Propagation of the Gospel (4) - Cumberland and Westmorland Newspaper Transcriptions

Carlisle Patriot

18 May 1844

Propagation of the Gospel (4)

Carlisle Patriot - 18 May 1844

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The Rev. E. TUFFNELL, who attended as a deputation from the parent society,
then rose to propose the second resolution, which read as follows: -

II. That the long continued and increasing efforts of the society for the
Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, which have been directed to
supply the necessities, our colonies recommend it to our warmest approval
and support.

He said, the first ground on which the society was recommended to Christian
support was its long continued efforts in the service of the Lord. Age alone
was no recommendation, unless hallowed and sanctified by its industry in
holy affairs, and in this the society had been specially blest. The first
scene of its labours was that country which now constituted the United
States. To that place the people of this country emigrated in vast numbers
about 140 years ago, and it was certain that the Church and the country then
greatly neglected their duty in not making a provision for establishing the
Church of Christ there. (Hear, hear.) That neglect a few pious individuals
sought to remedy, and they became the founders of the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. They received contributions from
parties willing to subscribe, and sent out missionaries, but he would not go
at large into the history of the rise and progress of the society, yet he
would say that, from the beginning, a glorious fruit had rewarded its
labours, and that to an extent which had not been anticipated, and in that
country alone they had now 18 bishops and 1000 ministering clergy. If there
was no other proof of the value of the society, this was surely sufficient.
In recommending it, however, he did not wish to contrast its labours with
other missionary societies, or to undervalue their exertions, but when he
told the meeting that it had existed for nearly a century and a half, and
that it was the only missionary society in connection with the Church, he
felt that all would confess that they owed it a deep debt of gratitude.
(Hear, hear.) To those other societies he said, "May God prosper them," but
he thought the long continued efforts, and the early history of that he
advocated recommended it strongly to the support of the British people. The
second ground on which the resolution claimed support for the society was
the increasing efforts it was making to extend its usefulness. Since 1837 it
had sent out 200 additional missionaries, and its operations were spread
over a vast extent of territory. Although they had no longer the United
States, yet in America they had the Canadas, which were six times the size
of England, and to which tens of thousands of their fellow countrymen were
emigrating every year. Last year he believed there were not less than
40,000, and yet whole districts where they had gone were without a
missionary - a church, or even a school; and in some places they would have
to travel twenty, thirty, and even fifty miles before they could avail
themselves of the public worship of the church, or meet with an ordained
minister of Christ. There were tens of thousands who never heard the sound
of the church-going bell, and they should recollect that almost every family
which went out founded a little colony, that required a pastoral head. Such
a head the church of Rome would send to take care of its colonists, and in
this they would do well to follow its system, and give our colonies the
opportunity of becoming really Christian, and prove the means of extending
the blessing of the knowledge of the Gospel amongst the heathens with whom
our emigrants dwell. (Hear.) But Canada, although an interesting district,
was but a small part of the wide territories that had claims upon the
services of the society. In the West Indies there was much to be done,
especially amongst that Negro population whose temporal bonds we had
removed, and whom we were called upon to aid that they might be freed from
the chains of sin and ignorance. These were well prepared to do a great deal
themselves. A layman had written a letter recently, who spoke of the delight
with which he had attended a church in the West Indies, of which the
beautiful and tasteful ornaments had been contributed by negroes, and there
were not less than two hundred communicants; but still there were vast
numbers in a state of awful ignorance. Again, in Australia, a country larger
than Europe, there was an urgent demand for assistance from the society, the
religious destitution of the people being of the most painful and appalling
description. In New South Wales, the state of the people was dreadful; there
was great and general distress from the depreciation of the value of cattle
and produce. The good Bishop writing from there said that there were no less
than sixteen roofless churches which had been commenced in a time of
prosperity, but which the people were unable to finish now, and they wanted
the Society to come forward and assist them; and he mentioned also that
while we neglect them the Church of Rome was most active. They had sent out
there a Bishop and nineteen priests, so that while our bishop could only
send one clergyman into the district, the Church of Rome could send three;
and although these did not profess to withdraw our emigrants from the
communion of our Church, yet it could not be doubted that they must produce
an effect at last, especially amongst the convicts who were now entirely
neglegted, and spent their Sundays in idleness and revelling, or working for
themselves. At Port Philip there was a population of 8,100 whites and 1500
natives, and these were without a minister of religion - and, indeed, the
Bishop said, that there are whole counties without a single clergyman or a
single school! He asked, was that a condition for a Christian country? and
they should remember that a large part of the population were sent out
there, and had no available opportunity of hearing the word of Him whose
blood cleansed away all sin. (Hear, hear.) The Rev. gentleman then referred
to the East Indies, where there was a population of one hundred millions of
Heathens alone, requiring the efforts of the society. He forcibly urged that
it was a principle [sic] duty of the Christian Church to Christianize the
heathen - and complained of the difficulties that arose from the
inconsistent habits of the British inhabitants in the East - very many of
whom did not hesitate to follow tiger hunting and other amusements on the
Sabbath. He illustrated this by the instance of a young Indian convert, who
had noticed the religious apathy of the residents, and loudly expressed his
surprise that they took so little interest in a public meeting held for a
religious purpose, which he expected to have found so full that he would
appear as an intruder. He quoted the opinion of Bishop WILSON that India was
to be converted by means of native clergymen alone, a fact which called for
the most strenuous exertions to supply them, and he noticed, also, the
glorious progress which Christianity was making in the east. He quoted the
opinions of the Bishops of Nova Scotia and Toronto as to the immense value
of the services of the society, and as a proof of what they were doing, he
said that whereas in 1801, there were but nine missionaries in Canada, in
1841 there were two bishops and 150 clergymen, in evidence of the increasing
efforts of the society. He spoke also of New Zealand, and the gratification
that must be derived from hearing that the work of the Church of Christ was
going on beautifully there, principally owing to the exertions of the Church
Missionary Society, which frequently acted as a pioneer to the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign parts. They now had the pleasing
spectacle of seeing numbers of the natives attending in the Church which the
Bishop had caused to be built in London, and conveyed out, and receiving
there the Communion of the Body and Blood of the Saviour. In China, too, a
glorious prospect was opening to the Church; but what need was there of his
speaking of these things? At the present time the society was so little able
to take advantage of the growing opportunities, that it was obliged to
refuse to extend its labour of love by even a single missionary. They had
not, indeed, yet found it necessary to retrench, but they stood still from
want of means, and could not support a single extra clergyman, while every
mail brought pressing claims and statements of the want of schools and
ministers! In many places the people were willing to contribute largely
themselves, and it was a principle of the society to make grants in aid of
money raised upon the spot; but although at Sydney as much as £1,200 had
been raised towards building a church at the Offertory, the society was not
able to give any assistance. In fact, they were expending more than they
received, and had, therefore, to fall back upon their funded capital, out of
which the deficiency was supplied. But supposing they were driven to this
necessity for two or three years they would be obliged to withdraw their
missionaries instead of doubling them as was in fact required by the
exigencies of our colonies. (Hear, hear.) Instead of 340 (the number now
employed) they ought not to have less than 700. The rev. speaker then
alluded to the system on which the society was based - and enforced the
propriety of its labours being directed in the first instance to the
colonies of England; at the same time, he said, it was essentially a
missionary society - and followed the course pointed out by Providence, by
making its own people the centre of its Christian labours - and so
converting the Heathen nations, by ensuring the presence of Christian men
amongst them. It was, he said, in its effect like a stone thrown into the
waters of a lake, which at first was perceived only in the centre, but the
effect of which spread, in ripple after ripple, over the whole surface of
the water; and so that charity which began at home, would gradually extend
its influence over the whole human race. The rev. gentleman concluded a
highly interesting address, by urging strongly the establishment of
parochial societies, by which all persons might be brought to their village
school-rooms, and there hear explanations of the great labours of the
society. They should thus provide facilities for receiving subscriptions and
giving even the poor a share in the undertaking, and they might then safely
leave the rest to God. (Applause.)

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