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THE

BANNER OF THE TRUTH IN IRELAND.

JANUARY 1, 1862.

-000

Another New Year.

THE year 1862 opens upon us at a time of great public anxiety, yet we would trust also at a season of much spiritual blessing. The wonted festivities of Christmas have been turned into mourning in the most exalted family in the land, and the heart of the whole nation has been moved in sympathy with our beloved Queen in her sad affliction, so deep and so unexpected. Abroad, the political horizon is gloomy and overcast, and wars and rumours of wars approach nearer and nearer, and men's hearts begin to fail them for fear and for looking after those things that are coming on the earth.

At such a time as this the Christian finds the comfort of that faith which he has exercised in the time of prosperity, and which never fails him in the hour of trial. He can remember that "the Lord reigneth," that the affairs of empires are directed after the counsel of His will, before whom the inhabitants of the world are but as grasshoppers, and he can rejoice in the assurance that all shall bring about the glorious consummation, when the true King shall appear, when the sons of God shall be manifested, and when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ. The Christian can say as he traces the changes in the earth, "Thy way is in the sea, and thy paths in the great waters and thy footsteps are not known;" and as he marks the spread of Divine truth and the history of the people of God, he can add also, "thou leddest thy people like a flock."

In reviewing the history of the Irish Church Missions during the past year, and in looking forward to the year now

VOL. XIII.

B

opening upon us, we certainly have reason to "thank God and take courage"-we cannot but feel that God has been leading us we seldom had more evidences of real spiritual work. If the times are anxious, many are seeking God. If death is removing one and another, there are many whom God is teaching to consider their latter end. And as in the past history of the Church, the Gospel has spread widely in days of public calamity and political change, so we may with confidence hope that when God's judgments are in the world, many of the inhabitants thereof will learn righteousness, and if "the time is short," we may expect that the Lord Himself will work and speedily gather in His elect.

The work of the Society has certainly made great progress during the past year. The reports from the Missions continue to show a gradual change in the minds of the Roman Catholics wherever the agents of the Society have come into contact with them. The scenes of violence which were formerly so common are now extremely rare, and in many districts are wholly unknown. Numbers of Roman Catholic children attend the Mission schools in spite of the denunciations of the priests, and many true conversions show that the Spirit of God is dealing with the hearts of the people, and that the change is not merely to the profession of Protestantism but to real and vital Christianity.

In Connemara the work has now assumed a stability and importance which commands the attention even of the most sceptical. During the past year the West Connaught Church Endowment Society has come into operation, and two of the new Mission churches in the west-those of Sellerna and Moyrus-have been the first to receive the benefit. The endowment of these two churches not only relieves the funds of the Society to some extent, but it also gives to the work a permanence for the future, which is of great importance.

As another instance of the stability of the work in Connemara, we may mention, that when it was lately proposed to send an address of sympathy to the prisoners in Spain from converts in Ireland, no less than 581 persons above 14 years of age signed this address in the parish of the Rev. H. D'Arcy-a convincing proof, if any were want

ing, of the existence of these converts, though, it should be remembered, the priests constantly assert that they are nowhere to be found. We may add here that about 400 have signed the address in Dublin and Kingstown, though the converts there are scattered in various parts of the town, and therefore more inaccessible than in a country district. In the whole district of West Galway about 1070 signatures have been obtained.

The influence of such a work as that of the Irish Church Missions, necessarily extends far beyond our power of tracing it. It should never be forgotten, that by means of the press the great principles of the gospel in contrast with the errors of Rome are brought before thousands of whom the missionaries can never hear. Not only are the little tracts or handbills of the Society circulated widely in Dublin and elsewhere, but the same handbills, or extracts from them, are inserted as advertisements in the daily penny newspapers, which have a vast circulation, and are read all over the country. Who can say how great may not be result of this broadcast sowing of the seed of Divine truth.

In these days of war and conflict it is of great importance that the nation should be united as one man in loyalty to our gracious Queen and the glorious constitution to which we owe so much. While we would not doubt the loyalty of many Roman Catholics, yet we know that they can only be loyal to a Protestant Queen by acting contrary to the canon law of their Church. The pastorals of Roman Catholic bishops, and the harangues of Roman Catholic priests in Ireland, are constantly instilling a hatred of England into the minds of the people, and hence, in Dublin, we have lately seen 10,000 men attend the funeral of M'Manus who was transported as a rebel, and we have had in the same city exciting speeches at a meeting of so-called "Nationalists," exulting over England's difficulties, and expressing sympathy with America on the first announcement of a possibility of war. What a comfort it

is at such a time to know that all the converts of our Mission, and all the children in the schools, are trained in habits and feelings of loyalty to the British Crown, and that many young men are now faithfully serving their earthly sovereign in the army and navy, as well as, we

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