ceived "all power in heaven and on earth;" now he has done for us more than we can "ask or think," and prepared for us the joy which we this day experience. as of old, in the unchanging love of his heart, "and in the evening (says Mark) he cometh with the twelve." We can also say, "it is good for us to be here :" for we have whereon to lay our heads-on the breast of our Lord. His coming to his own is always the greatest event in their eyes. May his coming to-day be a great event in the history of this church. Once, as Solomon's temple was finished, he came and filled it so that the priests could not stand for the cloud. Tremblings of the deepest awe, before Jehovah, filled their hearts, and repelled them from the holy place. But it was not so when the A few months ago, the gift which is our portion to day, was wholly unknown to us. We only felt our pressing want of it. We turned to the Lord, and said, "Lord, where shall we go?" Just as his disciples once went to him, and said, (Mark xiv. 12, "Where wilt thou that we go and prepare, that thou mayest eat the passover ?" Still his disciples wish to wait upon him, still they have a strong desire to prepare for him and themselves sweet communion in the pro-Paschal Lamb awaited him, and he came with clamation of his name, and the spread of his kingdom. But the world seems no place for that. The world hated the Lord and crucified him. It hates the word of Life and the cross of Christ; therefore those who spread his gospel, cry,—" Where shall we go? how shall we scale the wall with which our enemies surround us?" And the Lord answers from heaven, not by feeble words, but by powerful deeds, of which this day is a witness. And the Lord answered his disciples with the charge, "Go ye into the city," ver. 13, 14, 15. He had already prepared a place for them; and he also knew before the foundation of the world, the place he had prepared for us in this city. He has made all things, and he upholds them by the word of his power. His eye watches the sparrows on the roof, and he counts the hairs on the heads of his elect. All the hearts and houses of men are in his hand. Whatever he sees necessary, he arranges and does. At his command storms and waves must cease from their fierce agitation. At his command the fish must rise from the bottom of the sea, with the money of which his disciples had need to pay the tribute. He provided the furnished room, and he has now prepared this room at the hour when he sees it necessary. The disciples relied upon their master, went out at his command, came into the town, as he had said unto them, ver. 16. And is not his word still always a firm ground for every hope which rests upon it? Do we require any other surety for the future than the promise of the Lord? Do we require any other wisdom than an implicit, child-like obedience to the commands of the Lord ?-whoever now, and to the end of time, does what he has commanded, will not he, like those disciples and this happy church, find it all as he has said in his word? Can he who trusts in the Lord and relies upon his word, ever become a disgrace? May that be always answered in thy heart, my brother, who hast to-day removed to this place with joy and happiness-that is, with Jesus,-and already hast had in this place, blissful communion with him. Yes, the Lord has entered with us to-day, VOL. X.-FOURTH SERIES. the twelve; for then there was nothing terrible in his person. He who had taken our nature upon him, looked upon them, with an eye which said, I will refresh you; and they sat down around him with confidence, though they were still very weak in faith, and ignorant. But he came again, after his ascension, and filled with his spirit the whole house where they were sitting. And now did they feel for the first time, both the power and the goodness of God. The deepest, holiest awe, and the highest joy pervaded them. With great power and joy they stood up whilst the Holy Spirit flowed into the hearts of three thousand. So may the Lord have come to us to-day. May we never be able to stand in this place with our own thoughts and words. May self be banished, and may we be enabled to witness, with great power and blessedness, to the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. To such witness is this place henceforth consecrated, and also in that respect has a resemblance with the furnished room of which we have spoken. The most glorious event that occurred in that room, was the institution of the Lord's supper. Here was the Lord's death for the first time remembered, and the broken body represented and partaken of, as the bread of eternal life. So may it be also ever henceforth here; and when we open our mouth, may Jesus' death, and the fruit of Jesus' death, be our only theme, and "Christ, and him crucified" be our only knowledge. We will preach the power of the blood of Christ to our stubborn hearts; and then, knowing in whom we believe, show to the world, death, curses, and blessings, hell and heaven, that the Spirit of God may choose here the good part, for dead, lost sinners, and reveal to them the Saviour. May the Lord fulfil this to the praise of his eternal grace. Amen. Brother Lehmann's Address. Quite unprepared as I am, I shall not detain you long, at this late hour. Yesterday, at about this time, I had no idea of being here, and now, thanks to the wonderful progress of inventions and industry, I am amongst you on this delightful occasion, so that it is almost a dream to me. Now I am amongst you, and share your joy, and join in your praises, and thanksgivings, and prayers, for this new house. One thing especially strikes me here; it is the declaration of our Saviour: "The glory which thou has given me, I have given them." I will, however, first speak of the beautiful arrangements made here, which, indeed, surpass by far my anticipations. The beautiful trees [before the windows,] the serenity and simplicity of the place. O yes, in this we rejoice; but by far more in the inward glory of which our Redeemer speaks. But have you only now received this? Did you not possess it before? Even at the time when you met in rooms, and poor huts, in darkness and seclusion, under the reproach and contempt of the multitude? Oh, certainly, then the glory was resting on you. In your present position of peace and blessedness, the Lord shows what he can and what he will do; for this is a trifling beginning of future glory which awaits you, when you shall enter the splendid mansions in the skies, and when that shall be revealed, which "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man to conceive, what God hath prepared for them that love him." names There is another thought which impresses itself upon my mind, and that is one of the of our adored Redeemer: "The Branch;" for he must increase. Do you still remember in its infancy the work commenced here? Some of you do. I full well remember when in the year 1835, for the first time I came amongst you, having on a sabbath morning tried to get nourishment for my soul in splendid large churches, but, alas, found it not, having heard there only of spring, and flowers, and fruits. I came unsatisfied into yonder little room, where the band of perhaps fifteen or seventeen were united, and where it pleased the Lord to give me some idea of the true character of a Christian church, which I had not before. Oh, what joy, and peace, and love was then felt in my poor heart. Then, do you remember how, even in this street, at another time I addressed you, then already one of yourselves, and how soon after you were violently dispersed, and your dear pastor imprisoned? Do you remember again, the many small meetings we then held; how, on the same sabbath I conducted four, and other brethren did likewise. Now the Lord has given you rest from your enemies, guided you to this agreeable place of peace, and increased your number so much. Oh what glorious things the Lord has done, fully justifying his name and title" The Branch;" he must increase. But it is the increase and growth of a mustard seed; slowly but surely it waxes. Since the time of the beginning of the work here, mighty movements have taken place in the political and religious world; individuals arose on whom all looked, and said—this is the power of God, which is great. A mighty stir was made, as though the world would be changed; but what has become of it? The enterprise has failed, the great expectations are frustrated, and the whole will soon be rolled away by the tide of time. During all this, you, unseen, in lowliness and humility, have believed, endured, testified, laboured, and hoped for the Lord,-and, oh, think what he has done; increased our number, strengthened our knowledge, extended our influence, and given us this day this building; besides this, there is now another building in our capital, Berlin. The day before yesterday we raised the roof of it, and much will it promote our cause and interest. This is the Lord's doing, and marvellous in our eyes. You, indeed, have the advantage of us Two years ago it seemed as if we should be the first to have a meeting-house; now you are already in possession of one. This is quite as it should be. Hamburg led the way in the work, and therefore the Lord has dealt with equity in giving to Hamburg the first house. You may in this see, at the same time, a reward of your love. For when two years ago I first applied for your assistance, you at once were ready, and contributed according to your ability, and beyond it; so that in my travellings through England, I showed frequently the emblems of your love and sympathy. Now, the Lord has realized his word" Cast thy bread upon the waters," &c. Nor have you needed to wait long. Quite unexpectedly the Lord has returned it. His name be blessed. Now we rejoice with you. I am come as a representative of our brethren in Berlin, and with my full heart, I say, Grace, grace, unto it. And to my greatest joy, I see also amongst us, dear brethren from across the ocean, dear Eng lish friends, whose love I experienced myself so largely, and who bring to my mind again, the multitude of believers in that blessed country, who overwhelmed me with loving. kindness and joy. Oh days of comfort and delight, of which I am reminded, and which raise in me the strongest emotions of love and gratitude, these also are come, and they say to you on this joyful occasion,-Grace, grace, unto it. Surely our hearts shout for joy and gratitude. But if amongst us there is one whose heart more than another feels the greatness of this moment, then certainly, dear brother Oncken, it is yours. Do you remember when in Berlin ten years ago, and in yonder little room of our friend, a feeble band of trembling disciples who ventured to believe, and to hope, and to work-when you expressed the certain expectation, that you would not see Ronge, Czereski, &c. death before at least one hundred Christian churches, built on the ground of prophets and apostles, should have arisen. Your hope must have been already realised; for surely not less than one hundred churches are already raised. Around Berlin only, there are not less than ten, which have fully the character of such, though not as yet the name. We know that at all other places the same is the case; and so the Lord has done already according to your faith. But you shall see still greater things than these; for he who taught us to give double what is asked of us, will he not come up to his own lesson? surely a thousand-fold shall the smallest branch of his plantation be multiplied. Now, then, dear brethren, receive still one short word of exhortation. The real glory, of which the Redeemer speaks, is "That they all may be one." This building is a memorial of that oneness, not raised by orders and exactions of police, or tithes, but by free-will offerings, contributed from all quarters,-nor can we forget the liberal aid of our British brethren. Now this work can only go on and increase, if the same love and concord are continued and increased. Children, then, love each other, and let this day be a feast of love. ANNUAL MEETINGS. BAPTIST UNION. The thirty-fifth annual session of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland was held at Norwich, June 29th and 30th, 1847, and was attended by about fifty ministers and delegates from churches and associations in the Union. The session opened on Monday evening, June 29, at five o'clock, at the Norfolk Hotel; in the absence of the chairman, James Low, Esq., treasurer, occupied the chair. Thomas Bignold, Esq., was appointed recording secretary. The Rev. J. H. Hinton, one of the secretaries, laid before the session the business prepared by the committee, and presented two communications, one from Mr. W. Bowser, and one from Mr. H. Rutt. A notice of motion was given. The chairman appointed a committee of nomination, to prepare a list of officers and committee for the year ensuing. The committee of nomination then brought up their report, which was read and agreed to. The state of the denomination, as exhibited in the Association returns, was then taken into consideration, and it was moved by the Rev. E. Griffiths of Necton, seconded by the Rev. J. P. Lewis of Diss, and, after observations by many brethren, resolved unani. mously,- "That the Union ascertain, with sincere affliction, that the returns of the respective associations do not indicate the existence of that revived condition which has been the object of so much prayer and hope. Not without thankfulness that there has been mercifully granted to the churches, whose condition is reported, an average clear increase of be tween two and three members,-a fact which may warrant a belief that more than 4,000 members have been added to the entire denomination,-they cannot be unobservant of the following points: First, that this is the smallest rate of increase ever recorded by the Union, that is, since the year 1834; and, secondly, that it is a further descent in that constantly diminishing ratio which the increase of the churches has manifested now for six years. reconciled to this state of things by its longer con "That the Union are far from being the more tinuance; and that they would charge it upon themselves and their brethren to give the Holy One of Israel no rest until he revive his work." The Rev. J. H. Hinton next presented the foreign correspondence for the year, some portions of which were read. The measure of the government in relation to popular education having been considered, it was moved by the Rev. C. Stovel of London, seconded by the Rev. T. A. Wheeler of Norwich, and resolved unanimously, "That the Union regard the measure adopted by the government in relation to popular education, developed in the Minutes of the Committee of Council on Education of August and December last, as containing a new and most dangerous element, since it for the first time brings into avowed and systematic action the principle of making schoolmasters pensioners of the state. "That since the declared design of the government, in the intended grants of public money, is to promote an education strictly religious; and since there seems to be no possibility of satisfactorily separating the religious element from education properly so called, the application of public money to At seven o'clock public service was held at the baptist chapel, St. Mary's, when the service was commenced by the Rev. I. Lord, of Ipswich, and a discourse was delivered by the Rev.C. E. Birt, of Wantage, from John xiv. 26. On Wednesday, June 30, at ten o'clock, the session assembled at the baptist chapel, the support of schoolmasters is nothing short of its Orford Hill, the treasurer in the chair. letter was read from the Rev. Dr. Murch, who had been expected to take the chair, stating that he was detained by domestic affliction. It was moved by the Rev. J. H. A application to religious instruction; and that, consequently, the government measure involves, and is based upon the essential principle of national religious establishments. "That the Union contemplate the government measure with unqualified disapprobation and great anxiety; that they take the occasion of re-affirming the principle avowed by them in the year 1843, viz., that the education of the community is not the proper business of the state;' and that they now claim for this great work an absolute exemption from government interference of every kind. "That the Union rejoice to know that of the four thousand petitions, with upwards of five hundred thousand signatures, presented to the Commons House of Parliament on this occasion, a large proportion emanated from churches of the baptist denomination; and they earnestly hope that no grant of public money will be solicited or accepted by the conductors of any school connected with that body. "That the Union cannot but deem the disregard shown upon this occasion by a large majority of the House of Commons to the clearly expressed wishes of the people, as deserving of severe reprehension; and that they will look with satisfaction on any effort which may be judiciously made to place in that house men by whom the principles of Nonconformists shall be better understood, and their sentiments more fairly represented." The recent proceedings of the British and Foreign School Society, in relation to the acceptance of government grants, was then adverted to; and on the motion of the Rev. W. Brock of Norwich, seconded by Thomas Bignold, Esq., of Norwich, it was resolved unanimously, "That whereas the Union, in its session of 1844, adopted a resolution recommending the British and Foreign School Society to the liberal pecuniary support of the churches, at the same time apprising that Society, that abstinence from government aid would be essential to the cordial concurrence of the churches in this recommendation, they deem it their duty to notice the fact, that that Society is now in the receipt of £750 a-year from the government for the support of its Normal School, and that the conduct of the committee herein has been sanctioned by a special meeting of the subscribers, held on the 1st inst.; and that, under these circumstances, the Union are constrained to revoke their resolution recommending to the churches the support of the British and Foreign School Society." The communication from Mr. Rutt was then read. It announced a projected movement on behalf of popular education exclusively on the voluntary principle, and solicited the co-operation of the Union; after consideration, it was moved by the Rev. J. Venimore of Ingham, seconded by the Rev. S. B. Gooch of Fakenham, and resolved unanimously, "That the Union hear, with much pleasure, of the intended movement on behalf of popular education exclusively on the voluntary principle; and express their confident expectation that, in its further progress, it will receive the general concurrence and support of their brethren." "That the Union express their sincere sympathy with Dr. Murch in the domestic affliction which has prevented his attendance on this occasion, and their hope that it will be speedily removed." On the motion of the Rev. C. E. Birt of Wantage, seconded by the Rev. J. Bane of Downham, it was resolved unanimously, "That the fervent thanks of the Union be presented to the several ministers and Christian friends at Norwich, for the great cordiality with which they have been received." On the motion of Mr. Cozens of Norwich, seconded by the Rev. J. Lord of Ipswich, it was resolved unanimously,— "That the cordial thanks of the meeting be presented to the Rev. C. E. Birt, for his excellent discourse delivered yesterday evening." On the motion of the Rev. J. H. Hinton, seconded by the Rev. J. Dawson of Buxton, it was resolved unanimously, "That the cordial thanks of the Union be given to Mr. Low, the treasurer, for the attention he has paid to the business of the session." At seven o'clock a public meeting was held at the baptist chapel, St. Clement's. It was opened with prayer by the Rev. J. P. Lewis of Diss; and addresses were delivered by the Rev. R. Roff of Cambridge, C. Stovel of London, N. Haycroft, M.A. of Saffron Walden, J. H. Hinton of London, and C. E. Birt of Wantage. A collection was made, amounting to £6 6s. 7d. TRUSTEES OF THE SELECTION. The annual meeting of this body was held on the twenty-fifth of June, when grants were made, from the profits of this hymn book to forty-eight widows of baptist mi nisters. Recommended by Mrs. G.........W. Colcroft, J. Foster... G..........J. Preese, Shem Evans A..........J. H. Hinton, Dr. Murch... M.........B. Evans, W. Groser...... F..........H. W. Stembridge, S. Hallett.... E.. That it be an instruction to the committee take measures for holding the next annual sessi'n of the Union in London.' It was moved by the Rev. J. T. Wigner of Lynn, seconded by the Rev. J. H. Millard of Huntingdon, and resolved unanimously,— W W. .3 H..........C. Elven, J. H. Hinton .............3 V..........J. Haigh, J. Simmons.... S...B. Hall, R. Breeze........... 3 was appointed moderator, and Mr. James Potts of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, secretary. Among a great number of resolutions passed at the meetings for business were the following: "That this Association recommends the committee of the Baptist Union' to prepare, under competent legal authority, a form of Trust Deed, for publication in the Manual,' suitable for adoption by baptist churches, and sufficiently comprehensive and definite, so as to secure in perpetuity the property of the denomination from being alienated to purposes other than those intended by its founders. That particulars be appended thereto, as to the mode and expense of enrolment in the Court of Chancery, with any other information on the sub The number of widows of ministers whose congregations were accustomed in their life-ject, that the committee of the Union may deem time to use the hymn book, and thus to contribute to the fund whence the profits have accrued, is rapidly increasing. It has always been felt that the widows of such ministers had a preferable claim to aid from this source to any other widows; though, when the number of such applicants was small, it was thought right to render assistance to the relicts of other faithful pastors. It is not now proposed to withhold relief from any who have been accustomed to receive it, and who are still needy, but it is thought that the time is come when new applications should be received from those widows alone whose husbands co-operated in raising the fund from which the aid is derived. The trustees, therefore, have resolved,- "That in future, as it regards new applicants, grants shall be made, except in extraordinary cir cumstances, only to the widows of those ministers whose congregations used the hymn book at the conclusion of their pastorate." The widows to whom the recent grants have been made are requested to send their addresses to the Rev. Dr. Murch, Rickmansworth, Herts, on the receipt of which he will transmit to them the sums voted. useful to the churches." "That this association recommends to the comby baptism, be shown in the Manual, as being mittee of the Baptist Union,' that the additions, essential to a record of our denominational increase. "That the ministers and messengers impress upon the members of our churches the vast importance of our periodical literature, and their duty increasingly to support the same, and thus make themselves acquainted with the movements of the denomination." "That the Church (Baptist Penny Magazine), published monthly at Leeds, is entitled to our support and confidence, and we therefore recommend its churches." enlarged circulation among the members of our "That the Association sympathises deeply with the sufferings of our brethren in France and other countries, who are being persecuted for conscience' powered, by memorial or otherwise, to aid in aake, and that the executive committee be emrescuing them from the hands of their oppressors, and in securing for them that perfect religious liberty which British Christians never deny to foreigners coming to this country." "That the best thanks of the association be given to John Bright, Esq., M.P., for his admirable defence and exposition of our views as noncon. formists, in the recent debate in the House of Com mons, on the Educational Minutes." "That at this crisis it is more especially the bounden duty of every elector to exercise the franchise as a solemn, sacred trust reposed in him for the glory of God and the good of his country. That the more mature devolopment of the designs of Government to endow various forms of religious teaching, as exemplified in the Education Minutes, renders it imperative on nonconformists to return those to parliament who will oppose additional inroads being made on our religious freedom, and who will support the dissolution of the legislative union of church and state; and we accordingly agree to carry out the spirit of this resolution in our several localities in the fullest manner possible, by testing candidates soliciting our suffrages on our distinguishing principles as nonconformists, and in any other way deemed advisable to promote the cause of complete religious liberty." |