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MISSIONARY NEWS.

"Thy Kingdom Come."

Chinese at Batavia.

ON the 25th November I baptized two Chinese, one aged sixty-two and the other forty-eight years. The former heard the gospel first from Dr. Medhurst, who laboured here for some years as missionary of the London Society. The seed then sown has lately sprung up; and after some conversation with a Chinese missionary in this place, and the needful instruction, he desired to be baptized. The other man is a brother of the missionary just mentioned. He is a truly pious man; and though the Chinese will not follow his example they unanimously respect him. There seems to be an awakening among the Chinese in the environs of Samarung, and he is gone there to see what good he can do among them.-Rev. Mr. King.

"The Dry Land Springs of Water."

A MISSIONARY visited the isles of Western Polynesia, in the mission ship John Williams, during last autumn. Fifteen years ago, this island, which contains a population of 4700 souls, was in the same savage state as when it was discovered by Captain Cook. Now there is not a vestige of heathenism remaining. There are five good chapels on the island. One of them will hold 1100 people, and it is too small. These chapels are fine specimens of native ingenuity. Except in the doors, there is not a nail in the building, all is firmly tied together with cinnet. The large chapel is crowded to overflowing every Sabbath and Wednesday. The resident missionary on the island speaks of prayer-meetings attended by eight hundred persons. "All the people," he says, "attend

here."

Thirst for the Bible.

Two Wesleyan missionaries were recently on a tour of preaching in the Mysore territory, India. The native pupils in the Government schools, where there are no Bibles, frequently asked them, "Why may we not read

the Bible in the school?" a question which the missionaries found it very difficult to answer. At one place, the boys in a Government school came and asked if they had any copies of the Bible in English as they wished to buy them. The missionaries had no copies of the English Bible for sale, but they sold to the boys a rupee's worth of portions of Scripture in their native tongue.

Habitations of Cruelty.-Gorilla Country,West Africa. AFTER having visited the principal chiefs, who govern in the absence of King Peppel, who was banished a few years since, and is now in England, I went to see several of the juju or devil-houses. The principal one is a rude, thatch-roofed edifice, upon entering the door of which I saw grinning at me some four or five hundred human skulls, with which the pillars and walls were lined; and as I crossed the room, I walked upon a pavement of human skulls. The sight was the most ghastly and horrid I have ever seen! As with trepidation I retreated from this habitation of devils, my attention was called to a scaffold eight or ten feet high in the yard near the door, on which were a large quantity of human bones, some of which seemed fresh and new. Upon inquiry, Í learned that these were the remains of enemies taken or killed in war, or for witchcraft; and some of the flesh had been eaten and blood drunk in horrid fetish orgies.-Rev. A. Bushnell.

BOOKS.

CALLED, BUT NOT READY. London: James Nisbet & Co. 16 pp. 32mo. Price One Penny.

This title formed the dying words of a young lady, struck with mortal illness amid the glare and vanities of a ball-room. And this young lady had been a Sabbath-school teacher! It is a solemn and most impressive lesson for all who are trying to serve two masters.

THE SOLDIER'S BIBLE. A Lesson of Trust. By E. I. A. Edinburgh: James Taylor. 32mo, 14 pp. Price One Penny.

Another touching history of a Bible, given to a poor soldier, who died in India; how it was stolen after the soldier was dead; how the thief was drowned, and how at last it came back to the hands of the soldier's mother, bearing precious evidence of having been his daily companion.

THE LITTLE ONE.

AND is it true what I am told,
That there are lambs within the fold
Of God's beloved Son ?

That Jesus Christ, with tender care,
Will in his arms most gently bear
The helpless "little one?"

Oh yes, I've heard my mother say
He never sent a child away

That scarce could walk or run;
For when the parent's love besought
That he would touch the child she brought,
He blessed the "little one."

And I, a little straying lamb,
May come to Jesus as I am,
Though merit I have none;
May now be folded in his breast,
As birds within the parent's nest,
And be his "little one."

Others there are who love me too :
But who, with all their love, can do
What Jesus Christ hath done?
Then, if he teaches me to pray,
I'll surely go to him, and say,
Lord, bless thy "little one."

Thus, by this gracious Shepherd fed,
And by his mercy gently led
Where living waters run,
My greatest pleasure will be this,
That I'm a little lamb of his,

Who loves the "little one.'

EDINBURGH: T. NELSON AND SONS.

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HE GENERAL ASSEMBLY of the Free Church of Scotland met in the Assembly Hall, New College, Edinburgh, on Thursday, 23d May 1862. Dr. Candlish, the moderator of last year, preached the opening sermon from 1 Cor. xii. 4-6, and 12, 13. He showed from the text, in a way most instructive and impressive, that every true believer is a member of Christ's body; that every member has some special work given him to do, and that all the members ought to sympathize with, and love, and help one another.

The Assembly having been constituted or formed with prayer, the Rev. Dr. Guthrie of Free St. John's Church, Edinburgh, was elected Moderator, and addressed the Assembly. He referred, among other subjects, to the love and harmony which so abounded in the Free Church, while year by year the old familiar faces were disappearing. "I leave it," he said, "to this Assembly to record in terms suitable to his worth, his distinguished worth, and his distinguished services, their sense of the value they set on William Cunningham. I leave that to this Assembly, that generations hereafter may know how much we valued him who was a lion in the battle-field, and a lamb at home; how much we owe to him, who, while he lived, and now by his works when dead, did so much to anchor this Church over the ground of that old and sound theology which Paul believed, Calvin illustrated, Knox imported, and William Cunningham so nobly defended."

FRIDAY, 23d MAY.

The Assembly spent the forenoon of this day, as in former years, in praise, reading of the word, and prayer. Prayer was made by Dr. Begg; Mr. Adams, Aberdeen; Mr. Fraser of Kirkhill; and Mr. Blaikie of Pilrig.

Mission to the Jews.

In the evening, the report of the Committee on the Mission to the Jews was given in by Mr. WOOD of Elie. He mentioned that the whole income of the mission last year was £4476, and the expenditure £3807; and also, what we were glad to learn, that the juvenile contributions last year were £120, being £6 more than the year before.

Mr. TEN BOEKEL, a gentleman from Amsterdam, and Mr. Schwartz, missionary there, having addressed the Assembly, the adoption of the report was moved by Dr. CANDLISH, and seconded by Mr. William Dickson (elder).

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