THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, 14 December 1893, Page 20

THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

The first of a series of special services in connection with the London Missionary Society were held on Sunday. Mr Lord (of Madagascar) occupied the pulpit of the Congregational Church, Moray place, in the mornmg, and that of the First Church in the evening. There were large congregations on both occasions, and in each case an address on the mission work in Madagascar was given in lieu of a sermon. The story of missionary labour, perils, and success was powerfully told, and proved to be of the most thrilling character. Necessarily the addresses comprised a mere outline of the operations of the London Missionary Society in the great island of Madagascar, bufc still a great deal of information was conveyed, and great interest and deep sympathy was aroused. The one fact that, after 25 years of bloody persecution of the converts to Christianity and of the banishment of missionaries, in one city between 700 and 800 met in Christian communion — that being four times the number of professing Christians in Madagascar when the missionaries were expelled — is certainly calculated to create a profound impression. Although on the part cf the speaker there was no attempt at dramatic description, the stor-y of the suffering, heroism, and martyrdom of the Christian converts was powerfully told, and the change wrought by Christianity in the character and disposition of the Malagasy was forcibly illustrated.

The Rev. Joseph King occupied the pulpit at Knox Church on Sunday morning, and in the evening he gave a discourse at St. Andrew's Church. There was a very good attendance at both places, and Mr King addressed his hearers with reference to missionary work. In the evening, speaking from the text "To this end was I born," he referred to the persons who had been sent by the London Missionary Society from the Australasian colonies to labour in the mission fields, mentioned the places to which they had been sent, and alluded to the arduous nature of their duties. He also pointed cut that owing to the insufficiency of funds the society were unable to accomplish so much as they desired, and appealed to the congregation to do what they could to aid them to carry on their work.

On Sunday afternoon at Knox Church a missionary service was held for the benefit of Sunday school children, a large number of whom were present from the different schools in the city, besides a good many adults. Mr T. Lord gave an address about Madagascar, the greater portion of which had reference to the children of that island in the schools supported by the London Missionary Society. A collection, which was taken up on behalf of the funds of the society, amounted to £5 0$ lOd — contribated for the most part in pennies.

At the Congregational Church on Monday evening the various Christian Endeavour Societies and the Young People's Bands were addressed by Mr Lord, of Madagascar, and the Rev. Joseph King, organising agent of the society in Australasia. There were about 15 Endeavour Societies represented besides other bodies of a similar nature. Mr Pearson, president of the Christian Endeavour Union, occupied the chair. Tha proceedings were opened with prayer, after which a number of hymns were sung. Mr Lord then addressed those present on the ■work that was being carried on in the island of Madagascar. He stated that there were some 30 different branches of the Christian Endeavour Society scattered throughout the country, and all these were doing good work in spreading the Gospel among the natives. The Rev. W. E. Cossens, who was formerly a missionary there, was the founder of the first society. The speaker recited anecdotes to illustrate the steadfastness of the converts to the Christian faith, of how they resisted all efforts to renounce the true religion of Christ. He also paid high testimony to the efforts of these natives to assist the missionaries in their endeavours to bring the heathens to a knowledge of Christ, and to lead them from the errors of the superstition and idolatry into which they were plunged. The Rev. Mr King, as an instance of what could be done by those thoroughly in earnest in their wish to serve Christ, related how the Rev. Mr Cossens, Mr Lawes (who formerly laboured in the Sandwich Islands but was now in New Guinea), and the speaker himself, while engaged as mechanics in the same place in England, commenced Christian Endeavour work in the town in which they lived. A society was formed, and eventually expanded, and' at the present day a large percentage of its members had become ministers or zealous workers in the mission fields throughout the world. He referred to the necessity of

the members of these societies commencing work when they were young, so that the great lack of missionaries— e3pecially for such places as India, with its population of nearly 300 millions — might be met. The speakers were listened to with interest throughout, and their remarks were frequently interrupted by applause. Before the proceedings closed a resolution was passed to the effect that the Christian Endeavour and kindred societies ba recommended to take a practical interest in foreign mission work, and a suggestion was added that any surplus funds should be devoted to the carrying on of the work in the various fields.

The annual meeting of the local branch of the London Missionary Society was held in the Congregational Church, Moray place, on Tuesday evening. Mr W. Brown presided, and there also occupied seats on the platform the Rev. J. King (organising agent L.M.S.), Mr Lord (missionary from Madagascar), Rev. Dr Gann (Free Church missionary from Futuna and Aneityum, New Hebrides), Rev. W. Saundera, and Messrs J. W. Jago, J. Hercus, and P. Barr. After the annual report and balance sheet had been dealt with, the Rev. Mr King, in the course of an addrees, said that to every thoughtful man the name "London Missionary Society" must be sacred, because of the story of self-sacrificiug heroism the name suggested. That story was a romance of the highest kind and the divinest sort. The society had its martyr roll, and under God it had been essentially a pioneering organisation. It had sent the first Christian missionaries to Madagascar, the South Sea Islands, Australia, Nev* Guinea, and the centre of the Chinese empire. Its agents had translated the Word of God into many languages, and had laid the foundation of literatures where literature did not before exist ; they had planted colleges of Christian learning, where thousands of Christian pastors had been trained, and had established Christian churches in all the lands to which they had gone. Thi3 was a splendid record ; but a splendid record of past achievement merely would not entitle the society to support. The society was an old one. In less than two years' time they would be celebrating its centenary ; but mere antiquity would not justify the continuance of any institution. He asked for support to the London Missionary Society, not on account of the work which it had done, but on account of the work which ib was now doing, and becauee of the splendid prospect of work that lay before it. There was abundant evidence to show that it was still one of the living organisations through which the Spirit of God was seeking to extend the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. — Mr Lord gave an admirable address on Madagascar, giving a grapbic account of the island, its people, its rulers, and the spread of religion and education among the Malagasey. — The Rev. Dr Gunn, as missionary from the Free Church of Scotland, spoke of the fratern il relationship existing between the missionaries sent out by the London Society and those from the Free Church, and gave an interesting account of the perilous but successful work that is carried on among the inhabitants of the New Hebrides.