Children should be inured as early as possible to acts of charity and mercy. The Roman emperor Constantine, as soon as his son could write, employed his hand in signing pardons, and delighted to convey through his mouth all the favours he granted. JORTIN. What an example of disinterested goodness and unbounded kindness have we in our heavenly Father, who is merciful over all his works; who distributes common blessings without distinction; who bestows the necessary refreshments of life, the shining sun and the refreshing shower, without waiting, as we are apt to do, for personal merit, or attachment, or gratitude; who does not look out for desert, but want, as a qualification for his favours; who does not afflict willingly; who delights in the happiness, and desires the salvation of all his children; who dispenses his daily munificence, and bears with our daily offences; who in return for our violation of his laws, supplies our necessities; who waits patiently for our repentance, and ever solicits us to have mercy on our own souls! H. MORE. Alphonsus, king of Naples and Sicily, so celebrated in history for his clemency, was once asked why he was so favourable to all men, even to those most notoriously wicked? "Because," answered he, "good men are won by justice, the bad by clemency." When some of his ministers complained to him on another occasion of his lenity, which they were pleased to say was more than became a prince : "What, then," exclaimed he, "would you have lions and tigers reign over you? Know you not that cruelty is the attribute of wild beasts-Clemency that of MAN?" When the Romans had ravaged the province of Azazene, and seven thousand Persians were brought prisoners to Amida, where they suffered extreme want, Acases, Bishop of Amida, assembled his clergy, and represented to them the misery of these unhappy prisoners. He observed, that as God said, "I love mercy better than sacrifice," he would certainly be better pleased with the relief of his suffering creatures, than with being served with gold and silver in their churches. The clergy were of the same opinion. The consecrated vessels were sold; and with the proceeds, the seven thousand Persians were not only maintained during the war, but sent home at its conclusion with money in their pockets. Varenas, the Persian monarch, was so charmed with this humane action that he invited the Bishop to his capital, where he received him with the utmost reverence, and for his sake conferred many favours upon the Christians. PERCY ANECDOTES. The quality of mercy is not strained; SHAKSPEARE. MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES. MISSION; commission; the state of being sent by supreme authority. JOHNSON. MISSIONARY, one sent to propagate religion. JOHNSON.. MISSION in theology, denotes a power or commission to preach the gospel. Jesus Christ gave his disciples their mission in these words, "Go, and teach all nations." The word is derived from the Latin verb Mitto, I send, from which root come also the following: MISSILE; ADMIT; ADMISSION; COMMIT; COMMISSION; DEMISE; DISMISS; EMISSARY; EMIT; EMISSION; INTERMIT; OMIT; PERMIT; PREMISE; PROMISE; COMPROMISE; REMIT; SUBMIT; TRANSMIT, &C., &c. MISSIO, among the Romans, was a term used to signify the Emperor's sending to rescue a wounded gladiator from his antagonist, who else, according to the laws of those barbarous spectacles, might kill him whom he had overcome. From Missio our word MISSION is said to be immediately derived, and very appropriately, for both signify a message of mercy and deliverance. The joy with which the wounded gladiator, expecting the deathblow from the hand of his adversary, would receive such a message, may be likened to that which fills the mind of the heathen and idolator, when told of a redeeming Saviour, who has rescued him from the jaws of death and everlasting condemnation. Under the head of CHRISTIANITY, it has been explained, that the word GOSPEL signifies "good tidings," and to the MISSIONARY may well be applied the words of ISAIAH, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth PEACE," (lii. 7.) Although they more emphatically refer to Messiah's advent to a perishing world. Besides the inculcation of the pacific principles of the gospel in the public ministry, and in the private deportment of the Missionary, it is necessary to show to the heathen, the excellence of Christianity, and the desirableness of embracing it. One grand object of every man who goes forth to a rude and barbarous people, as the messenger of Jesus Christ, is to convince them of the superiority of the message which he brings, over all their own customs and idolatries. But it is certain that no part of Christianity is more adapted to do this than its opposition to war, and its tendency to unite men in the bonds of universal love. The heathen have long been addicted to cruel wars, they know their bitter and ruinous consequences, and they are in some measure prepared to receive a more pacific mode of life. But would they adopt Christianity as the more mild and genial system, if they saw the messengers of the gospel the abettors of war? If they were taught that Christianity sanctioned war in any shape? If you wish them to believe that Christianity is better than their old systems of idolatry, you must give them a living proof of it in your own conduct, and in your own ideas of the religion you desire them to adopt. You must show them that war, with all its ten thousand evils, is not sanctioned but condemned by Christianity; and that every man who takes part in the bloody practice is rebelling against the laws of the gospel. Until Missionaries show to the heathen that the religion they wish them to accept is opposed to the greatest of all their miseries, they will never convince them that it is better than their own idolatrous customs and opinions. PACIFICUS-Herald of Peace, vol. iii. p. 77. "The labours of the Missionary are not simply an affair of eternity. The changes which he effects on earth are a meet prelude to the felicities of heaven. One of the first and greatest of these changes relates to war and peace. The invariable tendency of his labours is to extinguish the former and establish the latter." CAMPBELL'S "Martyr of Erromanga." India, with its teeming millions of population, becomes more and more interesting to the British public every day. Many circumstances combine, under the good providence of God, to render it so. For many ages the inhabitants of Britain and other countries regarded India in no other light, than a land where wealth and honours might be obtained-obtained by means the most cruel to the aborigines of the country, dishonourable to humanity, and disgraceful in the extreme to the religion, which the people professed who plundered India. But a new era has dawned upon that land. This has been principally effected, under the blessing of God, through the efforts of Christian Missionaries, one of the most enterprising and indefatigable of whom was CHRISTIAN FREDERIC SWARTZ, a native of Germany, the influence of whose character and conduct is best shown in this circumstance: When the British Council at Madras were about to enter into a treaty of peace with HYDER ALI, a native prince of great power and cruelty of disposition; the message of that prince was in these words, "Do not send me any of your agents, for I do not trust them in treaties; send me the missionary, of whose character I hear so much from every one; him I will receive and trust." Well has it been said that, “The Missionaries are not only the chief benefactors of their species, and take precedence of statesmen and legislators in the great work of social improvement; but they are the heralds to another and a brighter world: they build the edifice of an enlightened, wise, and beneficent civilization, on the basis of an immortal principle, which by purifying and elevating the individual being, sheds its influence through every portion of society." WARD'S MISCELLANY. PEACEFUL INFLUENCE OF MISSIONS.-The Rev. ROBERT MOFFAT, one of the agents of the London Missionary Society, has been instrumental in introducing a knowledge of the gospel to a number of the African tribes. His own station is the Kuruman. About 150 miles beyond, live Moshew and his people. Respecting these, Moffat relates the following incident. This little Christian band had met on a Sabbath morning with the people, in the centre of the village, to hold the early prayer-meeting before the services of the day. They were scarcely seated, when a party of marauders approached from the interior, whither they had gone for plunder, and not having succeeded to their wishes, had determined to attack this Coranna village on their return. Moshew arose, and begged the people to sit still, and trust in Jehovah, while he went to meet the marauders. To his inquiry, what they wanted, the appalling reply was, "Your cattle; and it is at your peril you raise a weapon to resist." "There are my cattle," replied the chief, and then retired, and resumed his position at the prayer-meeting. A hymn was sung, a chapter read, and then all kneeled in prayer to God, who only could save them in their distresses. The sight was too sacred and solemn to be gazed on by such a band of ruffians, they all withdrew from the spot, without touching a single article belonging to the people. "Before the Missionaries came," said a New Zealand chief to MR. JOHN WATERHOUSE, a Wesleyan missionary, "we went to all parts of the land to kill and devour our countrymen. My hand was against every man, and every man's hand was against me. I delighted in the blood of others, and never went forth but to scatter, tear, and slay; but since I heard of Jesus Christ and his gospel, I have desired to publish peace, and have gone to different parts of the land to persuade the people to turn to God." He then appealed to the chief of another tribe, with whom he used to contend, for the truth of his assertions. Numberless anecdotes similar to the above, may be found in the missionary journals of nearly all denominations of Christians. |