sionary labours were multiplied and blessed. But unscriptural notions were gradually introduced of orders of men of peculiar sanctity, or of a holiness beyond that which was requisite for private Christians; the meritoriousness of pilgrimages, penances and good works was confidently asserted, and men began to shut themselves up in monasteries, to enter into deserts, or live in the woods as hermits, and the notion of sanctity became attached to a secluded life. Then it was that missionary zeal grew cold, and love for souls declined altogether; and while strife and contentions prevailed by reason of disputes about trifling matters, the great leading truths of the Word of God were lost sight of, and the Church was not only rent with fearful divisions, but deadly heresies arose which threatened to shake the fundamental doctrines of the Gospel itself. Nor was that a zeal according to knowledge, which sprang up in the Church in the tenth and eleventh century, in the age of the Crusades. Treasure was prodigally spent, blood was shed in abundance, and labours and privations undergone by many who thought that they were doing God service; but oh! how different were the elements of this warfare, and how different the weapons employed! Oh! how different the object in view! not the rescue of souls from the power of Satan, that they might be brought to God through the blood of Jesus, but the taking possession of the spot where our Lord was crucified, recovering it from the hand of the infidel, only that they might render it the scene of mere superstitious ceremonies, that they might adore the ground on which He trod, or honour the cross to which He was nailed, rather than look to Him who was crucified for them, and be lifted above the world and its views, pursuits, and pleasures, seeking that glorious kingdom which He is preparing for them that love Him! Oh! my friends, if we would follow the example of the first Christians in their missionary zeal, ours must be of the same character, springing from the same source, and deriving its energy from the same principles, from a consciousness of our own lost state without Christ as our Saviour, and a longing desire to make Him known to perishing sinners.

I would just mention one more characteristic of primitive missionary zeal. That zeal was shared by Christians of all classes. Whilst it is true, that those only went forth as the authorized preachers of the word, who, like Barnabas and Saul, were sepa

rated to the work, or who were specially called to that office, yet there were divers orders and ministrations in the church. All took an interest in the great work of spreading the knowledge of the Redeemer's kingdom and bringing souls to Christ. Thus at Antioch, on the return of Paul and Barnabas from their first journey we read,'" When they were come and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how He had opened a door of faith unto the Gentiles." And so from the Epistle to the Philippians, we gather that that church had assisted Paul by their contributions in his ministerial work at Thessalonica. The Apostle speaks of individuals too, both males and females, who had laboured with him in the Lord, and especially I would direct your attention to the fact that he so often entreats their prayers, and particularly bids the Thessalonians pray that "the Word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified." Primitive missionary zeal then animated the hearts of all the living members of the church. We have scriptural authority for such institutions as those about which you are interested. It does not belong exclusively to the clergy to care for the souls of their fellow sinners; it is the part of any one who knows the value of his own soul; and oh! that the blessed Spirit, who in His first out-pouring on the day of Pentecost, lighted up the fire of zeal in the immediate followers of the Lord, who kept that flame so brightly burning during the preaching and ministry of the Apostles, who warmed so many hearts and inspired so many souls with the Spirit of private prayer amongst the first Christians, may be poured largely upon us, may He give each of us grace to know that truth which they preached, to love it, to adorn it in our lives, conversation, and conduct, and may He mercifully bless all efforts to spread the knowledge of it, that so our gracious Saviour may be adored and glorified, and many souls brought into his fold, who shall enter into the joy of their Lord at the coming of the day of Christ.

1 Acts xiv. 27.

2 Phil. iv. 16.

3 2 Thess. iii. 1.

A LECTURE,

BY THE HON. AND REV. B. W. NOEL.

Ir was my happiness a few evenings ago to drink tea with 150 young men, who are associated together for the purpose of improving each other's Christian character, and stimulating each other to habits and acts of christian usefulness. Those young men, who belong to the shops of this metropolis, and almost exclusively to one trade in this metropolis, called together that meeting for the express purpose of hearing addresses from different ministers, with a view to this one object, that they might be the more impressed with the duty of seeking the conversion of other young men in this city. I felt, in being present at that meeting, that it was a feature of our era and a glory to our metropolis, that 150 Christian brethren, in early youth, should be associated for this purpose, and have broken themselves into numerous small associations for prayer and reading the Scriptures day by day, in the midst of their arduous toils. It was a sight gladdening to any Christian spectator.

This evening we meet at the summons of another association of Young Men, numbering now about 300 members, all of them connected with our own church, whose object in associating together is not either to promote their intellectat least, not directly to promote the culture of their mindsnor to pursue their worldly interests; but that they may inspire each other with the desire to do good, and to promote the cause of Christ in heathen lands.

It is truly animating to contemplate this second association of Christian Young Men, who in this metropolis are beginning life with the desire to be useful to their fellow-creatures, and to give glory to the Son of God; and it is most truly gratifying

to me to attend at their summons on this occasion, and to aid a number of my youthful Christian brethren in this desirable object. I feel scarcely less satisfaction in addressing the large number of persons I now see before me, whom I trust I may call my Christian brethren too. In addressing you as Christian friends who have the same object at heart which these Young Men have, I see again a feature most truly animating in society at this day, a feature most truly animating to a Christian spectator. And if I wanted a third source of satisfaction in addressing you this evening, I should find it in the theme which, at the request of this Association, I have adopted for this evening's address. There are other themes of Missions which have some features yet more interesting, perhaps I might say, far more, than those presented by the great empire of China; but in one respect, at least, it surpasses all the rest in interest, I mean, of course, its magnitude; and this, combined with the various opportunities which the providence of God has given for exertions of a missionary character in that country, invest it with peculiar interest to every Christian mind.

With respect to all its secular aspects, I shall say scarcely any thing, nothing, indeed, but what is closely connected with the subject of Protestant Missions to China. But if any here have a laudable curiosity respecting the condition of that, the largest nation in the world, you may find much interesting and authentic information respecting it in the following works: "The Chinese," by Mr. Davis; "Voyage of the Amherst," by Mr. Lindsay; "China, its State and Prospects," by Mr. Medhurst; "The Chinese as they are," by Mr. Lay; “China,” by Professor King; "A Sketch of Chinese History," by Mr. Gutzlaff; and "Three Voyages along the Coast of China," by the same author. There may be other works fully as interesting on this subject, but I do not happen to be acquainted with them, and therefore I have enumerated these, from which you may obtain much interesting and curious information; but I shall limit my remarks this evening to those circumstances alone which have immediate connexion with the Protestant Missions that are now founded there.

The first great peculiarity of that field of Missions, is the large amount of population to which our efforts are now for the first time to be directed. Let me read to you, in a few

words, the information upon this subject which has been acquired by various writers.

"A proclamation of the emperor Keen-loong, about the year 1793, urged upon the empire the necessity of economy and industry, because it was found by the recent census that the population had arisen to 307 millions of souls. In the same year, 1793, Chow-ta-zhin, who was stated to have been 'a man of business and precision, cautious in advancing facts, and proceeding generally on official documents, delivered at the request of the English Ambassador, a statement to him, taken from one of the public offices in the capital,' which made the population amount to 333 millions. And in the year 1825, the Ta-tsing, a document published by authority, announced the population to be 352 millions. This census was taken for the purposes of taxation, and by a very minute subdivision into districts of the whole empire; and therefore, as it was taken from returns made by the inhabitants of the several localities, was not likely to be greatly exaggerated. And if we consider some remarkable circumstances in the condition of the people, we shall see that these numbers are not likely to be greatly beyond the truth. Although the whole surface of the country is dedicated to the production of food for man, while in England there are about one million of draft horses, consuming food which would sustain several millions of inhabitants, in China there are few cattle and no meadow land; parks and pleasure-grounds are seldom seen; the roads are few and narrow; there are no commons, no wastes, and no fallows; the soil in the south generally yields two crops in the year; the people eat animals and vegetables not used in other countries, such as dogs, cats, rats, and snakes. In the southern provinces, one acre of rice land will yield in two crops 3,600lbs. of rice, affording 2lbs. a-day for five persons throughout the year. There is much spade husbandry, and notwithstanding the utmost economy, industry, and skill, a wide-spread pauperism. Many die of actual want; and thousands are compelled, against law and prejudice, to settle in foreign lands. Under these circumstances, it is not at all incredible that the population should be a little more dense than it is in England, and a little less dense than in Ireland or Belgium. In England the population is 257 to the square mile; in Ireland, 292; in Belgium,