90 INFANT MURDER IN CHINA. father perpetrates the deed immediately after birth, and meets with no punishment from the laws of his country; on the contrary, it views him as the sovereign owner of his children, and gives him permission to extinguish their life at will. Sometimes he destroys his little ones by drowning. An English bishop in China, when first he visited that country, was told by one father that, having had eight daughters, he had murdered five, by placing them | in a tub of water as soon as they were born. Sometimes he stifles the poor babe by means of a wet cloth over its mouth; sometimes he pinches its throat; sometimes he chokes it by putting a few grains of rice into its mouth. At other times he buries it alive, as is seen in our illustration, which is not an imaginary scene, but a sketch of the death of three infants, which was witnessed by an English captain, on the sea-shore near the city of Pung-shau. He suceeded once in preventing the horrid deed, but shortly afterwards, by means of a telescope, observed its uninterrupted accomplishment at a distance from him. Surely we, who know that in keeping God's commandments "there is great reward," should do something to proclaim amongst these benighted heathen, "Thou shalt do no murder." Are we doing anything? If we are, can we say that we are doing all that it is in our power to do? There is much to encourage us to labour on behalf of China. A little Chinese girl was asked, "Were you sure of dying to-morrow, what would you do to-day?" She was one of a class; the first who replied said, she would be getting her grave ready, which is a very important business among the Chinese: but this dear child answered, with a resolute countenance, "I would believe strongly in Jesus" In the same school another girl asked for some books to take home, naming one of the short lives of the Saviour, and saying, “I want to tell my mother about Jesus, for I want her to believe in Jesus, that she may go to heaven with me." Shall not we be like-minded with her, and wish to be the means of taking numbers of the Chinese "to heaven with us?" Surely, if our own hearts are intent upon spending our eternity with Jesus, we ought also to be intent upon making Him and His great salvation known to all who know Him not. May we not be encouraged, especially, to take the Chinese children away, and nurse them for Him, (as was said of Moses, Exod. ii. 9), because He so graciously declared that even "of such is the kingdom of heaven?"—Miss. Record. THE MAN WITH ONE TALENT. THE MAN WITH ONE TALENT. BY ELIJAH G. SALEEBEY, MOUNT LEBANON. SOME years ago, a young man in a village near Howarah, on Mount Lebanon, used to hear the gospel preached in Howarah. The heavenly Father opened his heart, and he began to make inquiry about the salvation of his soul. Not far from where he lived, there is a road on the other side of a valley, which leads to a village to which American missionaries used to pass. When the poor man saw one of the missionaries riding, he would run to make up to him, and walk alongside, holding by the front of the saddle, asking questions of the missionary. Like a man thirsting for water, he would in this way try to get some more knowledge about Jesus Christ, and then go away home to think and pray. After he went on for a good while, he thought he would like to be useful to others. As the young man could read a little, he thought that he would try to teach what he knew. One day, the young man came to the village of Howarah, and asked for any old books from the school. On asking him what he wanted the books for, he said he wished to teach some young men to place where he lived. read, in the 91 He hand books were given him. On the Sabbath-day he would come, and hear, and get a lesson, and during the week he would teach what he had been told. Surely this was not like the man who took the talent and hid it in the earth. After a good while he came to me again, and said, "Friend, you know that I am a poor man. In the day, I have to work for my bread, and have no time to teach these men to read; but the only time I have is in the night, and my wife has to burn bushes and bits of cedar-roots on the floor to make a light for me to teach the men." After he said this, he asked me for some piastres (a piastre is worth about twopence-farthing) to buy oil with, that he might light the lamp and teach. The money was given him. In about six weeks, the man came again and asked a little more money, and said that he had got on very well. I then judged him in my heart, and thought that he was only seeking money. I think that I never gave him as much as five shillings altogether. 92 COME OVER AND HELP US. Soon after, I left the country and came to England and Scotland, and during those twenty months I forgot to ask about the man and his work. But I received a letter before I left Edinburgh, stating that the poor young man was still growing in grace, and serving the Lord; and I expect he will soon become a member of the Protestant Church. When I saw this in my letter I could not hold my tears. I had judged him in my heart, and thought then that he was only seeking money; and I had forgot him. But the eye of the Lord is upon the righteous, and He will not forsake His people. "A bruised reed He will not break, and the smoking flax He will not quench." COME OVER AND HELP US. to you our thoughts, that you may fully know and understand them. "It is to you, ministers and officers of the parent Society in Britain, we desire to make these thoughts known, that with prayer to our God you may be able to consent thereto, by sending us the help you well know we so much need. "We have a strong desire to extend our labours in the work of God among the heathen islands, of which we are now hearing so much. We feel like Paul in days past, who was sent by the Holy Spirit and the churches, to other and heathen lands. We read the 13th chapter of Acts, and say, 'Oh that it were so with us. We have recently heard frequent reports of the heathen lands that are near and adjacent to us, viz., Tuanaki, Rutaki, and many others. The inhabitants are still liv COME OVER AND HELP US. ing in darkness and in sin, groaning in misery, slaying one another, and torturing one another, worshipping their idols of stone, and yet crying for help and deliverance from so great and so fearful a death. Alas! alas! for them who dwell in such thick darkness, and in the shadow of death. 93 shine the Sun of Righteousness, from Him who is the Father of Light. "Now, brethren, would it not be agreeable to you to sanction by appointing some of us, and a European missionary, to go and search for these lands now? "There is Mr Geo. Gill; he is returning now to see you. Here is Mr Krause, the only missionary in Rarotonga, to be our pastor over the churches at this time. Send us "Now, brethren, what do you think about them? What is to be done by us for these very heathen in the darkness of death? Are they more missionaries to be our pastors to remain in that state and to die? here; and let some of us, the native Are they to continue in this misery teachers, be sent far hence to the and groaning? Shall they continue | Gentiles, that we may make known to to devour and destroy each other? Are they to continue in the worship of idols? Let us all show them true compassion! Let us, by striving together, endeavour to save them, that they may indeed live! Now it is our very strong desire that some of our number may be appointed to go to these new spheres of opening labour at Tuanaki, Rutaki, and other lands in the same locality. "We hear that there are many; we desire to go and assist them; we go as fishermen to cast the net of the Gospel into the sea, in the name of Jesus the Messiah. It may be that we shall obtain many souls, who, through Christ Jesus, will gain everlasting life, and upon them may them the real compassion. As God has, in years past, compassionated us, so we would try and compassionate them, that they also may know His great love, in the gift of His only begotten Son a Saviour for sinners. “Let it be agreeable to you, brethren, to consent to this subject, that this letter may not be in vain. Let there be only one thought about it, with singleness of purpose for the glory of God. "The account of our contributions to the parent Society, for the spread of the Gospel, we have for this year closed, and Mr Gill will convey it to you, that you may know that our pity and love are not dead, that we ardently desire the kingdom of THE heathen are often willing to hear the Gospel. If a missionary has his heart in the work, and is always anxious for the salvation of their souls, he can easily find ways of interesting them in the great truths of religion. And common Occurrences in daily life may be easily taken as texts for excellent sermons. The following short narrative, from a missionary in India, will illustrate this. He says "I went some time ago to that part of the town of Dacca, where weavers chiefly live. They are an honest class of people. I chose a spot where I thought that many would be passing by, and went to some people who were occupied with weaving. We held the following conversation: Missionary.-Will you allow me to examine your weaving; and will you explain it to me? it seems to be a very difficult task. Weaver.-Weaving a difficult task, sir? No, it is very simple But, of course, a person cannot do it unless he has learned. M.-How many years are you generally obliged to be learning this work? W. We learn it from childhood; but after three or four years, any one may understand it pretty well. M.-How many threads have you in the what you call warps! Do you not call it so? W.-Yes, we do. There are fifteen hundred threads in it; but we can have more or less as we please. Mr-Do not these thin threads sometimes break? W. That is no matter, sir; let them break. If they do so, we bind them together again; two persons who are sitting by are able to manage that very well. M.-But suppose several were to break, would not the web be injured, and become good for nothing? W.-If many broke, and we did not mend them, then it would hap pen as you suppose. |