THE BRADFORD ASSOCIATION.

283 Sunday closing of public-houses, the Corrupt Practices Bill, the assimilation of the borough and county franchise, and the legalisation of marriage with a deceased wife's sister. In fact, quite a large amount of business was done by this 114th Association of General Baptists, some of whose prompt methods might be adopted advantageously by much more august assemblies.

II. PUBLIC SERVICES.

The President's

These were well attended, and much enjoyed. Address was an honest attempt to account for the slowness of our denomination's growth, and a pleasing forecast of great successes to be realized by a consecrated ministry, a devout spirit, and earnest evangelical preaching. The Rev. W. March's "Letter" on" the Erasure Column," crammed full of the results of painstaking labour, and replete with wise suggestions; the report of the Home Missionary Secretary, so smart, good humoured and anecdotal; the paper read at the School Conference by Mr. Pratt, indicating the means by which teaching power may be made effective; Prof. Goadby's description of the sort of ministry required by the age; the speeches at the Home and Foreign Missionary Meetings; these, and other samples of the word-lore and oratory produced at Bradford, appear, or will do so, in the Year Book or the pages of this Magazine. The Children's Service was conducted by Mr. Rickards. Those who ventured to the College meeting through the rain were rewarded by Mr. Marshall's historical sketch, and Professor Fairbairn's eulogium upon a trained and educated pulpit. Mr. Alderman Hill referred, at the Home Missionary Meeting, to the decadence of morality amongst the young, and our duty in relation to the rudeness, vulgarity, and unchaste behaviour of many who attend our Sunday-schools. The Sermon by Rev. C. Clark contained passages of exceeding beauty, delivered with much pathos and power. The Local Preachers' Conference will lead, it is hoped, to an increasingly earnest style of gospel preaching in the rural districts.

A Memorable Meeting was held on the Friday morning. The Mayor entertained the delegates to breakfast in the magnificent Town Hall. Having enjoyed a sumptuous repast, the brethren retired to the Council Chamber, and speeches were delivered by Revs. W. Orton, W. Dyson, W. R. Stevenson, M.A., J. C. Jones, M.A., E. H. Jackson, and Mr. Marshall. All were grateful for the advances of religious liberty which had secured the honours of mayoralty for nonconformists, and made such a gathering possible. All acknowledged heartily the abounding hospitality of the good people of Bradford.

It is impossible to speak too highly of the kindness of Rev. B. Wood, Mr. Brunton, sen., and Mr. Brunton, jun., and the friends who worship in Tetley Street Chapel. They spared no pains to ensure the comfort of their numerous visitors, and they deserve our heartiest thanks.

And now, to put the most important item in a postscript. The Home Mission will require an additional £200 this year from the churches to meet its numerous engagements; £1,000 must come to hand for the College if the new Nottingham Establishment is to be completed in all respects satisfactorily; the Foreign Mission has a large deficit, and its operations cannot be curtailed. What a powerful stimulus these facts supply! Shall we not witness more generous liberality, and hear good news next year at Loughborough ? A. C. PERRIAM.

The Work and Want of the Home Mission.*

On these annual occasions you have, in previous years, listened to the voice of the charmer, Mr. Clifford. With logic the most convincing, and enthusiasm the most glowing, he has made you feel, that of all institutions under the sun, the General Baptist Home Mission is the one which ought to stand first in your affections, and foremost in your collections. A year or two ago, I remember, he gave you a revised version of a well-known passage, 66 seek first the prosperity of the Home Mission, and all other denominational things shall be added unto you." He then went on to say, "that is my creed; and I mean to preach till it is yours. That is my text and sermon; and I will go on declaring it till I see text and sermon both embodied in a Home Missionary Institution not second in force and serviceableness to any other Society belonging to the General Baptist Federation."" In my simplicity I cheered those words, partly because they seemed to me to prophecy and guarantee that, until the Home Mission contributions came to equal those of the Foreign Mission, Mr. C. would keep on preaching as he was then doing, by means of an annual statement at the Association Home Mission Meeting. Instead of that, he brought his sermon to sixthly, and then suddenly_vacated his pulpit, and left the text and the unfinished sermon to me. For you are not to understand that the desired end has been attained. You are not to suppose that the Home Mission has become the richest and most powerful of our denominational institutions. It ought to be, of course, and if the enthusiasm generated at these meetings could only have been stored up like electric force, and then applied without loss of energy to each of our churches, out of weakness our Home Mission Society might long, ere this, have been made strong.

That it is not stronger than we find it to-day, arises from no want of knowledge on your part as to the pressing and urgent needs of the institution, but because you have unfortunately missed, to a large extent, the happiness of which that knowledge is the key, as it is written, "if ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Nevertheless, until our churches rise to the occasion, and until our Home Mission is raised to a pedestal of popularity which, if equalled, cannot be surpassed, it shall be the aim of this organization to deserve your heartiest sympathy, and to be worthy of your most generous support.

The work your Committee are doing in various parts of the country, if it makes no noise, is nevertheless as vital to some of our churches as the breath of heaven to ourselves, and where it is not absolutely essential to maintain life, it cheers, and blesses, and inspires, as sunshine fills the invalid with hope and joy.

THE HOME MISSION IS SUNSHINE.

At Leeds (Wintoun Street) for instance, the church would doubtless live and move and have its being, if it received no aid from the Home Mission; but the appeal that church has made to us shows most clearly that, in granting temporary aid, we are bestowing a boon which is wel

* Statement made at the Annual Meeting, held at Bradford, June 19th. Mr. Alderman Hill, of Bradford, in the chair.

WORK AND WANT OF THE HOME MISSION.

285 come as the light of morn to those who have had to sit in darkness. A similar case was the one at Coventry (Gosford Street). If ever a church needed the hand of sympathy and help it was the church at Coventry. Misfortune had come upon the people, and their distress was very great. But without losing heart they battled manfully with their difficulties, and sought the help of the Home Mission for one year. Their request was granted, and not in vain, for it helped them out of their distress. The church is now peaceful, hopeful, and not without tokens of spiritual prosperity. A new harmonium has been purchased; the chapel has undergone a much-needed renovation, at a cost of £215, and about twothirds of this sum have been raised. To say the least, it is very doubtful whether the church would have been able to do this had the Home Mission withheld its aid. The report just to hand says, "Will you thank the Home Mission for the grant made twelve months ago.... It inspired hope in the people here, and out of that hope success has come."

Congleton is in a state of transition at the present time. The chapel has just become the property of the Home Mission, and we hope shortly to see the place in a more prosperous condition.

The church at Nantwich is fast approaching a condition of independence. Next year they will be able to run alone, for their numbers are increasing, and having adopted the Baptist Hymnal, what wonder if they sing themselves out of all their difficulties !

Market Harborough has just entered upon what we trust will prove a fresh and more aggressive career, whilst Walsall (Vicarage Walk),

THE FIRSTBORN OF THE UNIFICATION SCHEME,

and the beginning of its strength, having become independent of the church at Stafford Street, has now entered into new financial arrangements with the Home Mission. The friends there agree to take over £1,200 of the debt still remaining on the building, the Home Mission easing their burden by a gradually decreasing grant for a term of years. At present they are very inadequately supplied with Sunday-school accommodation, but this defect they are earnestly endeavouring to remedy. They have about £300 towards the School Building Fund, and have managed, in other respects, to pay their way, notwithstanding the losses they have been called to sustain in the recent removal of valued workers and contributors. Nor is this all. They have divided £8 between the College and the Home Mission, and they have collected for our Foreign Missionary Society no less than £42 68. 5d.

THE HOME MISSION IS THE FRIEND OF THE FOREIGN.

When Home Mission churches give like this in their very infancy to the cause of Foreign Missions, it seems to me that all who love the work of Foreign Missions should lend their heartiest help to the strengthening of their work at home. I mean help in the shape of £ s. D. It would not be a bad thing indeed if, at our Foreign Missionary meetings a resolution were moved, seconded, and carried, on this wise, "That inasmuch as the Home Mission Society, in establishing new churches, thereby creates valuable allies for the Foreign Mission Society, this meeting hereby resolves to do all it can to secure collections and subscriptions for the General Baptist Home Mission."

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THE WORK AND WANT OF

The church at Swadlincote affords another illustration of how the Home Mission aids the Foreign. During last year this church has raised more for the College than for the Home Mission itself, and over five times more for the Foreign Mission than for either. So you see the Home Mission brings good tidings of great joy both to Chilwell and Orissa. Let it be noted, therefore, that if you want the College to flourish, and the heathen to be saved, you must on no account neglect the Home Mission. We have special pleasure in mentioning Swadlincote this year, because it sends its final report, and henceforth goes free of the Home Mission. The report tells of the happiest relations between pastor and people; speaks of healthy life in all departments of church work; and if it be with just a little fear and trembling, the friends rejoice at the prospect of entire independence. "During the sixteen years of our existence as a church," says the report, "we cannot have raised less than £2,000 for our chapel property;" and if another testimony be needed to the value of this Society, we have it in the full and frank acknowledgment which their report makes of the assistance and encouragement our help has afforded in all their toils.

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Longton, too, has the happiness this year to "declare off" the Home Mission. In doing so their letter says, we can never sufficiently express our gratitude to the Home Mission for the valuable and liberal help received, and hope to help the Home Mission to do similar work in other places." Longton, like Swadlincote, you will remember, was one of those churches taken over from the Midland Conference at the time the Unification Scheme was launched in 1877. Not a single hitch has occurred in our dealings with those churches from that time to this; and it should be reassuring to our Conferences to find that the children they have thus brought to our crèche to be nursed, have now grown strong enough to start life for themselves, and that they do it with heartiest gratitude to, and warmest affection for, the Mission which has nursed them into health and strength.

A CAPITAL PIECE OF NEW WORK

has been undertaken at Hyson Green, Nottingham, under the pastorate of Rev. R. Silby. All who know that neighbourhood, and the immense increase of population which the last few years have witnessed, will say that these people, in obtaining a site and beginning to build, have understanding of the times to know what General Baptists ought to do. Worshipping in a very unsuitable and badly situated building, this church of one hundred members has undertaken the responsibility of raising some £4,600 for land, chapel, and schools. They are helping themselves right nobly, and we have resolved to help them to some extent in meeting the interest on the money they have to borrow. It is just one of those enterprises which everybody says ought to be undertaken, but which, for want of such encouragement as we propose to give, fall through, and end in a sigh. A feeble church feels the need, and has the desire to become strong by stepping into the place of healing, but alas alas! the story of Bethesda is repeated. The longing and helpless one finds no man to put him into the pool, and so another steps down before him. We do not want Hyson Green to suffer a fate like that, and so we have determined to give them a friendly hand.

THE HOME MISSION.

THE POVERTY OF THE HOME MISSION.

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Nothing but sheer impecuniosity prevents us from doing this more frequently. It is necessary to say this, because there are other churches who are ready to say to us, you are lending help to Walsall, to Crewe, to Hyson Green, etc.; why can't you help us? The answer is contained in the question itself. Simply because we have helped a few churches we cannot help more. Our funds are exhausted, and we are over head and ears in debt. Believe me, brethren, it is no pleasure to your Committee to turn a deaf ear to the wail of want which comes up from one church or another every time we meet. Had we a full purse it would be our delight to minister to the wants of all. Do you remember the anecdote of Foote the humourist? His mother wrote to him saying, "Dear Sam,-I am in prison for debt: come and assist your loving mother, "E FOOTE."

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To which he replied

"Dear Mother, So am I, which prevents his duty being paid to his loving mother by her affectionate son, SAM. FOOTE."

You may take that as a parody on the case of the Home Mission. We are deep in debt. When churches cry to us for help we have to say that we are as badly off as they are, and that instead of helping others we need more help ourselves. Brethren, we must raise more money; and when I say brethren, that term must be taken as on Sundays, to include the ladies.

THE LADIES TO THE RESCUE.

Last year the ladies rendered us splendid and never-to-be-forgotten service in providing the Bazaar; but then, to tell the real truth, we need a Bazaar every year, or at any rate we need every year the amount of money realized by the Bazaar last year. It was a most welcome help to us, and it galvanized us into an extra spasm of life; but unless the regular income of our Society be greatly increased, we shall be doomed for long years to come to an invalid condition.

Unless something unusual takes place, unless, for instance, there should be a shower of anonymous friends who, like the one from the region of Birchcliffe, gave £50 not long ago, it will be many a long year before we are free from Walsall; and yet, as you know, we are already pledged to a right worthy enterprise of a similar kind at Crewe.

NEW CHAPEL AT CREWE.

In that prosperous Cheshire town we have a mere handful of General Baptists. Most of them are only artizans; but seeing an opening in the rapid growth of the town for establishing a General Baptist cause, they have banded themselves into a church. Led by Mr. Pedley, and backed by the hearty concurrence of the Cheshire Conference, they exchanged turn with the Southern Conference for the nomination of a site. The Home Mission Committee cordially agreed, and already a capital building is going up, to cost, in the first instance, over £3,000.

In this case the Home Mission agrees to pay half the cost of land and building, and to render substantial aid for about four years in the