annuity society, aided by the free contributions and subscriptions of the church of Christ. The brother who is either infirm through affliction or age, so as not to be able to sustain his pastoral labours, comes as a claimant on the funds of the society; and it is his legal claim. Hence he feels no peculiar obligation to the committee, and is subjected to no unkind or unpleasant inquiries, as it regards his pecuniary resources, any more than he wonld at the office of the Dissenters' Life Insurance Company. Dear Sir, I rejoice in this excellency of the society, it is that feature in its constitution which I approve, that every brother should feel it equally his society, and that in an application to the funds he is to be treated as a brother whose right it is to receive his proportion of the income. Shall I trespass, Sir, on your pages by some concluding observations on the neces sity of an immediate effort to aid the funds of the society. Our esteemed brother, Tilly, suggests that the collection at the Lord's table in January should be appropriated to this society by our churches. I had thought of proposing that month, but, when conversing with our deacons, they suggested that it would be better to fix the first sabbath in March, as the most distressing season of the year with our poor members would then have passed. Now that is the plan which we as a church shall adopt, and which I have named to our brethren in this district, at our last quarterly meeting, and which is approved by them. Some objections may be made to this proposal, on the ground of the poor among us; yet, should not the interests of our ministers be considered, as well as our members? And, beside, may not the appropriation of a moiety of the collection to the society, relieve the difficulty? as, if the object were named by the pastor, many respectable members would double their accustomed donations, and the poor would suffer no loss. Will our churches kindly attend to this suggestion, and transmit their contributions to the treasurer by the first of May, so that the committee may have the satisfaction, at their next meeting, of mitigating the sorrows and cheering the hearts of our aged brethren? Dear Sir, and shall not the sufferings of our fathers in the ministry awaken our sympathy, and secure our co-operation? Who can think of Christian ministers whose character has so long adorned our religion, and whose efforts have sustained our denomination and extended the doctrines of the cross in the world, as suffering through anxiety and want, without aiding them? Beside, if we are alive to the spiritual prosperity of our churches, we shall feel their claims on our sympathy increased? Is not our denomination at the present time materially injured? Are there not churches low and feeble, with congregations small and poor, when another ministry being introduced among them would raise the tone of piety, and increase the influence and energies of the denomination. I know pastors whose infirmities prevent their fulfilling their ministerial engagements with efficiency, and who would be happy to resign, if they could but receive an annuity from our society of £50 per annum; and, shall we not aid the cause of Christ, and relieve the anxieties of such brethren, by our efforts? With our pastors and churches I leave the consideration of such statements, and if it be an experiment let it be tried, and many among us, who are deeply interested in the object, will rejoice to see the benevolence of our denomination directed to the support of our aged and infirm ministers, persuaded that on such efforts Heaven will smile, and that God, even the eternal God, will bless us. Stroud, Dec. 13, 1841. WM. YATES. ON LEGACIES TO SOCIETIES. To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. DEAR SIR,-I have often felt sorry, on observing legacies announced as having been left to our societies, to see it stated "less duty ten per cent." I think it is not generally known, that any one intending to bequeath money to a benevolent or religious institution, may, by investing it in the public funds, in his own name, and in the names of any of the officers of the society (not exceeding four in all, save the legacy duty of ten per cent, as at his decease the survivors in the account would become possessed of the stock without it being necessary to exhibit the probate of the will; while he could receive the dividends during his life. I am, dear Sir, Yours sincerely, HENRY CRASSWELLER. 36, Welbeck Street, Dec. 3, 1841. ON GRANTING DISMISSIONS. To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. DEAR SIR,-I send you a query for insertion in the next number of the magazine, hoping some of your able correspondents will reply to it. The circumstances under which I send it, are as follow. Some time ago a member of one of our churches in our locality came to me and said he could like to remove from the church of which he was a member, and unite with the church of which I am the pastor. I told him he had better mention this to his own pastor and the deacons first, and perhaps the reasons for removing would be taken away. He did so, but the pastor did not take it well, and those reasons were rather increased. He came to me again, and urged his request to unite with us. At our church meeting we agreed to write for his dismission, and it was refused, for the reason, that the church could see no justifiable reasons for his leaving them. We have another case of a similar nature now pending, and which, I am afraid, will produce considerable uneasiness. Both these persons are of unblemished morals: this is admitted by the church of which they were members. It is with me, therefore, a practical query which I wish you to insert; and though I have my own opinion upon it, I hope a reply to it will be useful to the church I have my eye upon; as many of the members read our magazine. I shall now state it as clearly as I can. Should a member of any of our churches request a dismission to another church of the same faith and order, is it the duty of the church of which he is a member to give him a dismission, provided his conversation be as becometh the gospel of Christ ? Hoping from the circumstances I have mentioned, the query may be replied to, Dec. 9, 1842. I am, EDITORIAL POSTSCRIPT. IN the account of the income and expenditure of the principal public institutions connected with the baptist denomination during the past year given in the last report of the Baptist Union, and copied thence into our last month's Statistics, there is an error which it is desirable to correct. The receipts of the baptist fund were stated to be £4272 8s. 11d., and the expenditure £3,902 18s; the statement should have been, receipts £2,657 Os. 4d; expenditure £2,674 4s. The mistake arose, apparently, from including in the income the amount received for the sale of exchequer bills, and the balance of the former year's accompt, and in the expenditure the sum paid for the same bills. As it would lead to a belief that the resources of the fund are £1,600 per annum more than they really are, and that the managers did not distribute the whole income by nearly £400, it is important that the error should be rectified; and, as we have been favoured with this correction by the treasurer of the fund, our readers may depend on the accuracy of the present statement. its existence, will afford him some peculiar facilities for the execution of the task. We have just learned that the Rev. Thomas Roberts, who has been many years pastor of the baptist church in King Street, Bristol, died on the 21st of December, after a few days' severe illness. Oxford appears to be travelling towards Rome with fearful rapidity. A Fellow and Tutor of Magdalene College, the Rev. W. Palmer, M.A., has just published a letter in which he says, “ Certainly, I am for no middle ways, as you will understand when I tell you plainly, that for myself, I utterly reject and anathematize the principle of Protestantism as a heresy, with all its forms, sects, or denominations. And if the church of England should ever unhappily profess herself to be a form of Protestantism (which may God of his infinite mercy forbid !) then I would reject and anathematize the church of England, and would separate myself from her immediately as from a human sect, without giving protestants any unnecessary trouble to procure my expulsion.' Abundant proof of this gentleman's position, that he is for no middle ways, occurs subsequently. In the concluding paragraph he indulges freely his taste for anathematizing : "In conclusion," he says, "I once more publicly profess myself a catholic and a member of a catholic church, and say anathema to the principle of protestantism (which I regard as identical with the principle of dissent), and to all its forms, sects, and denominations, especially to those of the Lutherans and Calvinists, and British and American Dissenters-Likewise to all persons, who knowingly, and willingly, and understanding what they do, shall assert, either for themselves or for the church of England, the principle of Protestantism, or maintain the church of England to have one and the same common religion with any or all of the various forms and sects of protestantism, or shall communicate themselves in the temples of the protestant sects, or give the communion to their members, or go about to establish any intercommunion between our church and them, otherwise than by bringing them, in the first instance, to renounce their errors and promise a true obedience for the future to the entire faith and discipline of the catholic and apostolical episcopate,-to all such I say anathema." Intelligence has arrived of the unconOur friend, Dr. Cox, has announced his in-ditional release of onr brethren, P. C. and A. tention of publishing on or before the 2nd of October next, in two volumes, 12mo., a History of the first Fifty Years of the Baptist Missionary Society. His acquaintance in early life with most of the founders of the Society, and his connexion with it as a Member of the Committee during the latter half of F. Mönster; leaving them however still liable for the fines and costs imposed on them by the Supreme Court. The other brethren are also at large, having completed the term of their imprisonment; so that at the date of the last accounts, there was no baptist in confinement in Denmark. THE HOUSE AT KETTERING IN WHICH THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY WAS FORMED. The annexed view of a house in which a few baptist ministers laid the foundation of a society for whose existence thousands in each hemisphere have had reason to bless "the Father of lights," may with propriety be accompanied by the following sentences from the pen of Dr. Ryland, who was present on the occasion, and who had taken an active part in the preliminary proceedings. "As to the immediate origin of a baptist mission, I believe God himself infused into the mind of Carey that solicitude for the salvation of the heathen, which cannot fairly be traced to any other source. When he went to Birmingham to collect for the meeting-house he had built at Moulton, he had mentioned the proposal there. A friend urged him to write and print upon it, and offered to give ten pounds towards paying the printer. On his return he met brother Fuller and brother Sutcliff in my study at Northampton, and then pressed one of us to publish on the subject. We approved much of what he urged, yet made some objections, on the ground of so much needing to be done at home, &c. However, when he could not prevail on either of us to promise to undertake the work, he said he must tell the whole truth; that in the warmth of conversation at Birmingham, he had said, that he was resolved to do all in his power to set on foot a baptist mission. 'Well,' said his friend, 'print upon the subject, I will help bear the expense.' That, he replied, he could not do. If you cannot do it as you wish, yet do it as well as you can,' said his friend; you have just now bourd yourself to do all you can for this purpose, and I must keep you to your word.' Being thus caught through his own zeal, he could get off no other way than by promising that he would write if he could not prevail on any one more competent to undertake it. We then all united in saying, 'Do by all means write your thoughts down as soon as you can; but be not in a hurry to print them; let us look over them, and see if any thing need be omitted, altered, or added.' Thus encouraged, he soon applied himself to the work, and showed us the substance of the pamphlet afterwards printed, which we found needed very little correction. So much had this young man attained of the knowledge of geography and history, and several languages, in the midst of the pressures of poverty, and while obliged to support himself and his family at first as a journeyman shoemaker, and afterwards as a village schoolmaster; since his people could raise him but ten or eleven pounds a year, besides five pounds from the London fund. "Between Carey and Fuller there never was a moment's rivalship, and I have no bias on my mind to take a grain of praise from one to give to the other: but wishing to regard both with impartial esteem, and truth beyond both, I must consider the mission as originating absolutely with Carey; and Mr. Fuller's acknowledgment that he had at first some feelings like the desponding nobleman, in 2 Kings vii. 2, is a confirmation of my opinion. This, however, is of small consequence. Some time after the conversation in my study occurred the ministers' meeting at Clipstone, in April, 1791. An uncommon degree of attention seemed to me to be excited by both sermons: I know not under which I felt the most, whether brother Sutcliff's, on being very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts, or brother Fuller's, on the pernicious influence of delay. Both were very impressive; and the mind of every one with whom I conversed, seemed to feel a solemn conviction of our need of greater zeal, and of the evil of negligence and procrasti nation. I suppose that scarcely an idle word was spoken while I stayed, and immediately after dinner Carey introduced the subject of beginning a mission. I had to preach at home that night, fourteen miles off, and was obliged to leave the company before the conversation ended. At the ensuing Association, held at Oakham, it was announced that these sermons would be immediately sent to the press. The next Association was at Nottingham, May 30, 1792, when brother Carey delivered a most impressive discourse, from Isa. liv. 2, 3, chiefly endeavouring to enforce our obligations to expect great things from God, and to attempt great things for God. If all the people had lifted up their voice and wept, as the children of Israel did at Bochim, (Judges ii.) I should not have wondered at the effect, it would have only seemed proportionate to the cause; so clearly did he prove the criminality of our supineness in the cause of God. A resolution was printed in this year's Letter, 'That a plan be prepared against the next ministers' meeting at Kettering, for forming a Baptist Society for propagating the Gospel among the Heathens.' Brother Carey generously engaged to devote all the profits that might arise from his late publication on this interesting subject, to the use of such a society. This society was actually formed in Mrs. Beeby Wallis's back parlour, on Oct. 2, 1792." The first number of the Periodical Accounts contained the following particulars respecting the formation of the Society: "At the ministers' meeting at Kettering, October 2, 1792, after the public services of the day were ended, the ministers retired to consult farther on the matter, and to lay a foundation at least for a society, when the following resolutions were proposed, and unanimously agreed to. "1. Desirous of making an effort for the propagation of the gospel among the heathen, agreeably to what is recommended in brother Carey's late publication on that subject, we, whose names appear in the subsequent subscription, do solemnly agree to act in society together for that purpose. "2. As in the present divided state of christendom, it seems that each denomi nation, by exerting itself separately, is most likely to accomplish the great ends of a mission, it is agreed that this society be called, The Particular Baptist Society for Propagating the Gospel amongst the Heathen. "3. As such an undertaking must needs be attended with expense, we agree immediately to open a subscription for the above purpose, and to recommend it to others. "4. Every person who shall subscribe ten pounds at once, or ten shillings and sixpence annually, shall be considered a member of the society. "5. That the Rev. John Ryland, Reynold Hogg, William Carey, John Sutcliff, and Andrew Fuller, be appointed a committee, three of whom shall be empowered to act in carrying into effect the purposes of the society. "6. That the Rev. Reynold Hogg be appointed treasurer, and Rev. Andrew Fuller secretary. "7. That the subscriptions be paid in at the Northampton ministers' meeting, October 31, 1792, at which time the subject shall be considered more particularly by the committee and other subscribers who may be present. "Signed, John Ryland, Reynold Hogg, John Sutcliff, Andrew Fuller, Abraham Greenwood, Edward Sharman, Joshua Burton, Samuel Pearce, Thomas Blundel, William Heighton, John Eayres, Joseph Timms; whose subscriptions in all amounted to 131. 2s. 6d." |