"The iucOHH' of the Society lor i he ffo) la- a t ion of the Gospel in Foreign Part- is ilcri\cd iVom \arioiis sources, embracing Parliamentary lo ant-, collections in ciuiiches, schoolrooms, and )Miblic' balls, in which aniii\crsary ser- nKuis are preached and mi-sionary meetings held, and subscriptions and legacies from individuals, "in this way the institution is lilierally supported, and a large amount of agency is brouiibt to bear upon the people where mis- sion stat"i(nis have been formed.
"During the long period of its existence the venera- l)le Society for the Projiagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts has gradually extended its labors to various parts of the world, and has been instruineiital of much s-ood, es- pecially to Brili-h colonisis at an early ]ierio,i of their stru.srgles. Ion-- b(4'ore inodeni missionarv societies had commenced fheii- operations. This tiseliirinstiiiiiiini now occupies important stations in the British provinces of North America, tlie Dominion of Canada, British Colum- bia, the West lndie<. Southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India, and China. To all these places Anglican bishops and clergymen have gcnie forth, carrying with them their own views of Chiirch order and discipline; and in connection with every important colony a diocese has been formed, and parishes have been orga'uizqd after the style of the mother country. The main object of the institution is to supplv the services and the ordinances of the Church of England to the tens of thousands of British emigrants who have been annuall.y leaving the shores of their native country from generation to generation,, to better their condition in foreign lands. And with much zeal and earnestness have the agents of this society fol-
MISSIONS
360
MISSIONS
lowed their conntrymeu iu all their wnnderin^s, minister- 1 in^' to their epiriuial iiecess-iiie^, iiiid bringing home to i their ri-colleclioiis the lender associations of the 'old | countrv,' where thcv were lavoieci in times of yore to lis- \ ten with i)lea.-ure to Ilie sdiniil of the ' elinreh-goinj; bell.' j Nor liave the dark, beiiij:liled hcailien i)(.pulation within \ ihe biiuiiilaries ami in ihe neij,'lil)i)i limid oftlie respective C(ih)iiies been iieL'lecled bv ihis liine-bonored institnlion.
Manv ] r wandeiin- liuiians in Ilie iiorth-weslern wilds
of Aineiica, as well as idolatrons Hindus in the East, and warlike Kathrs in Southern Africa, to say nothing of the aliori^'iiies of other lands, have been favored with the means of grace and religious iustrnctiou through its in- strunientaVity, especially of late years, since attention was more particularly directed to this department of the work. I
" The Societii for the Promotion of Christian Knoicledge. 1 — Althouirh not strictlv niissioiiary iu its primary object, tliis was at a vetv enrlv luMind an auxiliary to Christian I iiiissidiis. and is -it ihi^ (l:iv a must jiowerfiil help to the fhiu-.'li uf KuL'laiid ill licr <h'M-late places abroad, as well a- ,1 i . :,,■■ li was Ibundrd in Ki'.is, niainlv bv a private ,;^ , I-.'i'liniuas IJrav, who. subsei|iientlv acliiif: as
, ill .Maivlami; ami seeiii- Ihe -leat iieees-
m;x 1 . . Ml- liirlher eflorlat hnine r.ir tlie advam-eiiirul .ifivli-i .11 in Ilie cidonies, bappilv sm-ceeilrd in inii-in- liiililie nlleiitiiin to the matter, llaviii- iit'i, i \mii li- 1 ( .n tlie cliiel' insiriimeiit in the furinatinn of the (^i^])rl I'l-. ji- a-ati"ii Society, Dr. Bray may be fairly c^h-ideied llic founder of both these institutions, and in them of many other noble societies which followed them, by imitation or natural consequence. As early as the year ITO'J the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge estab- lished a connection with Ihe Danish miesion to the Hin- dus at Traiiquebar, and rendered considerable aid towards the supiiort of the work. The Taiijore mission originat- ed in 1T2G, and the one at Tricbinopoly in 17C_', which, with the celebrated Schwarts as its missionary, was taken up five years afterwards by the Christian Kiiowledi;e So- ciety, a"ml prosecuted with vigor and success. W'lieii other institiilioiis of the Cluircii of IjiL'land were after- wards oiLraiiized for tlie express (jurpose of i)rol)agatini: the (iospcl ill foreign lands, the Christian Knowledge So- eietv theiicel'oith coiitimd in aMcnl i. m to llie circulation of religious works-Dil.v-. I'l : ■ a cheap rate in Great llrii :i ' i There are branch socn i:-- :i .n trv, and I'.ersoiis arc conr-i ii irrd m aiinuallv a sum not less Uniii cnu- -iiiiiea.
" The Chilli I, Missiiuntrn Snririi! was instituted in Lon- don in llie month of April, IT'.i'.i. The original design of the socielv was to act more especially iu Africa ami the Kast. That fact was embodied iu its tirst designation, but afterwards dropped. Though the sphere contemidat- ed bv the first board of directors was iieillier small nor unimportant, this society has i)laiited missh.ns over still more widely-extended regions. At tirst, and for a Imig time after its commeiicemeiit, this society was simply sup- ported and governed by the members of the Episcopal Church, and was not in any way subject to eccle-iastic ,il authority. At length the appointment of English bi-boiis to foreign countries rendered a change iu the admini-iia- tiou of the Church Missionary Society absolutely neces- sarv: and it was decided ilia't in future the institution slnmld he conducted in strict conformitv with the ecclesi- astinil piiiK iph - of the Establishment. Hence all the iiii-iMi .rl, - V, i ,'v L'o out, ill its service are iilaceil iin-