The Jubilee Services of the London Missionary Society
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This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. http://books.google.com -tt%-&*-4&--L 2361 ,L8 t /, v.- !/)- V L-'(/ U/U THE JUBILEE SERVICES OF THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. HELD IN LONDON IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, 1844. WITH A BRIEF INTRODUCTION BY THE DIRECTORS. JPT>«*I LONDON: JOHN SNOW, PATEENOSTEK EOW. 1844. r LONDON : BLACKBURN AND PARDON, PRINTERS, 6, HATTON GARDEN. INTRODUCTION. The concluding year of the first half century in the history of the London Missionary Society ap peared to the Directors a period so interesting and important as to demand special observance — a season peculiarly suitable for reflecting on the past, and for anticipating, by appropriate preparations, the events and claims of the future. In reviewing the prominent occurrences which, under the Divine government, had marked the Society's onward course, the Directors felt constrained to do honour to the memory of those Christian philan thropists, by whose judicious counsels and animating efforts its formation, under God, was accomplished. They felt also a sense of infinite obligation to the exalted Head of the church for that body of faithful men (in number exceeding four hundred) whom He INTRODUCTION. has from time to time sent forth as the agents of the Society, and whom He has richly qualified for the diversified and arduous labours which they have been called to discharge. Gratitude and praise were no less demanded for those various and invaluable blessings which these faithful servants of Christ have been honoured to bestow upon the world, in the translation of the Holy Scriptures into the languages of many pagan nations — the promotion of civilisa tion and knowledge among savage and degraded tribes — and especially in the actual conversion of multitudes of the heathen to the faith of Christ. Equally striking and conclusive were the proofs of the Divine favour on the Society at home, in the in crease of its devoted friends, — the extension of its influence, — and the augmentation of its annual income, now nearly double the amount of the aggregate re ceipts during the first ten years of its existence. In looking forward to the future, the Directors also could not be insensible to the ever-enlarging claims that must be anticipated from the Society's past labours and growing success. Extensive fields for benevolent enterprise, once inaccessible, are now open to the faithful missionary — tribes and nations, once insensible to their misery, are now raising their loud and piteous cries for help — and almost in every part INTRODUCTION. T of the world the circle of missionary effort is widening, and the prospects of success are growing brighter and more certain. Under the influence of these views and sentiments, the Directors of the Society invited their constituents, — the long-tried and generous friends of the Institu tion, — to signalise the year of its Jubilee by special efforts, appropriate to the occasion, and worthy of the cause. The appeal was received as they anticipated, with great cordiality and Christian kindness, and prepar ations were accordingly made to commence the fiftieth year of the Society's operations by a series of appro priate services in the metropolis. The results of these arrangements are presented to the Christian public in the following pages. These records will doubtless be read with deep attention and lively feeling by multitudes who had not the privilege of a personal attendance on the Jubilee solemnities ; and by future generations they will probably be regarded with af fectionate veneration, similar to that with which we now review the first missionary productions of our departed fathers, the founders of the Institution. The objects proposed by the Directors to be ac complished by the special contributions of the Jubilee year are of the very first importance, and cannot fail VI INTRODUCTION. to commend themselves to the deliberate approval and generous support of every friend to Christian missions. They are the following : 1. To enlarge the Society's Missions in the East, more particularly in India and China. 2. To promote Christian education among the young in heathen countries. 3. To train up a well-educated native ministry. 4. To provide an adequate fund for the relief of the Widows and Orphans of Missionaries. 5. To relieve the Directors from embarrassment by placing a fund in their hands, to enable them to meet the current expenses. The effort which has been well begun in London, will, it is hoped, be prosecuted with equal ardour and efficiency throughout the country ; and by the termination of the Jubilee year in September, 1845, such an amount of free-will offerings will be cast into the missionary treasury, as shall enable the Directors to prosecute its noble objects with a gene rous zeal proportioned to their growing magnitude and infinite importance. CONTENTS. Page Sermon preached by the Rev. James Parsons, of York, at the Poultry Chapel, on Monday Evening, September 23, 1844 1 Sermon preached by the Rev. William Jay, at Surrey Chapel, on Tuesday Morning, September 24 21 Sermon preached by the Rev. Thomas Raffles, D.D., LL.D., at Craven Chapel, on Tuesday Evening, September 24 49 Speeches delivered at the Public Meeting, held at Exeter Hall, on Wednesday, September 25 : — Sir C. Eardley Smith, Bart 75 Rev. E. Bickersteth, M.A 85 Rev. J. Bunting, D.D 89 Rev. J. Leifchild, D.D 94 Rev. James Hamilton, M.A 103 Rev. J. A. James 107 Rev. Joseph Angus, M.A 118 Rev. W. L. Alexander, M.A 122 Rev. R. Dixon, D.D 127 Rev. J. Harris, D.D 133 Rev. Arthur Tidman . .135 €Ije Claim of «6oD upon U)t tooting. A SERMON PREACHED BY THE REV. JAMES PARSONS, OF YORK, AT THE POULTRY CHAPEL, On MONDAY EVENING, September 23, 1844. X JUBILEE SERVICES, *In contemplating the performance of the momentous duty which I now endeavour to discharge, I have felt how numerous and varied are the themes suggesting themselves, with almost equal claims, for enforcement. From these the task of selection has not been easy; but my mind has been gradually led to decide upon one, the appropriateness of which to the object intended by the present service, will, I trust, be at once and universally con ceded, — namely, the claim which God possesses on the devoted service of the young ; for it is impossible for the young to be really the friends of missions, except they first be the servants of Him for whose glory missions are designed. The portion of Scripture from which our illustrations will be derived, consists in a challenge once uttered by God himself, and recorded in the first chapter of the book of the prophet Malachi, and the sixth verse : " A SON HONOURETH HIS FATHER : IF THEN I BE A FATHER, WHERE IS MINE HONOUR?" This language was not indeed originally intended for the class we have now the privilege to address. Along with another appeal, * The author of the following discourse perhaps ought to apologise for the delay which he has occasioned in the publication of this memorial. Since he addressed the young, he has been called, in Divine providence, to part with one, whom he had fondly hoped would be spared for future devotedness and usefulness. His apology, he is sure, will be admitted, when he states that he has undergone that bitter trial — the loss of an only son. b2 4 JUBILEE SERVICES. deduced from another relationship of domestic life, it was directed to persons occupying an important ecclesiastical office in the system of Jewish polity, and living in guilty violation of the functions belonging to their calling — " the priests by whom the name of the Lord was despised;" but it was afterwards extended to the entire Jewish nation : it is identified with general and permanent principles, and it admits of a general and permanent application, — to be interpreted as a just pleading by Jehovah, on behalf of his own glory, with the whole family of man. That he does frequently assert his universal rights in the same mode of advocacy, your acquaintance with the sacred writings will at once remind you; and if your thoughts be correctly governed, you must also estimate that advocacy as invested with perfect conclusiveness and with overwhelming power. The application of the Divine appeal in our text to the young, seems for some reasons peculiarly fitting and urgent ; and if it be understood and felt, as we shall this evening endeavour to urge, it will secure both their own highest well-being, and the maintenance and future advance ment of that sacred cause, which at so interesting a crisis of its history, is invoking our intense regard. You will now, my young friends, be directed to three inquiries : — Whence the claim of God upon you arises — What the claim of God upon you involves — and How the claim of God upon you is commended; and let prayer, earnest and continued, be offered by all whom His Spirit has already renewed, that His demand may be richly answered, and that there may be ushered in the jubilee of converted and conse crated souls ! I. Consider Whence the claim of God upon you arises. It arises from his character of a Father — " if I be a Father;" the terms, though in the form of supposition, substantially asserting him to be so. The character is frequently assumed by Jehovah, or ascribed to him, in the sacred writings. "I am a Father to Israel." " Have we not all one Father, hath not one God created us?" "Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not." " The Father of our spirits." " The Father of us all." The reason why the Most High is thus represented is, because JUBILEE SERVICES.