VOL. VIII.]

[NO. 85.

"THINGS CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOD." BY THE REV. CANON RICHARDSON.

I. THE MISSIONARY PRINCIPLES. HERE is power in a principle. It is an anchorage at which expediency may swing, but by which it must be limited and stayed; and it is a fulcrum on which the responsibilities of work and the energies of action must rest and turn. The Word of God is full of principles, wise rules, deep motives, authoritative truths, which explain and justify the service which the servant of God renders before his Lord, his Father, his God.

The missionary service has an underlying missionary principle. It is this: "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. iv. 10). It is a Divine command, and a heavenly commission. From the hand of God it is grace (charis), sovereign, free, manifold, variegated with all the rayings down of goodness and wisdom and love. In the hand of man it is a gift (charisma), something to enrich and ennoble, and encourage the recipient, who looks in wonder on the gift, and then turns in surprised gratitude to the Giver. But out of the hand of the receiver it passes as a ministration (diaconia, economia), meant for the family, administered for the Master's honour. If you grind all the corn for food, what about the harvest time after seed not sown? "I have commanded you (Matt. xxviii. 20). "Go ye therefore" (ver. 19). "I am with you always" (ver. 20). When a man goes out to his work or his warfare, this principle becomes his attachment, his line of communication with home and heaven. When a man stands in the presence of his disappointments, failures, weaknesses, this principle is found to be an answer and an appeal when faith has forgotten all other arguments. "God is able to make all grace abound towards you; that ye, always having all sufficiently in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Cor. ix. 8).

The principle of obedience is the missionary principle; and it operates always, everywhere, in all. "Freely ye have received, freely give." The home missionary, the city missionary, the foreign missionary, draw their authority and derive their power from the same source. "Now He that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God" (2 Cor. ix. 10, 11).

THE GOSPEL IN THE ISLAND OF YEZO.

I.

FTER the many pages devoted to Japan in our last year's volume, we thought of leaving that interesting country alone for a time, and giving more space to some other missions. But a book has lately appeared, which is one of the most popular on Mudie's list, and which leads us to take our readers back again to the Land of the Rising Sun. This book is Miss Isabella Bird's Unbeaten Tracks in Japan. It contains many allusions to the missions and missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, and speaks of them very kindly and appreciatively. But the part to which we would draw particular attention is the extremely interesting account of Miss Bird's travels in Yezo; for while in that remote island she was the guest for some time of our missionary at Hakodate, the Rev. W. Dening, and when she went into its wild recesses, she was on the track of some of

his missionary journeys, and saw very much what he has told the readers of C.M.S. publications, particularly the Intelligencer. The GLEANER has said very little about Yezo; its accounts last year were of the more civilised parts of Japan; and as no doubt many of our readers will be reading Miss Bird's book, they will at the same time be interested to hear something of our missionary work in the island of which she gives so graphic a description.

A word or two to introduce this little-known corner of the world. The island of Yezo is larger than Ireland; but its population is only about 123,000, or much the same as the County of Waterford. It consists mainly of impenetrable jungles, inaccessible mountains, and impassable swamps, and its climate is almost Siberian in its severity, although its northern part is really, in latitude, south of the Land's End. In the interior are found a remarkable people, the Ainos, quite a distinct race from the Japanese, with very strange customs. We give likenesses of two Aino men and a woman; but if our readers can turn back to the GLEANER of May, 1877, they will find some most curious pictures of them, drawn by Japanese artists, with a detailed account of their "bear-worship."

At Hakodate, a port at the south end of the island, are stationed the two C.M.S. missionaries, the Rev. Walter Dening and Mr. J. Batchelor. Miss Bird says (vol. ii., p. 15)—“ Mr. Dening has a singular aptitude for languages, and has acquired not only a wonderful command of the colloquial Japanese spoken by the lower classes, but what is even more, the tones in which they speak. He gives his time, strength, and heart to his work, with a vigour, energy, and enthusiasm which could not be surpassed, and which are unchilled by opposition and disappointment." She gives an amusing account of a noisy evangelistic service she attended with him at the villiage of Ono; but we

shall let him take our readers further into the interior.

The nearest way from Hakodate to the heart of the island is across a deep arm of the sea called Volcano Bay. Miss Bird's account of the "wretched steamer" in which she made this twenty-five mile voyage is well matched by Mr. Dening's narrative of one of his crossings, in September, 1879, with his wife and four children, not in a steamer at all, but in a sailingvessel :

Crossing Volcano Bay.

Early the next morning the captain of the small vessel that was to take us across the bay came to ask us to get ready as soon as possible, as the anchorage was bad and the waves were beginning to get up, so we bustled about and managed to reach the embarking place at a little after seven. It commenced to rain, and the waves were tossing the small boat that was to take us to the vessel up and down, so that it was most difficult to get all the little folk into the boat, and the big folk gave us still greater trouble, but at last all were safely in, and we were glad to get away from the pier, against which the boat kept knocking so as to be in serious danger of being tipped over.

When we got on board the vessel we found that there was no place large enough to receive such a large party but the hold, and as we were bound to seek shelter from the rain, which was pouring down, somewhere, nolens volens, Mr. Evington excepted, all descended a precipitous ladder and found ourselves in the midst of a few native fellow-sufferers, who were already commencing to be seriously affected by the rolling of the ship, with a large heap of stones to serve instead of chairs, bed, table, &c. The vessel started at once. She gave us no time to get our sea legs or another of our party succumbed. Our chief nurse soon became like a One after anything else, but commenced rolling from side to side. dead thing, and never stirred till the ship anchored. Mrs. Dening took our large baby in her arms soon after we got on board, and actually kept him in her arms till twelve o'clock at night, and then only gave him up for a short time. Our elder girls were very sick. I was worse than any of them, but could not keep still, for there was milk to warm and a hundred little things to be done. Mr. Evington and I were both wet to the skin the whole day, and as for eating or drinking, no one thought of

all gave way to the exigencies of the occasion, and the state of the hold can better be imagined than described. Our goats were with us in the hold, and leaped about over stretched-out bodies as though they were on their native mountain rocks.

Late on in the evening news came that our position was made clear by the appearance of the Usu Mountains, and at 2 A.M. we anchored outside the Usu Bay.

As light gradually broke over the surrounding mountains a lovely scene of quiet, calm beauty seemed to repay one for all the troubles of the voyage. It was one of those beautiful bright mornings described in the Bible as the "clear shining after the rain." The land-locked bay, the towering mountains, the luxuriant verdure all around, with the scattered Aino huts nestling under the shelter of the hill at the back, all seemed to point out the place as suitable for rest and quiet thought, such as after all the hurry and bustle of the past few months we felt very much in need of.

These are the students mentioned in the following journal.

Monday, May 24th.-Reached Satsuporo at 1 P.M. Ito came out on horseback to meet us; previously he had been telegraphing constantly to learn on what day and at what hour we were to start. We learnt he has succeeded in hiring a house for us, at which we shall be able to receive visitors and carry on our Christian work. Several of the Christian students had prepared a tea for us, which was brought cooked to the house. The foreign residents were all most kind in sending articles of furniture, so that we were able to settle in at once.

Tuesday, May 25th.-Visitors coming in all day. The Christians here are so long without seeing a missionary, that when one does arrive they come with numerous hard questions. With a view to the discussion of some of these questions I have arranged to have an afternoon class between 4 and 6 P.M.

Wednesday, May 26th.-Commenced the afternoon class. Subjects discussed: "The First Temptation" (Matt. iv.), "The Variations in the Genealogies of Matthew and Luke," "The Sin against the Holy Ghost." Held a service in the evening in a rather out-of-the-way place which the native Christians obtained for us. As there were few that knew of the service we only had about thirty. The students are not allowed out of the College after 8 P.M., so they were not able to be present. Thursday, May 27th.-Visited Tsuishi Kari, the Aino settlement, distant about fourteen miles from Satsuporo. A new hotel has been erected since I was there in 1878. The hotel-keeper was very glad to see us, and gave us all the assistance he could in the way of supplying us with information.

I saw most of the Ainos with whom I conversed in 1878, and introduced Mr. Batchelor to them, and asked them to help him in learning the language. The invalid of whom I wrote in my journal of 1878 died last year. I practised my Aino, and found it came back to me better than I anticipated it would. Since the first of last year I have done nothing in the study of Aino.

In the afternoon Arato [another of the Christian students] turned up. His native village, Tobetsu, is about seven miles distant. The loneliness of his position, the total absence of all Christian intercourse, has tried him

made by him in May and June last. His head-quarters were at Satsuporo, a town in the interior of the island where the Japanese Government have established an agricultural colony for the purpose of developing the resources of the country and of training young There is a men to agricultural pursuits.

College there, where fifty students are instructed by American professors in the English language, and in science, engineering, &c. The remarkable thing is that eighteen of these young Japanese are Christians, most of them brought to a knowledge of the truth through the instrumentality of Mr. Clark, an American gentleman who was Principal of the College for a time. One, however, named Ito, first learned of Christ from an English lady who was there four or five years ago, Miss Dennis; and he was baptized by Mr. Dening in 1876.

ing relatives. But he knows of one young man who very lately has shown signs of being impressed. He hopes to come to Hakodate at the end of the year, and looks forward to getting Government employ as a schoolmaster in Hakodate, which will enable him to attend our classes and services, and yet not be the cause of extra expense to the Mission. He said that he felt the need of further instruction very much indeed, that he often had to encounter Atheists and Materialists, and he was at a loss sometimes for a reply to their various arguments. We had prayer together, and I endeavoured to do for him what Jonathan did for David when under similar circumstances, viz., to strengthen his hands in God.

Friday, May 28th.-Mr. Eusden (the British Consul) from Hakodate, and his wife, have arrived at Satsuporo. Preparing for afternoon class, and walking around the town telling people about the evening Paley's preaching. Students here from 4 to 5.45. Evidences" and "The Difficulties of Gen. i." formed the subject of discussion.

(To le continued.)

GOSPEL TROPHIES.

"Out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."-Rev. v. 9.

I.—Naomi Sukhli, or, “I will never worship a Crucified

God."

BY THE REV. C. B. LEUPOLT.

HE was the wife of one of our catechists, a most earnest convert, by name of Ram Ruttan. He had received his first impressions of Divine truth from a tract which had been put into his hands on the immortality of the soul. He was for some time in the same condition as the treasurer of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia he wished to understand the things which he read, but no Philip came to instruct him. As no one came to him, he left his house in search of the truth, and in his travels came to Allahabad, at which place our Society had then a catechist. Ram Ruttan heard him preach, and began to argue with him; but the catechist, David Batavia, finding himself unable to cope with him, gave him a letter of introduction, and sent him to Benares, to the Rev. W. Smith, my fellow-labourer, with whom he stayed for some time. Mr. Smith spoke and argued with him daily, and took him likewise to the city to attend the preaching at the different chapels or preaching places. Ram Ruttan visited me also now and then, and I found him an honest, clever, and intelligent man, possessed of a considerable share of good sense, but he was too proud to humble himself and believe in a crucified Saviour. After having stayed some time with Mr. Smith he left him, and joined the enemies of the Lord in the city of Benares; but after a short absence he returned, stating that he could no longer resist his conviction, and desired baptism. Mr. Smith, being convinced of his sincerity, baptized him by the name of Nathaniel. He manifested from the beginning the most genuine signs of conversion.

Having tasted how gracious the Lord is, Ram Ruttan was anxious that his wife should share in the blessing, and went therefore to fetch her. She came with three fine little boys, who were at once, at their father's request, baptized by the names of Abel, Noah, and Moses.

If we

Sukhli was a fine, tall, good-looking woman, with a great deal of common sense and powers of mind. She was like all other women of India at that time, quite uneducated; she could neither read nor write, and therefore went daily to the Orphan Girls' School to be instructed. Her husband was very anxious for her conversion, and prayed much for her. She listened to his instructions and attended Divine service; but when her husband urged her one day to accept the love of Christ crucified, she said to him, "Do you really believe that God sent His Son from heaven to die for sinners? I shall never believe it. were good people I could believe that He might have sent His Son to instruct us; but for such as we are, who do not act according to that we know to be right, for such He could never send His Son to die." When he spoke to her of baptism she said, "Do I not live in Benares? And if I die I will die in the Panch Kôs [that is, within ten miles of Benares], and I shall be sure of going to heaven. I will not be a Christian, I will not be baptized "-and then told her husband plainly she would never believe on a crucified God, and that if Christ had been God He would never have been crucified. In this state of mind she remained for some months. Her husband came to me and told me of his wife's state of mind, saying, "What shall I or can I do?" "Do as we did, Ram Ruttan," I said, "when you joined the enemies in the city, we prayed for you."

About that time typhus fever was raging in Benares; numbers died, and Ram Ruttan was also attacked. Sukhli was with

him day and night, but he became daily worse. He spoke to her much about the love of Christ, told her of his prospect and

her.

happiness. When he felt his end approaching he called for his children, laid his hands on each and blessed them. He told his wife he was happy in Jesus, and he expired in her arms. It was a mournful funeral. Sukhli did not attend, but locked herself up. After a few days two of our Christian women visited They sympathised with her, but she wished to hear nothing about Jesus. About two months expired, when her eldest boy, Abel, was attacked with the same complaint, and died. We felt deeply for the poor widow. She attended the funeral, and as I pronounced the words, "earth to earth, ashes to ashes," I saw a tear steal down her brown cheek. She went home and locked herself up again. Two other of our women tried to comfort her, but she would not listen, but repeated several times, "I will never bow to a crucified God!"

A short respite was granted her, when her youngest child was taken ill. I was standing one day at the door of our prayer room, which adjoins my house. A person came across my premises, and, as she came near, I saw it was Sukhli, with something in her arms. She brought her youngest child to me, saying, "Oh, look at my child, he is dying! Let him not die: give him some medicine, make him well, or he will die also." I looked at the poor child. The features of death were already depicted on his countenance, and I said to her, "Good woman, here is human aid of no avail, no one can help your poor child but the Good Physician above. When He was on earth He raised the dead; He can do so now, apply therefore to Him." She was in deep distress, and after I had given the child some medicine, she took up her precious burden and went to her house. I followed her in order to see what more I could do. She laid the child on her own bed, and as she did so, it gave a convulsive gasp and the little spirit had left the home of clay. Never shall I forget the bitter anguish depicted on her countenance. She knelt before the bed, clasped her hands, looked up to heaven and exclaimed in agony, "It is enough, Lord, it is enough! I will humble myself, I will bow to the foot of Thy cross. And she did bow.

Soon after she asked for baptism, and when asked what name she wished to have, she mournfully replied, "Call me Naomi, for the Lord has dealt with me as he did with her. I was full when I came; what am I now?"

But her trials were not yet over. Her second and only son left was also laid on a sick bed; we did all we could for the child, but he was taken also. When he was gone, she went silently to Mr. Smith, and afterwards came to me, and all she said was, "The widow's dove has fled to the bosom of his Saviour."

Sukhli is a humble, earnest, Christian woman, a true servant of Christ; and for upwards of thirty-four years she was a fellowlabourer in our Mission. During the greater part of the time she was the matron of the Orphan Girls' Institution, and I left her in 1872 in charge of the same. But she is now, I hear, pensioned, and so has been relieved of those labours in which the Lord has richly blessed her.

MISSIONARY LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF ST. PETER.
IX.-Having and Giving.
"Such as I have, give I thee."
Acts iii. 1-16.

WO words in this text which should always come together,
never be separated: Have and Give. Who used these
words? Where ? When?

Temple Gate--" Beautiful "-Corinthian brass. Hour of prayer, 3 P.M. Crowds going up steps. Beggars at gate. [Many will remember how one is represented in Holman Hunt's great picture, "The Finding of Christ in the Temple." One of them we might well pity-what the matter with him ?-how long lame? Peter and John going up-old friends-together as fishermen-as disciples-in sorrow on that sad night (John xviii. 15)—in perplexity on

that Easter morning (John xx. 3)-and now still together as leaders of infant Church. Why "fastened eyes on lame man? Perhaps saw he "had faith to be healed" (as in Acts xiv. 9). At all events, not to give Somoney-why not? Had none !

1. Peter could not give what he had not. 2. What he had, he felt he ought to give.

3. And that he gave gladly.

And what came of it? Not only lame man healed; not only admiration of people (ver. 10, 11); not only opportunity to preach to crowd of people in Temple; but many converts (chap. iv. 4).

HAVE-GIVE. Let these be our words too.

What is the very best thing for us to have, and then to give? Surely the Gospel!-glad tidings of forgiveness and grace through Jesus. All the world lame, cripples, cannot walk in God's ways. But He can heal them. What good news to have, and to give! Now, see1. You cannot give what you have not. Cannot tell others about Jesus if know Him not yourself. Therefore, first get!

2. What you have, be sure and give. Don't keep Gospel to yourself. Tell it out! And the heathen far away-what can you do for them? Say, Opportunity to speak to them I have none: but such as I have give I them-sympathy, prayer, money to send them the Gospel.

3. What you have to give, give gladly. Don't say, Oh, if I could go to India, I would preach, but at home I can do nothing. Don't say, If I were rich I would give money; but I am poor, so I cannot. "Such as I have, give I."

And remember, it is blessed indeed to receive the Gospel; but "it is more blessed to give than to receive!"

SOME NEW MISSIONARY PUBLICATIONS.

E would ask all the readers of the GLEANER to take the yellow bill they will find dropped into this number, read it through, and keep it carefully. It is a list of the Society's publications. We must not mention them all here, but we wish to draw attention to two or three.

First, remember that our monthly periodicals are bound up at the end of the year, and the GLEANER Volume and the JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR Volume are very handsome and attractive presents or prizes. The latter, in its new shape, is particularly pretty; entirely green inside, and red (or green) and gold (or black) outside.

Then, every one of our readers should have the Society's sheet ALMANACK to put up in their rooms. Its pictures this year are large and interesting, and represent different kinds of worship -idolatry in India, sacrifice of blood in Africa, Buddhist ceremonial in Japan, Mohammedan prayer in Afghanistan, and the Christians of Metlakahtla assembling for church on Sunday morning.

We have also a new CHURCH MISSIONARY KALENDAR OF POCKETBook, containing not only the usual pocket-book information, but the most complete information about the C.M.S. yet issued in a convenient form, viz., a short account of the Society, and of every one of its Missions; a list of all the Missionaries, and of the Native clergy; the statistical returns; the income and expenditure, &c., &c. It should be the inseparable companion of every friend of the Society.

Then there are two new series of Tracts and Leaflets, very suitable for distribution at meetings, &c. One gives a brief account of the Society; another, a collection of independent testimonies concerning missionary work; another, answers to common objections; another, a collection of missionary Scripture texts, classified under heads, and so on.

There are larger books and pamphlets, too, on Africa ("The Lost Continent "), on the Chekiang Mission in China, on Japan and the Japan Mission, on Metlakahtla, &c. And the CHURCH MISSIONARY ATLAS gathers all up together in a complete form, with its thirty-one missionary maps.

We want all our friends to know more about the Church Missionary Society, and to see that others know more about it. It is those who know most who pray most, and who give most, and therefore we ask them to look at this yellow bill.

A NEW YEAR'S MOTTO.

"The day is Thine, the night also is Thine."-Ps. lxxiv. 16.

LL of the YEAR is Thine;
Yet lent to me,

To use each quickly passing hour
Entirely for Thee:-

And all my happiest moments
Are the moments spent with Thee.

All of each DAY is Thine;
The light and shade

Are by Thy Everlasting Love

And perfect Wisdom made; And while Thy hand is guiding me I will not be afraid.

All of each HOUR is Thine;

Oh! passing sweet

Are those that find me sitting down
And listening at Thy feet

To words of loving-kindness
For my varied need made meet.
Each MOMENT spent with Thee-
Thy Love my stay-

Thy Faithfulness and Truth my Guide
Through all Life's varied way,
Until the last short step I take
Into Thy glorious day.

All of the NIGHT is Thine,
And through the gloom

Thou pointest to the fair Day-break
That cometh soon;

And "Time shall be no longer"

In Thy Everlasting Home.

From Eight Shillings and Sevenpence to One Hundred and Six Pounds.

UCH is the advance in the funds raised for the Church Missionary Society in one parish within seven years. From 83. 7d. to £106 8s. 10d.

This parish is St. Luke's, Bedminster, Bristol. The Vicar is the Rev. D. A. Doudney, D.D., who is well known to many Christian people as the editor for forty years of an excellent periodical called Old Jonathan.

In 1872, the Rev. J. H. Gray, C.MS. Association Secretary for Gloucestershire and North Wilts, attended a meeting at Bedminster, and was surprised to find that the whole amount collected for the Society in St. Luke's parish was 8s. 7d. We suppose his address must have stirred up the people to a livelier sympathy with the work of God in heathen lands, for from that day their contributions began to increase. Slowly, however, at first. In 1876 they had risen to £19 18s. 6d. In 1877 this was almost doubled, the amount being £38 8s. 7d. In 1878 that sum more than doubled itself, the total being £91 13s. 3d. And in 1879 it was £106 8s. 10d.

"And yet," writes Mr. Gray, "it is a poor parish." This is confirmed by the last printed Report, for 1879, from which we find that the collections in church were £11; that eleven annual subscriptions brought in £9; that special gifts in connection with an annual tea-meeting produced £25; that weekly and monthly contributions paid through collectors amounted to £29; that the Sunday-schools raised £14; that missionary-boxes and missionary-bags produced £18. The money is made up by the aggregate of littles.

"If thousands of our clergy," says Mr. Gray, "were awake, as dear 'Old Jonathan' is, to the importance of the work and the blessing our labour for it confers on our home population, and if our poor throughout the land were as earnest in pleading with and working for the Lord of the Harvest, as St. Luke's poor are, what a blessing should we not have at home, and what an income to use for our Master in foreign fields!"