Thirty H Second Annual Rep,ort. - Yale University Library Digital ...

18
A P PEN D I X.
Sir ANDREW WINGATE, K.C.I:E., presided -over the Thirty-second Annual
Meeting of the Anglo-Indian Evangelisation Society, held on Friday afternoon,
April 24th, in Exeter Lower Hall, London.
Rev. E. W. REDFERN opened the proceedings with prayer, following which
Rev. JOHN FORGAN, Han. Sec., read Abstracts of the Report.
The Financial Statement was then presented by the General Secretary, Mr W.
ST.BWART THOMPSON.
The CHAIRMAN moved the following resoluti.on :-" That the Report, of which
an abstract has just been read, be adopted as the Thirty-second Report of the Anglo- .
Indian Evangelisation Society, and that it be printed and circulated." That there'
was a great need existing in India for this Society, he said, there would be few found
to questiun. The Government of this country, when it sent its sailors and soldiers,
away from the spiritual influences of the home land, felt itself under an obligation to
send with them chaplains; surely it was incumbent upon the general public of these
islands-from which was sent forth the capital and the workers which carried on the
great industrial enterprises in India, and to which came back so much of the profitsthat
they shoud see to it that their sons, if so isolated as to be unable to help themselves,
at least got a chance of occasionally attending a religious service. These sons,
if they grew up beyond the sound of the Gospel, would assuredly return home with
the religious habits of their childhood and youth sadly weakened; and that again
w-Ould weaken those at home in England. It therefore did seem most essential that
the people of England should lay this matter to their heart, and should recognise that
a great responsibility rested upon them, and that assuredly unless they took up and
fulfilled it there would be something to answer for hereafter. Continuing, Sir Andrew
Wingate remarked that in the parable of the Talents it had always seemed to himself
that the word" usury" came in somewhat strangely. But what did that word usury
mean? Since he had been in India, and had seen the extraordinary results and
success of the missionaries in India, he had come to this conclusion about usury. A
Ip3.n could not give himself, but he could send half-a· sovereign or half-a-crown to that
country, and in the most amazing way it helped to win souls for Jesus Christ. That
created fresh spiritual influences; that again went on in wider circles, till by-and-by
the whole of India would be won for their Lord and Saviour.
Rev. GEORGE HANSON, D.D., in seconding the resolution, menti(:med one or
two reasons why he thought they should most cordially support this Mission. And
the first reason, he staled, was this-that from the testimor:y of those who were in
India, or had been there, one of the chief obstacles in the way of the evangelisation
of the Hindus was the attitude of the Anglo-Indians generally towards Christianity .
. It was incumbent upon them that they should introduce into the majority of the
- Anglo-Indians a different spirit towards Hindus; otherwise in their fight with
idolatry they would be hopelessly handicapped. He did feel that they, as Christian
people at home, were bound in the name of Christ to do their very utmost to bring
the Gospel to bear upon those of their own kith and kin in this great c·'untry of India.
Another reason for the support of the Society was that he looked upon India as beiJ;lg
'a' most sacred trust given directly to Britain. There was in the fact of India so
q1arvellously coming into the possession of Great Britain, a call upon them to justify
their possession of this territory. I t could not but be felt that all the influence of
Britain involved corresponding responsibility. These possessions were theirs, . not
thro,ngh British pluck and enterprise alone, but by the gift of God; and if by the gift
Qf providence, then surely they were entrusted for great moral and spiritual ends.
And they were false to their duty as a Christian people if they did not set about with
all their might and main winning India to Christ.
The motion was put to the meeting, and carried unanimously.