STRICT BAPTIST MISSION.

INDIA.

WRITING June 1, Br. Noble says: "There are one or two features in the work which yield me some encouragement in connection with preaching the word in the villages adjacent to the Mount; and that is, in the first place the willingness -I might say the earnestness-in hearing the word manifested on these occasions by the simple-minded villagers, who are destitute of that cunning and chicanery which so characterise those natives who reside in garison and other large towns in this country. In the second place I am also somewhat encouraged in visiting these villages by observing that in many instances the majority of those who listen to the Gospel message are composed of women and children, many of the latter capable of understanding what they hear. As regards the women such was not the case some time ago, when it was but seldom we found a female on such occasions outside the door of her dwellingplace. This change we hail with joy, looking upon it as the harbinger of great good to the women of this country.' An instance is given illustrative of this, where at a village called Preravum Thungle, about one and a-half miles from the Mount, a company of about thirty women besides men and children, listened with marked attention to the word preached and read to them by our brother and his two assistants, Jacob and Vencatasawmy, they appearing to be greatly interested in the precious truths of the gospel brought before them. The openair lamp-light services at the Troop Parcherry were also kept up, with more or less encouraging attendance-those attending being mostly of the worst type of natives; but as our Lord came into the world to save sinners, our brother hopes that some of these poor degraded ones may be amongst the number, and therefore carries the good news of salvation to them, hoping for the Lord's blessing upon the seed sown. The schools were doing pretty well, and the little Tamil Mission Church was "holding on its way." The prayer meetings were continued-and

believed by our brother to be productive of good in deepening the interest of the members in each other's spiritual welfare. No baptisms, however, are reported, which the accounts received some months since had led us to expect might have taken place ere now. But the difficulties in the way of the natives making an open renunciation of their heathenism are very great, as we have repeatedly seen in the reports of our Mission.

Our missionary at St. Thomas Mount is about to remove from his present station to Ceylon. At his own urgent request the Committee have agreed to this, and his removal is expected to take place early next month. The exact scene of his future labours, whether to be at Colombo or elsewhere in the island, is not yet fixed on, but remains to be determined by further consideration. Our brother's earnest desire to go to Ceylon arises partly from the fact that having been twenty-three years in India, he finds his constitution somewhat enfeebled by the heat of the country. He hopes the change to a more temperate clime will be the means of reinvigorating his system. It is with some reluctance that the Com mittee consent to this change, as our Brother Noble has been the means of greatly improving the state of our mission affairs at St. Thomas' Mount during his location there. But as our diligent and indefatigable superintendent, Mr. Doll, has undertaken to discharge the duties of a missionary at that station, and as it is considered very desirable that the Mission should be strengthened and extended in Ceylon, it has at length been agreed to that Mr. Noble should go there. May the Blessed Spirit-who we find directed the movements of the heralds of the Cross in early days, and whose continuous abidance with His church is promised by our Lord -guide our brother in his movements, and lead him to a spot where his labours shall be made an abundant blessing.

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From Poonamallee Br. Abel Michael reports that (May 13) the heat of the sun was something frightful and the hot winds unbearable." Two of the aged members of the little church were ill. Abel's own health, however, was good,

and he had conducted the weekly services as usual, and made sundry village preaching journeys. Our Superintendent reports the church, agents, and school, as doing well at this station.

GERMAN BAPTIST MISSION. THE Quarterly Reporter, issued last month, gives some interesting particulars respecting the liberty now enjoyed by our Baptist brethren in Russia, which was accorded them last year. They have now equality there with other churches of recognised standing, and on taking an oath of allegiance to the Emperor, their ministers are admitted to legal privileges that secure them from police interferences with their work. Permission also has been obtained to print their hymn-book without omission of the baptismal and ordination hymns, which were formerly struck out by the censor of the press, a Lutheran clergyman, whose verdict in relation to such hymns has been reversed by higher authority. All their books and pamphlets are in future to be exempt from the inspection of the clerical subordinate, and to go direct to the Imperial Censor,

and they will thus be free to print their

tracts.

Besides taking the oath of allegiance to the Emperor, the Baptist minister has to swear that he will "preach and teach the pure doctrine of the Baptists and nothing else, and beware of all heresies (if such should appear), and give notice of such heresies on their appearing, and to live always an upright and blameless life." Having complied with the required formalities, he receives a license to preach, and becomes a recognised ministertolerated, as the English term used to be, by the State. The brethren in Russia, however, are greatly rejoicing in the freedom thus extended to them, which is in marked contrast to the course pursued towards a Russian gentleman, Colonel Pashkoff, who has been ordered to leave the country for holding religious services of an evangelical character in his own mansion in St. Petersburg.

Amongst "Contributions to the Mission," the sum of £5 16s. 6d. appears as sent from Suffolk. Nothing is said about the health of the venerable patriarch Mr. Oncken; in the April Reporter it was stated that he had kept his eightieth birthday on January 26.

CAMBRIDGE.

SPECIAL services connected with the recognition of Mr. John Jull as the pastor of the church meeting in Eden Chapel, were held on Thursday, June 17th, 1880.

Service commenced in the afternoon at 2.30, Mr. E. Forman, of March, conducting the praise.

Mr. W. J. Styles read Psalms cxxv. and cxxvi. and offered prayer.

Mr. G. Shepherd then proceeded to describe the nature of a gospel church, basing his remarks on 1 Cor. vii. 17 (last clause) "And so I ordain in all churches." The views of the speaker having previously been given at length in these pages, it is only necessary to say that he maintained-1st, that churches are separate and independent bodies of Christians, 2nd, that the apostles were authorised to "ordain" their form and order of government, 3rd, that the nature of this

order can be ascertained only from the New Testament, and 4th, that this ascertained order is binding upon the churches so long as the gospel dispensation shall

continue.

On the conclusion of his address, Mr. Shepherd remarked that since it had been established that members of churches should be spiritual persons, it was clearly necessary that their ministers should be the subjects of Divine grace; but before calling upon Mr. Jull, he requested one the deacons to state the circumstances which had led them to invite him to be their pastor.

To this Mr. Favell responded in a few appropriate remarks, pointing out that from the first time of Mr. Jull's coming among them, his ministry had been received with unqualified acceptance, and had been attended with the Divine blessing. The invitation to Mr. Jull had been cordial and unanimous, and the

people were but one in their feeling towards him.

Mr. Shepherd then requested Mr. Jull to give some account of his call by Divine grace, to which he replied as follows:

"I was born at Wrotham Water Farm, in the County of Kent, and in early life was brought up in a moral manner. At the age of fourteen years, however, I had to leave boarding school, and come home to assist my mother (who had been left a widow) in the management of the farm.

"Leaving school and becoming my own master when so young, the seeds of evil and wickedness began to show themselves in using oaths, in hating the Bible and speaking in the most contemptuous manner of it, and choosing the ways of the ungodly. I repeat these things not by way of boast, but with shame and humiliation before the Lord. Just at this time when beginning to seek to gratify the propensities of my wicked heart and fallen nature, while walking across the fields, in the month of September, 1849, these words came to me in great power; yea, they came into my soul, 'Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them,' Gal. iii. 10; and then followed, 'Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree,' v. 13.

morn

Previous to this I had many convictions when seeing the ordinance of baptism administered. I felt those people were right, and I was wrong. I longed to be a Christian, and wished those feelings might continue; but they were like the " ing cloud, and the early dew which passeth away," proving to me they were only natural. The words, however, came home to me; I felt I was under the curse as a guilty sinner before a righteous and holy God. I now saw and felt sin as I never saw and felt it before. It became a great burden; my soul was distressed; I did not know there was any remedy for such a sinner as I now felt myself to be. This now led me to pray to God, which I had never done before, although I used the form of prayer taught me by my parents: but this was not sufficient, so I was obliged to go in deep distress and soul trouble, and pour out my heart before Him. Now I began to pray from my heart, expressing my feelings as a guilty lost sinner before the Lord.

"James's Anxious Enquirer' fell into my hand, which proved helpful and useful to me. I now began to read the Bible

and go to chapel with very different feelings and motives to those I had ever had before. Before it was irksome, and I wished myself away, but now I went to hear for my soul; I wanted to hear if there was any hope, pardon, mercy, or peace, for such a lost sinner as I felt myself. Oh how I longed and prayed that I might find Jesus: sometimes there was a little hope, at other times all was darkness and despair; but after anxious seeking and earnest longing, when coming home from chapel in the spring of 1850, when thinking of the sermon and the text, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ?' (Matt. xiv. 31,) a ray of light seemed to enter my soul, I felt the power of Jesus' blood to take away my sin and cleanse me, the burden was gone, and I felt I was a forgiven sinner.

"Here I could see Jesus died for me; there was not ecstasy of joy, but a sweet persuasion that my soul was saved. But alas after a little time this peace and comfort subsided. I began to question the reality of the matter, and questioned very much if my religion was right after all. Oh how I longed to know if all the past was from God, and that I was really and truly born again, or if it was a deception of the enemy. My soul became greatly troubled, and I even tried to give up my religion and go back into the world again. Yet I felt so unhappy, 80 tried, I knew not what to do. At last, I went to Borough Green Anniversary, the minister quoted these words, 'He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings; and He hath put a new song in my mouth,' &c. Ps. xl. 2, 3. My soul was liberated, my fetters and chains were all gone, I could see that my religion was of God; my soul was happy, and I went home singing through the wet cornfields, and was rejoicing in the deliverance and blessing realized many days. After this the enemy tried me, and suggested that the work might be begun and never would be completed, and that I should one day fall away, and be lost at last. He pointed out to me many who had made a profession of religion, and who had gone back into the world, and said I should do the same, which sorely distressed me. Oh how I cried to the Lord to save me from such & course. At length the Lord delivered me by speaking home to my heart those words in Phil. i. 6, and 2 Tim. i. 12. Being

confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you,' &c., and For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day,' which have been a rock to my heart ever since-because as it now is it cannot be true.

"At this time I was sitting under an unsound ministry; the pathway of the Christian was not explained, nor was the plan of salvation set before me; and at this time I knew nothing of the distinguishing doctrines of grace. For three years my soul was barren and dry indeed. I cannot point to any period during that time when I felt or enjoyed the comforts of the Holy Spirit or the smiles of God in in my soul. Although I continued my attendance on the means of grace, yet all was dry and unprofitable.

"But I never gave up morning and evening private reading the word and prayer, for which I am truly thankful, although it was only a form; I have felt since it was a preventive to me from backsliding. At length I left, and went to another chapel-at Ryarsh, where I began to hear the doctrines of grace explained, Jesus exalted, and the Christian pathway opened. One of the supplies was made very useful to me (Mr. Martin.) Often did 1, when hearing him, wish my experience was like his; and yet I felt my soul greatly encouraged and profited, and could see my interest in the things of God.

"After a time Mr. Inward became the pastor, by whose ministry my soul was much blessed and profited; and I now began to understand the doctrines of grace having tasted their worth, and seen a little of their beauty and harmony. I spared no time or money to go and hear good men preach; often used to run up to London. Once I remember hearing the late James Wells in the old Surrey Tabernacle from these words, 'Dost thou believe on the Son of God?' That evening I knew not whether I was in the body or no, and such was the soul enjoyment I experienced that I shall never forget it. But Satan took advantage of all this, and sorely tried me upon the doctrines of grace, suggesting that they were untrue, and that there was no such thing at all. I had been misled, I was young and ignorant, the wise and learned disputed them, and consequently they were right and I was wrong.

"Coming home from chapel one night, he seemed to be in the road to stop me. I can compare this conflict with him to Bunyan's representation of Christian with Apollyon in the valley. Nearly all my past experience he seemed to tread under foot and count it as nothing. I reached home in soul distress; I could not pray, only sighed in agony, God be merciful to me a sinner.'

"The next day the conflict became stronger; but one scripture he could not wrest from me, which was this, 'One thing I know, whereas I was blind, now I see,' John ix. 25; and this was the only weapon I was left to fight him with. In the evening of the day these words were applied with great power and sweetness; they drove the tempter away. I was fully delivered from his tempting power: And ye are complete in Him,' Col. ii. 10. 'And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness,' &c. Phil. iii. 9. 'For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness,' Rom. x. 4. A holy peace came into my soul, and the effect it produced was such that I felt should there be none to advocate the doctrines of sovereign grace, I would hold them to my latest breath, as a proof of the power of God to

save.

"After this my mind was much exercised about baptism. I desired to join the church, but felt my unfitness. At length I was proposed and accepted, was baptized by Mr. Inward at Borough Green, and received into the church at Ryarsh, 6th June, 1858."

Mr. Shepherd expressed great satisfaction with this statement, remarking that it was a clear description of the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit on the heart, and must knit all believing hearts to Brother Jull in Christian union. It did not follow, however, that because a man was clearly a subject of grace, that he was also called to be a Christian pastor. That was a distinct work, and therefore he desired Brother Jull to relate to the church and congregation the circumstances under which he had been led into the ministry.

To this request Mr. Jull responded by the following statement :

"At the end of the year 1856 and beginning of 1857, my mind first began to be exercised about the ministry, which to me seemed so strange that I could not understand it; I was afraid it was from Satan, to fill me with pride. I trembled at the thought of it. I tried to resist the

thoughts; I even wished I had been of the opposite sex; then I was sure it would never come to pass. I used also to argue that I could never be a minister, seeing I was a Baptist in principle but not in practice, and therefore that it would be very inconsistent on my part to preach.

"I was, moreover, very fond of business, and I fully intended to be a business man, and I could see that I should have to sacrifice so much to become a Baptist minister. I therefore kept resisting these exercises of mind, feeling sure it was delusion on my part to think of it.

"Then also, I felt the solemnities of the office, the solemn responsibility of being a minister, and my total unfitness and unworthiness for it, being such a sinful unworthy creature. Why, I thought it is presumptuous on my part to think of it. Then again, I felt that I had no gifts or qualifications for it. I tried all I could to banish the thoughts from my mind, but still they were there.

"In the year 1858, after I was baptized, I could no longer use what I had done as an argument not to preach, yet the exercises of mind became greater than ever. I used to pray to the Lord to remove them, and let me be a private Christian. I repeatedly told him I could not preach, for I was so unfit, so unworthy, and destitute of all necessary gifts and grace.

"I used to have the greatest sympathy for ministers of the Gospel, on Saturday night in particular. I used to feel my soul drawn out in prayer to the Lord on their behalf. Still, I felt determined in my own mind I never would become one. "At the end of 1858 I could not hear the word to profit-my soul was dried up. It did not matter what minister I heard, all was dry and barren to my soul. This to me was a great trial, for when 1 was hearing them preach my mind was full of deep exercise about the ministry texts would come into my mind, and i found myself having thoughts upon them for a sermon. This was sorely distressing. The Lord seemed dealing hard with me. Was I to live the rest of my days in this barren state, and the Gospel to yield no food to my soul? Thus I went on till 1859, and my exercises grew stronger and stronger. For the whole of the year I had nothing before my eyes, and sounding in my ears and heart, but 'The work of the ministry.'

"I had often prayed to God to take

these feelings away-I was sorely distressed. I never told these exercises to any one, fearing it was all a delusion.

"I was sorely exercised during the year of 1859, that I lost between one and two stone of flesh. The burden of my private prayers were all about the ministry. I resolved I would never pray to God about it any more, nor think about it. Yet when on my knees in prayer it would present itself in all its forms, that I have been compelled to tell all my distresses to the Lord again. Yet with all my resisting and resolving I never would preach, there was to be found in my heart a yearning for souls, a burning love for poor sinners, that I might be useful to them.

"Such was my yearning for them, amidst all my felt unfitness, that I was like Jeremiah, 'Then I said I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name; But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay "-Jer. xx. 9.

"During the year 1859, so distressed was my mind, that when in the Corn Market selling corn, my mind was so exercised by these words, "The work of the ministry,' that they took away all the pleasure of business. At length I mentioned my exercises to Mr. Inward. I found his mind impressed with the belief that I should have to preach; for when he received me into the church he said, the Lord is about to do one of two things with you, either take you home to Himself, or bring you into the work of the ministry.

"He then assured me, that with all my fears and resistances, it would surely come to pass.

"My first attempt to speak was Jan. 1, 1860, from John xvii. : I have finished the work thou gavest me to do. No one can tell what exercise of mind and distress of soul I passed through after I had spoken, for I felt the Lord, had not called me to the work.

"And if the Lord would strike me dumb-heavy and serious as the affliction might be I could willingly submit to it rather than preach.

"I used to go to a cottage to speak. These words were often upon my mind, which gave me encouragement to go'Called of God as was Aaron.'

Go,

stand in the temple, and speak all the words of this life.' Through my testimony in this cottage, the Lord called one sinner