and as we had to retrace our steps, did not feel disposed to proceed much further, nor would it have been of use, for my stock of books (three New Testaments, ten Gospels, twenty-four Hymn-books, and a number of tracts) was quite expended. I was sorely disappointed in meeting with so few people in a place reported to be so populous. But there is no dependence to be placed on the accounts which the Malays give. The different reports which I received while there, in answer to the inquiry," How many persons are there in the district of Pow," varied from two thousand to one hundred thousand, so exceedingly uncertain is their information, there must however be a large number of inhabitants. The houses are much scattered, and the greater part in a different direction to the one we took. We did not see thirty, and most of them nearly empty, the people being employed out of doors in gathering the harvest. I hope soon to visit the place again, and search more of them out. FRANCE. THE formation of a Missionary Society in Paris is an event of no ordinary interest; and we are persuaded our readers will be much gratified by the following translation of a letter lately addressed by the worthy President and Secretary of that institution, to the Committee of the Baptist Missionary Society. Dear and honoured brethren in Christ prompted us to the establishment and organization of our rising society. Amongst the proofs of gratitude which it is in our power to give to the Father of Spirits for the religious liberty which we have enjoyed under his divine protection, in a land where our forefathers were so long deprived of this greatest of all blessings, there is none which appears to us more natural and consistent with the obliga tions which our situation requires us to express to the Lord and to his Christ, than the pious attempt to unite our efforts for the advancement of his kingdom amongst those of our brethren, who are still dwelling in the valley of the shadow of death. This we hope in some measure to accomplish by employing, with zeal and activity, all the means which his goodness has afforded us in the capital of France. We could not, without depriving ourselves of a real pleasure, pass over in silence the feelings of admiration and gratitude towards a gracious Providence, which the success of your missionary exertions has excited in us. The names of Carey, Ward, and Marshman are here associated with the profoundest veneration, and the most ardent prayers for the preservation and the success of your pious labours. Yes, dear brethren, it encourages us, while it consoles us to see your society, so short a time after its commencement, and with means apparently so limited, extending widely its operations, and your zealous Missionariés employing their translating into so many languages uncommon learning and talents in the sacred books, which display to men the incomprehensible riches of salvation in Christ Jesus. In informing you of the establishMay we, very dear brethren, walkment of an Evangelical Missionary ing in your steps, assisted by your Society at Paris, on behalf of heathen counsels, and encouraged by your nations, we feel assured of presenting prayers, contribute by our sincere efto your notice a subject capable of afforts to hasten that happy time when "the earth shall be full of the knowfording you the liveliest satisfaction, and of furnishing a new incentive to ledge of the Lord as the waters cover gratitude towards that gracious Prothe sea;" when 66 every knee shall vidence, which, adapting its supplies of his glorious redemption, all power bow before him, to whom, as the price to our wants, seems more abundantly hath been given both in heaven and on to have bestowed its spiritual blessings on us, in these latter generations, in- earth;" that time when, over all the asmuch as it has been pleased, since surface of the globe, men of every the commencement of this century par- tongue and every clime, seeking each ticularly, to multiply the proofs of its other, or meeting accidentally, shall infinite mercy. no longer converse in the language of distrust or of insult, of vanity or of dissimulation, of seduction or of hatred; but greeting each other as in the first ages of Christianity, shall cor The circular which we have the honour of forwarding to you, will enable you to form an estimate of our design, as well as of the feelings which have dially present the right hand of fellowship with mutual congratulations, that "Christ is risen;" and that "when they were dead in sin, they were quickened together with him." We intreat your prayers for us—you have ours united in faith and hope; we mutually invoke the protection of the Almighty on labours which have The Count VERHUELL, President. Contributions received by the Treasurer of the Baptist Missionary Society, from June 20, to July 20, 1823, not including Individual Subscriptions. FOR THE MISSION. West York Assistant Society, by M. Thackrey, Esq. viz.→→ £ Bradford 44 4 200 0 Manchester Auxiliary Society, by Mr. Joseph Leese, Treasurer 105 Sunday School Children.... 4 10 0 ....... Herefordshire, Friends, by Rev. George Pritchard. Dean-street, Female Auxiliary Missionary Society, by Rev. 5 ΟΙ 10 3 10 5 Winstone, Gloucestershire, collected at the Monthly Missionary Prayer Meeting, by Mr. Thomas Davis.. Dundee, Penny-a-Week Society Chesham, by Mr. Tomlin and Miss Payne Crendon, by Mr. Hopcraft and Miss West Rev. Mr. Green... 14*22222 32 11 Dublin, Miss Kierman 2 15 6 Ilford, Auxiliary Society 20 Haworth, by Mr. Oddy Enderby, Penny-a-Week Society.. 3 Salendine Nook, Collection, by Rev. R. Hall Contributions for the Debt, and Individual Subscriptions, will be duly noticed. J. BARFIELD, Printer, 91, Wardour-Street, Solio. Baptist Magazine. SEPTEMBER, 1823. MEMOIR OF REV. JOSHUA SYMONDS. PREVIOUSLY to this time he records several remarkable escapes from death, and whilst paying a visit to his friends at the vacation of 1764, he records another very providential deliverance. Riding a horse which had been a racer, it ran away; after it had galloped near two miles at full speed, and his attempts to stop the animal had proved unavailing, he came to the determination of throwing himself off, but his fright and confusion at the time were so great, he could not afterwards recollect whether he did fling himself off, or whether he fell owing to fear, but he suspected he was dragged a yard or two, owing to his foot being entangled in the stirrup; but through mercy the only inconvenience he suffered was his ankle's being somewhat sprained. The spur leather broke, which released him from his perilous situation, and he was led to exclaim, " O Lord, how infinite thy power! how surprising thy care! how condescending thy goodness!" Lord's-day, March 9, 1766, is the first record of his preaching at Bedford, where afterwards he laboured for so many years, setting forth the unsearchable riches of Christ crucified, proclaiming salvation to wretched dying men, and not only in Bedford, but in VOL. XV. all the adjacent villages, entering the cottages of the poor, and carrying the glad tidings of salvation to the simple inhabitants, giving in his Master's name a welcome to all to partake of the blessings provided for them in the gospel. His going to Bedford at this time was what men would call accidental; but no doubt it was of the Lord, who directed his steps. Mr. Vennor, a friend of his, was invited to supply, but owing to a great fall of snow, the letter of invitation was detained so long, Mr. Vennor had not an opportunity to reply in time to prevent their writing to Mr. Symonds, and this arrangement with Mr. Symonds prevented his going to Poole, where he had been invited; in consequence, Mr. Ashburner went to supply at the latter place, and thus an opening was made for him in that part of the Lord's vineyard, where he was to labour for so many years with great acceptance and usefulness. The lot is cast into the lap, but the disposal is of the Lord." He very soon commenced a practice, which he continued as long as health permitted, that of frequently retiring to the neighbouring woods and fields to meditate. Often in summer has he risen with the sun, rode to an ad 2 M jacent cottage, and there after a short conversation with the pious inhabitants, leaving his horse at the door of this cottage, he has retired to the solitude of the wood to converse with God, to meditate on his works and ways, and thus devote the earliest hours of day to the service of religion, and the spiritual welfare of his people. The church at Bedford at length united to give Mr. Symonds a call to take the oversight of them as their pastor, which, after much prayer, self-examination, and many fears of his own unworthiness, he accepted; and at this season of anxious solicitude he found the value of the Rev. John Newton's friendship. "To him (says Mr. Symonds) I opened my whole heart, and enjoyed much spiritual conversa. tion with and comfort from him." On the 4th of August, 1767, he was solemnly set apart for the work of an Evangelist, and to one who carried all his concerns to a throne of grace, it was no doubt a time of unusual wrestling in prayer. His own account is as follows. "I rose before two o'clock. And now the solemn day is come-this morning I have had many sore conflicts and much agonizing distress on account of my weakness, pride, and the other corruptions that work withHence a dark cloud has overwhelmed my soul, and I am full of sinkings, doubts, and fears, lest I am not a child of God, and lest I am not called to the work I am going to undertake. O what bitter groans and soul-rending cries have I uttered before the Lord! Yet have I cast my poor tossed soul upon his free-grace and mercy in Jesus Christ, and would leave myself, my cares, my burdens, my sorrows, and in me. woes, with him. O for relief from him! Amen." No sooner was Mr. Symonds settled as a pastor, than he began with assiduity to fill the duties of his office with affection and zeal; and he laboured with great success the remainder of his days; and as a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth; but this brought against him much opposition, owing to the great variety of sentiment that prevailed amongst a portion of his hearers, and which soon after his settlement manifested itself in personal and bitter attacks on his mode of preaching; some condemning it as legal, whilst others objected to his holding salvation by free grace alone, as the ground of it: but none of these things moved him ; he still continued to set forth works as necessary to the christian character, and Christ Jesus as the only procuring cause of salvation. Christ, and his mediation, were the delightful themes that melted his own soul, and often did the flame of sacred love descend upon his hearers whilst he expatiated with flowing tears on the heavenly subject. On the 3rd of November, 1767, Mr. Symonds was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Kingsley, daughter of an eminent druggist, who resided in Lime-street, London, and who proved a most excellent christian both in young and mature age; amiable, modest, benevolent, and heavenlyminded, she was indeed the pastor's wife. Previously to her marriage much of her time had been spent with her friend, the late Mrs. Wilberforce, whose habitation was a heaven upon earth, and every day resembled a Sabbath. Here Mrs. Symonds no doubt in spiritual converse with her friend, acquired that habit of and delight in abstractedness from the world, and that deeptoned piety which characterized the whole of her life. churches have been healed, if the brethren had thus met for prayer! but neglecting this, all has been discord, and in the end division and desolation. (To be concluded in our next.) P. 317 1. penult. read adopted; p. 318, 1. 8, Carr's Lane. On the Interpretation of the Figu rative Language of Scripture. "the HAVING considered Warrantable Grounds for understanding Scripture figuratively," and having endeavoured to ascertain "the Range of the Figurative Language of Scripture;" it now remains to inquire into the Range and Limits of a correct Interpretation of those portions of Holy Writ in which a departure from the literal meaning is justifiable and proper. After Mr. Symonds had resided at Bedford some years, and had laboured with much esteem and affection amongst the good people, a change took place in his sentiments on the subject of baptism; this had nearly caused a separation between him and his people. It was to himself a time. of much agitation, perplexity, and agony of mind, and very much outward opposition he experienced from his people; but the Lord enabled him to persevere and remain firm to the convictions of his mind. "Amidst all (he says) the Lord is my support and refuge, and now prayer and the promises are doubly sweet and precious. My soul is even as a weaned child, willing to stay or depart hence, just as God pleases. My dearest friends are many of them angry with me, but I hope God is not offended, yet concerning this many anxious inquiries and many alarming challenges have occurred to my mind; bowever, the result is a firm persuasion that I have acted right, being made willing to follow the Lord whithersoever he leads, though it be through the fire of tribulation. Hence after much sorrow and suspense, I now enjoy inward peace and tranquillity, yet at times dejected, especially as the leading members plead for my removal from my beloved people."mediate connexion, being placed But he soon called upon his soul in remote parts of the same parto praise the Lord for his abun- ticular book of Scripture. To dant goodness. Friends were furnish an example of this kind softened, prejudices abated, and we may refer to Rev. xxii. 2, the members of the church soon where we read of the tree of life adopted the right way of proceeding in such a case. The brethren met for prayer and consultation. How often might breaches in In inquiring for legitimate modes of interpreting the Scriptures, we are led to observe that God has made exceedingly great provision for this purpose in the Sacred Oracles themselves. Thus in carefully reading the parables of our Lord, and at the same time paying a proper regard to the connexion in which they stand, we cannot fail to be struck with that arrangement of doctrines and facts which furnishes a clue to the right interpretation of the whole parable. In a great number of instances, however, illustrative passages are found out of the range of the im *See the Baptist Magazine for Nov. 1822, and for March 1823. See the Baptist Magazine for May and August in the present year. |