,000 And the Scotch Missionary Society, say .

Total.

45,000

£293,151

year

There is another way of making a calculation. In the 1824, it was boasted that 1000l. a day were expended upon the work of conversion, which would give us an estimate of 365,000l. per annum, devoted to this great task.* And you will see, presently, that even this falls below the truth at the present day.

But, in addition, it would be unjust to overlook the immense assistance afforded to these societies by that which is generally considered the most important and most interesting in this country-the Bible Society. For a great portion of its funds go indirectly, to these societies, by furnishing them with copies of the Scripture-the essential instrument, in their idea, for the accomplishment of their object. The thirty-first annual report, the last published, gives the net receipts for the year ending March 1, 1835, at 125,721. 14s.t And from the same report we learn that the expenditure of the Society, during the thirty-one years of its existence, amounts to 2,121,6407.18s.1ld. It appears, moreover, that this society alone has printed nine millions one hundred and ninety-two thousand nine hundred and fifty Bibles or New Testaments: to which, if we add the issues from other societies in Europe and America, amounting to 6,140,378, we have the enormous aggregate of fifteen millions three hundred and thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty-eight copies of Scripture.§ This statement, in any other age, would have appeared incredible; and if the true way of working conversion be the dispersion of the written word, surely an abundant harvest might, by this time, have been expected; for the seed has not been avariciously scattered abroad.

But, after we have added the income of this society to that of the missionary associations which I have rehearsed, we

* Quarterly Review, June, 1825, p. 29.

Thirty-first Report, Lond. 1835, p. 156.
Ib. p. 142.

Pp. 145, 142. I do not know whether the copies purchased abroad for the Society, and counted in their nine millions, should not be deducted from the foreign issues.