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THE CHURCH MISSIONARY GLEANER.

DECEMBER, 1882.

[NO. 108.

THE WORKING TOGETHER

OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH IN THE EXTENSION OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM.

BY THE REV. J. B. WHITING, M.A., Vicar of St. Luke's, Ramsgate.

IX. HE glory of the Holy Spirit shines out in the Acts of the Apostles. Wisdom, power, activity are seen in His blessed work of grace. Events are made to work together for the salvation of single souls and of whole communities. How wide is the embrace of His love! A thousand miles are as nothing when an African eunuch is to be taught by Philip. A woman of Asia seeks wealth by selling purple on the coast of Europe, and finds the riches of heaven. A poor female slave is set free for eternity. A Roman centurion stationed at Cæsarea, and a jailor at Philippi, are instances which draw aside the veil; and behold! God the Holy Ghost is no silent spectator of the glorious plan of salvation! How worthy of His dignity and His power!

The Holy Spirit loves the world. His delight is among the children of men. He is everywhere present to seek and to save that which is lost. He takes "Jesus Christ and Him crucified," and "shows" this gospel to heal the bigotry of Jerusalem, the superstition of Ephesus, the busy worldliness of Antioch, the licentiousness of Corinth, the false philosophy of Athens, and the pride of Rome. "The gospel of Christ is the power of the Holy Ghost to every one that believeth, both Jew and Greek."

But as we read in the Acts the method of His working, we are filled with renewed admiration of His love. It is the glory of the Holy Ghost to work by means.

Nations are not to be converted by a miracle, but by the use of means entrusted to Christians; the written Word, the living voice, the influence of rank and position, the gold and the silver which send and sustain the missionary, labour of love, energy of faith, patience of hope which expects results. How kind, how useful to believers is this life of service!

And how pleasing is the picture of the planting of Christianity. Life, energy, self-sacrifice shine out in the early Churches and first converts. It never entered their minds that Christianity could propagate itself as a weed does. They went everywhere telling of Christ. They did not fear to "turn the world upside down."

The salvation of man was an object of unutterable importance. The Fatherhood of God, trust in God's care, the throne of grace, brotherly kindness, forgiveness of injuries, holiness of heart, and every other revelation of Jesus Christ, were necessary to a world lying in sorrow, darkness, and sin. Those Christians in the Acts loved the world as the Spirit loved the world. They recognised the Spirit's loving desire for the salvation of the world; and depending upon the power of the Holy Ghost they went forth, not counting their lives dear unto them. They looked for the fulfilment of the promise of success involved in the last command of the Ascending Saviour.

Those early Churches had the same mind as the Holy Ghost, and they "travailed in birth for souls until Christ was formed in them." It caused " great joy" in their missionary meetings when they heard of what God had done by the hands of their missionaries. Thus were the Churches multiplied and the number of them that believed grew exceedingly.

Her instrumen

Let Sion awake. Let her arise and shine. tality is necessary. Her strength is "the power of the Holy Ghost." "When Sion travailed she brought forth."

Work, for the Saviour cometh,
Cometh in all His power,
Work, till the King proclaimeth,
Rest! man's work is o'er.

T

NEWS FROM UGANDA.

T is a long time since we gave any account in the GLEANER of the Victoria Nyanza Mission. If our readers will look at the April and November numbers last year, they will find a summary of the history of the Mission from the beginning, and interesting extracts from the journals down to the end of 1880. Since March, 1881, the only missionaries in Uganda have been the Rev. P. O'Flaherty and Mr. Mackay, and we have news of them down to May 9th, 1882. That period of nearly fourteen months was, on the whole, one of prosperity and progress, and when we remember the trials which Mr. Pearson and Mr. Mackay had had to undergo, this is a cause for deep thankfulness to God.. Of course King Mtesa was capricious; of course the Arab traders were bitterly hostile; and more than once the lives of our brethren were threatened. Nevertheless, the king has generally been their friend, and their work has gone on without hindrance. That work has been both secular and spiritual. They have had to be builders, carpenters, smiths, wheelwrights, sanitary engineers, farmers, gardeners, graziers, physicians, and surgeons! Mr. Mackay's summary of work, which is printed in the Intelligencer of this month, is indeed astonishing. We must look upon all this as real missionary work. It helps to support the Mission, and so saves the Society's money; and it is sure to have much effect in winning the confidence of the people and making them more ready to receive the Gospel message. But we naturally want to know what has been the effect of the Christian teaching which has been given from time to time to so many of the people, and we rejoice to say that there are already results for which we should unfeignedly thank God. On March 18th of this present year the first five converts were baptized. Mr. O'Flaherty writes:"On March 18th, the anniversary of my arrival here, I baptized five young men. Their new names are Henry Wright, Edward Hutchinson, Philip, Mackay, and Jacob. Others actually wept when they were not admitted."

And Mr. Mackay writes of them, and of other inquirers :

"About fifty young men, average age 20 years, have been taught to read (and some to write) within the year. Many of these have been carefully instructed in the way of salvation, and not a few of them show signs of having received the truth into their hearts.

"On the 18th inst., after careful preparation, Mr. O'Flaherty baptized five young men, who, so far as we could judge by their answers, diligence, and behaviour, have resolutely made up their minds to become disciples of Jesus Christ, and face every risk which their confession may involve them in.

"A considerable number more are anxious for baptism, and we hope that in a short time, after fuller instruction and when we know them sufficiently, we may be able to welcome them too into the fold of the Church below.

One class of pupils has gone through the whole of the Gospel of St. Matthew and the Acts of the Apostles; another class has studied St. Mark; another has read chiefly lessons in Old Testament History; while some have read two or three of the Epistles. These have all been read in Kisuaheli, and rendered sentence by sentence into their own language, either by the pupils themselves or by us. All of them, and many more, have first read and become perfectly familiar with a pamphlet which we printed in their own language containing the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and a series of Scripture Texts.

"The work of translation has been continued. A large part of the Old Testament lessons, the service for Morning Prayer, and the Baptismal Service for adults, have been translated. Former translations have been revised; while we have added very largely to, and corrected our previous vocabularies and grammar."

Will the readers remember these five young men by name before the throne of grace? The spiritual future of the Mission may to a large extent depend upon the character of these first representatives of Uganda Christianity.

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CAIRO.

UCH offence has been caused to the Christian people of England by the presence of the British troops, headed by Sir Garnet Wolseley and the Duke of Connaught, at a ceremony in Cairo believed to be one of great importance in the eyes of Mohammedans. At the time we are writing it seems to be still uncertain exactly what the troops did and did not do, and we earnestly hope it may prove that they were not really taking part in a superstitious ceremonial.

Meanwhile we may remind our own readers that a very remarkable picture of this annual procession appeared in the GLEANER of September, 1879. That picture was engraved from an instantaneous photograph, which was given to us by the Rev. T. P. Hughes, of Peshawar, and it was accompanied by an interesting account of the ceremony, written by Mr. Hughes, who was himself present on the occasion seven years ago. We will not repeat his description now, but we give another picture of the scene, a German one, though it is not so good as our own. We hope our friends will take down their GLEANER volume for 1879 (of course they have it on their shelves!), and look at pages 102, 103.

But does not this whole matter remind us of the urgent need there is to give Egypt the Gospel? Miss Whately is at the post she has so long and so faithfully occupied, and the Society is sending out Mr. Klein, formerly of Jerusalem, and a great Arabic scholar, to join her. What more can be done will depend upon the Special Fund for which an Appeal is now being widely circulated over the country. Will our readers do their best for it? Of course it must not interfere with the General Fund. Every penny of that is pledged, and we want "Half as much again." But let extra thank-offerings for our recent national mercies be asked for. The door into Egypt is open now; let us enter in while we may. And may He who " openeth and no man shutteth" open to us also the hearts of the Egyptians!

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CHINESE BIBLE-WOMEN AT FUH-CHOW.

Letter from Mrs. R. W. Stewart.

FUн-CHOW, July 4th, 1882. EAR MR. EDITOR,-The accompanying photo will interest the readers of The Story of the Fuh-Kien Mission. You mention in that book the Biblewoman's class, and Chitnio, the widow of the Rev. Ling Sieng-Sing. The middle figure with the little boy is Chitnio, and next to her on the right hand side of the picture is the wife of that good man Ting-Ing-Soi, who died from the effects of the ill-treatment he received in Hok-Chiang, and whose story I see is also told in your book. Three of these women have been studying here at Fuh-Chow for about a year and a-half, and are now going out as Bible-women; the fourth (the last on the left hand side) has been a Bible-woman for some time, and has only come back for a little more teaching and opportunity to study the Bible for herself, which it is hard for them to do at their stations.

Perhaps the readers of the GLEANER Would like to hear a little about our class here. Our object is, as I think you know, not merely to train Bible-women, but also to teach the wives of the catechists, and indeed any earnest Christian woman who is willing for a time to leave her home for the sake of learning the Doctrine." Many of these we cannot make Bible-women, for the Native clergy and others very strongly insist that young women must not be used in this work; it is so contrary to Chinese custom that they think it might do harm. However, we teach all who are willing and able to learn, and those who are young, or who have children depending on them, return to their own homes and try to do all they can to spread the truth without any pay; indeed they are much like female "exhorters," and we hope much good may be done in this way, for the heathen know well they gain no worldly advantage.

There is one woman now at Ch'iah-Sioh who left us more than a year ago, and we hear very good accounts of her work; her mother, uncle, and brother, and several others have joined the

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Since we started the class altogether fourteen women have passed through it. Of these, five are wives of catechists, and one is the wife of the Rev. Ngoi Kaik-ki, the clergyman at KuCheng, three are Bible-women, and the others have gone back to their own homes, where we hope they will be quite as useful in their own way as the paid Bible-women.

We have many requests for admission. This year, for the first time, we have had as many women as the house can hold, namely, twelve, for previously there seemed to be a secret fear among them of coming to Fuh-Chow, and so putting themselves, as they imagined, in the power of the "foreigners.' This feel

under the circumstances, to return to Egypt, forward a report to Bishop Gobat, and then, by way of Cairo and Aden, proceed to Rabbai by sea. Fever, sun-stroke, and fatigue on the return journey nearly killed me, and I quite expected to have found a grave in the Nubian Desert. On my arrival at Cairo it became clear to me that I could not go on to Rabbai in this suffering condition, nor indeed any longer endure the climate of Africa or present way of life, and that therefore my work in Africa was at an end. So, with deep sorrow, in August, 1855, I bade farewell to the land where I had suffered so much, journeyed so much, and experienced so many proofs of the protecting and sustaining hand of God; where, too, I had been permitted to administer to many souls the Word of Life, and to name the Name of Jesus Christ in places where it had never before been uttered and known. God grant that the seed so broad-cast may not have fallen only on stony places, but may spring up in due season, and bear fruit an hundredfold!

In the September of 1855 I reached Stuttgardt, and resided for a time at Kornthal till my future career of usefulness should develop itself. The Committee of the Church Missionary Society in London manifested a kind

ing, however, seems to be quite disappearing, and we have just sympathy with my sufferings, and expressing a hope that I might soon had a request from Mr. Sia, the clergyman at Lo Nguong, to allow his wife to come down to Fuh-Chow for a time, to study and learn to read the Bible. LOUISA STEWART.

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"I am sure you will like to hear lately there are four families believed in Jesus. There are two women possesses with devils, one is fiercer than the other, one woman says she wants to eat a lamb, so they brought a lamb before her, she take hold of it, she bite it, and sucks the blood, in a minute the lamb was dead, then she says she wants to eat fowls; they brought fowls before her, take hold of it, she sucks the blood, the fowls was dead; they ask her why do you wants to eat the lamb and fowls, she said if I had not eat, I shall be dead; then she said she wants to eat an ox, then they were afraid, sees her in that state, so they directly came here and told they wants believe in Jesus, and asks go prayed in her house, and the Christian men did go and prayed, after the singing and prayer the woman got up to comb her hair quite sensible, they put off all the idols, in her family there are thirteen persons; on Sunday they all come church. Yours affectionately, "G. JIM (Patience)."

THE STORY OF THE LIFE OF DR. KRAPF,
The Pioneer-Missionary of East Africa.
TOLD BY HIMSELF.

X.-LATER YEARS.

S soon as my health permitted it I proceeded in the year 1854 to make my report to the Committee of the Church Missionary Society on the Rabbai Mission, and to receive further instructions. It was resolved to reinforce the mission by a new missionary in the person of our dear brother Deimler from Bavaria [now C.M.S. missionary to the Mohammedans at Bombay].

About the same time the Bishop of Jerusalem had formed the plan of sending to Abyssinia a number of brethren, brought up as mechanics, who had received some missionary instruction at the Institute of St. Chrishona, his object being, if possible, to revive the mission to that country which had fallen through in the year 1813. I accordingly offered to visit Abyssinia on my way back to Rabbai, and in the company of one of these brothers to pave the way for the contemplated mission. The Committee approved of my plan, and in the November of 1854 I left Trieste, after having published at Tübingen my Wakuafi Dictionary, and the English Liturgy in the Suabili language. On my arrival at Jerusalem I waited upon Bishop Gobat respecting the Abyssinian Mission, and received from him the necessary instructions, with which early in 1855 I paid my last visit to Abyssinia. Arrived at Gondar, the capital of Abyssinia, we found the road to Shoa completely closed by the war which the new king, Theodorus, was waging against that country; so it seemed the best plan,

be so far recovered as to be able to continue my labours in Africa in a better climate, proposed to me to go to the Mauritius, and seek out such natives of Eastern Africa as had formerly been thence sold into slavery, but were now residing in the island as free men, who might be willing to learn; and to instruct them sufficiently to become catechists, with a view of ultimately sending them back to Africa in that capacity, a plan which had been attended with much success at Sierra Leone in Western Africa. At the Cape of Good Hope, too, the Committee was of opinion that such persons were also to be met with. Agreeable and inviting as was this proposal, much as I approved of it, having regard to its important results, I could not persuade myself to return to Africa for some years to come, as I wished first for the complete restoration of my health, and for time to review my whole life, especially my missionary life in Africa; an occupation for which, out there, I had never yet found sufficient time or leisure.

Our merciful Father, who hath hitherto so wonderfully upheld me, and rendered my path in life pleasant to me, even amidst care and toil, hath been pleased to bestow upon His servant an helpmeet for him in the daughter of senator Pelargus of Stuttgardt, my beloved wife Charlotte, whose Christian experiences, joined to a perfect disregard of self and an affectionate nature, have been my greatest support, both in the calling in which I labour, and in the shattered state of my health; for, indeed, she has proved herself to me the best and truest human support, alike for body and soul !

Full of trust in His hands do I leave the future of my life on earth, whether of activity at home, or in the former field of my labour amongst the heathen of Africa! To Him would I render, as is most due, all honour and praise, worshipping Him in time and eternity, being thankful to Him, and blessing His Name for all His mercies bestowed upon me from my youth upwards, especially in the trials and perils of my sojourn amongst the benighted tribes of Eastern Africa!

NOTE IN CONCLUSION.

Dr. Krapf's autobiography, ending as above, was written in 1860. He lived twenty-one years after that, mostly in Germany. Twice he revisited the scenes of his former labours. In 1861 he went to East Africa with a new Methodist Mission to the Wanika people to introduce the party, and see them settled in the country; and in 1867 he was in Abyssinia for a short time, as interpreter, with the British army which Sir R. Napier led to Magdala. But the great work of his later years was linguistic. In particular, he completely revised, for the British and Foreign Bible Society, the version of the whole Bible in Amharic (the language of Abyssinia) which was made some seventy years ago by an Abyssinian monk. He also compiled an elaborate Dictionary of the Suahili, the principal language of East Africa, which was just finished when he died, and has since been published.

The touching circumstances of Krapf's death were mentioned in the GLEANER of last January. He entered into rest Nov. 26th, 1881. To the last he followed with the keenest interest the fortunes of the East Africa and Nyanza Missions. They are the direct result of his work. He laid the foundation at Mombasa; and his explorations led to the travels of Speke and Grant and Stanley, which in their turn opened the way to Uganda. And we are now establishing the very chain of Missions which he was the first to project.

GLEANINGS FROM BISHOP SARGENT'S JOURNAL Christianity is." "Then, sir," said he, "you do not know who has been

IN TINNEVELLY. (Continued from page 129.)

ALLUR, 11th December, 1881.-At the early morning service there was the Litany, and a sermon by one of the Native pastors. At noon there was service with Confirmation, at which one hundred and forty-four candidates were presented, some of whom had come here the previous day, a distance of from ten to eighteen miles. I have, of course, to depend in great measure on the pastors performing their duty towards these candidates, in preparing them months beforehand for this important and interesting rite. But to let all see that the address at the opening of the Confirmation service is not a dead letter, and that if any are kept back it is not at the whim of the pastor, but because the candidate lacks the required knowledge and fitness, I explain the matter, and then proceed to examine a few of the candidates, pointing out the person that is to reply to my question. On the present occasion I asked about a dozen questions, all from the Church Catechism. On one side six young women answered fairly, on the other side five young men answered well, and only one partially failed. On such occasions, however, some allowance must be made on the score of shyness. I am persuaded that the preparation of candidates for Confirmation is one of the most effectual means of bringing the claims of spiritual religion before the minds of our converts. It cannot be otherwise if the pastors perform their duty in a prayerful and earnest spirit.

In the evening went to Sivalarkulam, about half a mile to the east. This is the largest and most important village in this neighbourhood. Two years ago for the first time Christianity gained an entrance here. One family of shepherds put themselves under Christian instruction. Some months after that, two more joined, and about seven months ago above twenty families. So that now there are one hundred and twenty souls here who have renounced idolatry and join in Christian worship. I was long doubtful whether, considering the opposition and persecution to which they were exposed, they would remain steadfast, especially as I was told the women did not regularly attend worship with their husbands; but the men explained that this was owing to the lack of a proper place to meet in. The first thing that these people saw, on their numbers being so largely increased, was the large stack of straw belonging to the chief man among them on fire, and some Rs. 30 or 40 property thus destroyed; next a charge of robbery was brought against one of them, and later on another charge of injury to property against some fifteen of them. But the evidence was so manifestly untrustworthy that the Sub-Magistrate threw the case out at once.

Four months ago the Nallúr District Native Church Council allowed them Rs. 30 towards building a place of worship. They expended nearly Rs. 100 of their own, and built a place 36 feet by 15, with walls some 10 feet high, all beautifully neat and clean. They put up a temporary porch, tastefully fitted with a canopy of cloth and with strings of flowers. The globes inside had been borrowed from Nallúr. The room was soon filled to overflowing, for several had come from other villages, and not a few had to stand outside. The first part of St. Matthew xxii. was read as the second lesson, and on it I framed my sermon. I observed how, in the person of the missionary who in times past occupied the Nallúr Station, the king's messengers had come to this village and invited them, but they had declined; now at length some had professed to accept the invitation. "There are many in this Province who come as it were to the door, look in, but never enter. You will say that some of you have come in and some of you have been baptized. Well, here is the feast before you. What would you say if sitting down you folded your arms and would not eat?" "That would never do," said a man sitting half way down. "True, our religion is a religion of the heart. What is the great feast that the Gospel sets before you?" Jesus," said some of the men. "Yes, Jesus the Son of God and the Saviour of the world. The heathen think it is enough to repeat, Hurri, Hurri, or Siva, Siva. But it will not suffice to merely repeat the precious name of Jesus: you must take Him into your hearts, you must believe in Him, as the Saviour who has borne you sins, and from Him you must seek pardon and grace to be holy." This was the substance of my discourse. I have seldom addressed a more attentive audience. I have so far entered into particulars that friends of our Mission may know what our employment really is when we go among these people, and may as partners in our work cultivate a prayerful sympathy with us.

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Palamcottah, 17th December.-While walking in my garden, a pleasinglooking man came up to me and presented a letter from one of the Native pastors in the Surandei District, stating that the bearer, a very respectable man, was a Kshatriyan from a village in his neighbourhood who wished to become a Christian. I let him make his own statement, and then said, "But when a man wishes to change his religion he must understand what it is he intends doing; you wish for baptism, but you have never been under Christian instruction: you must first learn what

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my Guru" [i.e. teacher]. I replied, "No, I do not." My wife has been my Guru, she learnt as a girl in the Mission School in Madura. She learnt to read her Veda [i.e. Bible], she has still a part of the book with her, she has read that to me, and thus I have learnt what your religion teaches. It shows the way of salvation, and therefore I wish to be baptized." Of course I was glad to meet a man like this, and told him that for a few days he must stay here and be under the teaching of the Native pastor, and then if he still wished it I would baptize him.

22nd December, Thursday, Pannikulam.-Arrived at 10 o'clock, and at 12 had service, at which one hundred and ninety candidates were confirmed. At 3 P.M. attended the Church Council, at which three Native pastors and thirteen laymen were present. This district, which is in most things behind our other districts, has this year somewhat improved in contributions to the Church Fund. There is an increase over last year of about Rs. 100. Still matters are not what they ought to be. In the evening a man, Devasagayam Reddi, came to me to plead that he had built a small but substantial church, and wished that I should get the Church Council to allow for it a chair and Communion table, with a globe also to hang in the centre. This was true: he had built a church that had cost about Rs. 700, of which his friend Isaac Reddi had helped him to the amount of Rs. 100. He had got nothing from the Native Church Fund. fund. On the subject being brought before the Council, they gladly This was a pleasing instance of a man doing all without begging from our allowed for the chair and table, but as the globe was only an ornamental requisite, and their funds are so limited, they declined to give anything towards that expense.

At 7 P.M. we had service in the church, attended by all the agents as well as people of the station. Rev. John Nallatamby preached. Old man as he is, he preached with a clearness and energy that I have never known surpassed by a native. His text was, "The Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ," Titus ii. 13. The fluent way in which he kept all in deep attention, the illustrations he used to show that our God is a great God, that His person is great, His attributes are great, and His acts great that greatness culminating in the manifestation of His Son Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world,-all told so eloquently and truthfully, seemed to engross the lively attention of all. 25th December, Palamcottah.-Christmas Day.

"The Shepherds sing; and shall I silent be?
My God, no hymn for Thee!

My soul's a shepherd too; a flock it feeds,
Of thoughts, and words, and deeds."

We are in the midst of trouble from the ravages of cholera, but where can the sorrowing find comfort if not by an interest in the glorious event which we this day commemorate? I was cheered at the sight of the people as they thronged to the early morning service, 877 besides the students and school children; and then 169 remained for the Holy Communion. I had seen the Kshatriyan several times since the 17th, and as he had satisfied the Native pastor of his knowledge of Christian truth, and I felt assured of his sincere earnestness, I baptized him during the service, and received him into the Christian Church under the name of Jesudasen (the servant of Jesus). His heathen name was Tulasi Ram Singh.

31st December.-Looking back on the year that is now closing how much ground does one see for thankfulness! Health restored; opportunities for usefulness open on all sides; apparent progress in the several departments of Mission work. All these things call forth the acknowledgment, "Not unto us, O Lord, but unto Thy name be the glory."

The number of candidates confirmed this year in 20 places is 2,565, of whom 1,463 were males and 1,102 were females.

Compared with last year, the statistics stands as follows for the whole of the congregations in Tinnevelly in connection with the Church Missionary Society:

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1880. 54,263 38,657 9,517 12,720

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1881. 55,262

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999

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