When you have calculated the extent of your loss, by the possible withdrawal of the anti-slavery churches, might it not be prudent also to estimate the loss to be sustained by the withdrawal of the anti-slavery God? Can the God of eternal justice and boundless compassion, look with complacency on a work performed by hands dyed in the blood of man? Be not misled by the fact that he has hitherto blessed your agents. He has blessed his own word; but this implies no approbation of your constitution! Are you not conscious that Heaven's frown rests upon you? Mark the declaration of your chief secretary: "If God has left the churches at home, the Holy Ghost is among our missions abroad; and whatever becomes of this Board, or its officers, or the churches, the work will go on." We know this, and we rejoice to know it. This declaration, however, is a two-edged sword; it cuts both ways. The first part of this sentence supposes a calamity, which admits of no alleviation. Who can bear such a calamity? If any can, then the spirits of the lost may derive comfort from the fact that, while their residence is amidst eternal fire, the spirits of the just are rejoicing in paradise!

Brethren of England and America! Christians, Protestants, friends of missions in all lands! it is high time to awake out of sleep! The trumpet of darkness has sounded, and the papal world, so long dead, is rising again. The French" Institution for the Propagation of the Faith," and the "Catholic Institute of Great Britain," are but the nascent flames of mighty fires, which are smouldering in the hearts of many nations. The former is the idol of the bishops of France, and is fast spreading over other countries, while the sovereign Pontiffs have opened for it the treasury of indulgences,

which they have extended to all the faithful who shall receive it amongst them, in whatever part of the world they may reside."* The conditions of membership are, a Pater and an Ave, morning and evening," adding each time this invocation: St. Francis Xavier, pray for us;"" and " an alms for the missions," of at least one halfpenny every week. This institution has, it seems, already done great things; but it is expected to accomplish objects incalculably greater. It is expected to rectify all Protestant disorders, both in Europe and America; to counteract the pernicious effects of Protestant missions in foreign lands; to put down the Bible Society, and to fill the earth with faithful adherents to the Church of Rome. Brethren, this throws fresh light upon your path, and points out the necessities, not only of adopting a new course, but of providing yourselves with new armour. You will assuredly be compelled to fight over again the battle of the Reformation, not in Europe only, but under every sky! What pity that the conflict of three centuries back, should have ceased ere the BEAST had been slain, and the world freed from further alarm! How fearful is the war which you are now called to wage! Idolatry, Mohammedanism, Popery, and various corruptions of Christianity, fill the world, and are banded against you. How glorious, then, is the enterprise! It is worthy of angels! For God you fight, and God is with you! Your ultimate success is certain. As sure as the Mediator reigns, so sure will be your victory. These mighty foes will be all routed and annihilated! The Lord of Hosts is with you, the battle itself is his.

Sublime distinction! Ce

* Institution for the Propagation, &c., Prel. Obs. p. 3.

lestial vocation! Oh! awake to its dignity and glory, and acquit yourselves as the sons of the living God, and the servants of Him who is King of kings, and Lord of lords!

But, brethren, that you may be successful, your operations must be guided by wisdom and prudence, as well as by piety and zeal. A great problem is now to be solved, relative to future missionary operations. The past has been devoted to a grand experiment, and the results have been the same both in Europe and in America. There is no need to repeat it; the process has been accurately conducted, and we cannot be misled. You have, therefore, now reached a point which calls for the adoption of a different course, and the introduction of a new principle. It is as clear as reason can make it, that if the missions be wholly dependent on Home support, a limit must be reached in their operations, unless there be no limit to their pecuniary resources. Unless a plan can be devised, therefore, by which all missions shall at length become self-supported, the world will never be evangelized. The idea of converting all nations by means of European and American agency is utterly preposterous. The wants of the heathen world require, at this moment, that missionary agency should be augmented a hundred-fold. But our treasuries are exhausted; our concern is, therefore, about the reduction, not the increase, of our agency. This has become the vital question, the only means of salvation to our Societies. We are now at a stand. Our path is crossed by an impassable barrier. It is doubtful, indeed, whether, for a century to come, we shall be able to advance much further.

be something wrong. Is not the work of modern missions far too much a money matter? Is it not too dependent on filthy lucre, which is always the chief basis of man's operations, but never of the operations of God? Money, indeed, and much money, is indispensable to the work; but is it not far less necessary than our plan supposes and requires? What, then, is to be done? This-this must be done: establish colleges rather than missions. Create efficient seminaries for the instruction and preparation of native evangelists and pastors. This must be done, or there is an end of all just expectation that the earth shall ever be filled with the knowledge of God. The Serampore missionaries, full forty years ago, set forth some profound as well as practical views on this subject. The perspicacious and prophetic mind of Mr. Douglas, of Cavers, also, at a later period, descried the necessity of the academic plan, and the certain failure of that which has been hitherto relied upon. The "Prudential Committee" of the American Board, at the recent annual meeting, submitted a dissertation "on the importance of raising up a native ministry among the heathen nations." The report likewise says, "It is not a little remarkable that the same system has contemporaneously attracted the attention of missionary societies in various parts of the world." What is remarkable in this? It is the simple result of the discovery of the impossibility of advancing much further in the present path. If they had not thought of this, it had been remarkable. It is the dictate of common sense, and was long ago recommended by sound philosophy.

As with Life Assurance, so with religious Societies; the true and safe principle of conducting them was not at first thoroughly understood. In both cases it has

been discovered by degrees. The case of the missionary societies is now precisely what that of the Bible Society was last year. In a moment of benevolence, that Institution departed from the rule of previous prudence, and sold two small books at considerably less than the prime cost. The demand was great, and in a brief space the Society lost nearly half its free income. On making the alarming discovery, it promptly and wisely stopped. It has since made arrangements by which it can sell books at the same price without a farthing of loss; and the consequence is, that it is able to sell such books without limit, since each purchaser pays the cost price of what he receives. Were the entire human race to purchase, and thus to pay, no more free contribution would be required, than the moderate expense necessary to work the establishment. Now the time is come for the adoption of this principle in missionary operations. It is in missionary as in military enterprises; the more distant the seat of war is from the country whence the armaments proceed, the greater the cost of the conflict. India, for instance, is distant from England fifteen thousand miles, a voyage of about five months. On this point, the missionary, Ward, has left this testimony: "The expense attending missions, at such a distance, is very great, and must exceedingly limit the extent of these exertions. To prepare, to equip, and to land each missionary, costs the British public not less than six hundred pounds; and to maintain him there, a considerable annual sum; so that charitable funds, where the numbers to be taught amount to so many millions, can do but little, except in making a commencement."* This witness is true. Your condition

*Ward's Letters, pp. 146, 147.