guages of mankind, would, in this country, form a centrical body of efficient co-operators, in matters spiritual and intellectual, to whom, from every quarter of the world, missionaries could send information, and from whom that information could again radiate forth in every direction.

In addition to the European resident linguists, native scholars, from pagan countries, could be added, for some of the principal languages, which would make the apparatus more complete.

The principle that it is right, and a duty to use means to convey the knowledge of divine revelation to all mankind, is adopted by the Missionary and Bible Societies; but language is indispensable to the use of means of any kind, and, therefore, if the end be not Utopian, the first and essential step in the operation cannot be so.

The question turns chiefly on the method of acquiring pagan languages; whether the agents shall be sent into pagan lands, to acquire, as individuals, the languages as they can, or whether there shall be associated efforts made at home, to facilitate the acquisition of the languages.

That association is strength and power, is acknowledged as a general truth; and why it should not be so in this case does not appear. Human efforts, by God's blessing, have carried human beings all round the world, and made mankind, as to general intercourse, nearly like one family; and were the attention of a benevolent public turned to the uniting the world by a society of universal philologists, the way would be opened for the going forth of revealed truth in every direction, and the temporal, as well as spiritual good of the human species be promoted.

Some pious people argue, that the Saviour's precept is "Go," and that persons must be "sent," and that "preaching is the divinely appointed method. And the Missionaries Hall and Newell have insisted on this view of the subject, and required of the churches 30,000 Missionaries.

The fondness of our revered English translators for the word Preach, induced them, as Dr. Campbell has shewn, to translate six different Greek words, in the Acts of the Apostles, by the one English word "preach;" and hence,

there is, in the English Testament, more "preaching" than in the Greek. One man sitting in a carriage with another, and speaking about Jesus, they have called "preaching.” The disciples, when scattered abroad, went every where, and talked about the Saviour, and the occurrences at Jerusalem; and this proceeding our translators have called preaching; and Greek words, that denote reasoning, arguing, and spreading a report, they have called preaching and it is in the minds of some modern Christians, that a pulpit, and pews, and a church, or a chapel, are essential to preaching.

Now, that such preaching is not at all essential to Christianity, nay, is in fact no part of it, but is a circumstance that arose from the previous habits of the people of the Roman empire, is probably the truth. It is my opinion, that conveying the proclamation of Divine mercy to the human mind, by any means, whether by schools, colleges, the press, or the pulpit, is, virtually "proclaiming" the Gospel, and obeying the Divine Precept. A pertinacious adherence to a single word, instead of gathering the spirit and sense of a proposition from all the words employed on a given subject, never leads to a true understanding of it. And were St. Matthew's phraseology adhered to, which might be plausibly done, since he has given the fullest. statement of our Lord's last precept, it would go to exclude preaching; for St. Matthew has used only the words, "To disciple and to teach." There is no preaching mentioned by St. Matthew.

Messrs. Hall and Newell argue, that "there is no instance on record, of a nation being evangelized by the Bible, without the preaching of the Gospel." To this it is only necessary to ask, "Where was the experiment ever made?" It was never made, and never will. The Bible has been the instrument of converting many individuals, and they have talked about the Saviour, and so preached the Gospel. How was Moses preached every Sabbathday? the answer is, by being read* in the synagogue. "In following the course and order of yeeres, wee find the yeere of our Lord 1450 to be famous and memorable, for the divine and mira

The truth is, that in all the nations which have been evangelized, all the various means of domestic instruction, the perusal of writings or books, the public discourse or oral lecture, the charity school and the college, have all contributed to scatter the seed of the word in the human heart, and produce the harvest which is witnessed. We also want to "send" forth some living agents; and would have a portion of the most eminently qualified men the churches possess to "go," and when they can, we desire that they should "preach :" but, to preach, not to say eloquently, but even intelligibly, in some pagan languages, is more than many pious men are qualified to do. If the conduct of the Apostles be referred to, and it be said that they did not employ the press, it will prove nothing; since, as we before observed, they had no press to employ. But as they exhorted the people, who had Bibles, to read their MS. Scriptures, and wrote letters, which were to be read, they recognised the principle, that letters, and the art of reading, are to be employed in the diffusion of Christianity. And if it be right to use these means at all, it will be right to employ them as extensively as possible. But those who desire to see the press, that mighty instru

culous invention of printing."-" Without all doubt God himselfe was the ordainer and disposer of printing, no otherwise than he was of the gift of tongues, and that for a similar purpose. And well may this gift of printing be resembled to the gift of tongues."-" Hereby tongues are knowne, knowledge groweth, judgement encreaseth, bookes are dispersed, the Scripture is seen, the doctours be read, stories be opened, times compared, truth discerned, falsehood detected, as with finger pointed, and all through the benefit of printing. Wherefore I suppose, that either the Pope must abolish printing, or else, doubtlesse, printing will abolish him. Instead of John Huss and other, God hath opened the press to PREACH, whose voice the Fope is never able to stop with all the puissance of his triple crowne. By this printing, as by the gift of tongues, and as by the singular organe of the Holy Ghost, the doctrine of the Gospell soundeth to all nations and countries under heaven: and what God revealeth to one man, is dispersed to many; and what is known to one man is open to all. What the Pope hath lost since printing and the press began to PREACH, let him cast his counters. First, when Erasmus wrote, and Frobenius printed, what a blow thereby was given to all friers and monkes in the world!" &c.-(Fox's Acts and Monuments.)

ment of scattering opinions over the world, more employed by Christians, never mean that it should tie 'people's tongues, and that Christians should not speak about the good news to others, and preach either to individuals, like Philip to the Eunuch, or to families, from house to house, or to assembled thousands, whenever they can collect them, and are able to discourse to them.

Since the time of the invention of printing, in China and Europe, it has been employed chiefly for the dissemination of pagan notions and false philosophy; and how efficiently does it support these. The god of this world; the diabolical usurper, who opposeth himself to the rightful dominion of the Almighty, sustains his cause in various regions, by the use of the press, without any other preachers than "profane talkers." Now is it supposable that heaven has limited the servants of truth to oral lecture; and discountenanced what has become, in the progress of the world, the most efficient method of conveying right opinions to the understandings of the whole reading portion of mankind. Alas! that the children of this world should be so much wiser, and so much more ready to avail themselves of the growing facilities to disseminate wrong opinions, than the children of light do to propagate right ones.

If it be admitted that the press should be more employed for the dissemination of Christian opinions amongst the reading portion of mankind, it will appear evident that the cultivation of the living languages of mankind, in this country, could be made available to the diffusion of Christian knowledge, without it being necessary that all the students should go abroad; and, by consequence, the utility of a Society for the introduction of all the living languages of mankind will appear.

Could Missionaries be in this country qualified for their work, previously to going abroad; could they be permitted to go abroad to some regions for a limited time, and to return if they chose; and could they, on their return, be still useful in the same department of Christian labour, viz. communicating Christian truth to certain regions of the

world; a new aspect would be given to Missionary operations, which would greatly increase the number of agents, and open a door for a class of labourers at present excluded. Were the home department of co-operation originated and supported with vigour, Missionaries, whose want of health compelled them to return, could be still usefully employed in reference to the same object which they pursued abroad. Native converts from foreign countries, who should visit England, would be received in this country by those who were fully competent to hold intercourse with them, and instruct them in whatever they might require, without loss of time.

It is within the capability of a few Christians to make an experiment of the practicability of this mode of proceeding at home, by attending to some of the principal languages of Asia, the Chinese, Sanscrit, Malayan, &c. Should the plan succeed, it may be gradually extended, till it embraces the whole world. It would, however, be a more satisfactory trial, if the several churches or Missionary Societies would unite their efforts in making the experiment on a large scale. And as the peculiarities of theological sentiment are not to be introduced, but only that instruction in language and modern pagan opinions, which are necessary to all Missionaries, to enable them to publish divine truth, and to refute error, there does not seem any reason why all Societies, which desire the diffusion of Christian knowledge, should not co-operate.

The utility of those persons, who have civil duties in India to perform, first studying the language in this country, has been proved at the Honourable Company's Home College, where young men are initiated by European Professors in the languages of the East, previously to their going abroad. Professor Lee's example and opinion, also, are both in favour of the practicability of the projected

measure.

It may be objected to the whole of what is here proposed, that it is an endeavour to introduce a new æra of Missions made easy, and to dispense with the primitive spirit of devotedness and personal sacrifice which should distin