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BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

FROM THE REPORT OF THE MA

DRAS AUXILIARY SOCIETY.

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THE word of God is "the incorruptible seed; and though, when scattered, it may lie buried in dust long out of sight, it "liveth and abideth for ever.' Its benefits, though real, are not always apparent or immediate. In this country, more than almost any other, the good seed needs to be sown by the living, anxious sower, and long watched and watered. As the sword of the Spirit in the hands of the preacher, the teacher, the affectionate sympathizing and prayerful friend, the Divine word has the greatest power.

Most of the correspondents of the Society, who have spoken of its beneficial effects, do it in this connection; but in some instances the human agency is less apparent.

Dr. H. Gundert gives the following interesting facts:

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"We also rejoice in real good wrought by God's holy word. Mapla youth has been converted, less by direct teaching in our boardingschool-which he entered, he himself hardly knows how-than by the incessant study of God's word; which even now, in his sometimes adventurous excursions to preach to his countrymen, is his inseparable companion. Jesus, especially according to St. John-eternal life-the light shining in darkness-the love of the only-begotten-these are the foundations on which his inward soul rests -from which he derives the calm and joyful peace so necessary for those in his position.

"A Hindoo doctor was baptized in September, after an acquaintance with us of only two months, because, in that short time, he became so thoroughly acquainted with the word, which he read day and night, both alone and to his relations, that the moment he was enabled to break through his earthly ties we were constrained to receive him into full fellowship. He has out-grown our other

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"Also the Tamil youth, whom I mentioned last year as being prevented by his father from reading the Scriptures, has not been able to shake off the impressions received from them. He has believed in the Lord Jesus, and was baptized in December; yet he is not bound up with the word in the way in which the abovementioned are, by whose instrumentality, to the praise of God be it said, a spirit of more diligent and independent study of the Scriptures has been diffused among the older converts."

The Rev. G. U. Pope states

"I think I can safely say that I have not parted with a single copy of the Scriptures, of the benefit of which I have not had good evidence. All those who have received portions of Scripture from me are required to attend the Adult Sunday School in their villages, or, if not resident at a Catechist's Station, to present themselves for examination whenever I visit the neighbourhood. Wherever I go, in my visitations of the villages in my district, I find those who have obtained copies of the Scriptures the most regular in their attendance, and every way the most satisfactory in their conduct. In their houses I find they generally keep a separate box, made of palmyra leaves, and which is suspended from the rafters, for the Testament, which is often their only book. Many very respectable and comparatively wealthy men, among the converts in this district, may be seen with the New Testament under their arms, wrapped in a cloth, wherever they go, whether to the talook, the market, or the church.

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Truly pleasing it is, indeed, to see, in the little village churches, the Headmen of the village-frequently the only ones who can read-with their Testament and Psalter, following

the Minister in the service. My Adult Sunday School in Varyagaram alone, contains the Headmen of thirteen villages, whom your Society has supplied with Testaments and copies of the Psalms-the whole Bible you will not permit me to give them- besides many others, the inhabitants of three villages.

"Who can estimate the amount of benefit conferred upon these people by the Bible Society?"

The Rev. J. J. Lawrence, of Dindigul, gives the following very encouraging instance, among others, of the silent power of God's word :

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Iroolappen is a native of the Siva sect; lives seventy miles distant from Dindigul; and by inheritance and trading has acquired a more than ordinary amount of wealth. He is nearly forty years old; has acted as his own priest; and from all I learn of his former condition, his yellow robes, sacred beads, and brazen god, sent in to me a few months since, has lived a Saivite of the straitest sect. He procured a copy of the Old Testament, and portions of the New, some five or six years since; and as his trading at Madura and Dindigul has, from time to time, brought him into the neighbourhood of the Missionaries, he has often met us with questions regarding the meaning of different texts, and has received explanations and exhortations with such an apparent sincerity and earnestness, that we have been much encouraged. At length he stands proposed for admission to the Church, and we hope is truly born of the incorruptible seed of the word of God."

The Rev. J. M. Lechler writes

"The benefits resulting from the distribution of the word of life are incalculable. The sacred Scriptures are the living principle of our Schools, and of all those who enjoy Christian instruction in connexion with the Salem Mission: without them, nothing could be done. I take this opportunity to return my warmest thanks to the Committee of the Madras Auxiliary Bible Society for the liberal aid they have hitherto afforded us. All in connection with us are desired to learn to read the word

of God for themselves; and during the past year we had several additions to our Bible classes. Among these is a man who very lately cast in his lot with the Christians. He was convinced of the sinfulness of idolatry, and the truth of Christianity, by reading the Bible. He possesses several portions of Scripture, which he considers his most valuable property; and he says he shall consider himself a debtor to the Bible Society until he has in a measure made restitution for their invaluable gifts."

"Other instances of our Scriptures being well read occur. A few days ago, when suddenly turning the corner of a street in this town (Cuimbatore), two Brahmins were seen sitting in a veranhah, reading aloud a portion to others, listening with apparent reverence aud attention. At one of the Out-Stations of this Mission the Brahmins have, for years past, applied to the Catechist for the different parts of the Bible, as they could be procured. These have been read in the evening to many assembled for the purpose, and the contents have at such times formed the subject of conversation, &c.

"That our Scriptures are valued and preserved the following will show. A great number of single Gospels and Epistles have, from time to time, been requested by the Mohammedan portion of the population, also by sepoys of various creeds; and it has been very pleasing to see with what attention they have read them: but as we had not a sufficient supply to furnish all with a complete copy of the New Testament, it was suggested that those who were neighbours, &c., should each receive a different part, and exchange them with each other when read. In some instances this was acceded to; but others candidly acknowledged, that they valued those portions they had before received and read so much, that they could not possibly part with them in exchange they for others, for, by studying them, in some measure understood their contents. One Mohammedan, of very respectable rank, and who came from upwards of forty-five miles, most earnestly solicited to be supplied with

a whole Bible; but his request could not be complied with, as we have never yet received a sufficient number of those bound in one volume, even for the use of the professing Christians here. Another person of the same faith, in a Government situation (Tasildar of a large talook) sent his servant upwards of thirty miles for a whole Bible, but we could only send him a portion. What makes the Mahommedans so desirous to possess the Bible is not clearly apparent; but this class evince a far better spirit than I ever before knew, and are much more cordial in all respects than formerly, when they disdained to accept or read any of our books."

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES IN MALTA.

WE are informed that a number of Maltese, from several parts of the island, come not only twice a-week, but also on Sabbath-days, to assemble in a room of Dr. Bonavia's house, in Valletta, in order to hear the word of God, and read the Scriptures, accompanied with explanatory and practical remarks, and some prayers extracted from our Liturgy; and the whole service is performed in the Maltese language by the same gentleman, who not a little contributes to bring his fellow-countrymen in contact with the word of eternal life. This interesting work is carried on by Dr. Bonavia, on behalf and under the superintendence of an excellent Christian Society in England, in spite of various ways and strong oppositions exerted to stop Dr. Bonavia from the reading of the holy Scriptures, seeing that they are very means, and the right way, to bring the Maltese to the knowledge of the true religion of Christ, preached by Paul the apostle on his coming to this land.

THE BIBLE IN BRAZIL.

By the statements presented in the following paragraphs from the Rev. Mr. Kidder's recent work, it appears

that the country is now open tô the Bible.

At the mission-house, many copies were distributed gratuitously; and on several occasions there was what might be called a rush of applicants for the sacred volume. One of these occurred soon after my arrival. It was known that a supply of books had been received, and our house was literally thronged with persons of all ages and conditions of life-from the gray-headed man to the prattling child-from the gentleman in high life to the poor slave. Their notes were invariably couched in respectful, and often in beseeching language. Several were from poor widows, who had no money to buy books for their children, but who desired Testaments for them to read at school. Another was from one of the ministers of the imperial government, asking for a supply for an entire school out of the city.

Among the gentlemen who called in person, were several principals and proprietors of colleges, and many students of different grades. Versions in French and also in English as well as Portuguese, were sometimes desired by amateur linguists. We dealt out the precious volumes, according to our best judgment, with joy and with trembling. This being the first general movement of the kind, we were at times inclined to fear that some plan had been concerted for getting the books destroyed, or for involving us in some species of difficulty. These apprehensions were contradicted, however, by all the circumstances within our observation; and all who came made their errand on the ground of its intrinsic importance, and listened with deep attention to whatever we had time or ability to address to them concerning Christ and the Bible. *** In three days 200 copies were distributed, and our stock was exhausted, but applicants continued to come, till it was estimated that four times that number had been called for. **** We were not disappointed in the opposition which was likely to be called forth by this manifestation of the popular desire for the Scriptures. A series of low

and vile attacks were made upon us in a certain newspaper, corresponding in style with the well-known spirit and character of their authors. Indeed, in immediate connection with this interesting movement, a periodical was started, under the title of O Catholico, with the avowed object of combating us and our evangelical operations. It was an insignificant weekly, of anonymous editorship. After extravagant promises and repeated efforts to secure permanent subscribers, it made out to struggle against public contempt for the space of an entire month. Yielding to the stress of circumstances, it then came to a pause. An effort was sometime after made to revive it with the more imposing title of O Catholico Flumiense. Thus its proprietors appealed as strongly as possible to the sympathy and patriotism of the people, by the use of a term of which the citizens of Rio de Janeiro are particularly proud. Under this heading, it barely succeeded in surviving four additional numbers, in only one of which was

the least mention made of the parties whose efforts to spread the pure word of God had given it origin.

This species of opposition almost always had the effect to awaken greater inquiry after the Bible, and many were the individuals, who, on coming to procure the Scriptures, said their attention was first called to the subject by the unreasonable and fanatical attempts of certain priests to hinder their circulation. They contemned the idea, as absurd and ridiculous, that these men should attempt to dictate to them that they should not read, or to set up an inquisitorial crusade against the Bible. They wished it, and if for no other reason, that they might show that they possessed religious liberty, and were determined to enjoy it. They poured inexpressible contempt upon the ignorance, fanaticism, and even the immorality, which characterized some of the intended ministers of religion, who dreaded to have their lives brought into comparison with the requirements of God's Word.

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turns in the following proportions:Ghent, 43,639f.; Mechlin, 36,330f.; Liege, 33,615f.; Tournai, 31,635f.; Bruges, 22,249f.; & Namur, 10,216f. The Low Countries subscribed, viz.: the diocese of Bois le Duc, 31,169f.; Limburg, 15,528f.; Luxemburg, 11,168f.; Breda, 5,714f.; other districts, 33,356f. Among individual donations, the four largest were sent from the following dioceses, namely: Alby, 10,000f.; Basle, 7,887f.; Tournai, 5,847f.; and Savona, 4,336f. The Annals of the Association are published annually to the number of 171,900 copies, namely, in French,

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MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE.

CHINA.

IN our last annual letter we mentioned that we were encouraged to believe that the Spirit of the Lord was at work with a number of hearts among this great heathen people, who had been for some time under regular preaching of the Gospel in their own language. Our hopes have been more than realized, and eighteen Chinese have been baptized during the year, upon a profession of their faith in Christ.

All these were received into the Church, after repeated and careful examinations, both private and public. Some of them are men of high attainments in their own literature, and have already proved of great usefulness to the mission. Of these eighteen, only one, and he the least promising, has been excluded from the Church, while all the others give

evidence of holding on to their profession. We now have between 20 and 30 cases of interesting inquiry, affording more or less encouragement.

We have thirteen native preachers daily at work at Hong Kong and the neighbouring towns and villages on this and other islands, and also on the mainland, preaching the Gospel, and scattering far and near tens of thousands of Christian books and tracts. The truths of the Gospel are evidently spreading and taking hold of the minds of multitudes all around us. One of our most active native preachers came to the pastor a few days ago, and said, "Teacher, during this year upon which we have entered, great numbers of the Chinese are going to turn to the Lord." Our Chinese Sabbath congregations at the chapels are remarkably attentive, and sometimes crowded to excess.-Baptist Mission in China.

SUMMARY OF PASSING EVENTS.

66 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord that shall stand."

It is stated in the Quarterly Review, that the Emperor of Austria, by the advice of his minister, Prince Metternich, is about to grant a state provi

sion to the Protestant clergy of his empire. The government of France pays Romanists, Protestants, and Jews. The government of Prussia

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