It was exactly ten years since he had spoken to a resolution from that platform. At that time he had thought there was nothing easier than to address such an audience as he saw before him; but the feeling of age having come over him, he hardly thought himself capable of the proper performance of the task which had been set him, and his feelings of diffidence were not diminished by his having Ireland for the subject of his discourse. That country was the acknowledged difficulty of statesmen-the real difficulty of the age; and when he found that out of every twelve persons who solicited bread at his door, ten were natives of that country-when he found the most miserable dwellings in his vicinity were inhabited by Irishmen when he found that almost every ship that sailed, which came under his notice, either for Australia or for America, was crowded by the despairing population of that country, how was it possible that he should not be stimulated to the investigation of the lamentable causes which produced such disastrous effects? On looking to that country, they were immediately met with the spectacle of two classes or races, perfectly distinct from each other; races, differing in manner, in opinion, and in religion-one filled with suspicion, the other with contempt; one muttering complaints of tyranny, the other threatening punishment for insubordination-two races, who were always playing at cross purposes, never acting with one common consent. The fault lay with England, because the first step taken to civilize the Irish was to connect them with the papacy. Whatever the disadvantages of their religion, it was a fact that they were not Romanists until England made them so. After that experiment had failed and some generations had passed away, the attempt was made to pass them over to protestantism; and not following the dictation, the Irish were compelled to pay for a religion which they could not followcompelled to pay for it out of every piece of property they possessed; and in order that the Irish should not fail of being instructed, England sent ministers who could not speak one word of their language-and in order to mend the matter, for a long time the teachers were obliged to conduct the service of the church in Latin. After both those systems had incontestably failed, nothing seemed to suggest itself to the minds of our statesmen than a perpetual alms-giving, which England, with all her faults-with all her adversities, never had the heart to refuse. When a physician was called in to prescribe for a sufferer, the first question he put was, What were the remedies which had been previously administered to the patient? for, generally speaking, the state of the body was to be judged of by the effect which the medicine had produced. Now, no one was prepared to deny that Ireland was suffering from the malady of medicine, the chief ingredients of which were popery and political protestantism-the latter being a prescription of later times, which had had anything but a healthful effect. He had been of opinion that great political changes must be effected before an open field for the regeneration of Ireland presented itself; but then the thought came into his mind, that the world did not present a more encouraging aspect when the apostles went forth at the command of their Lord and Master to preach his word; and when he remembered that no instrument was so powerful as the gospel when preached in his spirit, again he became full of hope, for when a people comprehended the spirit of that book, they learned to govern themselves, and to give very little trouble to those who were placed over them. The missionaries of the Society seemed now to have the way opened before them. Popery had, to a great extent, been allowed to overact itself. Secu lar protestantism had never had the confidence of the people. Civil war and military despotism had been made familiar to themall had been found wanting, and everywhere the missionaries now found the doors open to them. The Report had told them that everywhere the missionaries of the Society were hailed with gladness-the people re ceived their instruction-their schools were filled with children receiving knowledge of the Lord; and, as a sign of the times, it was delightful to know, that in one part of Ireland there had been an open meeting, where the antagonistic points between Romanism and protestantism had been freely discussed. It was a proof that the minds of the people of Ireland were at work-it told them that they had courage to come forward and think for themselves, upon the most important subject upon which man should be agitated. It was gratifying to find that the ratio at which the church was proceeding, was the same in Ireland as in Great Britain during the last year; and, considering the difficulties in which Ireland had been placed during that period, that was a fact which called upon them for the utmost gratitude to the Giver of all grace. It was a well-known characteristic of Irishmen, that whatever they did adopt, they had no midway, but they espoused an object with all their heart. As an illustration of that, a friend had informed him that a notorious Whiteboy having been converted to the Lord, his former confederates sent him word, that they intended to waylay and the Roman catholic priests, but by the protestant ministers in Ireland also. A most happy change has recently taken place. This improvement was brought about, under the divine blessing, by the awful calamity by which Ireland has lately been visited. When the people of Ireland were involved in the deepest distress, the liberality of the people of this country was the means of saving many lives through the means of the Baptist Society, considerable relief was sent to the wretched inhabitants of the county of Mayo. By the distribution of that relief, the people were at last convinced that persons who came to their relief in the hour of their deep distress were their friends, and ever since they have been willing to receive religious instruction from them. Very soon after you enabled me to give that relief, the chapel became crowded by attentive hearers of the word of God. I did not invite them to come-they came of themselves. I believe I have never invited a single individual that has been added to our church to come to our place of worship-all of them have come of their own accord. At a very early stage of the famine, one of your schoolmasters informed me that a man in his locality was dying of hunger. I gave him half-a-crown and requested him to get some nourishing food for the poor man, which he did; and three days afterwards, Į went to visit him, and found him a little recovered. I conversed with him, and directed his mind to the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. Soon after, the man's wife came to Ballina, and I gave her further relief. In a short time after, I saw a murder him, as he was on his way home from, the ceremony of his baptism. He went to them and said: "Boys, you know what I have been; I have stood by you in many a fight, and you never found my courage fail. You may attack me as you have threatened, but you will be safe, for I shall make no resistance, for now I cannot return evil to any man. Be sure, it is not from fear of you, but from the fear of God." Now a people who could be bold, and yet gentle, who feared not man, but God, were the very people whom they wanted to go forth in that afflicted country with the tidings of great joy. England owed a vast obligation to Irelandan obligation which would never be repaid, until she had sent her largely of the blessed gospel, and the very aspect of the times afforded all encouragement for a persevering effort to wipe off the debt. They were told by many, who took a desponding view of affairs, that things were going back-that the earth was sinking-that all Ireland was in a state of approaching dissolution. An ingenious friend of his, attempted to prove this, by the fact that chemistry was now called in to the aid of agriculture. He said the earth required stimulants before she gave of her abundance, which was not the case of old. His friend forgot that the farmers had become less stupid, and that they only took advantage of the laws which nature had laid down. When he looked around, he saw nothing but the signs of progress-the very misery in which Ireland was steeped proved that progress; for in former times, the people were not permitted to hear the promises of the holy book. In misery, they now appealed to the sympa-person in the chapel who had his head thy of England-an appeal which was never made in vain-and that very necessity had opened their hearts to the reception of the truth. It was clear that they were advancing. They did not expect Romanism to abandon her position in a day. On the contrary, they not only believed, but they knew she would make a mighty struggle to maintain herself; but, if ever she had shown a sign of failing in countries which had heretofore owned her sway, it was at the present moment. She had failed to poison the springs of education, and like a tottering wall, she was now rocking to her very centre, and the structure which would arise from her ruins would be actuated by the sentiments which had caused their missionaries to go forth. His belief was, that the approaching transition in Ireland would be from a corporate to an individual religion -from an unconscious religion, to a voluntary entrance within the pale of the gospel church. The Rev. W. HAMILTON, of Ballina, in seconding the motion, said, the Baptist Mission in Ireland seemed for many years to be a very discouraging undertaking. Its agents laboured with diligence, but almost every effort for good was counteracted, not only by muffled up. At the conclusion of the service he came up and spoke to me. I asked him his name. "Don't you know me? don't you remember you saved my life?" I found that he had come to live in the town of Ballina, and he and his wife became regular attendants at our chapel. Previous to this, they had been Roman catholics. They both wanted to join our church, but finding them ignorant of religion, I invited them to attend our classes for instruction which they did for about nine months, and then a saving change came over their hearts; and, upon a due examination, they were received and admitted to the membership of the church. Since that period they have suffered very much from extreme poverty, but their attachment to the people of God seems only to increase. Another case of the distress of a large family was communicated to me about the same time, and which was stated to be one of a most distressing nature. A neighbouring merchant, with whom I was acquainted, knew the family. I sent him a small sum of money for their relief. Their employment had wholly ceased, their last piece of furniture had been sold, and they were in a state of starvation. After the lapse of a few weeks, without any invitation, Ano they became attenders at our chapel, and ed the boys' school, and attained considerable very soon they also expressed a wish to join knowledge of the Holy Scriptures; but to our church. But they were altogether igno- the great distress of the widow, he became rant of the way of salvation. They diligently acquainted with some foolish wicked boys, of attended our classes for nearly a year, and whose company he became too fond. He, knowing them to have become believers in however, still attended our classes. SomeJesus Christ, four members of the family were how or another, he seemed attached to me, accepted for baptism and membership. I and I frequently advised him against the danam happy to say, that this woman, one of gerous course he was pursuing; but all ap her sons, and two of her daughters, continue peared to be in vain. His mother was in to give satisfaction, and they have now been deep distress, and just when all hope was members of our church for two years. An- given up, he became deeply concerned about other large family became connected with us salvation. I made particular inquiries how in the following way:-seeing a little girl a it was the change had taken place in his mind. regular attendant at our school, I inquired of His answer was, that he had heard me say, her whether her parents were alive. She that those who died in their unbelief must go said they were, and her father was an atten- to hell. That saying had taken great hold of dant in our chapel. He had been a farmer his mind; he never could get rid of it, until in the neighbourhood, but when the calamity he fled to Jesus Christ. Soon after, seeing came he was obliged to give up his farm and that the change was permanent, I baptized come into the town. He had sold his all, but him, and he was added to our church. he had never applied for relief. Seeing his ther young man, whose parents died while he very unfortunate condition, I gave him relief. was very young, was brought up by one of He still continued his attendance in our your schoolmasters. He had been a follower chapel, and shortly after he applied for of popery, but became convinced that the baptism. I made strict inquiries into his system was unscriptural. After many and character and knowledge of the way of sal- severe struggles, he renounced the faith of his vation, and being satisfied that he was sincere youth, and, being found worthy, he became he was accepted for baptism. After he had united to our church by baptism. He is now been a member of our church for several employed upon your farm, and is very useful months, his wife also expressed a desire to in many respects. He is competent to act join us. I said I would inquire into her ex- for the steward, when necessary. He is also perience, but she could not speak a word of gifted with the power of prayer, and he conEnglish, and understood very imperfectly. stantly assists as one of the teachers in your I took one of our readers with me, who acted Sunday schools. These, my friends, are a as interpreter between me and her; and I few specimens of what the Lord is doing for was much gratified to find her well acquaint- us in Ballina. I am unwilling to conclude ed with the way of salvation. I found that my statement, without mentioning to you the she had been taught it by her husband, and case of Mr. M'Namara, who was once a she, and her little daughter, who had so long Roman catholic priest. He was curate in attended the Sunday-school, were both bap- three parishes, but afterwards renounced tized soon afterwards. This family is now popery and became a clergyman of the living upon your farm, and they have never church of England. He married, and his given us the least cause of uneasiness. They wife had some friends amongst our flock, are very industrious, and upright in all their They furnished him with some of our tracts, conduct. About the same time, a young which he studied attentively, and the facts widow became an attendant at our place of stated by us took a strong hold upon his worship. She was in great distress; she had mind. He asked his rector for the grounds been a servant but was out of place, and was of infant baptism, who quoted the text, destitute of the means of support. I gave "Suffer little children to come unto me, for of her relief, for which she was grateful, and she such is the kingdom of heaven," and finding soon obtained another situation, and required that the word of God gave no foundation for relief no more; but she soon gave evidence infant baptism, he became a convert to our of conversion, and we have not a more faith- doctrines, and applied to me for baptism and ful or a more zealous member. Two sisters membership. After careful inquiry into his came to us much about the same time. One religious experience, and finding (everything of them was a widow, with a son twelve satisfactory, he was admitted, and then I years of age; they had been Roman catho- asked him how he expected to be supported lics, but soon discovered the errors of that after resigning his curacy, because it was possystem, and they became regular attendants sible that our society might not be able to upon our classes, and asked to be allowed to give him the means of livelihood. His anbecome members of the church. I made in-swer was, that if the society could not give quiries into their previous character, and found they had been strictly moral in their lives; and being satisfied of their faith in Christ, they were admitted. The son attend him employment, he would teach a classical school for the support of himself and his wife; but at all events, he was willing to trust in the Lord in regard to all temporal things. On the day he and his wife were most Roman catholics. My dear friends, we After singing and prayer by the Rev. J. The Rev. J. BIGWOOD said, the committee had requested him to move "That this meeting cannot refrain from expressing their deep sympathy with the continued and severe sufferings of the Irish poor, and would earnestly pray that Almighty God may overrule these calamities for good-that they consider the course which the Relief Committee have taken in the distribution of the funds committed to their care, eminently satisfactory; and further, that they regard the spirit of inquiry rising up among large numbers of the people in different parts of the country, as an encouraging sign of the times, and they hope that this spirit may spread, until it shall free the people from the power of superstition, and overthrow the various forms of ecclesiastical corruption which have so long oppressed them." This resolution calls for our sympathy, and demands the exercise of that feeling which particularly marked Him in whose service we are this evening engaged, and by the manifestation of which we most show our likeness to our divine Lord and Saviour. It was sympathy that touched his heart, constrained him to leave the abodes of glory, and come to this sinful and depraved world. If any people demand the sympathy of British Christians, it is the people of Ireland. They have long been degraded, and the very means adopted for their benefit have again and again oppressed them, and rendered yet more fearful the evils they have had to endure. They have been the victims of superstition, a way for the extension of which has been made by a system of misrule. They have been under the influence of that religion which benumbs the faculties, and prevents the powers of the mind being called into exercise. They are a people naturally kind, generous, and noblehearted; but they have been rendered degraded and miserable by the circumstances in which they have been placed. What can be This question has been put done for them? by philanthropists and statesmen, but no satis is just in the condition in which its history would warrant us to expect to find it. It was a conquered country, but the evil was not merely that of conquest,--for that is soon got over ;-its greatest calamity was, that its conquerors had a home elsewhere, and could treat it as they pleased. England has been conquered again and again without reaping the bitter fruits with which Ireland has been afflicted. England was conquered by the Romans, the Saxons, and the Normans, but it happily occurred that the latter lost France for if they could have remained strong in arms in that country, we should have been hang: ing on the fringe of France as poor, as miserable, as dependent as Ireland. However, as the conquerors not only conquered England, but made it their home, they made them ; factory answer has been given to it. This Society proposes to do something for Ireland; and the means adopted by it, fully carried out, would benefit that country. It sends the gospel, in its purity and simplicity, and that by men who do not seek to receive benefit, but who are desirous of imparting it. By kindness, they hope to gain the attention of the people; and, by the power of the gospel, applied to the heart, in answer to prayer, by the Holy Spirit, they hoped to ameliorate their condition, to raise them from degradation, to make them good members of society, and prepare them for immortality at its close. These means, pursued in faith and in dependence on God, must ultimately attain their end. The resolution also refers to the Relief Fund, and to the manner in which the money placed at the disposal of the Com-selves comfortable at home, and in so doing mittee has been applied. It has been principally expended in the payment for labour, and better means could not have been devised. I think that the money granted by the British legislature, from the mode in which it has been dispensed, has done more harm than good. Let the Irish be brought to labour, and from that day their renovation begins. Our missionaries go with the bible in their hand; they bring the mental faculties of the people into play, and the ratio of conversions in Ireland has doubled that which has taken place in our metropolitan churches. In the former, the clear increase has been 3 per cent, whereas in the latter it is only 1 per cent. The ground upon which I base the statement, that the means we employ must ultimately succeed, is this, that the gospel of Christ is adapted to man as man in whatever state he is found. Are the Irish poor, degraded, and debased? Are they lazy, idle, indifferent? Take to them the gospel; it will make them feel that they are men, and when a man feels himself to be a man he will act like one. In order, however. to the gospel producing the results to whic'. I have referred, we must have faith in its power. Has the church ever manifested this faith? I trow not. Let us endeavour to cultivate its exercise, and think nothing of the difficulties in our way, for God can overcome them all. We have had success; but if we had not, our duty would remain the same. Let us, how ever, exercise faith, and next year we shall have to rejoice in still greater results. Rev. J. BURNET rose, as a deputation from the Irish Evangelical Society, to second the resolution. After being carried, he said, from society to society, I find myself landed at last among the baptists. I hold with them so much of our common Christianity, that I can sail with them on any occasion whatever. But when we turn our attention to Ireland, we direct it to a country respecting which, perhaps, as many errors exist as regarding any country in the world, both as to its condition and the means of its improvement. It they made the conquered people happy. We have many of the aristocracy who glory in tracing their genealogy back to the Norman conquerors, who were, for the most part, a set of freebooters, who came here for spoil. I should not like to trace my genealogy to men who came here to rob and murder. Let us not mind the difference of classes, but rather look to Ireland as a serious illustration of the evil of minding those differences. Not only has it been conquered, but the recollections and feelings of the conquest still remain. There was a settlement of the Norman race in Ireland; they were conquered by the Commonwealth, and then there was a settlement of Cromwellians, who were themselves conquered in the reign of James, and consequently there was a settlement of the Scots. Between these conquests what could you expect but just what you find? Many connected with that country retain the feelings which they have imbibed from their ancestors for generations past, and regard them as a part of the furniture of their mind and their affections. What are we to do with such a people? Are they worse now than they were long ago? I say no. I have seen famines before the present in Ireland, but the public mind was not alive to them. Philanthropy had not been kindled up with sufficient brilliancy to throw light upon the condition of that country. But now England will be found alive; in other words, now that we are improved, and can look around us and see every plague-spot of Ireland, and we think that Ireland, as presented to us at the present moment, has something more fearful than it was ever visited with in the progress of its history. I do not say this to make us think lightly of the sufferings of Ireland. We cannot, with our present knowledge, think lightly of any of its sufferings. The days of our ignorance have passed away, and now that she has come under the eye of England, she will be the object of meditation until she has put on her beautiful garments, and become a sister in deed, as now she is one in |