permitted to see any direct fruit of his Missionary exertions; and that at no time was it his privilege to hail a numerous accession of Christian converts. To him it was appointed, almost exclusively, to prepare the precious seed, and to scatter a few handfuls of it; to others it is reserved to gather in that harvest, to which the fields appear already white.

And here, while the Committee must needs deplore their loss, they cannot but adore the goodness of God, who spared his servant long enough to lay the foundation of such a work in China; and who, in the meanwhile, was providing a succession of Christian men to carry it forward-Dyer, Medhurst, Gutzlaff --and, among others, one bearing the name of Morrison, and destined, we may hope, to emulate his father's worthy example -these still survive, and stand girded for action. We have, therefore, encouragement to believe, that the temple of Christianity shall yet, and ere long, be built upon the ruins of Chinese superstition; and that, throughout that vast empire, myriads shall soon be heard to sing the praises of Him, whose name is above every other name, and at whose name every knee shall bow.

In concluding this tribute to the memory of their friend, the Committee cannot but advert to the modesty with which he was accustomed to speak of his own labours; as also to the promptness with which he uniformly ascribed all his attainments and all his success to the grace of God. It is instructive and consolatory to know, that this grace, having supported him through life, still soothed and upheld him on the approach of death; and that a portion of his last Sabbath was employed in singing, together with a few Christian friends, in the Chinese language, the praises of that Redeemer, by whose love he was stimulated, and on whose merits he had long reposed; whose kingdom on earth he had laboured to extend; and, in the contemplation of whose unveiled glory, he now finds the heaven which he desired.

MEMOIR OF THE REV. DR. MILNE.

DR. MILNE, the assistant and colleague of Dr. Morrison, in his Chinese Missionary labours and in translating the Scriptures, was disciplined in a Scottish Sunday-school. He was first a scholar, and afterwards a teacher; and as the Rev. R. Philip, his biographer, states, "It was the spark of Sundayschool zeal which kindled the flame of missionary enterprise in his bosom."

William Milne was born in 1785, at Kennethmont, in Aberdeenshire: his father died when he was six years of age; and his mother gave him the education common at that period among the Scotch. He learned by heart the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, and Willison's Mother's Catechism, while he hated religion, though he "sometimes said his prayers at night, for fear of evil spirits." But about his thirteenth year a partial reformation took place in him, chiefly by reading Willison's Treatise on the Sabbath, and Russell's seven Sermons, by the example of two pious person, the dread of temporal evils, and the representations of the sufferings of Christ, as given at the sacramental services. All the good impressions thus produced were rendered permanent and saving, by his attendance at a Sabbath evening school, established by the Rev. Mr. Cowie of Huntley. "Sometimes I used to walk home from school alone," he states, "about a mile, over the brow of the hill, praying all the way. At this time I began the worship of God in my mother's family; and also held

some meetings for prayer with my sister and other children in a barn belonging to the premises." When about sixteen, he became acquainted with Adam Sievwright, a man in humble life, whose pious instructions and prayers were a blessing to him. "Books," he says, "were my constant companions: a book entitled, The Cloud of Witnesses,' containing an account of the persecution in Scotland in the reign of Charles II., gave me an exalted idea of the excellency and power of Christianity." This book of the "Martyrs in Scotland" was read by him with the deepest interest, exciting within him ardent zeal for Christ. Boston's "Fourfold state of man," his "Believer's Espousal to Christ," and the ministry of Mr. Cowie, greatly aided his spiritual progress; and when he was about eighteen, he was received a member of the Christian Church at Huntley.

William Milne engaged as a shepherd, with one "in whose house God was not worshipped: but his confession of Christ won them over to establish family prayer; and thus both his master and mistress became followers of the Saviour. He took a very lively interest and an active part in the Scottish Sabbath-schools. His spirit may be seen in one case. Going one night with a friend to visit a school, the road lay through a solitary glen, which resembled the recess among hills where he had consecrated himself to God. The scene recalled his vows. He paused, and said, 'I am afraid to enter on the solemn work of the evening without special prayer.' The two friends knelt down together, and spent a considerable time in fervent wrestling with

God. It was in this spirit he entered the schools. He also established winter evening prayer meetings, in the destitute corners of the parish; and, with a few young men, who were like-minded with himself, went from house to house praying and speaking with the poor."

Mr. Cowie, his minister, had belonged to the Secession Church, but now he became an Independent; and, as Mr. Philip states, " He sacrificed his name and his place, influential as they were among the Antiburghers, that he might promote Foreign Missions, Home Itinerancies, and Sabbath-schools. He threw all his mighty zeal into the cause of universal evangelization." "Thus the Church at Huntley was both literally and emphatically a Missionary Society. In this way William Milne became acquainted with the subject of missions." He offered himself, and was accepted by the Directors of the London Missionary Society; and, in 1809, entered their College under Dr. Bogue. In 1812, he was appointed as a colleague of Dr. Morrison, in China; and having married Miss Cowie, an estimable lady of Scotland, they sailed for China, September 4th, 1812. A detail of his invaluable labours as missionary to the Chinese cannot here be given. He projected and urged the important mission to Madagascar, he succeeded in mastering the Chinese language, co-operating with Dr. Morrison in translating the Scriptures. He took the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, which were revised by Dr. Morrison. In 1817, he was honoured by the University of Glasgow with a diploma of

Doctor of Divinity. By his translations, by writing several useful books, in Chinese, by his "Chinese Gleaner," a quarterly periodical, and by several Missionary journeys among the Chinese, he rendered great service to the cause of Christ among the Heathen. Mrs. Milne died May 4, 1816; and Dr. Milne finished his earthly labours, June 2, 1822, leaving a name highly honoured, as a faithful servant of the Divine Redeemer; and, though young, an able translator of the Holy Scriptures.

MEMOIR OF THE REV. DR. MARSHMAN.

and

JOSHUA MARSHMAN acquired distinguished honour as the colleague of Dr. Carey, and translator of the Holy Scriptures into the Chinese language. He was born in April 1768, in the vicinity of Westbury Leigh, where he received the Gospel of Christ; being a person of some education, he was chosen master of the Charity School, in the Broadmead, Bristol. He was received a member of the Baptist Church, by baptism, in June 1794; and attended for an hour daily, the Baptist College, where he obtained an acquaintance with Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

In 1799, Mr. Marshman engaged to proceed with Mr. William Ward, Mr. Dan Brunsdon, and Mr. William Grant, to aid Dr. Carey, as missionaries to India. They set sail May 24th, and in October they reached Calcutta. Mr. Marshman made great progress in the Oriental languages; and in March, 1806, he procured a teacher who enabled him to