151 Sunday threequarters of year... 4 12 Ditto, for Mission 0 Rev. R. Balzarnie's 080 ..... ary Ship... 12 8 8 079 Mr. Huie's ditto...... 0 8 4 050 Master Taylor......... 0 5 0 Alfred Lewis Master Warner...... Master Witheford. Superintendent of Schools School Subscriptions, for Mission 6 5 0 Miss Young. Henry Stallard Sunday School ary Ship....... 328 Superintendent of 028 Missionary Boxes. Female Bible Class 0 12 Missionary Boxes... 7 13 4 Exs.418.6d.; 9.118.1d. Miss Bartlett Miss Coleman. Rev. P. C. Turner... Mr. T. Turner.... 02 1 0 2 2 Mr. W. Davies.. Mr. G. Davies Mr. Saunders 0211 Mrs. McCann. 027 Mrs. Buckingham... 0 2 3 G. Parsons..... 04 Mrs. Hook. Mr. E. Witheford... Miss R. Parsons Miss Witheford Mrs. Shaw B. Witheford, jun... Mr. Witheford. Mrs. Maine 044 First Fruit Offer by 054 Tradesmen 07 Mrs. Blessett 086 Rev. Juo. Lumb. 094 Miss Evans 0 10 0 0 10 0 0 13 11 0 15 033 Miss Bond... Mrs. Mason Collected at Public Meeting..... Collected after Mis sionary Sermons. 32 11 5 Proceeds of Mis sionary Tea Meet ing 0 10 0 010 01 0 0 0 10 WALES. Breconshire. 350 14 11 Troedyrhindalar Beulah Sundries... 5 10 Count Wengreiski.. Master J. Amiss 070 Link Chapel, Rev. 3 0 10 231. 138. 2d. Stourbridge. Rev. J. Richards. 2 5 10 Mrs. Smith ............ 100 Mrs. (Madras).. Corbold, 107. 38. 7d. Merionethshire. Tanygrisian. Collection Exs. 4d.; 17. 68, 5d. Tenby. Rev. E. Griffiths. Collections 14 0 0 Miss F. Allen T4 3 026 430 100 Contributions in aid of the Society will be thankfully received by Sir Culling Eardley Eardley, Bart.. Treasurer, and Rev. Ebenezer Prout, at the Mission House, Blomfield-street, Finsbury, London; by Mr. W. F. Watson, 52, Princes-street, Edinburgh; Robert Goodwin, Esq., 235, George-street, and Religious Institution Rooms, 12, South Hanover-street, Glasgow; Rev. Alex. King, Metropolitan Hall, Dublin; and by Rev. John Hands, Brooke Ville, Monkstown, near Dublin. Post-Office Orders should be in favour of Rev. Ebenezer Prout, and payable at the General Post Office. WILLIAM STEVENS, PRINTER, 37, BELL YARD, TEMPLE BAR. EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE AND MISSIONARY CHRONICLE. DECEMBER, 1861. Spiritual Growth.* Вот the nature and the circumstances of man show that God intended him to be the subject of spiritual growth. To the development of our bodies there are fixed limits, beyond which it cannot pass. There is no such limit to the development of our minds. Throughout an endless existence, knowledge, holiness, love, and joy may continually increase. Whatever the attainments made, the exhortation of the Apostle Peter is still reasonable: "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." If every exercise of the human faculties had been in harmony with the will of God; if sin had never corrupted, enfeebled, and enslaved us, the history of mankind would have been a record of constant spiritual growth. The progress of the individual would have issued in the progress of society and of the race. Each generation would have worked up into higher forms, the intellectual and moral results attained by the generations preceding it. The principle of the Divine government"Unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance," would universally have been verified in the fullest degree. We cannot conceive of the progress that might, by this time, have been made in all religious excellence, in all philosophy, in all science, and in every art. "The maturity of mankind" would have been existing everywhere, and therefore easily recognised. Then, we might with propriety have spoken of the development of the race, "not in knowledge only, but in powers" generally, from childhood to youth, and from youth to manhood. But where is the evidence of this development now, when Heathendom is more extensive and populous than Christendom; and when multitudes who belong to the latter are the slaves of ignorance, superstition, and vice ? That portions of mankind, in different ages, have advanced, in some respects, beyond those who lived before them, will not justify the conclusion, that "we are now men governed by principles, if governed at all." The great majority, so far as spiritual, if We insert this rather long article without division, as this is a double Number, and we do not intend to carry the series into another year. VOL. XXXIX. Z Z |