increase be not unto God, you need not expect to prosper; riches without the blessing and prosperity of God are a curse." Will not some of our good people in America take a hint from this language? Sau Doo, ordained pastor of the church in Pyeekhya, said, Brethren, hear me. I come to explain. Those whom God has chosen will love him. It is not your glory, but his. Missionaries come not for themselves, but for you, and for you as the members of Christ. The milk of a mother is only for her babes, and not for her grown up sons. Her grown up sons must give up the breast to those that are born after them. We must allow the disciples in America to send their funds to those who have never heard the gospel, and to those that are younger in the gospel than we are.” Sau Komblompo, a Pwo, and ordained pastor of the church in Baulaw, said:— This resolution is true. If we resolve this and do as we have resolved, God's kingdom will prosper and triumph. We must support our teachers and not forget the poor. How was it in the beginning? What did we have? We were in perfect darkness, and saw nothing but evil. Then the teachers from America came. They were in their own beautiful and happy country. They were with their sisters, and brothers, and mothers and fathers. But they left them. They came to this dark land of strangers, and they came even to us. And what now is the difference? Behold it! And shall we murmur and shrink from the entrance of such prosperity." Sau Thoumoo, who went with me to America, and who has been ordained and is about to be stationed with the church I at Matah instead of Kaulapau, said :—“ also have a word to say on this subject. Some complain that they cannot do so much, and because their hearts do not take hold of this truth rightly, they do not give even their mites cheerfully. These have no strong desire to see the spread of the gospel. They have not the mind that was in Christ Jesus. He Karen ideas on education. The second resolution related to schools, and the remarks of the natives were extremely interesting. A greater number spoke on this subject than on the preceding, and evinced strong desires to see their people enlightened and elevated. They expressed their assurance that nothing could ever secure this end but a greater attention on their part to the education and instruction of their children. They all regarded this subject as of the utmost importance. "Without books and schools we never can come to anything in the world. Let us not be like the heathen and like the wild fowls any longer"—was their hearty language. All seemed to be sensible of the great falling off in the interest for schools for the last year or two, and to feel that they are now at a low ebb. This they thought was distinctly seen in the letters of the churches. The remarks of Thoumoo, who had recently visited the schools at the Cape of Good Hope and in America, were listened to with great interest and attention. The contrast in every respect between the well-furnished and well-attended schools of those Christian lands and their own jungle schools, so little cared for and so ill attended, he thought worthy the attention of the people. Such remarks filled my own mind with not a little sadness, particularly under the present prospects for our future. I seem to see night gathering back again and settling upon these young Karen churches, as their schools dwindle and interest for their support dies. Generations come up so quickly, that after the MAULMAIN BURMAN MISSION. JOURNAL OF MR. BIXBY. Thoughts on the conversion of Burmans. Maulmain, January 1, 1856. The last year has been crowned with the goodness of God, and we have abundant reason for devout thanksgiving. But we have cause for deep humiliation that there has been so little improvement in spiritual things during a year fraught with so many mercies. few years of my absence from the country Retrospect After passing a number of important resolutions and continuing our discus sions till Wednesday, the Association adjourned to meet at Patsauoo in the middle of Jan. 1857. Br. Allen left Wednes day morning, and we had the communion season Wednesday evening. The Baulau church. The gospel has been rapidly advancing in some parts of Burmah; hundreds, and even thousands have been gathered into the fold of Christ; but among ourselves, alas! there is nothing to be seen but a vast valley of dry bones, very many and very dry. The stillness of the sepulchre is here. As I walk the streets of Maulmain, endeavoring to awaken the heedless multitudes, the inquiry often arises, suggested, I fear, by unbelief, — "Can these dry bones live?" Our preaching force has been very small the past year, owing to br. Haswell's illness, my own inexperience in the language of the people; but I fear unbelief has been the great hindrance to the wheels of salvation. and - Maulmain is indeed a hard field; but what is too hard for faith to conquer? Thursday morning I turned my atten- We too often overlook the omnipotence of tion particularly to the Baulaw church, faith. How weak is our faith! If Jesus which I am sorry to say I found in no were to speak to us to-day, his address, I very promising condition. Their attend-fear, would be, “O ye of little faith!" I ance on the Sabbath has been prepos- know we are accustomed to think that terously neglected. Though consisting at present we are doing preparatory of some thirty members, the average at work-sowing the seed — and that “we tendance has been during the rains not shall reap, if we faint not." I have more than four or five, often not more found much encouragement in this than one or two, on the Sabbath, and, thought. Still this may be a false hope. though one member now receives twenty- It may be faith, or it may be unbelief in five rupees a month, the contribution of disguise. The Christian who carefully the church during the year was one rupee. examines his own heart, often finds the Still they have an ordained pastor, and "wolf in sheep's clothing," lurking promised Mr. Brayton to support him in- among the graces of the Spirit. This dependently of the funds of the Union. disposition to wait patiently for the fruit You may suppose I felt called upon to of our labors may sometimes be a quiedeal sharply with them, and yet, I hope, tus to the importunity of the prayer of in love. We shall live in hope of them faith. The Saviour says, "Say not still. ye, there are yet four months and then cometh harvest; behold, I say unto you, | hearts, we shall not rest day nor night, - Lift up your eyes and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." Then why should we not reap? Why do we not see multitudes among the Burmans and Talings flocking to Christ, as well as among the Karen tribes of Toungoo? Ah, the Burmans and Talings are hard-hearted, blind idolaters, and we cannot expect they will come to Christ with the readiness which is manifested by those who were never joined to idols. But who says this? Does Christ speak thus? Does the Holy Spirit intimate that his power to renovate depends in any degree upon the state of the heart? Does Christ limit his power or willingness to save by any such conditions ? Has he not given examples of his power over the deepest depravity, and the most obdurate hearts? May we not find some of those examples among converted Burmans and Peguans? What do we need to save the Burmans and Talings, beyond the power and grace that saved the first Karen convert? Has it not been a distinguishing feature of the pel of Christ, that where sin abounds, grace much more abounds? Then we ask again, Who has said that the reason why Burmans and Peguans are not converted in multitudes, is their devotion to idolatry? Let us not limit the Holy One of Israel. The reason may be in our unbelief. we shall have great heaviness and continual sorrow, which will prompt to the most vigorous exertion, until these death-slumbers are broken, and these chains of darkness are severed by the mighty hand of God. Who can endure to see their destruction? Who that have once felt the pains of hell getting hold of their souls, and have experienced the inexpressible joy of deliverance when Christ interposed for them, can meditate upon the awful doom which awaits these stubborn idolaters, with indifference or inaction? The great want. We might say much about the failure of funds in America. Language would fail to express all the anxiety that it has caused amongst missionaries. Eternity alone will reveal the injury done to the missions. But I apprehend this has not been the greatest failure. We want men, and we want money; but this is not all, nor is it the great want. It was gos-prudent in Jacob to send messengers and presents to meet his enraged brother and appease his wrath; but it was his wisdom to turn aside to Penuel and wrestle with God in prayer; and it was this that conquered Esau. The churches of America have sent forth their sons and their daughters, and their gold and silver with them; but how many have turned aside to wrestle with the angel of the Lord, with the feeling "I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me?" Here is the great want, and the great failure; and the principal reason, I apprehend why we have so little success among the Burmans. Whatever else is withheld let us have Israel's prayers. We need not expect that the unclean spirits of the Burmans and Talings will go out without much fasting and prayer; but God is abundantly able to save them. We shall not pray much until we feel deeply for these blind idolaters; and what do we need to make us feel for them, more than to consider well, their present condition, their future prospects, and our obligations to disciple them? It seems to me that if there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, if any belief in the promises of eternal life and the threatenings of eternal death, in our I have been pursuing my studies in the Taling language and also the Burmese. There are many Talings, however, who do not understand Burmese. Both languages are necessary in this field, and I think, from all I can learn, desirable in Rangoon and vicinity, particularly in the Pegu region. ASSAM MISSION. LETTER FROM MR. BRONSON. Religious services-Girls' school. Nowgong, March 15, 1856.-Our religious exercises have been steadily and regularly attended. The chapel has been made at times a place of refreshing and reviving. We have regularly preaching in Assamese at half past ten, and again at three in the afternoon, which I encourage Ghinai to conduct as often as possible. We have regular prayer and conference meetings on Wednesday and Friday evenings. The former is called the brethren's prayermeeting, passing alternately from house to house, and is conducted by Ghinai or one of their number. I am generally present myself. The Friday evening meeting is at my bungalow, and attended by all the church and any inquirers who may wish to be present, male and female. Saturday evenings I spend with the girls' school, now in charge of Mrs. Fenwick. I have not employed any teachers for them, but they recite their lessons to the eldest girl, Oditi, and on Saturday evenings I examine them in the lessons of the week, inquire into their wants and troubles, if they have any, — and also the state of their religious feelings, and close with reading the scriptures, singing and prayer. Mrs. Fenwick has entered into the work entrusted to her in our weak state, with all her heart, and the school is now a practical one besides being under a religious and moral influence. I have felt more and more the necessity of not elevating the girls of the schools above their future work and position in life, as wives of our Christian converts. Mrs. Stoddard took a step in the right direction before she left. The girls now wash their own clothes, clean their own rice, cook, spin, weave, rear silk worms, clean paddy and make arrow-root, and express oil from mustard-seed, work two parts of the day and study one. I am happy to say that three of the girls ex press a hope that they have lately found the Saviour. Normal school-Mikir visitors. The Normal School I have continued about the same. Charles G. Thomas is still teacher. I have reduced it to seven boys; but we have a number of day scholars who support themselves, so that we have quite a school. It is my intention to follow out strictly the plan proposed by the Deputation, seeking to gather only youths of some age and promise of more immediate usefulness, and to strive particularly to gather in such youth from the Mikir, Naga and Hill tribes. I have lately had crowds of Mikir visitors at my house, and feel greatly interested in them. When will the new missionary for the Mikirs come and take up his quarters in br. Daüble's bungalow? And when shall I have an associate in. br. Stoddard's now vacant house? Br. Dauble's bungalow is now valuable mission property. I cling to the hope that it will ere long have a missionary occupant, for which it is a desirable dwelling, a safe, healthy and convenient location. The native Christians. Our little band of converts are doing well. The Christian families are settling around us, almost all the fruits of the school, and furnish a respectable congregation on the Sabbath. Some of them I shall encourage to travel with me occasionally, when I go on preaching tours. They can be useful in this way. Several I shall put to studying the scriptures and Church History. After a little more age, I think they may prove good assistants; and throwing them out upon their own resources awhile will do them good. I love these feeble lambs-I love to labor for their welfare. I see in them the first fruits of greater harvests, and I feel and have felt joy amid all my loneliness in trying to help them forward in the ways of truth and godliness. We are a weak mission, but I know This is a severe affliction. They need the Committee do not forget our necessi- have severe attacks of the small pox, ties; nor will you, while deliberating for and their lives are nearly despaired of. other stations, forget Nowgong. I have just heard from Sibsagor that our dear our deepest sympathy. sister Danforth and their eldest boy MISCELLANY. AMERICAN AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY. summary of the labors of the colporteurs at home for the last six months, gives the following results: 61,000 visits for Biblereading from house to house; 6,000 families found destitute of the Word of God; 2,800 persons induced to attend church ; 1,600 children brought into Sabbath Schools; 1,100 sermons and public addresses; 1,500 prayer-meetings; 5,000 visits to vessels and sailors; 320 persons hopefully converted, and 156 baptized. The Society's system of Bible-reading colportage is adapted to the masses, and especially to the foreigners who are unable and unwilling to read. The number of Scriptures circulated is over 100,000 copies. AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, The annual meeting was held in New York city, May 7 and 8. It appears from the report of the treasurer that the receipts were $105,617 10, and the expenditures, $107,408 56. The subscription towards the Bible house amounts to $69,500, of which about $49,050 83 have been paid. The amount of foreign appropriations for the last year was $17,520 93. Of this sum, $10,612 59 was expended in Germany, in aid of the Society's colporteurs, who have put in circulation 74,138 copies of the Scriptures. The Society have paid for Bible circulation in the foreign field, within the last six years, $121,301 96. Besides the appropriations made to foreign lands, the Society is largely engaged in circulating the Scriptures through colporteurs, among the destitute population abroad The annual meeting was held in New and in our own country. Sixty-nine York city, May 7. From the annual recolporteurs have been during the year port, it appears that 105 new publicaengaged for a longer or a shorter period, tions have been stereotyped, ia English, of whom eighteen were Germans, eight- German, Swedish and Dutch, of whick een Americans, eight Irish, five Prus- 13 are volumes; making the whole numsians, four Danes, four Mexicans, four ber of publications now on the Society's Canadian French, three English, one list, 2,053, of which 421 are volumes of Swede, one Swiss, and one Chinese. They read the Scriptures and speak to the people in fifteen different languages, and are employed in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Jer sey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, New Mexico, California, Canada, and in five States of Central Europe. They are all members of Baptist churches. The larger or smaller size. Besides these, the Committee have approved, to be issued at foreign stations, 83 publications, including 19 volumes; making the whole number now approved for publication abroad 3,005, of which 321 are volumes. There have been circulated during the year, 929,074 volumes, 9,788,864 publications, or 283,692,704 pages; total, since |