cheeks, cried out, "Yes, massa, me love the Lord Jesus Christ: me do love him ; me love him with all my heart!" The master heard the words of his slave, and went home; in a short time it was seen that the master had been brought to love Jesus Christ also.

If we could bring together a hundred true converts, from all parts of the world where missionaries have gone, they would say with one voice, "We all love Christ. He died for us on the cross; he shed his blood to take away our sins; he gave his Holy Spirit to change our hearts; he sent his servants to preach to us the gospel; he has promised that we shall dwell with him in heaven for ever; and ought we not

go there, you shall be flogged, and put in irons." However, the master, after a short time, said he might go; and the boy with great joy hurried along, that he might be in time to hear the preaching. No sooner had he gone, than the master thought he would follow; for he had heard his little slave speak of a "great Master" in heaven, who takes notice of every thing that is done on the earth: this had made him unhappy, and he went to see if what the missionary said would suit his case also. The master got into a corner of the house, and listened to the words that were spoken. That day the missionary addressed the natives from the words, "Lovest thou me ?" "Is there no poor sinner," said he, "who can answer this question? Not one poor slave who to love him?" The Hindoo from the east, loves Jesus Christ? No one who dares to confess him?" Here the poor slave boy, unable any longer to control his feelings, stood up, and holding up both his hands, while the tears flowed down his THE NEW ZEALAND GIRL, OR, JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING. A LITTLE native girl was left by a New, hence. She entreated them all to turn to Zealand chief at a missionary station. When first brought to the house she was a sickly-looking slave girl; but, as she was treated with care and kindness, she soon thrived, and became useful as a young servant in the missionary family, by whom she was named Betty. After she had been" with them for some time, she began to be very thoughtful and steady, and was fond of speaking with her teacher on the great love of Christ in dying for sinners. She was often much affected when she was spoken to about the agony of Christ, before he was placed on the cross.

the negro from the west, the Hottentot from the south, and the Greenlander from the north, would all say, "Lord, thou knowest we love thee." Reader, do you love Jesus Christ with all your heart?

God, to pray that he would take the deceit out of their hearts, and wash them clean from their sins, through the blood of Christ.

When laid on a sick-bed, she enjoyed much peace in her soul. Hearing some girls talking on trifling subjects, she said, Why do you continually talk of these vain things?" They will afford you no comfort when Christ comes to judge the world. You talk about your bodies, but you forget your souls."

Betty was visited almost every day by a daughter of one of the missionaries; she was always glad when this friend came. Disease soon attacked Betty's youthful" I am," she would say, very hungry: frame. A short time before she was con- come and read to me David's prayer," fined to her bed she wished some of her meaning the fifty-first Psalm. country people to visit her, when she urg- what St. Paul said about death. ed them to seek the mercy of God while afraid to die." She was asked why she they were in health, because they knew was not afraid of death. not the time when they would be called 'replied, "Christ died for me.

"Tell me

I am not

66 Because," she He passed

MISSIONARY TRACTS.

the lonely road before me, and he will be with me. It is only now that I have seen the great love of Christ in giving himself to die for my sins." Being asked if she would not like to get well, and live longer, she said, "No; because I should sin again, and make God angry. When I think of my former sins, it makes my heart very dark and sorrowful; but then, if I pray, God hides my sins from me, and puts his Spirit into my heart, and that makes it light again."

55

went to her bedside, saying, "Betty, your pain is great." "Yes," she replied, 46 my pain is great; but it is nothing to what my Saviour suffered. I feel happy." She then said she was not afraid to die, for Christ was waiting to receive her soul. As she was dying, her teacher was standing by, when she opened her eyes, and seeing her kind friend, held out her hand, and in a faint whisper said, "Farewell."-" Farewell, Betty, you are now going to Jesus." "Yes," she added, "I am light-light.' One day Betty was found in tears: she After this she spoke no more. The miswas asked why she wept. Her answer sionary and his daughter knelt down in was, My path is almost trodden, and my prayer; and shortly after her happy spirit love for my companions is great. Will took its flight to glory. they repent, and be sorry for their sins? Will they think on Him who died for them? Will they pray to Him for help?" Indeed, during the whole of her illness she was much concerned for all her young companions.

66

Her teacher saw she was sinking, and

There are many other equally beautiful and affecting little stories in the tracts, and all are as nicely written, so that you can understand them easily. May you read them all, and put in practice the good lessons that they teach!

Prico d. or 4d. per dozen. Published by J. GALL & SON, 38 North Bridge, Edinburgh. G. GALLIE, Glasgow. W. M'COMB, Belfast. J. ROBERTSON, Dublin.

HOULSTON & STONEMAN, London.

and allowed them to enter that great empire. Hitherto the profession of Christianity has been forbidden in that country, and the missionaries prevented from labouring as they wished; but now the emperor has published an edict, allowing us to

LAST month very joyful news arrived at forty years, from thousands of his people, the mission-house in London from China. It announced that China was opened to the spread of the gospel; and told us that God had at last heard the prayers that had been ascending to his throne for above * Sinim is generally understood to mean China. October 1845.

CHINA OPENED.

74 establish missions in the five principal com- have not openly attempted to re-enter mercial cities; and though our missionaries China. A few priests still remained in may not travel up and down the land, yet the secluded parts, in order to supply their through the help of native teachers and converts with their instructions and help; books, we can now send the gospel through but if any were discovered in the counthe length and breadth of the empire. try they were cruelly treated. Others have Churches may now be built, and full liber-gone since; and every year two or three have ty enjoyed to worship God as the Christians may think right. It is delightful to know all this; and it seems to me to make this really a year of jubilee, since liberty has been proclaimed in China, and the way been opened to save the vast multitude of its inhabitants.

The opening of China carries back my thoughts over many years, in which we have tried to introduce the gospel there without success; and I am going to give you a little history of what we have been doing.

secretly proceeded to the mission in the interior. The native Christians, too, have kept up their profession; and native Catholic communities still remain in all the provinces. They have also retained many of their chapels, and have service performed in them; while in Peking they had a community, a few years ago, of above 26,000 members.

I cannot tell you how many Catholics still remain in China; but a statement was published in 1810 by them, which shows that they then had,

Of MISSIONARIES,

6 Bishops.

2 Coadjutors. 23 Priests.

80 Native Assistants.

Of MEMBERS, 215,000 Native Christians.

You must know, I should think, that in China, is one half of the heathen world, or about three hundred and thirty-three millions of people. All these speak one lan-. guage, and almost all can read, so that when a missionary has learned Chinese, he can speak the tongue of half the heathen; and when he has written and printed a Their numbers, however, in some parts tract, it can be read and understood by the have since increased, and hence, there may same vast multitude. China, too, is all be many more at present. Thus, in the under one government, so that if laws are bishopric of Macao, in 1810 there were made favourable to Christianity, every dis-only 7000 members; but in 1833 there trict is at once more or less open to its were 13,000.

spread. On these accounts, and for many Besides these stations, they have two other reasons, China has always been look-seminaries for training priests: one at Maed to as a fine field for missionary effort. cao, and the other in Tartary, beyond the Accordingly, very early efforts were made wall of China. by the Roman Catholics to convert the Since the Chinese war, within the last people to their religion; and for many two years, they have found it more easy to years they had large and prosperous mis- enter the country; and sent over many sions, but bitter persecutions broke out, missionaries, and excited a great interest and in 1723 all the Catholic missionaries in behalf of the work; while the present were banished from the land. By the opening, which makes us so glad, has been same edict no fewer than 300 churches brought about by their efforts with the were destroyed, and 300,000 profess- government. ing Christians deprived of their pastors. Their activity just now is very great, and From that time till lately the Catholics we should learn a lesson from it; and