of Christian worship, the boon offered through the Christian School, the growing intelligence, comfort, and respectability of those who follow the new way. The conclusion to be drawn seems to be, that fewer cities should be occupied, but with an increased staff of Missionaries; such a division of labour taking place, that each man may fill the position to which he is best adapted. Around each city as a centre, there should be a number of rural stations, with resident Missionaries. Which Cities should be chosen? The Gospel, it is true, is to be preached to "every creature.' If all cities could be occupied, the glad tidings should be sent to all. But as this is impossible under existing circumstances, it seems wise to devote efforts at first to those places where, humanly speaking, the prospects of success are greatest. The sooner some converts are obtained, the more speedily may the message be carried to every locality. There are two classes of cities which are attended with peculiar difficulties: 1. Noted Places of Pilgrimage.--The settled inhabitants are, to a large extent, like the silversmiths of Ephesus, interested in a pecuniary point of view in the maintenance of idolatry. Every excess of wickedness prevails. It is true that they are visited by many pilgrims; but after they have perhaps come a long journey, they are ill prepared to hear that all their fancied merit is a delusion. Besides, any momentary impression produced cannot be followed up. 2. Large Military Stations.-Camp followers are one of the worst classes in India, partaking to a large degree of the vices of Europeans and Natives, without the good qualities of either. They are also very migratory. Though a considerable improvement has taken place in the character of Europeans, there is alas! still too much cause for the ignorant heathen *Calcutta Review for 1864. to raise the objection, "Christian religion, devil religion; Christian much drunk; Christian much do wrong; much beat, much abuse others." It may be argued that the greater the wickedness, the greater is the necessity for removing such a stumbling-block. This is conceded. The grand objections are, that the Missionary is not the best person to do it, and the attempt will, in many cases, mar his usefulness in his proper work. Chaplains of the right stamp, Additional Clergy, Missionaries to the Soldiers like those sent out by the Wesleyans, Army Scripture Readers, are the men to do the work. The question as to whether the Missionary should engage in English preaching, will be discussed hereafter. It is not by any means said that places of pilgrimage and military stations should be always avoided. All that is affirmed is, that they are attended with special difficulties, and that if other towns present similar advantages in other respects, they are to be preferred. Rural Districts cannot be worked from Cities.The Missionaries in many towns itinerate among the neighbouring villages. As a rule, however, they have been very unproductive in conversions. The Missionaries of the American Board were first all congregated at the Central Stations. The effect of a different system at Ahmednuggur is thus described : "The admission into the Churches in the district of Ahmednuggur, in the five years following the visit of the Deputation, were nearly five times as many as in the five years preceding; and the Churches have multiplied from two to sixteen. Adverting to this fact, the Rev. Henry Ballantine, who has been twenty-six years a member of the Mahratta Mission, says, in a letter from Ahmednuggur dated February 7, 1861: Should it be asked how the sudden increase in the number of converts in the last term of five years can be accounted for, I would say, there is no doubt that the new policy inaugurated in the Mission in 1855, putting Missionaries out in the districts to labour among the people, has been the means, in the hand of God, of greatly extending the knowledge of the truth, and of bringing many more converts into our Churches. Some members of the Mission desired to see this policy pursued ten years before it was adopted, but at length the Deputation, coming to India in 1854, decided the matter which had been discussed in the Mission so long, and the plan was at once put in execution.'"* This is the plan adopted in Tinnevelly and Travancore. In general, each out-station is not more than a good night's run from head-quarters, where there is a spare bungalow for a sick family. Hence medical advice, where necessary, can in general soon be obtained. A Missionary in a rural district, should, if possible, live near a large village or small town. His position will still be sufficiently known. He may work in the small town with advantage during the rains or hot season, when he cannot move much about. A small town is preferable to a large city, for the spare time the Missionary could give to it, would be almost lost upon the latter. Preliminary Inquiries -Before deciding upon the selection of a station, it is very important that two experienced Missionaries, accompanied by a Medical Missionary if available, should visit the place and other eligible places in the vicinity. The Madura Missionaries recommend that a report should be made on the following particulars :— (1) The population of the village proposed for the location. (2.) The number of people who have joined us in the village, and in the station district, and their caste. (3.) The number in the caste or castes, favorable to us in all the congregations in the district, also their inclination respecting Christianity, and the inclination of the people of other castes. (4.) The healthiness of the location. (5.) The nearness of the village to a market.† * Dr. Anderson's Letter to Dr. Candlish, p. 10. VIII. SURVEYING THE FIELD. Special Prayer-It is an affecting time when the young Missionary first arrives at the station to which he has been appointed. The Christian Minister at home, with perhaps a Christian congregation of a thousand souls, realises the weighty responsibility of his office. He feels that he needs to bear in mind the exhortation of Paul, "Take heed, therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost have made you overseer, to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood." The Missionary, on the other hand, is placed among vast multitudes, wandering as sheep without a shepherd; every hour the feet of some stumble upon the dark mountains, and they enter into eternity. At home the means of enlightenment are many; the Missionary may, be the solitary beacon amid the surrounding gloom. On arrival, a season should be set apart for special meditation and prayer. Let the Missionary ponder the solemn warnings in Ezekiel, Chapters iii and xxxiii, in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, and other parts of Scripture. Deeply feeling his own insufficiency, let him earnestly cry to the “strong for strength." With this, he may look for a blessing to accompany his labours; without it, all will be in vain. Importance of Investigation.-This may best be shown by an extract from the writings of the late Dr. A. Thomson of Edinburgh, a laborious and successful philanthropist :— "The greatest possible good is not to be attained by vague wishes, by undigested plans, by random efforts. Every one who is at all acquainted with the nature of charity, the variety of character and circumstances which it has to deal with, the multiplicity of forms which in correspondence with these, it is called to assume--the different kinds of machinery with which it has to operate upon its objects, and the disappointments, provocations, and discouragements it has to encounter in its exercise-must be sensible that much thought, much consideration, much inquiry, much discretion, and much patience, are necessary in order to its having its perfect work.' How often have we seen the man of benevolence wasting his resources on an object which a little examination would have shown to be impracticable, and thus disqualifying himself from gaining one that was within his reach! How often have we seen him employing methods for promoting his philanthropic purposes, which his own reflection, had he given it, or the good counsels of others, had he asked it, would have speedily satisfied him were utterly unsuitable and unavailing; and thus losing at once the benefit he proposed to confer, and the time and the exertions, which, if better directed, would have enabled him to secure it! How often have we seen him frittering away his attention, and his talents, and his activities, on such a multitude of different schemes as nothing but thoughtlessness could hinder him from seeing to be quite beyond the grasp of an individual, and in this way casting from him advantages which would have made him a distinguished blessing in any one channel by which he might have chosen to communicate his kindness! and how often have we seen him even though competent to great diversity of charitable doings, yet so heedless with regard to what he had undertaken, so rash in one thing and so remiss in another, so little mindful of suiting his efforts to his exigencies, so ignorant of the influences of circumstances, so unprepared for difficulties and crosses and trials, and so lost amidst the conflicting demands of those multitudinous and illassorted engagements in which he had involved himself, that many things were but imperfectly done, and many things altogether neglected,-that fruitless bustle was frequently all that he could show for real usefulness,--and that, on the whole, little perceptible good was effected, in comparison of what his dispositions induced him to attempt, and his capabilities and enterprises would have led us to anticipate! "Now, to provide against such distressing failures, it is quite necessary that we bring our reason more into play-that we study our subject with greater accuracy and solicitude-that we acquire all the information respecting it that can be obtained— and that we prepare ourselves for the work of charity, as we would prepare for any other work, requiring exact knowledge, sound views, mature deliberation, and prudent management. |