104 SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING, &c. operate within their parishes; and thus at best universal England would present the aspect of a large chess-board, with the squares or parishes of black and white intermingled. Beyond that it could not go; it could not pour the light into every parish where moral and spiritual darkness prevails. So that I consider these two Societies as exactly harmonising together, as supplementary the one to the other. I see a necessity, therefore, for supporting this Society, as well as its sister; and I hope the blessing of God may attend them both. The CHAIRMAN put the Resolution to the Meeting; it was carried unanimously. GEORGE T. Fox, Esq.-I have much gratification in moving, "That the thanks of this Meeting be given to William Evans, Esq., for kindly and ably presiding on the present occasion." He has given us an entire morning, when it is probable that his duties in another place will occupy great part of the evening. The Rev. R. AINSLIE.-I beg to second the Motion. Allow me to state, that in consequence of our Chairman, some thirteen or fourteen months since, having read some of our publications, and made himself acquainted with the character of our Institution, he went to our bankers, and left us 100%, since which he has also sent us 201. The Resolution was immediately carried by acclamation. The CHAIRMAN.-Ladies and Gentlemen, I feel that I can claim very little of the cordiality, with which this vote has passed, from any thing that I have done. I do most heartily wish, that our esteemed and valued friend, Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, had not been prevented by ill health from presiding instead of myself. For my own part, I am an attached member of the Church of England; I love and venerate that Establishment; I am not at all shaken in my attachment to it by the very serious errors which have been entertained by some of its ministers; but I do not on that account undervalue the services of ministers or members of other communions. There is nothing at which I am more delighted than to see the different denominations of Christians united in any great and good, and charitable, and religious object, when that object is one in which they can usefully and beneficially unite together; and I do earnestly desire to see all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, united together as brethren in that love which our Saviour commands all Christians to have towards each other. If there should be any objections made, as we have heard there are, to the employment of persons not officially appointed, not ordained, or those who are called laymen, I think the most complete answer that can well be given is in the Report, and the speeches, and information that we have heard at this Meeting, proving the blessing that has attended the exertions of the visitors and missionaries of this Society. And I also think that the objection seems rather inconsistent on the part of those who think that fathers and masters of families are authorized and ought to meet with their children and the members of their household for prayer and reading of the Scriptures. I never heard of a dissentient on this point; I never heard that it was unauthorized, or unorthodox, or unfit to be done; and if so, is it to be confined to the walls of the house? Is no member of that family to be allowed to convey that instruction to his neighbour near his house, which it is right and proper to convey to those who are within the house? I hope we shall not hear much more of this objection. I think we shall not hear any thing of it at all events within the membership of this Society, nor from those who frequent these Meetings, and who hear of the benefits and services that are rendered by the missionaries sent out by this Society. I trust that this very large and respectable Meeting will not be a barren or unprofitable Meeting. I trust the hearts of all here have been warmed and interested by what they have heard; and I hope we separate with a deeper impression of the awfulness of the condition of those who are our neighbours and our fellowcitizens, and more disposed to assist them. I trust that those who have not attended this Meeting will hear from hundreds who have been present of the good that has been done, and the good they may do by joining the Society; and that it may work and spread wider and wider, and more and more may cortribute to this truly good and Christian work, till there shall be something like a sufficient number of visitors and missionaries to visit all parts of this great metropolis, and to do all the good which a Society of this kind, organized to its full extent, may be able to accomplish. And I hope we shall be roused by the accounts we have heard of other places. I hope, in our emulation and labour of love, we shall be unwilling to see London surpassed by Manchester, to see other great towns efficiently and effectually administering to the poor and the destitute, whilst we have a number of missionaries and visitors totally incapable to perform any thing like the work, which we must admit is required by every consideration of interest, of charity, and of religion, to be performed. I have felt great gratification in hearing the various addresses delivered this day, and some edification, I hope, and in witnessing the very great interest and propriety of conduct manifested by this great Meeting. The Rev. R. AINSLIE pronounced the benediction; and the Meeting then terminated. Macintosh, Printer, 20, Great New Street, London. THE LONDON CITY MISSION JULY, 1841. MAGAZINE. WORKING MEN. It is well to confer benefits upon the labouring population, but it is better to elevate them, and give them the means of benefiting themselves. So great is the state of neglect in which they have. been generally left, that it is difficult in many cases to make them sensible of the worth of education, of morality, and of the Gospel; but when they do feel their worth, they are naturally anxious that their neighbours should be similarly blessed with themselves. How to accomplish this they frequently know not; but with a little advice and encouragement from those in superior circumstances they may be put in the way to do it, and the home of a poor man, as well as of a rich man, is always happier, when benevolence and religion are emanating from it for the comfort of the neglected and of the wretched. The following letter is an illustration of what may be done. "TO THE SECRETARIES OF THE LONDON CITY MISSION. "Sirs,-With the view of uniting ourselves more closely in the bonds of Christian love, and in the hope that if the working classes themselves could be induced to take a greater interest in the general objects of the London City Mission, it would be a powerful means, with the help of God, of forwarding the labours of the Missionaries, we have formed this humble Auxiliary. "That such a Society as ours is calculated to excite a missionary spirit among our neighbours, we bless God he has already given us abundant proof, not only in the large number of subscribers already come forward; but also by the increased attendance, especially of men, at the prayer-meetings. "The Committee, by carefully selecting a number of the most serious women from among their subscribers as Collectors, and admonishing them by every means in their power to induce others to attend the means of grace afforded them, thus turn the objects of the Mission into the Agents thereof, making each Collector, in fact, a Missionary. "With grateful hearts to the God of all grace for thus far blessing our endeavours, we earnestly hope that means may be used to induce the labouring poor to follow our example; beseeching him that many more labourers may soon be sent into the vineyard, -that our poor brethren may enjoy the same blessings as we do,— that he may incline the hearts of all who love the Lord Jesus to assist more liberally in this holy cause, and that he may grant a rich and abundant harvest to the Church of Christ from the labours of the Missionaries, is our earnest prayer. To this end, and for this cause, we beg to offer our humble mite. "In behalf of the Committee of the Tash-street Working Men's Auxiliary to the London City Mission. "THE SECRETARY. "The first seven-weeks' collection, after deducting expenses, 11. 5s. 8d." The following are the Regulations : "At a Meeting held at the Infant School Room, Baldwin's Gardens, February 14th, 1841, the following Resolution was proposed, and unanimously adopted : "That the working people attending the prayer-meetings established by the Agent of the London City Mission appointed to the Tash-street District, acknowledge with gratitude to Almighty God the great benefits they have derived from his labours among them. Feeling deeply impressed with the necessity of the same religious instructions being extended to their poor brethren in other parts of the Metropolis, by this truly pious Institution,-in the humble hope that a more lively interest to the objects of the Mission may be excited in their own immediate neighbourhood, and their example followed in other districts already supplied with Agents,-they have resolved to form themselves into a Society, to be called The Tash-street Working Men's Auxiliary to the London City Mission.' "At a Meeting held at the same place, on the 19th of February, a Committee was formed, and the following Resolutions adopted : 6 "1st. That weekly subscriptions of one-halfpenny and upwards be raised for the general purposes of the Mission. "2dly. That the Society be managed by a Treasurer, Secretary, and a Committee, who shall meet on the third Friday in the month; a Chairman for the time being shall be appointed from among their number; and the Committee and Collectors meet once in every three months. 3dly. That the Committee appoint Collectors, who shall once a month pay over all contributions to the Secretary, who shall pay the same to the Treasurer at each Monthly Meeting. "4thly. That the principles adopted by the Parent Society be strictly adhered to in this Auxiliary. 66 5thly. That the Treasurer pay over all subscriptions and contributions to the Mission by order of the Committee. "6thly. That all Meetings shall begin and end with prayer. (Signed) "SAMUEL HARTNELL, Treasurer, Infants'-school, Baldwin's Gardens. "JOHN MORISON, Secretary." We are happy to add, that the subscribers to the Working Men's Auxiliary and their friends recently assembled, and spent an evening together in the school-rooms, belonging to St. John's Chapel, Bedford-row. The Hon. and Rev. B. W. Noel was prevented from meeting them by absence from town, and Mr. William Owen met them instead: they took tea together, and spent an evening which, for social intercourse and truly Christian feeling and profit, will not easily be forgotten. THE THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WESTMINSTER IN reviewing the proceedings of the Westminster Auxiliary of the London City Mission, your Committee own with gratitude that the usefulness of the Mission has considerably increased in several different ways during the past year; and they cannot be too thankful that the Missionaries have been kept, by Divine grace, in the same mind, and that the same love for souls has characterized all their efforts. It is confidently hoped that their unwearied labours have not been "in vain in the Lord." Besides the domiciliary visits, and expositions of the Scriptures (their regular employments), schools, which have only been established during the last two years, have proved of great use among a class of children, whose destitution would not allow of their being admitted into any others; the number of the children is increasing, and the instruction afforded appears to be highly valued. Four Missionaries are still employed, and during part of the year a fifth was also engaged in one of the lowest parts of Westminster, who, among other duties, directed his attention to a company of thieves (persons with whom his sphere of labour abounds.) Much to his surprise, they willingly formed themselves into a class, and, by their own wish, attended weekly to read the Scriptures, and were content quietly and respectfully to listen to his explanations. A few extracts, copied from the Reports of the Missionaries, will perhaps explain, in the best possible manner, the nature and success of their labours. "I would acknowledge, with devout gratitude, the goodness of the Lord in continuing me in health and strength, and enabling me with comfort and pleasure to pursue my labours, I hope, through his blessing, to the good of souls. The state of this district has been proverbially bad; ignorance and crime have been the leading characteristics, not of the few, but of almost every family. Many painful scenes have I witnessed, as well as some of the most determined cases of opposition that could possibly have been met with; but, while in the prosecution of my duty, the Lord has continually, and far beyond my expectations, given me favour in the sight of the people. "Perhaps no district occupied by the Agents of the Mission is of more importance, from the fact that one half of its inhabitants are continually changing their places of abode. They are travellers from all parts of the country, and not a few from foreign lands. They are of that class who live in the neglect of Christ and his Gospel, and in all probability would never hear the sound of the Saviour's name, but for the City Missionary; the amount of good resulting from such labours, will only be known at the consummation of all things-the seed being sown indiscriminately, and the face of the person to whom the truth is imparted, being never more seen by your Agent. "The want of education is very severely felt, and from experience I can state that ignorance is the parent of crime. Many children were not able to gain admittance to schools open for the children of the poor, partly from the poverty of the parents, and partly on account of their habits and associates. The neglect of them being felt by a few friends of the Mission, a school was opened in New Pie-street, at which children are received free of charge; the number at present receiving instruction is 160. "The case of Mr. S— was one of determined opposition against your Missionary. He not only opposed me himself, by throwing water over me, but endeavoured to set his wife against me: through perseverance and kindness I obtained his favour, and for the last four months he has been a regular attendant at my room; he takes much interest in my visits. On one occasion, while I was speaking of the Saviour's love (the tear rolling down his cheek), he said, 'O, Sir, I have been a great sinner, do you think Christ will have anything to do with me?' I was able to show him the willingness of Christ to save 'to the uttermost.' While visiting him again a few days ago, he said with tears in his eyes, I hope, Sir, you will pardon me for all I have done to you.' I said, 'Yes, you have not offended me but Christ,' and urged him to seek his pardoning mercy. He said, 'This is what I want, this is what I pray for.' It is quite delightful to see. |