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A MISSIONARY VISIT TO SZE CHE.

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These tender flowers have been transplanted from this rude earth, where they were liable to be injured, to the courts of heaven, where they are safe.

A MISSIONARY VISIT TO SZE CHE.

NINGPO is a large city of China, one of the five free ports, situated about twelve miles from the sea shore, on a river called the Tahea, in the centre of a fertile plain bounded by ranges of hills rising to the height of 2000 or 3000 feet. We rejoice to say that there are to be found at this point thirteen Protestant Missionaries, English and American, of whom three, the Rev. Messrs. Cobbold, Russell, and Gough, belong to our Society. There is a wide field for usefulness, not only in the population of the city, which amounts to 400,000, but in the fact that foreigners may visit or even reside in any part of the heen or district of Ningpo, extending to the south-west more than fifty miles, and including not only many villages, but even large towns. A visit to one of these, as related in the following extract from Mr. Cobbold's Journal, will help us to form just ideas of Missionary work in China

Dec. 30, 1850-After an early breakfast, Mr. Gough and I started with a bundle of books for Sze Che. We found our boat outside the west gate, and were well off by nine o'clock. Shortly after eleven we arrived at the junction of the canal with the river, and there left our boat with the servant, ordering him to have our dinner ready by sunset, and set off on foot for the town, distant about five miles.

On nearing the city it was soon known that we had books to distribute, and the eagerness of the applicants, especially of the boys, was great. We followed a path that turned off to the right, to the chief Taouist temple; and after being sickened with the sight of its hosts of idols, the work of men's hands, within, we turned our eyes to the lovely scene, the work of God's hands, stretching away for many a mile without. After drinking a cup of tea, and explaining to an old man who seemed to have some superintendence over the temple one of our sheet Tracts, we entered the city by the east gate, and, walking slowly through the street towards the west, we left a book at most of the respectable shops, and also gave away a considerable number of sheet Tracts. We went into the Examination Hall, and found in a side apartment a gentlemanly-looking Schoolmaster, and four or five very nicelooking boys. We gave him a copy of St. Matthew's Gospel, and one of my books. Entering the Confucian temple, we were followed by a crowd, and I took advantage of the opportunity to address them for a few minutes. We afterward inquired the way to the Ching wang meaou, and on entering saw, in large characters, the two words

"Honour the gods." As there were many following us, I stood still and addressed them solemnly on the subject of their idolatry, pointing them to Him who was God over all, and showing, by illustrations, the way of salvation. All the crowd present listened with great attention, and I felt-what, alas! I cannot always feel-that knowledge had been con

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CONTRIBUTION FROM AN AFFLICTED CHRISTIAN.

veyed, and some impression made upon the people. I therefore went quietly away, distributing no Tracts, which is always a noisy business. It was now about time to be getting back again, so we just went to the north gate to look at the two small lakes, the Buddhist monastery and the temple, and the Hall of Precious Virtue, which commands a good view of them all, and then, walking on the walls to the east gate, we followed the path till we came to our boat, which we just reached, as we supposed, at sunset, and found dinner ready for us, and ourselves ready for dinner. We set off at once, and got home by half-past eight.

MUNIFICENT CONTRIBUTION FROM AN AFFLICTED

CHRISTIAN.

THE following deeply touching Letter, enclosing bank notes for 600%., reached the Church Missionary House a few weeks agoLondon, April 16, 1851. SIR-I beg to forward by this post the sum of 600., to be devoted to the purposes of the Church Missionary Society.

The donor is suffering deep affliction, and would beg the prayers of your Committee that God's strength may be made perfect in his weakness.

Accept the above amount as from God, and do not seek to find the instrument that passes it to you.

Please acknowledge the above in the second column of the "Times" Newspaper, as from U. C.

Such a Letter illustrates the difference between sanctified affliction and the tribulation which is not cheered by the presence of God as a reconciled Father in Christ. The selfishness of worldly sorrow is great, and the heart contracts under its power; but where God is present in affliction, the heat of the furnace is tempered, and the heart, instead of being hardened, becomes more tender. The subdued believer, while sorrowing himself, sympathizes with his fellowmen who are suffering under the various forms of affliction with which the world is filled; nor does he fail in a special manner to remember the vast multitudes who know not Him who is as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, and who have no opportunity of knowing Him. If the waters of affliction, even amidst the truths and comforts of the Gospel, be deep, what a "mire of depth "* must there not be, where there is no voice of mercy speaking peace by Jesus Christ!

But we have another object in inserting this letter to secure for the writer a more extended sympathy. We would earnestly entreat every believing person who reads it, in whatever rank of life he may be, whether amongst poor or rich, to remember the donor in fervent prayer before the throne of grace, that he may be enabled to say, as Paul once did, " For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” Phil. i. 19.

*Ps. Ixix. 2. Marginal reading.

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THE NINGPO TEA-SHOP AND THE MISSIONARY.-Vide p. 183.

MISSIONARY LABOURS AT NINGPO.

In our last Number it was stated that we have three Missionaries at Ningpo, engaged in the work of Christian instruction amongst the Chinese. Our readers would perhaps wish to know how their labours are carried on amongst this peculiar people. Be it remembered that it is "the day of small things," and yet not, therefore, to be despised by us; for the day of small things is continually found to be the source and origin of great results. The largest rivers, if traced up to their source, will be found to spring forth from very small beginnings-some little stream, struggling forth amidst rocks and mountain forests into the plains beneath. Such is the work of Christian instruction. It begins with a little; it has, perhaps for a length of time, many difficulties to contend with; sometimes the way seems as though it were blocked up: still it makes progress, until, gradually increasing, it has free course, and renews and fertilizes as it flows along. Missionary work in China is as yet amongst the strait and difficult places; but in God's own time it will break forth to the right hand and to the left.

Our Missionaries at Ningpo have an interesting Day-school, attended by about twenty boys, varying in age from ten to fifteen, principally the children of artisans. Most of these poor children can give clear and intelligent answers to the solemn, soul-saving truths of Christianity. We should be very thankful that so much has been done with them, as education in China is a very laborious process, in consequence of the difficulties connected with the written characters, which are altogether distinct from the spoken languages. In English, when you look at a word, it gives you not only an idea, but a sound by which to express that idea. But the Chinese written characters suggest ideas only, and no sounds. They have no specific sounds attached to them; so that if you collected a number of Chinese from different parts of that immense empire, and put them to read the same page of a printed book, they would each read it with different sounds, according to the particular dialects in which they were accustomed to speak. The signs used in the written character are very numerous, consisting of many thousands, and are very difficult, not only for strangers, but for the Natives, to learn.

Beside the Day-school, the Missionaries have two little Chapels in different parts of the city. One, near the south gate, is attended by about forty persons, consisting principally of the lowest orders, who happen to be passing by at the time. In the other Chapel, which was opened at the beginning of last winter, and which is in a better position, the attendance is larger-about eighty in number. The people are of a better description, a good many of them being men engaged in business. The attention which they give is very uncertain. Sometimes they listen in silence from the beginning to the end at other times the Missionary has scarcely commenced, when all is confusion, and there is no possibility of maintaining order. Still the Missionaries persevere: they cease not to teach and preach

MISSIONARY LABOURS AT NINGPO.

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Jesus Christ. The sinfulness of idolatry is pointed out, and the heathen are invited to turn from idols and serve the living and true God; and thus a knowledge of Christian truth is gradually spreading. The prejudices of the people against the Missionaries are fast dying away; and it is now no unusual thing to hear some of the women say, "Before, if we saw you at a distance, we would run away and hide ourselves: now we are not afraid to come and talk with you." We are happy to state that three persons, who have been regular attendants at the Services, both public and private, since the Missionaries arrived at Ningpo, have offered themselves as Candidates for Baptism.

The Missionaries go much amongst the people, and converse with them as they have opportunity. Except amongst the lower classes, little has as yet been done. The higher classes live so shut up in their own premises, surrounded by high walls, that there is no possibility of seeing them, much less of conversing with them, unless the Missionaries call expressly for the purpose, which it is thought better should not be done yet, until the prejudices which have been entertained against the Missionaries have been more completely removed. A Chinaman has no idea of walking about for health and recreation; and the literary and upper classes seldom leave their homes, except when compelled by necessity to do so. necessity to do so. Meanwhile, the Gospel is

being preached to the poor.

The tea-shops afford a favourable opportunity of conversing with the people, and bringing before them Gospel truths. Mr. Russell has given us the following description of these places, and of his mode of proceeding when he enters them-

In the tea-shops-which correspond very much with the gin-shops at home, except being free from the horrible intoxication of the latter I have had, since I came, much intercourse with the class of people who resort there, principally artisans. These shops have in each some twenty or thirty small tables arranged about the room, with seats surrounding them, capable of accommodating five or six to each table. Heremorning, noon, and night-you will find a number of persons drinking tea, apparently without any limit; smoking their pipes with as little restriction-fortunately the doors and windows are all open, to admit of escape for the smoke-and, I might add, giving as unbounded license to their tongues, which, notwithstanding the drinking and smoking, seem incessantly to keep going. I go into these places, and take a seat by one of the vacant tables, and, in an unconcerned kind of way, call for a cup of tea. This generally elicits an exclamation of surprise from the company present, that a "red-haired man"-the designation they give us here-should be able to talk their talk. When supplied with my tea, at the cost of less than a farthing of our money, I generally ask the most respectable-looking of those about me his honourable name. Taken by surprise, he will sometimes, forgetting himself, reply, "My honourable name is " so; instead of "My disreputable name," which Chinese courtesy would

* Vide our Frontispiece.

so and

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