Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

the purpose of presenting a testimonial to their long-esteemed pastor, Dr. Cox, in celebration of the thirty-fifth anniversary of his ministry among them. The chair was occupied by the Rev. D. Katterns. Upwards of four hundred persons sat down to tea in the chapel. After tea, one of the senior members having engaged in prayer, the proceedings were opened by the chairman, who read an interesting and suitable letter from Mr. White, one of the deacons, who was absent on account of severe indisposition. The testimonial was then brought in and presented to Dr. Cox, accompanied by an address, read by Mr. Luntley in the name of all the deacons, and on behalf of the church, expressive of their continued and unabated attachment to his person and ministry, and of such sentiments of affection and sympathy as the circumstances of the church rendered suitable. This address was responded to by Dr. Cox with much feeling and at some length. The other deacons, Messrs. Allard, Huxtable, and Hare, and a few of the older members, then gave brief addresses, in the course of which many interesting recollections of the events of preceding years were laid before the meeting, which imparted an additional zest to the pleasures and congratulations of the occasion. It was an eminently delightful, and, it is hoped, profitable opportunity, and evinced, in no ordinary degree, the spirit of harmony and love by which the church at Hackney has been so long distinguished.

The present was an elegant silver candelabrum, prepared under the direction of Mr. Percival Daniell, and valued at one hundred guineas. A massive and richly decorated tripod stand, supporting a chased column, surmounted by three branches, and so arranged as to form either a candelabrum or an epergne. The three sides of the base contained suitable inscriptions, and the workmanship, no less than the design, excited general admiration.

May a connexion so long continued, so prosperous, and happy, be yet a source of comfort to ministers and people for many years to come.

ANTI-STATE-EDUCATION SOCIETY.

An association has been formed under this name, the objects of which are to oppose all government grants for educational purposes; to assist, by every legitimate means, schools not receiving the government grant; to promote the establishment of day and evening schools, in connexion with Sunday-schools, and to extend and improve those already in existence; and to print and circulate tracts, pamphlets, &c. calculated to advance the objects of the Society. Resolutions were passed:-That in carrying out the objects of the Society a spirit of Christian courtesy shall always be evinced towards those who enter

tain contrary opinions; that this Society be composed of persons subscribing one shilling and upwards per annum to the Society's funds, and schools subscribing five shillings and upwards per annum, such schools to send one representative to the general committee; and that this Society be conducted by a committee of twenty-four gentlemen, including the treasurer and secretaries, to be chosen annually by the members and the representatives from the subscribing schools. Ministers favourable to the Society are considered honorary members of the committee. David Williams Wire, Esq. is the president; Mr. Daniel Pratt, Patriot office, Bolt-court, Fleet-street, treasurer; Mr. H. Denby, 17, Wellington-street, Blackfriars-road, and Mr. J. E. Tresidder, 11, York-terrace, Charlesstreet, Albany.road, Camberwell, Secretaries.

RAYLEIGH, ESSEX.

After the

On Wednesday, May 19th, the village of Rayleigh witnessed a series of interesting services, such as cannot but be of rare occurrence. They were intended to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the settlement of the Rev. J. Pilkington at this place. Rayleigh was selected by the Essex Baptist Association as the first scene of their efforts in sending the gospel to those then totally neglected parts of the county, and thither they sent Mr. Pilkington, as their first missionary or itinerant. Last year the association celebrated its own jubilee at Braintree, in Essex, and this year it was agreed to hold the annual meetings at Rayleigh, to celebrate the jubilee of Mr. Pilkington. usual business of the association had been transacted, Mr. Pilkington was addressed by the Rev. N. Haycroft of Saffron Walden, and presented in the name of the church and congregation, and his numerous pupils and friends, with a splendidly bound copy of Kitto's Biblical Cyclopædia and a purse of fifty sovereigns. Two other addresses followed; one by the Rev. J. Garrington of Burnham, presenting in the name of the teachers of the Sunday school, the Memoirs of Dr. Yates and Mr. Knibb; and the other by the Rev. C. Rust, of Colchester, presenting in the name of the scholars of the school, the last volume of the Congregational Lectures, Dr. Hamilton on the future state of rewards and punishments.

The circumstances of the day were further commemorated by a most happy and clever poetical effusion by the Rev. Jacob of Great Wakering (Independent) delivered at the public dinner, and again to a still larger auditory at a tea meeting in a spacious booth erected on Mr. Pilkington's grounds. All the events of the day, the religious services as well as the social meetings, were of the most cheering and animating description, and

we doubt not that while the heart of our venerable brother was made glad, many were led to admire the grace and goodness of God in all the great things that have been effected through his instrumentality during the last fifty years. May such instances of success in home missionary labours be greatly multiplied, and may our associated churches be encouraged to introduce the gospel in many more villages and large towns where there is still abundant room for their operations!

COLLECTANEA.

THE BAPTISM OF KING ETHELBERT.

This is the subject of a large fresco painting over the throne in the new House of Lords, executed by Mr. Dyce, and much lauded, as a specimen of his "great abilities." The figures are no doubt correctly drawn, and the colours faithfully applied: all that is wanting is-truth. The king is represented kneeling on the pavement, half-naked, with the crown on his head; beside him is a small font; before him stands Augustine, with something like a dish in his hand, apparently sprinkling the monarch. Call it what you will-it is not Ethelbert's baptism. Not a learned man in Europe will venture to affirm that it is. It is very well known that at that time the church of Rome, to which Augustine belonged, practised trine immersion. That immersion was the uniform practice of the Saxon church is an equally undoubted fact. Ethelbert's baptism could not have taken place in the manner described in the fresco. The bishops ought to have prevented the perpetration of such a blunder. - Montreal Register.

-

TRACTARIANS IN PARLIAMENT.

election, the candidate class included upwards of forty successful tractarian aspirants for parliamentary power, how many may be expected now, the process of preparation having gone on ever since?-Oxford Protestant Magazine.

GERMAN SCHOLARS.

The following account of some of the distinguished literary men in Germany is extracted from the European correspondence of the Providence Journal' :

Professor Boekh is probably the greatest living philologist. His name will stand hereafter as the Wolff, or the Heyne of his generation. He is the rector of the University for the present year, and though somewhat advanced in life, is still in the possession of great mental and bodily vigour. Professor Ritter is an older man than Boekh; he is undeniably the first geographer of the age or any age. The great work which he is now writing has already reached six immense volumes, and embraces only the continents of Asia and Africa. He has himself introduced many new and valuable ideas into this science, in fact, he has in a great degree created the science and given it a most important rank among the other natural sciences. A gentleman told me that he saw recently in Professor Ritter's study, twenty big volumes of fine manuscript, containing only the names of books cited in his great geographical work. Professor Ritter is a large framed man, with a high, broad forehead, deeply indented in the centre, and a hale, florid, and benevolent aspect. Professor Encke, the astronomer, who discovered the comet which bears his name, and which is so important to the world of science as strengthening, if not confirming, the theory of a resisting medium in space, is a short man, with a rough hewn and hard-favoured countenance. He is a greater mathematician than brilliant theorizer; and deep mathematical lines, traverses, sines, and cosines plough every square and corner of his visage. Dr. Neander, the most distinguished theo

There is another fact,or class of facts, demanding the most serious consideration of electors. It has been said, and we believe truly, that ten resolved men in the House of Commons, having fair abilities, with courage and perseverance, could attain any object which they had agreed to pursue. Now, in the last par-logical professor of the university, is a reliament there was but one tractarian member, but in the present parliament there are upwards of forty; and these men ought to have been the objects of a jealousy ten times more keen than that which O'Connell and his openly Roman catholic followers have excited. But it is probable that not ten of our readers are aware of the fact we here state, and that not five of the forty constituencies are aware of the principles of their representatives, or of the tendencies of those principles. These facts will be startling to our readers, but they must look a little further, and ask the question-If, in the short period between the first formation of the tractarian conspiracy and the last general

66

formed Jew, and his name, chosen by himself, after the manner of the old scholars, from the Greek, has reference to this change of sentiment. He is now engaged in writing a Church History, of great labour and learning, and has already completed ten volumes. He has also published a History of the Apostolic Age," and "The Life of Jesus," the latter having been called forth by the celebrated work of David Strauss, called "The Life of Jesus," which occasioned not many years since, so much movement in the theological world. Professor Neander, though one of the most amiable, kind-hearted, and excellent of men, is nevertheless quite eccentric in his appearance and manners. It

is a singular sight for a stranger to behold him for the first time at his desk in the lecture

When more

room. He is rather an under-sized man, and wears a long black frock coat or surtout, and high boots reaching to his knees. His complexion is swarthy, his hair black and thick, coming down over his forehead, and his shaggy eyebrows wholly conceal his eyes from view. He always stands when he lectures, fastens his eyes upon the floor, and leaning his arms on the desk above his head, he pulls to pieces a quill which is invariably provided for him, and which seems to be necessary to secure for him an easy flow of thought. He speaks with a strong voice, in measured and almost evenly-timed sentences. than usually excited by his subject, he wheels off from the desk, and turns his back to the audience, his face all the while working, and his mouth opening, as if his ideas came to him in spasms. But the unfavourable or undignified impression which this odd manner may at first excite, soon wears off, when one has listened for a short time to the beautiful, flowing, and scholastic language, the noble and original style of thought, and the sincere, suggestive, and impressive teachings, of this truly learned and great theologian. Professor Ranke, the historian of the popes, holds at present the office of Royal Historiographer. He is still in his prime, and though he has already accomplished much, much more is expected of him. Though small in stature, he has a high, commanding, intellectual forehead; his manners in the lecture room, like those of Neander, are exceedingly eccentric, and his style of delivery to the last degree unpleasant and incoherent.

ARRIVAL OF THE "JOHN WILLIAMS."

We have much pleasure in announcing the safe arrival of the missionary ship, John Williams, Captain Morgan, after a prosperous passage of ninety days from the Islands, viâ Cape Horn, having on board as passengers, the Rev. C. Barff and Mrs. Barff from Huahine, Rev. A. Buzacott and Mrs. Buzacott from Rarotonga; and the Rev. W. Mills and Mrs. Mills from Samoa, with a number of the children of the missionaries, sent home for education. Our brethren confirm the intelligence recently received in this country, of the return of queen Pomare to Tahiti, and the surrender of the patriots to the forces of the protectorate.-Missionary Magazine.

THE BIBLICAL REVIEW.

The Biblical Review will henceforth be published in quarterly numbers, at the price of three shillings, and the first number of the new volume will appear on the first of July.

- Biblical Review.

EDITORIAL POSTSCRIPT. Our friends in Canada have issued the prospectus of a monthly religious periodical, to be called "The Colonial Protestant." It is to be edited by Messrs. Cramp and Bosworth, who expect to receive the assistance of other ministers of various denominations, and announce that it is to be free from denominational bias. Communications for it are to be addressed, " To the Editors of the Colonial Protestant, Montreal."

Two pamphlets have recently been published by Dr. Kalley, late of Madeira, which, through an oversight have not been noticed, as we intended them to be, in an earlier part of this number. One is entitled, "A short Statement of Dr. Kalley's Case; his Expulsion from Madeira, by Outrage, in Violation of the Treaty between Great Britain and Portugal; and the subsequent Proceedings of the British Government. By Robert Reid Kalley, M.D." The other is called, "Recent Facts, showing how Popery treats the Civil Rights of Protestants at the present day. By R. R. Kalley, M.D." The part of the " Case" which will surprise the British public the most is not the conduct of the Madeira mobs, or of the Portuguese authorities, but that of the English Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Lord Palmerston has not only failed to obtain from the Portuguese government property which is unjustly detained, but has avowed, in his correspondence, an extraordinary principle, of extensive application. That treaties entered into by Great Britain cannot protect its subjects in foreign lands from the consequences of breaking the laws of the countries in which they reside is perfectly fair; but Lord Palmerston goes the length of saying, that the treaties have not for their object the protection of British subjects who "offend the prejudices of the native population, or of the authorities of foreign states!" If the fact be so, how few are the countries which Englishmen-not to say protestants, dissenters, or baptists-can safely visit! An Englishman in many parts of the United States would according to this doctrine, be abandoned to mob law, and would gain no redress, if he had offended "the prejudices of the native population" by allowing a coloured female to take his arm in the streets, or sitting down with a coloured man at his dinner table.

The Trustees of the Hymn Book, commonly called the New Selection, have voted to the widows of ministers at their annual meeting which has just been held, a larger sum than in any former year. We fear it is not understood as universally as it should be that this is the only hymn book from Since its first publication the sale has which baptist widows derive any advantage. amounted to 170,874 copies, and the sum distributed to £2,466.

[merged small][graphic]

VOL. X.

BAPTISM IN THE "GRANDE RIVIERE," HAITI.

AFRICA.

DEATH OF MRS. NEWBEGIN.

A few weeks ago we learned with great regret that the state of Mrs. Newbegin's health was such as to require imperatively her return to this country, and that it was not supposed that she could ever venture to Africa again. A letter from Mr. Newbegin, dated Cameroons, Feb. 5th, contains the following mournful supplement to previous communications:—

In my last I wrote to you under the pressure however, gave no uneasiness, and she passed of heavy affliction, and in the prospect of a through the season of trial (which in her exspeedy departure from my work for a season. hausted state was very severe) better than we The illness of my dear wife was a matter could have anticipated. I did now begin to which gave us all the greatest alarm. That hope for the better. For two days she did that was not unfounded the event has proved. not seem to go back, but all the irritation Death has done his work, and the affectionate remained. The uncontrollable pulse, the partner of nearly four years, who crossed the Atlantic for me, and who ever since has been the sharer of all my joys and sorrows-and the latter you know have not been few, is fallen with brethren Thompson and Sturgeon in the African mission. I did not anticipate this at the time I wrote, although I was anxiously awaiting an opportunity for conveying her to a more congenial climate. Her end was peace, and her hopes were fixed upon the sure foundation. Her zeal for Africa, which I can assure you was of the highest order, continued unabated, nay, increased with the increase of infirmity. Her dying injunctions to me were not to forsake Africa, but remain faithful at my post, which, with God's help, I shall do, although I feel that the climate is such as to make me certain that a lengthened course of labour cannot be expected, either by me or any other European missionary. We have lasted for some time, but death is mowing us down, and has not done yet. Almost all of us are feeling more and more the inroads that are being made in our constitutions.

hacking cough, which rendered the application of a blister imperative, the irritable stomach, which for six weeks had been a source of constant distress, did not abate, but increased, until her exhausted frame was weighed down and sank. She consoled me as well as her failing voice allowed, expressed great joy in the presence of her God, and on Saturday, 16th of January, she fell asleep. I forbear entering into a detail of the grief I feel or the amount of loss I sustain; that can only be estimated by those who are co-workers with me. I commend myself to your prayers, for it is only from on high I can meet with support. It may be remembered by you, dear brother, that Mr. Hinton, at our valedictory service, warned my departed brother and myself by no means to go if we could not sacrifice wife, and child, and all. I have done so: I do not repent. If, however, in the midst of his many engagements, Mr. Hinton could spare me time for a line of consolation, I should esteem it very kindly, as from one who once from the pulpit spoke words of peace to the inquiring soul who now in eternity is joining the song of the general assembly and church of the first born.

Perhaps you have read the small note from Dr. Prince on the evening of my wife's death. It was impossible for me then to write to you, for it was in the midst of the hurry of depar- The loss I sustain adds not a little to my ture for the burial at Bimbia. All the symp-worldly cares, and in sickness, which is often, toms spoken of in my last continued on the to my wants, which no other can alleviate. It increase until Sunday the 10th ult., when is the "Lord's will, let him do what seemeth premature labour came on. I expected no him good." Could I see one convert, I would less than that she would sink in a few hours say "it is enough." Oh, when is dark Isubu after it, and informed her of my fears; this, to be enlightened?

RETURN OF MRS. STURGEON AND MRS. SAKER.

"The Ethiope

In a letter from Clarence, dated Feb. 24th, Mr. Clarke says, sailed at nine o'clock, P.M., on Monday, with sisters Sturgeon and Saker. Mrs. Sturgeon has ever commanded the respect of all. She has quietly and diligently employed herself in doing good, and been most circumspect and exemplary in her

« AnteriorContinuar »