supply for my own Chapel, where the people usually request the Scriptures at every meeting. And the whole city lies in a good measure destitue! Why should this be? I would gladly have supplied hundreds, if not thousands, of shops and houses with some portions of the Scriptures ere this, if I had had the pecuniary means! And hundreds of Junks, and passage boats lie in the river, bound to every section of the country, where books are always received with pleasure, taken home with the people, and I presume read extensively. In this way books, especially the Scriptures, might be sent to the country all around, if we had them. And the students from the whole province assemble here yearly, by thousands for examination, which forms a fine opportunity of distributing the Scriptures among those whose business has been to study books from their youth up. There is no place in this province, if in this nation, that is so favourable for the distribution of the Scriptures as Canton. As to a fair probability of their doing good, we must as yet walk by faith. The Lord has promised that his word shall not return void. Let us trust his word and work, while it is called to-day. You are aware, brethren, ere this I presume, that I am not now labouring in connection with the Southern Mission Board at Richmond; and hence your generous desire to supply the Chinese at Canton with the Holy Scriptures, need not be impeded by consulting with any Mission Board; but will depend entirely upon a sense of your own duty. I am very anxious to distribute the Scriptures here. Nor can we do our work effectually without them; and if entrusted with the work, I will do it faithfully to the best of my abilities according to the means put at my disposal. As blocks are to cut I should be glad of five or six hundred dollars for the year 1853. Yours most affectionately in the Lord, I. J. ROBERTS. From Rev. Dr. Dean. HONG KONG, Oct. 25th, 1852. REV. RUFUS BABCOCK, COR. SEC. AM. & FOR. BIBLE SOCIETY: MY DEAR BROTHER-I have your letter of Jan. 5th, with the half dozen Sermons, which form an acceptable gift among our friends here. Mr. Johnson has kindly consented to furnish you with some translated extracts of my notes on Genesis, and I enclose with this a page of the New Testament as we are now having it printed, with a few marginal references and readings, which are designed chiefly to show the meaning of some names of weights, measures and money, which could not be made perspicuous in the text without rendering the translation paraphrastic. The four Gospels are thus printed and the remainder is in progress. The printing is done with metalic type, at the press of the London Missionary Society, Hong Kong, in a style which promises to be satisfactory to all concerned. The New Testament may thus be put into one volume, not exceeding 200 Chinese, equal to 400 English pages. The two pieces enclosed count as one page in Chinese. Besides this, several editions of the above have been printed in parts or portions in the form of Tracts, and the entire edition of Exodus is reported by the Secretary of the American Tract Society as taken under their patronage. It is not for us to decide by whom or through what channel the funds.shall be supplied, leaving that question for you and other good friends in America to settle as may seem to you expedient, while it shall be our aim to aid the Chinese to read and understand the Word of Life, and you will join with us in prayer for the efficient co-operation of that Spirit which gave inspiration to the Holy Scriptures that those who thus read may be saved from the heathen's doom. The portions of Scripture printed, as above reported, have been mostly distributed-some in Canton, some in Siam, some have been sent to California, some to the Tie Chiu district, and others in towns and villages around us. The answer to your inquiry concerning our progress in translating and printing the Scriptures, may be stated in few words-viz: the four gospels are printed, the printer having a few days ago sent in the proof of the last chapter of John, and received the MS. of the Acts. Romans and the two Epistles to the Corinthians may be said to be ready for the printer. Other portions I have at various times gone over, so that I hope to be able to progress in advance of the printers so far as to be able to give each portion a careful review before it goes into their hands, and to have time to correct the forms as they come from the press. At a time when versions of the Scriptures in Chinese are being multiplied, it is beyond the reach of hope to obtain uniformity, and all we can aim at is a faithful translation of the Book of God in simple and intelligible language. In attempting this we gladly avail ourselves of the aid of our predecessors and associates, and look to the Author of the Bible to give us his help and accept our service. Most affectionately your brother, W. DEAN. P. S. Please tender my thanks to brother Ward for his kindness in sending the books. Remember me kindly to such of your family as I once had the pleasure of meeting with you in New York, and in my behalf extend a hand of congratulation to your associates in the Bible cause and a welcome to a participation in the honor and privilege of giving to the perishing millions of China the only light that can cheer their way through the dark valley when their lamp of Confucian philosophy and the smoking tapers of pagan superstition shall have gone out! The Chinese, with all his boasted light and worldly wisdom, and in this he is truly far in advance of the rest of the unchristianised world, in all that pertains to the future world and fitness for heaven, is no better than the Hottentot or the Polynecian. To give to him a knowledge of the book of God is a work worthy of an angel's sympa thies, and one in which the philanthropist and the Christian may rejoice to bear a part. Who would not gladly extend his hand to mitigate the sufferings and increase the happiness of a fellowcreature for an hour-but here is an opportunity for bearing a part in the work of aiding the sorrowS and blessing hundreds of millions for eternity. From a highly intelligent American gentleman, for several years resident in different parts of India. MAULMAIN, November 18, 1852. MY DEAR FRIEND :-For a long time I have purposed writing to you, but a pressure of engagements has hitherto prevented. At this time your Mission is in a state of partial abeyance. While no less active than at any past time, all are looking forward with intense anxiety, not unmingled with fear and apprehension. Hitherto, the Mission has been hanging on to the outskirts of an immense kingdom. A little strip of land, comparatively speaking, just wide enough to afford a safe harbor for the ships which brought foreigners here, has been the field of labor. Here a good many missionaries have toiled and died; and it has been seemingly very difficult for the American Baptist churches to furnish recruits sufficient to occupy even this little spot of ground. What, then, can the churches do, now that the gates which so long shut you out from Burmah are thrown wide open. The field will be occupied; there is not a particle of doubt on that score; but the question which is now agitated is, by whom?-by Baptists, or Pedo-Baptists? or by both together? or by American and English Baptists? Or will the Church, with all its Puseyism and Popery, come in to take a part? Or will the whole Baptist denomination of the United States, with British America assisting, make a giant effort, and secure the field ? I am sure your Board, with only its present supports, cannot meet the exigency. They can neither.command the men nor the money. It is just possible, if the South would unite with the North, the field might be secured by one denomination, so as to prevent the ingress of others, and then cultivated as means might accumulate. But such a demonstration must be made as to satisfy the world that the ground is taken, or the exclusive occupancy will certainly be lost. And suppose one denomination fail to occupy the field? What evil will follow? If the heathen are converted, what matters it about the instrumentality-whether by Baptists or Pedo-Baptists ? Doubtless such questions will be asked, and they must be answered satisfactorily to querists. It is difficult to enumerate the evils that would follow-the retarding influence which might result from the exhibition of sectarian zeal, where, more than in all other places, apostolic zeal should be paramount; but there is one great and prominent objection which will be appreciated by every Baptist. The translation of the Holy Scriptures into the Burmese language, by the late Dr. Judson, is admitted to be the best translation in India; that is, the translation has given more satisfaction to his cotemporaries and successors than any other translation of the Bible into any other Eastern language has done to associate missionaries in other parts of India. It is free from all obscurity to the Burmese mind. It is read and understood perfectly. Its style and diction is as chcice and clegant as the language-itself peculiarly honorific-would afford, and conveys, doubtless, the mind of the Spirit as perfectly as can be. But it is, as the original required, thoroughly a Baptist Bible. There is no sprinkling-no half-way work-no covering over the true meaning of words-consequently, no man using this Bible can bring an infant to the font and sprinkle it. Not the most illiterate native who has read the Scriptures, but would demand his authority for such an act. It follows, then, that the first work of a Pedo-Baptist missionary would be to make a new translation for the Burmans, Taliengs and Karens, to mystify the truth, and confound and perplex the minds of the natives. Who can tell the multitude of evils issuing from such a beginning? Should no more of Burmah be annexed to British India, at this time, than what was once the ancient Peguan kingdom, it would require a great many men to occupy the stations which would need to be opened within that Province; but the Burman court, though its opposition to the invaders is comparatively weak, and entirely fruitless, has shown no desire for peace; thus confounding their enemics, and compelling them to advance against their will, so as to render it almost certain that the downfall of Burmah has been decreed by a higher than human power, when all opposition to the promulgation of the gospel east of the Bay of Bengal to the northern borders of China will have been removed. As an evidence of the feeling in India on the subject under consideration, I give you an extract from a private letter which I read the other day, from one of the most distinguished civilians in Bengal, addressed to one connected with the mission. He says: "I am delighted to hear that you are expecting so large a reinforcement of missionaries. I hope you will be able fully to occupy the land, when it is placed under the government of a civilized power. You cannot too deeply impress upon your Board the necessity of straining every nerve, to supply the new wants of the Burmese Mission. Your body has long labored under every aspect of discouragement, and I should be sorry to see you jostled out of your position by others, who will merely use the words Burmah opened,' as a platform clap-trap, in order that they may obtain more money from the public." The "re-inforcement " now on the way, as I suppose, is a good earnest of the Board to occupy the land. The expenses to be incurred in settling these men in entire new stations, will be very great; and with the restoration of tranquility and the establishment of the machinery of government, the Macedonian cry will be louder than ever, so that there will, indeed, be a necessity for "straining every nerve," to meet the demand. S. Y. From Rev. Mr. Oncken. HAMBURGH, February 18th, 1853. MY DEAR BROTHER:-I addressed you a day or two ago, stating that I had now made up my mind to respond to the warm invitation of yourself and the respected Board of your Society, and that (D. V.) I shall leave Europe about the middle of April, for New York. I beg now to reply to your two last letters, dated January 5th and 14th. For the bill on London, enclosed in yours of the 5th, for £227 16s. 2d., accompanied by the hearty invitation of the Board to visit the United States, I beg to renew my grateful acknowledgments. From the enclosed letters you will see that the spirit of persecution is increasing, and that it is highly desirable if your Board can use its influence on behalf of the persecuted brethren, and more especially on behalf of your Society's two colporteurs-A. Bettfreund, at Narborf, in Holstein, and J. Schlesier, at Schleswig-as their labors have been prevented; at least the measures enforced against them by the government are destined for this end. Some of the Scriptures circulated by them have even been taken away by the gensd'armes. I think if a memorial were presented to the King of Denmark, it would not be without desirable effect. In the Grand Duchy of Oldenburgh, where our churches enjoy a greater degree of liberty than in any other part of Germany, Hamburgh excepted, I have,-at the earnest solicitation of the Missionary brethren-appointed, on my recent visit to that place, a new colporteur, as Feltang was dismissed for urgent reasons, last autumn. The amount received for Scriptures sold is most gratifying; it reached the sum of currency marks 14,182 41. The School Bible is still in great demand, and in a day or two a new edition will be put to the press. I hope that as soon as your funds will allow, you will do what you can for us. I am sure that you and the dear brethren on the Board will forgive my importunate begging, on account of the cause for which I claim your help. For all that you have already done for the perishing millions in Europe, and especially in Germany, I feel more than language can express. The amount of real saving knowledge which has, by the reading of the Scriptures circulated at the expense of the A. and F. B. S., been imparted, under divine teaching, we cannot possibly know. But as we are circulating God's own word, and we know from that word that it shall not return void, but accomplish that whereunto the Lord has sent it, now is our time for sowing, and in due time we shall reap without ceasing, if we faint not. Popery and infidelity are more powerfully at work than ever; and even the Protestant national churches are unconsciously aiding the spirit of popery, by continuing to bind up with the pure word of God the productions of lying prophets, full of errors,and more calculated to help sinners on in the way to perdition than to bring them to the knowledge of their own character as lost, guilty and helpless worms, for whom there is only one way of escape-through faith in the person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dear brethren, God has assigned to you and to us a great work in Germany-may we see its importance and magnitude; and though it has not the attraction of novelty, may it still enjoy the powerful aid of your excellent Society, from the consideration of the fact, that with small means, and under the most difficult circumstances, it has pleased our adorable Redeemer to effect great things and I trust we shall see yet greater manifestations of God's sovereign grace in the wider spreading of his own truth and the ingathering of many of his chosen ones in this and the adjacent lands. In anticipation of this delightful prospect, let us, in humble dependence on our risen Lord, labor on until we are called home by the master whom we serve. With affectionate regards to yourself and the Board, I remain yours, in the Lord, J. G. ONCKEN. From Dr. Devan. LYONS, Jan. 22, 1853. MY DEAR BRO. BABCOCK:-I have the pleasure of enclosing you, herewith, my account current with the A. & F. B Society for the year just terminated. By it you will perceive, there remains in my hands unexpended a sum perhaps (?) sufficient to cover Scripture expenses for the year on which we have entered. This fact is a great encouragement to me, in view of the difficulties which seem to threaten this department of the Mission during the next twelve months. You will see by the above report that francs 413.23 were realized from sales of 369 copies of the Word of God. You must not, however, suppose that they constitute the sum total of the copies of sacred Scriptures distributed through this Mission. We have been in the habit of permitting poor brethren (when their work fails,) to distribute copies, reserving for their own use the amount of money received from the sale. The sum total of the sales I am not able to settle with any exactness. My returns exhibit only about 500 copies You have kindly permitted me to say to your colporteurs, that they are not to regard themselves simply as booksellers, but also as heralds of the Cross as the Lord gives opportunity. I have freely availed myself of this latitude, and hence your colporteurs have acted also as evangelists, while on the other hand, the evangelists have also acted as colporteurs. Through all the instrumentalities brought to bear upon the field, I have, by the blessing of God, been able to report as follows for the year 1952: 1852. Jan. 1. Total number of baptized believers here was..114 Excluded during the year.................................... 13 Of these 172, there are 120 who had never been members of any evangelical church before joining our churches. They are converts from the heathenism of papal Rome. This success has not been obtained without much and bitter opposition from Satan and his Roman vassals; but the Lord has been with us. " Since writing the foregoing, I learn that -, your partially supported agent in is again thrown into prison. And for what? Simply because he was present at a meeting of fourteen persons, from which there were very carefully excluded all who are not members of the church! Oh how fierce is the rage of Satan and his satellites. The day of persecution has begun to break upon us, and Baptists have the vanguard in the army of Christ's martyrs. I have instanced — as a sufferer, but he is not alone; a brother, named -, is also within the bars of a prison for the like crime, and a warrant is now already issued against -9 (pastor at -,) ordering him to be arrested. Where will all this end? May the Lord forgive the persecutors, for they know not what they do. I trust the A. & F. B. Society will not be discouraged or afraid to stand by us in our straits, and that you will not only allow me to proceed as heretofore with the funds, but will also assure us of an interest in your sympathies and prayers. Yours, in best of all bonds, T. T. DEVAN. --- LYONS, Feb. 4, 1853. RECEIPTS FROM DECEMBER 1 TO MARCH 1, 1853. NATHAN C. PLATT, TREASURER, 20 Maiden Lane, New York, MAINE. -$164 80 January-Camden, Miss E. L. Porter. 2; collections by Rev. F. Merriam, agt -N. Leeds. F. W. NEW HAMPSHIRE. -$497 70 December-Coll. by Rev. C. Moore, agt.-Gilford. Dea. B. N. Smith. 3; Miss Tirzah C. VERMONT. December.-North Beninngton, P. D. Jones. 10 ets; L. S. Pircey, 1; A. Darling. 50 cts: 8. $16 10 $5.00 |