50 his sermon before the Society, at its Twenty-fourth Anniversary :

GLORY OF GOD, A MOTIVE TO MISSIONARY EXERTION.

While all the events of a restless and agitated world— moving forward, as they too generally do, in utter forgetfulness of Him-must yet work together in entire subordination to His glory, and even the wrath of man must praise Him*; the work of Missions has this high and holy character stamped upon it, that it aims at this hallowed end, in the most direct way, and on the largest scale. And this consideration it is which, above all others, endears the Missionary Cause to our hearts, that it is so identified with the work of our Saviour, and so bound up with His glory. It is a direct assault made upon the kingdom of Satan, by the act of proclaiming another King, even JESUS, for whom it claims the Universal Empire. The Temple you are now building in New Zealand, or in any other of the darkest spots of Satan's dominions, is consecrated to His glory, and becoming vocal with His praises. Let us put the crown upon His head, who alone is worthy to wear it. The silver and the gold, which from the riches of the Church's liberality are poured into this treasury of the Lord, would be desecrated and perverted from its legitimate purpose, if employed to make crowns for any other head than that of Jesus. The most honoured of those who have laboured in the work of this building, and in whom pre-eminently we glorify God for the grace bestowed upon them-from the venerable SCOTT, to those whose names are more recently embalmed in our affectionate remembrance, GAMBIER and WILBERFORCEwould all unite, with one mind and one mouth, to glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ†; putting away the honour from the earthen vessel, and referring to the grace of their beloved Master all that they had been enabled to do for Him.

HORRIBLE NOTIONS OF THE AFRICANS RESPECTING THE

SLAVE-TRADE.

IN the Rev. J. F. Schön's Journal of his Voyage up the Niger, an account is given of a remarkable meeting which took place between one of the Inter

HORRIBLE NOTIONS RESPECTING THE SLAVE-TRADE.

51

preters, a Liberated African from Sierra Leone, and an old acquaintance at a village called Anya, not far from the mouth of the river. This will give some idea of the horrible notions which prevail among the Native Tribes respecting the slave-trade. And yet, notwithstanding these opinions, they will sell their own children into slavery. How truly may it be said of Heathens, that they are without natural affection!

Aug. 23, 1841-An Ibo man was told by the Interpreter, that he himself had been made a slave, but had been liberated and kindly treated by the English. The Ibo man could hardly credit it. He had hitherto believed that slaves were purchased by the White People to be killed and eaten, and that their blood was used to make red cloth. This notion is very prevalent among them.

Aug. 24-Anya. Never has the slave-trade appeared so abominable to me as to-day; when I found that the Natives in general entertain the most fearful ideas of the miseries to which they expose the helpless victims of their avarice by selling them. The circumstance by which this information was obtained, or rather confirmed, I having often heard it before, is too interesting to be omitted. Our Brass Interpreter was peculiarly anxious that one of the large number of persons who surrounded our vessel this evening should come on board, because he thought he recognised him. Though many years had elapsed since our Interpreter was sold, and the other had, in the mean time, become an old man, they instantly recognised each other; and I cannot describe the astonishment manifested by the Ibo man at seeing one whom he verily believed had long since been killed and eaten by the White People. His expressions of surprise were strong, but very significant. "If God Himself," he said, "had told me this, I could not have believed what my eyes now see." The Interpreter then found out that Anya was the very place to which he had first been sold as a slave, and at which he had spent nine years of his early life; and that the very person with whom he was speaking had been his doctor and nurse in a severe illness, on which account he had retained a thankful remembrance of him.

GREAT LOVE OF THE NEW-ZEALANDERS FOR THE

WORD OF GOD.

THE history of New-Zealand Missions, during the last few years, furnishes many pleasing and satisfactory proofs, not only of the avidity with which the Christian Natives seek to possess copies of those portions of the Word of God which have been translated into their language, but also of the diligence and attention with which they endeavour to " read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them." When the late Rev. S. Marsden made his seventh and last visit to New Zealand, in 1837, he remarked:

The portions of the Sacred Scriptures which have been printed, have had a most astonishing effect. They are read by the Natives at every place where I have been. The Natives teach one another; and find great pleasure in the Word of God, and carry that sacred treasure with them wherever they go.

In the course of the following year, the Translation of the New Testament was completed, and an edition of 5000 copies printed at the Mission Press. The desire to possess this book was so great, that it was found necessary to send a number of copies to New South Wales to be bound, because they could not bind them quickly enough on the island to meet the wants of the Natives.

"At every place at which we call," writes Mr. Puckey, in September 1839, "the cry is, 'Have you any books?'" And Mr. Fairburn, writing about the same time from his Station near the River Thames, observes, "The desire for Scriptural Knowledge is daily increasing. The application for books is incessant; and I believe I shall not overstep the bounds of truth, when I say that from 800 to 1000 of the Thames' Natives can read the Scriptures." The Rev. R. Maunsell also, in reporting on the Waikato Station at the same period, remarks

One thing, I confess, I never expected to witness

LOVE OF NEW-ZEALANDERS FOR THE WORD OF GOD. 53

I mean the truly astonishing desire that prevails to obtain the Scriptures. They will come from a great distance to obtain a copy; and, I am sorry to say, have been too often obliged to go away disappointed. They have even gone from hence to the Bay, a distance of ten days' journey, exclusively, as themselves declare, with that object. Pigs, which are now in great demand, they will gladly give in exchange for them.

Mr. Maunsell thus describes a similar instance, which took place at a subsequent period, June 8, 1840:

Having promised a New Testament to one of the Congregations, about five days' journey from hence, as a reward for the superior neatness and care exhibited in the erection of their chapel, one of their party accompanied me the whole way back; and, finding that they had not yet arrived, has this day proceeded to Mr. Hamlin's, twenty-five miles distant, to obtain it. Thus, when he has reached home, he will have taken a twelve-days' journey for this one book.

The edition of 5000 Testaments printed at the Mission Press having been soon exhausted, 20,000 copies were printed in this country by the British and Foreign Bible Society, and have been sent out to New Zealand. In reference to these, the Rev. W. Williams makes the following observations, in a Letter recently received. He is speaking of a part of the country altogether distinct from any of the places above mentioned :

The desire to possess Prayer-Books and Testaments is such, that, for the purpose of obtaining them, they will come from the extreme points of Hawkes' Bay. They are always ready to pay, when the distance does not prevent them from doing so. Numbers have brought a payment beforehand, to make sure of early possession on the arrival of a supply; and since the Testaments printed in New Zealand are expended, they are perfectly satisfied to leave their payment, on hearing that others are on the way from England.

One more instance of a remarkable character may be added, from a communication just received from Mr. Maunsell :

The desire for the Word of Life is still undiminished,

54

GREAT LOVE OF THE NEW-ZEALANDERS

and the offer of a New Testament is in many cases more tempting than a more costly article. In my late trip to that remote place, Taupo, I used many, though vain efforts, in various parts of the Lake, to get a guide to Otawao: none could be induced to accompany me. It was a four days' journey through a barren and deserted country, in the depth of winter, the frost being then severe. At last, I hit upon the expedient of offering a New Testament. It was immediately accepted. Two guides accompanied me to fetch it; and a third joined us, for the sake of conversation and baptism, and the chance of getting another. For no other consideration do I think I could have induced those Natives, at such a season of the year, to accompany me.

If it be asked what use is made of a prize so eagerly sought for, let the following extracts from the Journal of the Rev. A. N. Brown furnish a reply:

"Yes;

66

Any

Sept. 9, 1839-I have to-day been engaged with a party of fifty-two Natives from the Pas, who came over for religious instruction. At the evening class, twenty-four others assembled. In the course of reading, I had occasion to inquire what a Temple was. "The praying-house of the Jews," replied William Thompson.-"Do you recollect any other Temple mentioned in the Testament?" the Temple of Heaven, in the Book of Revelation."other?" "Yes; the bodies of believers are Temples of the Holy Ghost:" and turning to 1 Cor. vi. 19. he read the passage.-On inquiring again what the Holy Spirit was to us, he replied, "A Comforter-a Teacher-a Remembrancer;" and read John xiv. 26. in confirmation.—I was as much surprised as pleased at these apposite rejoinders, and at the readiness with which he turned to the passages. I feel persuaded that the Papists will gain little with many of these Natives, unless the Priests can point to Scripture in confirmation of what they advance. Nor will the perversion of a few texts avail them; for the Natives will search for themselves whether those things are so. They devote much time to reading the New Testament," the best book," as Burkitt quaintly remarks, "that was ever written against Popery."

Oct. 22-I have been making a list of the Miracles of our Saviour, which I took from the "Companion to the