that first impressed your heart, and led you to desire to serve the Saviour? The words that first impressed my heart and won upon me were these, "He that believeth on me shall have everlasting life;" "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." Should you return to your own country, is it your desire to serve God while you live? Yes, that is my hope; not, that I have any strength of my own to do it, but trusting in the strength of God, my desire is to serve him as long as I live. The Rev. ARTHUR TIDMAN then rose to move the first resolution : "That this mecting expresses its deepest sympathy with the persecuted Christians of Madagascar in the accumulated sufferings they have sustained in the cause of Christ, and rejoices in the grace of God, which has supported them in the hour of trial, and in the kind Providence which has protected, in circumstances of extreme danger, those now present; and confiding in the promises of God our Saviour, this meeting cherishes the devout assurance, that although obstacles may for a season impede the progress of his Gospel, persecution itself shall be made subservient to the extension and purity of his church, and the ultimate universal triumphs of his kingdom." I feel, Sir, all but overwhelmed with anxiety lest I should be chargeable with uttering a word, or breathing a feeling, that would in any degree tend to lower the high elevation of feeling indulged by this assembly. I have no fear about the resolutionthat has already been anticipated-anticipated in the smiles and tears of this deeplyaffected audience; and it has already been enforced-enforced by speeches which we have felt to be irresistible-speeches which, though they had remained without translation, we should have understood, for they were conveyed to us in the language of mankind-the language of the heart. And it was not to the mere sympathy of our common brotherhood that our hearts yielded; no, it was the communion of the saints-the sympathy of Christ. When I look upon these persecuted disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, I feel that, though we are islanders of Europe, and they are islanders of Africa, we have still one home; and though we differ greatly in custom, and language, and complexion, yet we have both a similitude and an identity-for we are all one in Christ the Lord. England has often been the exile's home. Dethroned monarchs and oppressed slaves have alike sought protection and safety on our shores, and never sought in vain; and long, long may our country continue to be an asylum for the outcasts of the world! To-day, however, the churches of Christ represented in these assembled thousands delight to do honour to their country's name, and delight to do honour to the faith that we profess, by receiving with tender and generous af fection these persecuted followers of the Son of God. Welcome, dear brethren, welcome, dear sisters, to this free and happy land! Live here in peace and safety! The spear that reaches you must first transfix the British lion. Welcome to our churches; welcome to our homes; welcome to our hearts! We bid you welcome in the name of Christ, your Lord and ours! I am sure that in these sentiments we yield to the influence of a spontaneous affection; but we feel that the sympathy which we cherish is also demanded by truth, honour, and consistency. Why are these wives and mothers now separated from their husbands and their little ones? Why has the lacerating scourge left traces upon the body of that Christian brother, which the grave only will efface? Why was Rafaravavy for five months confined to a dismal dungeon, surrounded by soldiers, and from hour to hour left in the anticipation that the next might be her last? Why have they all been led to renounce abundance for poverty, and bonour for reproach and degradation? Why have they disowned their country's gods' Why have they incurred the hatred of their princes? Why is it that they are exiles in our midst to-day? Upon us rests the solemn responsibility. We shall not shrink from it. They do not reflect on us for the obtrusiveness of our love. Their blessing is upon us, and it is their joy that they are counted worthy to suffer for the Lord's sake. But, if a sense of duty to Christ, a feeling of compassion towards their coun try and their souls, lead us to perform this service, what does honour, what does justice now demand, but that we should bind up their wounds, soothe their sorrows, and with a brother's love sustain and cheer them in this the land of their exile? We are right glad to see them in the midst of us to-day. And yet I could not but rejoice when it was so distinctly made known to the assembly that they came not to Britain of their own seeking-that they came not here for the gratification of a mere curiosity. The assembly heard, that although they now breathe the air of freedom, they remember their brethren in bonds, and pray for their country that groans under a still heavier yoke. Though they are present amongst us, their hearts are in Madagascar, and amidst this new world of wonders into which they are so unexpectedly thrown, their chief attraction, even here, is the church of Christ. Though they are happy in our midst, their prayer and their desire are, soon to be gone; they wait but for the opportunity, for the voice of that Providence which has so wondrously guided and so graciously guarded them hitherto, to return to their native land-to some dis trict where the power of the persecuting Queen may not be felt; that there they may labour and die for the salvation of their countrymen and the glory of the Saviour. Although there is very much that is painfully interesting in the occasion of our meeting to-day, yet there is much to excite our thankfulness and joy.-Having alluded to the annual meeting of this Society, held 18 years ago, at Great Queen-street Chapel, when a native Prince of Madagascar, accompanied by several of his countrymen, was present; having adverted to what has been since accomplished for the furtherance of the Gospel in Madagascar, the thousands of people who are in a state of preparation to receive the truth, the numbers who are now firmly adhering to it, said to be nearly 200, and the extreme sufferings of the native Christians, Mr. Tidman resumed :We have heard that three have been added to the noble army of martyrs; and how did they die? In peace, in triumph, praying, "O God, open the eyes of the Queen of Madagascar." And shall such prayers remain unanswered? I have often wished that I had been permitted to hear a martyr's faith and a martyr's hope from a martyr's lips-for there is a charm in the living voice which no books can convey; and to day I have been permitted in effect to have this desire gratified. We have heard how she felt, what sustained her, and what were her prospects and triumphs when she expected every hour to lay down her life for the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, and when we look on men and on women who have hazarded their lives for the sake of the Lord Jesus, we may give our our fears to the winds, and be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Oh, these are the blessed and the glorious rewards of our feeble and imperfect agency. It is true that we may not have the wisdom of the wise to sanction our designs, nor the wealth of the affluent, to swell our resources, nor the support of the powerful to uphold our cause; but we have that which leaves them all behind, and makes us feel as though we need not regret their loss. We have the Gospel, the glorious Gospel that can make the savage more than a man; we have the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, which can enlighten the darkest mind, and cleanse the vilest heart; and we have the promised presence of our adorable Redeemer, and he can overcome the proudest of his foes, and bear the feeblest of his saints through floods and through flames to reach the martyr's crown. These sentiments are embodied in the resolution I read. But the resolution goes beyond this; it expresses a conviction, not only of the ultimate triumphs of the Gospel, but a deep conviction that even persecution shall ac I celerate its prospects and augment its triumphs. This is strong language; is it true? Is this the mere inspiration of a flattering hope, or is it the enlightened result of a scriptural confidence? May it not be asked, Has not persecution often triumphed triumphed even to the extermination of the Christian and his faith? I know that persecution has often triumphed over something that was called Christianity, but something unworthy of the name. know that it has triumphed over ignorance, over superstition, over the dead and worthless forms of Christianity; but I have yet to learn the time and the place in which humble believers in the Son of God, with the Bible in their hand, with its truths in their heart, have gone forth clothed in the armour of righteousness, carrying the sword of the Spirit, and no other sword, and the shield of faith, and no other shield. I say I have yet to learn the date and the scene of the conflict when such Christians were not made more than conquerors through Him that loved us. After referring to the effects of persecution in various parts of Europe and the East, Mr. Tidman continued,—But I need not refer to history; it is enough for me to look to Madagascar. There is the proof of all we affirm and of what we believe. For sixteen years did our dear brethren labour with unremitting ardour, and at the end of sixteen years they could reckon nearly 100 souls savingly converted to Christ as the fruit of their labours. What followed? The King died; his successor became their adversary; the reading of the Scriptures was forbidden; the schools were put down; to pray to God, or to sing praises to Christ, became a crime; and what was the fruit of these toils and sufferings? You have heard, Sir, that during these four years the number of true converts was doubled. Radama, the patron of Missions, died, and God arose to plead his own cause. The Missionaries were banished, and when the shepherds were sent away, the faithful and true Shepherd took the oversight of the flock, and went about seeking to save them that were lost. They no longer heard from the lips of their pastors and teachers the glad tidings of salvation; but they had the Scriptures, and they received the Word in the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. With these facts before me, I must renounce my understanding as well as relinquish my faith, if I could believe that God would ever suffer the cause of Christ in Madagascar to perish. The Rev. Dr. VAUGHAN, in seconding the resolution, said-We are met to-day, as you are aware, in order that these exiles from a distant land might be commended to your protection and to your prayers. It must be not a little delightful to you that you can look upon them not merely as exiles, but as Christians, and feel that on that ground they have strong claims on your affection and regard. They are before you, however, not merely as Christians, but as Christians in a state of suffering, enduring wrong, and enduring wrong for the cause of Jesus Christ. They are persons, therefore, who ought to have a sanctuary in the most cordial feelings of your minds. Nay, more than this, they are here to-day as your own offspring. The labours of the Society with which you are identified, have been the means, under God, of bringing them into the possession of that true life which now has existence within them. Beyond these things, they are here to-day in answer to your prayers, inasmuch as you have often implored that God would make his truth manifest, and display his power unto salvation in the heathen world. He has heard the voice of that cry; he has sent his Holy Spirit along with his word, and here you have in the midst of you to-day a communion of exiles from his regenerated church in Madagascar, in order that, whatever clouds or darkness may be floating abroad, you may not be faithless but believing. There would then in our case, were we devoid of sympathy in relation to these persons, be grounds to charge us at once with ingratitude and impiety. These are indebted to us for having heard the name of Christ-they are indebted to your labours, under the blessing of God, for having been led to make that bold profession of Christ which they have made, and which has brought upon them all their sufferings and all their wrongs. These bonds and tortures they have endured; the exile homelessness and want in which you this day see them, are among the effects that have followedunintentionally on our part-but still have followed, as the effects of our interposition on their behalf. It is not, therefore, merely the ties that bind Christian to Christian that are brought into action here. There are others of a more tender and powerful kind to be added to these-you have to look upon them as your own spiritual offspring-to regard them as all but destroyed by the pressure of the injuries inflicted upon them because of their relationship to you. If they have lost friends in their own country, let them find that they have gained friends in another. Let them see that, if they are separated from a land dear to them by many sweet recollections, they are now connected with another to be no less endeared to them as yielding the expression of warm Christian sympathy and love. Let them ascertain that there is that in the Gospel for which they have suffered, which can give them a better country, a better brotherhood, a better heritage, than that which they have left. When we take away a part of the pressure of the burden, by the exercise of sympathy, we augment the power of bearing that which remains. We come, therefore, upon an occasion like the present, to carry into effect the very essence of our holy religion-to rejoice with those that rejoice, and to weep with those that weep-to remember those that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being ourselves also in the body. We ought to be especially thankful to-day that God has not tried our faith in relation to Madagascar, as he might have done. He might have allowed all our labour and expenditure to have been incurred without any apparent good resulting from it. In the place of this, he has secured the remnant of his church that we might see some of them before us to-day. He has not suffered us to be tried above what we are able to bear. We ought at the same time to remember, that in God's dealings with his church, the darkest season is often that which precedes the brightest manifestation of his favour; and those who have been most observant of his manner of proceeding will be most persuaded of the truth of this remark. Dr. Vaughan concluded by adducing several interesting facts in illustration of the last remark, and The resolution was put and carried. The Rev. J. J. FREEMAN next proceeded to interrogate Ratsarahomba, to the following effect : Before the light of the Gospel came among your countrymen, had they any hope in death, or any knowledge of the fu Through that which Christ hath done we obtain the forgiveness of our sins; and through love to God we rise to the enjoyment of life and happiness; and through believ ing in the name of Christ we have life everlasting. Razáfy (Sarah) was next questioned. You have come far away from your husband, your relations, your country-you are here in a land of strangers; what are your thoughts and feelings now about those you have left behind you? I have relations and friends there, but they know not the Lord-they know not the Saviour. It is not with me a matter of deep grief to make separation from them, if they may be brought to know the way of salvation. Do you purpose to pray to God much, that he would have compassion upon them and save them? I have prayed, I wish to pray continually, that God may have compassion on my friends and relations whom I have left in that dark land; and my hope is, that on returning I may be able to seek their salvation by teaching them the knowledge of the true God. The Rev. J. BURNET moved the second resolution: "That in the affecting condition of Madagascar generally, in the success with which God has been pleased to crown his Gospel in that island, and in the sufferings and sacrifices of the native Christians, this meeting, deeply sensible of the responsibility connected with their own religious advantages, and means of usefulness, recognises the most solemn obligations to enlarged personal devotedness, and pecuniary contribution, in aid of the proclamation of the message of mercy to all tribes and kindreds of the world." After some observations as to the claims of the Christian refugees upon the churches, and the light in which the circumstance of their being taken under the protection of the Society should be regarded, Mr. Burnet thus proceeded:-This resolution directs our attention in the first place to the affecting condition of Madagascar generally, as a ground on which to call upon you to engage in new efforts, to acknowledge increased obligation, and to make enlarged sacrifices. Now what is the affecting condition of Madagascar generally? Look at it in its physical condition. We see rising mountains, wide ravines, surrounding seas, salubrious air, and every thing calculated to call forth the admiration of those who delight in the works of God. But when we look at its moral aspect, we meet with the most affecting scenes. See a wide spread idolatry destroying the present character and future hopes of a population of four millions of oals. See an usurped sceptre employed, as tyrants generally employ the crown which they pilfer from their rightful owners, to crush the liberties of the subject, and to destroy the profession of the Gospel of Christ. There is another source of evil,Madagascar is filled with roving tribes and predatory warfare, and petty tyrants, wielding, in imitation of the great tyrant, the same unhallowed power, and filling the land with unparalleled violence. What a condition is this! Were we only worldly. politicians, delighting in a well-ordered condition of society, we should say, let every thing be done that can relieve the population from a condition so destructive and so degrading. But when we look up, and see, as it were, the angel standing in the sun, and holding up to that bright orb the apocalyptic vision that tells us we are to preach the Gospel to every kindred, and nation, and tongue, and people; and when we turn away from this Suc vision to the island of Madagascar, and think of its inhabitants, as without this Gospel, or having it only in the limited measure in which it has yet pervaded that great island, we feel that our work, so far from having been accomplished, has only been begun, and that we owe it to those persons, not merely to hail them with the Christian kindness with which they have been met to-day, but to sustain them by the cool, the deliberate, the well-instructed Christian zeal that will persevere in giving them the means of going back again, with increased power, to tell the Madagasse whom they have left behind them more of that Saviour whom they themselves have found. They are your ready Missionaries; they wait for the teaching you have to communicate; they are ready to meet again the dangers they have left, and to brave new perils, in order to make new conquests for the Prince of Peace. But this resolution directs our attention, in the next place, to the success with which God has been pleased to crown his Gospel in that island. cess! some one would say, after we have found despotism triumphant, and persecution driving our converts from the shore. Success! when we have the memorials of our defeat on the right and left of the Chairman. Success! when we find both men and women calculated to be useful as teachers, useful as examples and illustrations of the power of the Gospel of Christ -when we find these driven away and located in the country whence we sent our Missionaries out, as if our testimony were flung back upon us, and as if all our efforts had been foiled. Success!-I have no doubt some would be disposed to resist this, and say, "Where is their success, when they are bringing before us the proofs that they have failed?" I am not now to dwell on the value of immortal souls. I know of no standard by which I can measure their value, just because I have no standard by which I can measure eternity. But if six immortal spirits come and give the satisfactory evidence which these have given to-day, that they have become heirs of a glorious immortality, who will tell me, when he counts up the money which has been expended, and the labours in which we have engaged, that that money, and that those labours, can for a single moment be set, not against those six, but against any one of them, in value in the sight of God, or in the sight of a Christian? We have succeeded, but we are not to measure our success by the present results. There remain in Madagascar still not only two hundred who have not bowed the knee to Baal, but I have no doubt many more of whom we have no opportunity of hearing, are, with a human timidity, waiting like those who came to Jesus by night, until they can make an open profession of their attachment to Him in whom those six have been taught to rejoice. Success must not be measured, therefore, by what we see. Let the Scriptures, which have been circulated there, be still considered as the textbook of these and thousands more; and whilst this seed is germinating under ground, a harvest, I have no doubt, will soon bless our eyes, and so at once encourage our faith and admonish our unbelief. The resolution, however, directs our attention, in the next place, to the sufferings and sacrifices of the native Christians as another reason why we should exert ourselves to promote the great work of Missions. The sacrifices and the sufferings of brethren in Christ shall never be lost. Why have they been permitted to suffer? He who loves them, and will love them to the end, permitted them to suffer, or sufferings never would have formed part of their history or the history of their Christian profession. Why was it they were permitted to suffer? Why is a Christian at any time permitted to suffer, or called upon to make sacrifices? Are we to have a Christianity untried-a Christianity always at ease-a Christianity settled upon its lees, and clothed with all the attributes that belong to respectability? Are we to have a Christianity that never resisted unto blood, that never knew a trial; or is it the design still of the great Author of Christianity to permit the sufferings, and sacrifices, and trials of his people to constitute a part of the moral history of the power and principle of his Gospel, and to constitute a part of the evidence of its truth? What should we say to an army which had never fought, never seen an adversary, never heard the thunder of the field, never passed beyond the review ground, that had moved well on parade, but done nothing more? If an experienced foe were to assail us, trained in a thousand fields-a foe living in camps, matured in exercise, hardened in the service on which they were entering, what should we say of our own interests, were they to be committed to the untried troops to whom I have referred? But when I see Christianity coming out of trials, and not merely in the minds of the aged, the sage, and the philosophic, but in such youths as those now before you; when I see Christianity coming up in the spring time of life, and all that is dear combining to induce apostacy in the hour of danger-when I see Christianity coming out pure and unsullied from circumstances like these, and from under the threats of a cruel, oppressive, and usurping tyrant, bringing with it the testimony of a good conscience, I am then prepared to look at Christianity as tried, illustrated, confirmed, and established, and I can trust it because it has thus proved its potency. But what may be the state of the Christians in Madagascar now? for this resolution refers to the sufferings and circumstances of the native Christians of Madagascar generally. How many are at this moment not trembling under the spear, but whose stedfastness of principle is making the hand tremble that wields it against them? How many, at this present moment, are in bonds and fetters, not appalled by the punishment, leaving that to the jailers that watch them, while they come trembling to listen to their praises at night? How many of the Christians of Madagascar may be in the midst of slavery, as well as of bonds, bearing it be cause it is connected with the spiritual liberty with which Christ has made them free? Let us sympathise with these, and do every thing that in us lies to send out such a flood of light as shall reach at last the dark minds of their persecutors, until their enmity shall be subdued, and they shall be constrained to take the work of Missions into their own hands. The resolution tells us, all these circumstances considered, "This meeting, deeply sensible of the responsibility connected with their own religious advantages and means of usefulness, recognises the most solemn obligations, &c." Responsibility, and the means and advan tages for usefulness in connexion with the religion belonging to the character of Bri tons, we cannot possibly escape from. We have a responsibility, whether we vote it at this meeting or not, which must live and die with us-nay, which must go with us to the judgment seat of God and rest with us there. I do not put the question of respon sibility to the meeting to see whether they will acknowledge it or not. Wherever there is a meeting of professors of Christianity in Britain, that meeting must acknowledge its responsibility to extend that Christianity, and to extend it in connexion with the advastages and means of usefulness which we pos sess. [Mr. Burnet next proceeded to affirm and illustrate the nature and amount of the responsibility involved in the high national position to which this country has attained under the guidance and favour of Divine Providence, and thus resumed,]— The resolution tells you further, that we are called to acknowledge our most solemn obligations to enlarged personal devotedness and pecuniary contribution in aid of the proclamation of the message of mercy to all tribes and kindreds of the world. Then here is another field, and Madagascar is for a moment left. We have to look to all the tribes and kindreds of the world; and if we are to look to north, south, east, and west, and leave that spot upon the ocean's bosom, on which we have been called to dwell today; and if we see the perishing myriads of the family of man rising in loud protest |