MISSIONARY MEETING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 116, 5 July 1873, Page 4

MISSIONARY MEETING.

The annual meeting in connexion with the Primitive Methodist Colonial and Foreign Missions was held on Monday night at the Sydney street Chapel. J. Woodward, Esq., occupied the chair. After singing a hymn, prayer was offered by the Rev J. S. Smalley, and the Rev W. Dean then read extracts from the report of the society in England, from which it appeared that the income of the society during the previous year had been £32,25S 10s, Bd, and the expenditure £30,707 16s lOd. It was further stated that there were 47 missionaries in Australia and hew Zealand, 45 missionaries in Canada, 3 missionaries in Africa, and 113 home missionaries, making 219 missionaries in all ; that 18 chapels and 4 schools had been built, 2 chapels enlarged, 23 Sunday schools formed, besides continued efforts in open-air pi’eaching.

The Rev J. Paterson said that he had come to show his brotherhood with the Church and his sympathy with all its efforts. He felt that missions demanded the support of all Christian people, and that no Church could be in a healthy state which did not feel strongly the claims of the missionary cause. He asked persons to contrast the condition of christianised communities with that of heathendom, and thus having seen that we ourselves had received such great advantages we ought to be earnest in aiding every endeavor to carry on the work of God in all parts of the earth. The Rev J. S. Smalley said that he also had come to show his fraternal feeling, but his|views of Christian union were that each section of the church possesses portions of the truth, but none the whole, which whole was rather to be found in the combination of truth as held by all. As views of sections of Wellington must be combined to represent the whole, so the truths held by the sections of the church must be combined and connected to make a perfect view. This was a utilitarian age, and he thought that. on this ground alone missions were worthy of all support, as even commercially we, should gain reciprocal advantages if all the nations were civilized and made Christians, but on higher grounds he felt it necessary that missions should be supported, as the gospel was suited to all men, and was the only panacea for the evil that was in the world. He also felt that on the grounds of duty there could be no doubt of what Christians ought to do. He would say with the Duke of Wellington, “Look to your marching orders. Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” While there are so many islands in these Southern seas without the gospel, he felt that the English people who had been sent to colonise their fair lands, were not fulfilling the duty to which Providence had evidently called them, if they did. not seek to spread the gospel which they possessed, and from which they had received such great advantages. He also felt that circumstances were now peculiarlyfavorable for missions, and he hoped that the time would come when New Zealand should have its own missions, and he for one would be glad to be sent upon them. Events occurring in Europe, notably in Spain and Rome, confirmed this, and even if it were true that the colored races were dying out, this ought to be only the more urgent reason for the work to be done and done at once. The fact that some missionary churches had declined, was no argument against these efforts. Such declensions had been but too common from the earliest times ; but if we could see passing passing events as God sees them, we should see that times of declension have been, and may be, over-ruled ; that the ultimate effect shall be the restoration and reinvigoration of the church. It was sometimes said that heathen people were unable to receive the gospel; but while this might be true in some measure, yet he thought that faith and perseverance were all that was required to secure that success in every place, which he believed would yet be granted. The Rev J. Moir said that he attended

the meeting because of the interest he felt in every Christian effort. There was much talk about Christian union, but he believed that the union of Christian churches might be attended with great difficulties, but that there were none in the way of the union of Christian men. He felt that the claims. of missions were not less than they had ever been, yet he feared that there was less interest manifested in them than there ought to be. One cause of this he thought was the want of personal religion, without which none could feel real interest in sending the gospel to them. It was sometimes said that there was work enough to do at home, but he feared that those who urged this as an objection to missions were too often indifferent to the claims of religion at home as well as abroad. Providence indicated the places in which men were to labor, and their duty was to enter every open door. The preaching of the gospel has ever been God’s way of carrying on His work, and such there was reason to believe it would be to the end. The condition of the heathen is dark and deplorable, yet God was looking on those sindarkened spots, and had given His word that men in them might be saved from their present state. Christian men needed to have more love to God, and to man for God’s sake, and their earnest efforts would be made for the heathen, which would result in greater prosperity to the churches at home.

After a few words from the chairman, a hymn was sung, and the Rev J. Dean closed the meeting with the usual benediction.