THE LONDON

CITY MISSION MAGAZINE.

MAY, 1840.

MR. HUME'S PROPOSED DESECRATION OF THE SABBATH. THE Sabbath was made for man. It is one of the merciful arrangements of a benevolent Creator, and should be employed according to his will. It is intended to be a day of refreshment and of rest from all worldly toil and secular care, and to be spent in the worship and love of the Creator, and in thinking upon our spiritual state and eternal destiny. One-seventh of our existence has been asked and demanded by the Creator for the acknowledgment and worship of himself, and our preparation for eternity: and why should this period be abridged, or appropriated to any other use? If any part of the Sabbath be sacred, the whole of it must be. The practice of the Continent, in devoting the morning of the Sabbath to religious duties, and the remainder to public or private amusements, is inconsistent and unscriptural, opposed to the best interests of men, and in utter contempt of the law of God. We have no wish to see such customs prevail in Britain, and we trust we have enough of national piety yet remaining to resist any legislative sanction of the public desecration of the Sabbath. It was a noble expression of feeling in behalf of the Sabbath and spontaneously uttered, when, a short time since it was thought to be the intention of Government to open the Post-office on the Lord's-day. The public voice, so loud and so firm, shook and destroyed such a resolution, if it were ever in reality formed. Men of all grades and of all opinions petitioned against it, and we trust they will not be less prompt and energetic if there be the slightest need of their assistance in order to prevent the success of Mr. Hume's intended Resolution. It is deeply to be regretted that any of our senators should in the Legislature propose the public desecration of the Sabbath, and thus attempt to entice many from the more serious duties of religion, to the amusements of the British Museum, and similar places of public resort.

Mr. Hume has given notice to the effect that he will, on the 5th of May, propose that the British Museum and other buildings shall be opened after the hours of Divine service: thus seeking to legalize, by a Resolution of the House of Commons, the public profanation of

the Lord's-day. Such a measure can only be popular with the irreligious. Surely the time is sufficiently short for the religious improvement of the mind and heart, and the hours of public worship sufficiently brief, without the House of Commons lessening them.

A man who attends church or chapel twice on the Lord's-day without interruption, from the age of six years to the age of seventy, supposing each service to be two hours in length, only devotes 208 hours in the year to public worship out of the 8,766 : or about eighteen months during the long period of sixty-four years. How few through disinclination, and indifference, or other causes, spend even half this time in such exercises, and yet Mr. Hume would provide allurements to entice them to give up at least the one half of this brief period, which ought to be devoted to the soul, to God, and to eternity, and is about to ask the House of Commons to sanction it. The neglect of the Sabbath is already disgraceful enough, without endeavouriug to increase it, by offering as a premium the gratification of our public buildings, to be succeeded in a short time, probably by the opening of the theatres.

Incalculable good has resulted to the poor from the operation of the New Police Act in closing the public-houses on the Lord'sday till one o'clock. Sobriety, family comfort, public decency, and good order, have all been promoted by it, but should Mr. Hume succeed, the public-houses will be thronged on the evening of the Sabbath, when the doors of the public buildings are closed, and the pleasures of the day will be closed with the crimes of the evening. We hope that Mr. Hume's Resolution will be treated with the reprobation it merits, both in, and out of the House of Commons.

A Petition from the Committee of the London City Mission will be presented to the House of Commons before Mr. Hume proposes his Resolution.

A STATEMENT READ AT THE PUBLIC MEETING HELD AT THE HORNS TAVERN, KENNINGTON, APRIL 15, 1840;

J. I. BRISCOE, ESQ., M.P., IN THE CHAIR.

THE present Meeting has been called, as announced in the bills, for the purpose of forming a Lambeth Auxiliary, in aid of the London City Mission. This design originated in circumstances which it may be proper now to state to the Meeting. It is a melancholy fact, which must be known to many friends now assembled, that the poor in many parts of Lambeth are in a state of great moral degradation, and that multitudes of them are living in the open profanation of the Sabbath, and the entire

neglect of the worship and house of God. Some parts of it, and especially those in the neighbourhood of the theatres, and other places of public amusement, are in a deplorable condition. About nine months ago, one of these localities excited the benevolent attention of a gentleman residing near to it, and he made to the Committee of the London City Mission a liberal offer of pecuniary aid, which induced them to send a zealous and active missionary to visit among the poor, many of whom were living in great poverty, and under the heavier pressure of great moral and spiritual destitution.

The district in question, the Vauxhall-bridge District, is bounded by Broad-street, High-street, Princes-street, and the River. There are about 500 visitable houses, and 800 families. The missionary on this district, Mr. Watson, has been well received by the poor people, and, to a considerable extent, has gained their confidence, and their attention. During the seven months he has been employed here, the missionary has spent 958 hours in the visitation and instruction of the poor. The number of visits paid has been 3,102. He has read the Scriptures among them 739 times, and prayed 892 times. He has paid 237 visits to the sick, and distributed 3,716 religious tracts, besides 4,029 copies of the tract "The Way to be Healthy and Happy," in other districts. Eight persons have been induced to attend on public worship, and several children have been sent to school.

Shortly after the occupation of this district, it was discovered that the immediate neighbourhood north of the Vauxhall gardens equally needed the exertions of a suitable Missionary. A gentleman, resident at Stockwell, a short time before this, had liberally engaged to defray the whole expense of a Missionary to be employed near his own residence. Upon a representation being made to him of the still more destitute condition of the part now mentioned, he kindly consented to his removal. This second district is bounded by Broad-street, Leyland-street, Wickham-street, Vauxhall-terrace, Princes-street, High-street, Anderson's-walk, and Vauxhall-walk. It contains about 577 visitable houses, and 847 families. Of these there are 236 only who say that they regularly attend public worship. There are about 877 children, of an age fit for school; and more than 200 go to no school. During the period of seven months, Mr. Rigley, the Missionary on this district, has spent 1,094 hours in visiting from house to house: he has paid 4,560 visits, of which 403 have been visits to the sick and dying. He has distributed 3,104 tracts, and 269 persons have been influenced to attend more regularly on public worship. He has read the Scriptures to the poor 506 times, and prayed with them 888 times. Mr. Rigley, with the kind assistance of an estimable minister of the Established Church, has succeeded in establishing a Sunday-school, for those children whose apparel is in so bad a condition as to prevent their admission into other schools, and of these more than a hundred are

now instructed on the Sabbath-day. Mr. Watson has also been the instrument of an evening school being established for girls, and one also for boys, of the same description, which is increasing in numbers and usefulness.

These statements cannot fail to afford gratification to this Meeting. Christian benevolence, however, is unbounded and unwearied, and in Lambeth there is still occasion for more extended efforts.

The attention of the Committee has been recently called by some gentlemen residing on it to the neighbourhood of Lambeth-marsh. The part intended is bounded by the River, Westminster-road, and the Waterloo-road. Some parts of it are in a very bad condition; and for the desecration of the Sabbath, and other gross immoralities, are most notorious. The Committee of the London City Mission are desirous to send immediately two Missionaries to this part, if possible. It contains about 600 visitable houses, and 900 families. The gentlemen before referred to have made to the Committee very liberal offers of assistance; but they feel themselves unable to meet their wishes, or to accomplish their own, without further help. They believe the case only requires to be made known to excite the compassion and secure the co-operation of others. To this Meeting they now most respectfully, but earnestly appeal for aid, that they may be enabled to continue and extend their efforts. Upon the decision and conduct of this Meeting it apparently depends, under the blessing of God, whether a vast number of ignorant persons shall be instructed in the way of salvation, or left to perish in their sins-whether they shall hear the Gospel and be saved, or whether they shall remain ignorant, immoral, vicious, profane, and miserable, and at last die without any well-founded hope.

THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TASH-STREET DISTRICT, BY JOHN PULLIN, MISSIONARY.

I HAVE always felt great pleasure in my work, still the responsibility and importance of the various duties often press very heavily upon my mind, going as I frequently do from one scene of misery to another, from one sick bed to another, and not unfrequently from one dying sinner to another. I have often felt my mind deeply affected; but finding that in various instances my labours have been made useful, some dying in peace, and others living to the glory of the Redeemer, I have been induced, notwithstanding all the difficulties I meet with, to thank God and take courage. I shall now mention a few cases under the head of

DOMICILIARY VISITATION.

And here I find some difficulty in selecting from The first case I would mention is that of Mr.

my Journal. of

This man had been a teacher in a Wesleyan Sunday-school; he gradually became indifferent to the duties of religion, and at last entirely neglected public worship, and the reading of the Scriptures. He became almost an Infidel. I continued to visit him for some time, and was the means of removing many doubts from his mind; and the last time I saw him he promised that he would attend the house of God. This is only one. case out of many backsliders, which I have met with in the course of the year, where I trust the visits of your Missionary have been made useful.

The next case I would mention, is that of Mrs. of. When I first entered her room she was weeping, and appeared to be in a very desponding state of mind. I inquired into the cause of her grief, when she said, "Oh! Sir, I fear I am too great a sinner ever to be forgiven! I was once happy, when I lived in Mr. C.'s family: it was like a little heaven upon earth; but since I have been married, my husband has taken so much to drink, that my life has been completely miserable. I have sometimes thought of making away with myself." I asked her if she had a Bible? She said, "I have not; there was a time when I always had that sacred book about me.' I took out my Bible, and proceeded to quote several passages from the Word of God, showing his willingness to pardon and receive returning sinners. I said, "Remember, my friend, you must give up whatever you know to be displeasing in the sight of God, before you can expect to enjoy solid peace." She acknowledged that she was very passionate, had often fled to drink, and had several drunken companions. I continued to visit her for some time; and at length she told me she should certainly have killed herself, had it not been for the timely and providential visit of your missionary; but since then she has broken off her connexion with her sinful companions, she has left off drinking spirits, she can now enjoy her food, and her mind is happier than it has been for years. Her Sabbaths, which had been spent in drinking, quarrelling, or reading novels, are now employed in reading the Scriptures and attending the means of grace, and she can now look with confidence to her Saviour. This change has had a powerful effect upon her husband. He notices that she is more careful, and many articles which had been pawned for drink have been redeemed. This has induced him to stop at home on the Sabbath and read the Testament (which I had lent them), instead of going to the ale-house.

RELIGIOUS TRACTS.

I find the tracts, in many instances, very useful. When I went down to the kitchen of I heard a woman scolding; when she had opened the door, I said, "Will you accept of one of our little tracts ?" "Yes," she said, "I am sure this drunken blackguard ought to have tracts-he wants them bad enough-he comes home here beating and ill-using his wife." I went in there