and that he meditated a journey thi ther the moment the school would permit. And we have since been still more encouraged, by a letter from a young man named Reveiro, baptized by our deceased brother, and who has been greatly stirred up to care for his brethren in their present state. The account he gave of the state of the church tended greatly to revive our hopes. Brother Peacock has since avowed his desire to go and settle there, and is ready to depart; so that we trust the Lord will yet provide for the continuance of his work among them. Brother Ward is now about to visit them, and wishes, if possible, to visit Dacca and Jessore in his return, that he may strengthen the hands of the brethren there.". CONCLUSION, "Relative to the number of Churches these form, it is scarcely proper to inquire: small as many of them are, even to term them church. es would almost mislead the reader; they are rather little groups, which may either sink to nothing, or become flourishing societies, as the Divine blessing shall be withheld, or poured forth. Yet of these, the promise of future good, in which the gospel is really made known, though with much imperfection, and its ordinances administered, if we include our brethren in the field, there are now, in India and the Isles, scarcely less than Thirty. But it is not to the full-ripe fruit, to churches formed and organized, nor even to individuals who have boldly professed their faith in Christ, that we are to confine our view, if we wish to form a correct idea of what the Lord is now doing here. In a plantation recently inclosed from the waste howling wilderness, the ripe fruit, the the only objects of attention; not only are the bud and the blossom regarded, but even the tender plant, as yet of dubious promise. Is it unreasonable to act thus in spiritual things? May we not suppose, that there are those who exemplify every thing of this kind found in nature? persons who have received various degrees of light, from those who have merely seen a book, or, like Rahab, but without her faith, heard a rumour of there being a God in Israel, to those who, like Nicode. mus, come to the Saviour as it were by night, or, like Joseph, are his disciples, but secretly, for fear of their own countrymen? That the word is thus operating in the minds of many who, as yet, have not avowed themselves on the Lord's side, many circumstances incline us to believe. "Thus, then, dearly beloved brethren, we have given you a brief sketch of the present state of things relative to the Mission. The number of persons baptized on a profes-full-grown tree, by no means form sion of faith in these three years, including the brethren in the various regiments, somewhat exceeds Four Hundred; of the exact number we cannot be perfectly certain, but it appears to be somewhere between four hundred and ten, and four hundred and forty. These, added to the number baptized previously, Seven Hundred and Fifty-six, will bring the whole number baptized of all nations in these seventeen years, to nearly One Thousand Two Hundred; a number for which we cannot be sufficiently thankful, when we consider their value in India, and their situation as scattered over so great an extent of country. They comprise fourteen or fifteen different nations, including those from the various nations of Europe brought to the knowledge of the truth in In dia. Nor do they appear to be thus selected without the exercise of the Divine wisdom. Their being of different nations seems far more likely to advance the cause in this country, than as though they had been all Europeans, or all natives of India. The Lord is wise in all his ways, 1 "May we not, then, pause a moment, to reflect on what the Lord has already wrought, and the aspect it bears towards his pouring forth a future blessing? That whatever. has been done ought, indeed, to be ascribed wholly to Him, we. ahaya all others, are bound to confess, who can so well recollect when we had no plan or idea of any Mission Station beyond Serampore. But even plans are nothing in themselves. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. How often are the wisest plans frustrated for lack of means? and how easily might death have cut off every hope of usefulness? Let no man, then, glory in men; let no flesh glory in his presence; let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord alone. But it is no part of this duty to be blind to what the Lord hath done for his cause, particularly when it bears an aspect towards future blessings; for "all his works are perfect." Thus, his continuing his word here; his blessing it so that far more than a Thousand of various nations have come forward openly to profess his name; his sending it forth into no less than Twenty five different places in India and the Isles, in most of which some degree of fruit has already appeared; his raising up gifts suited to the country, (though so much beneath those found in the churches at home,) in such a degree that twenty of these stations should spring, as it were, out of nothing, being formed by those called in India, who, a few years ago, were all unknown to his church;-his opening the way for Schools to be established, which convey not merely the elements of learning, but ideas which may enable the mind to judge between truth and falsehood, and to burst those adamantine fetters in which it has been so long held; to. gether with his blessing them in such a manner already, that throughout the whole Mission there are scarcely less than Ten Thousand children of every description, brought, in some way or other, under instruction, and this hitherto done chiefly by means furnished on the spot :-surely when we consider what aspect all this bears towards a future harvest of enlightened converts-of gifts that may spread light and knowledge to the utmost boundary of India, we cannot but feel grateful. But if we also turn to the Translations, which already lay open the path of divine knowledge to so many millions; and glance at those in preparation, which will open the way to nearly every nation from China to the bor ders of Persia, nations that, with the Indian Isles, can scarcely include a less number than two hundred mile lions, besides the hundred and fifty millions China is allowed, by all, to contain, and with these a fuli hali of mankind, the whole will surely furnish matter for gratitude and encou ragement. "The present state of things re quires further, that, in conducting Missions, energy should be combin ed with godly wisdom, that the great work of evangelizing the Heathen world may be attempted in a way. at once the most effectual and speedy. Herein, let Christians act towards each other in that honouraable and generous spirit so often seen and so much approved in the dealings of worldly men, and the work may be carried on, by the va rious denominations of Christians, in the most harmonious as well as efficient manner. The command of God, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," renders the Christian world debtors to every nation; and it is evident, that to all the nations now without the gospel, it must be carried by foreign Missionaries. Nor is it scarcely less evident, that, while none are excluded from the blessings of redemption, there are none sunk so low as to be incapable of receiv ing them. This has been evinced, in the fullest manner, by the Moravian Brethren, who, by devoting themselves to the lowest of mankind in the scale of knowledge, Greenlanders, Esquimaux, &c. have set a glorious example to the church of God, and demonstrated the practicability of carrying the gospel to all above these in the scale of civilization and hence to all mankind. "W. CAREY. "J. MARSHMAN. "W. WARD." THE CHRISTIAN HERALD. MARCH 8. 1819. REPORT BY MR JOWETT OF HIS VISIT TO SMYRNA, &c. THE following report of a visit undertaken by Mr Jowett in the employ of the Malta Bible Society, to Smyrna, and various places in the Mediterranean, will be read with the deepest interest by every one at all alive to the diffusion of the Holy Scrip tures. Malta, 25th April, 1818.-"An excellent opportunity offering for Smyrna, I am induced to avail myself of it, with the intention of visiting two or three of the principal Greek Islands and a part of Greece, in the service of the Malta Bible Society. My proposed track is Smyrna-Scio-either Mitylene or Tino, or perhaps both-Athens-Corinth-and Patrass. Should I, on my arrival at Patrass, find that the Malta Packet has just left, a delay of two or three weeks will afford me time to visit Yannina; but upon this part of the journey I do not calculate with eagerness, as it is my wish, if possible, not much to exceed two months. "For the expenses, our Committee here draw upon the British and Foreign Bible Society, as that Society will be duly advised. A considerable sum has also been voted here to Mr Williamson, at Smyrna, to assist him, next summer, in effecting a junction between the Bible Societies of Malta and Odessa, and for similar objects of travel. "I go well furnished with Greek, Italian, and Hebrew Testaments. The Italian are of the beautiful, pure, and simple Version of Archbishop Martini." VOL. VI. L Mr Jowett having accomplished his journey, gives the fol lowing account of what fell under his observation. 20th July, 1818.-" The Committee of the Malta Bible Society, on whose account my late journey was performed, will naturally expect some relation of my proceedings in their service. I will endeavour to give this as briefly as possible. "I arrived at Smyrna on May 7th, after a pleasant voyage of little more than seven days; and immediately proceeded to the house of our active friend and coadjutor, the Rev. Charles Williamson, British Chaplain. I was hospitably entertained by him, during all my stay in that city. 66 Here I was happy to find that Mr Williamson had both sold many copies of the Scriptures, and had also prepared the minds of his friends and others for the formation of a Bible Society. In doing this, he had been much assisted by the Reports -English, Italian, and Greek-sent to him by the Committee; but he complained (and it is a complaint which all have felt to be true) that we want fuller and more frequent Reports, especially in Greek. Many hundreds and thousands might be dispersed, with great advantage to the interests of the Society. "A few days after my arrival, the British Consul became a subscriber to the Bible Society. I waited, with Mr Williamson, upon the Russian Consul also, to solicit his patronage, which was readily granted; that gentleman having taken an enlightened view of the state of the numerous tribes in Mingrelia, and the countries bordering on the Caspian, many of whom are found, at this day, nearly in a state of Paganism. After the signatures of the British, Russian, and Dutch Consuls were obtained, the subscriptions of other individuals were rapidly added; so that the Smyrna Bible Society, after being in course of preparation several months, was eventually formed in a short space of time. "With the Bishop of Smyrna we had frequent conversations, on various religious and ecclesiastical subjects. Of the immense utility of Bible Societies he is fully persuaded; and, in the object of circulating the modern Greek Testament, he effectually labours His name does not yet appear in the list of the subscribers to the Smyrna Bible Society, though that of his brother does; but, in this delay, which certainly is not of the fruit of indifference to the cause, we must acquiesce; waiting the fuller developement of God's purposes of mercy to the inhabitants of Asia Minor. 66 The Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society having requested Mr Williamson to procure a revision of the modern Greek Testament, and to take the necessary measures for obtaining the highest sanction for such new Version; it was his intention to proceed, according to the wish of the Malta Committee, to Constantinople. He cannot go this year to Odessa. "The stock of the Scriptures, in various languages, in his depository, received both from London and Malta, is very considerable; so that future traveliers in the cause of the Bible Society may be abundantly supplied for their objects. "After a stay at Smyrna of ten days, I departed for Haivali; * where I arrived on May 21st, and staid four days. "At Haivali is a Greek college of some note, with not fewer than 200 scholars, half of whom come from various parts of Greece. They have a large quadrangular building, with 72 rooms for the accommodation of the foreign scholars. I could not view this seminary of learning and piety without the tenderest feelings of joy and hope, in behalf of the rising generation of Greece. 66 Having strong letters of introduction from the bishop of Smyrna and others, I immediately made the acquaintance of the masters; by whom I was received with many tokens of kindness, and with expressions of surprise, that an Englishman should come so far to inquire after their welfare. "I daily visited these masters, hearing their lectures to the Greek youth; afterwards giving them full information respecting those great things which God is working in the earth by means of Bible Societies. I examined their libraries, and those also of the merchants at Haivali; and finding them very deficient in complete copies of the Holy Scriptures, 1 proposed a general subscription, at a reduced price, to the Greek Bible now printing at Moscow. For this purpose, I wrote a short advertisement one day, and gave it to the masters; the following morning, they presented me with a list of 72 individuals, who apply for 85 copies. These were from the college alone, and more might be expected from the merchants. Many of those purchased by the students will, in a short time, as they finish their studies, travel with them to various parts of Greece, and the countries surrounding the black sea. The observation of the principal master, when I recommended the plan, was, It is a book, of which it is every man's duty to possess a copy.' "Several copies of the modern Greek Testament were sold here; but they complained, as all literary men must, that the style is very barbarous. But for this circumstance, a great number of copies might have been immediately disposed of. "In their library is a fine copy of the Septuagint, and the *This is the Turkish name. It signifies, as also does the Greek name Kudavia," the place of Quinces." It is situated on the Continent, directly over against the N. E. point of Mitylene. |