THE DUTY OF PRAYING AND CONTRIBUTING FOR THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL.
My dear children--There is another story connected with India, which I
might have mentioned in my last chapter while writing about the
destruction of infants. I will relate it now, in order that you may be
constrained to pray more frequently for the heathen. Some time ago, the
wife of a native prince had a little daughter. The father ordered it to
be put to death, immediately after it was born. Had it been a son, an
heir to the throne, he would have taken great care of it. A second, a
third, a fourth, a fifth little daughter was born. All these were also
put to death by the command of the father. When a sixth little daughter
was born, the mother's heart yearned over it. "I cannot part with it,"
said she; "I will have it taken away and hid, so that the king may know
nothing about it." This was done, but the poor mother never dared to
send for her little girl. She never saw her again, but died sometime
after.
Many of the little girls in India are very pretty. They have dark eyes,
and sweet, expressive countenances. This little child grew to be a very
beautiful girl; and when she was eleven years old, some of her relations
ventured to bring her to her father. They thought that he would be
struck with the sight of his sweet child, and that he would love her for
the sake of her mother who had died. The little girl fell at his feet
and clasped his knees, and looked up in his face and said, "My father."
And what do you think that father did? Do you think that he took her up
in his arms, and kissed her? No. He seized her by the hair of her head,
drew his sword from his belt, and with a single blow took off her head.
Now, my dear children, do you not think that you ought to pray for the
poor heathen--to pray that God will send the Gospel to them? I want to
tell you of a little boy who heard me preach some time ago about the
heathen. One night he said his prayers, and went to bed. After he got
into bed, he said to the nurse, "I have forgotten to pray for the
heathen, and I must get out of bed and pray for them." The nurse then
told him that it would not be necessary for him to get up, as he could
pray for them while in bed. "No," said he, "I must get out of bed and
pray for them." And the dear little boy would not rest until he got out
of bed and prayed for them. Now I want all of you, my dear children,
every morning and evening, to kneel down and pray for the heathen, as
this little boy did. And I want you to do something more. I want you
always to be punctual in attending _the usual monthly concerts of
prayer,_ provided there are no juvenile monthly concerts to which you
can go. I have long wished to see juvenile monthly concerts of prayer
established. They would be very interesting if I am to judge from the
account of one which I some time ago received from a friend of mine, the
Rev. Mr. V----. I will give you some extracts from his letter. He
writes, "According to promise, I send you an account of the first
children's monthly concert, so far as I can learn, held on Long Island.
As notice was not given either in the church or Sabbath-school, the
attendance was smaller than it otherwise would have been. Still, about
sixty interesting children attended. After a few remarks concerning the
object of the meeting by the superintendent of the Sabbath-school they
sung with melting eyes the hymn that describes the wretched heathen
mother casting her lovely babe into the jaws of the monster of the
Granges. Prayer then was made, of about two or three minutes in length.
Then I gave some of the most affecting accounts of the cruelties and
ignorance of the heathen, as related by the devoted Williams, that
martyr missionary. Their silent attention and subdued countenances told
that their hearts were with the wretched idolaters. After having thus
spent about ten minutes, the children sung in a sweet manner, a hymn--a
prayer for those laboring amid the heathen:
"When worn by toil, their spirits fail,
Bid them the glorious future hail;
Bid them the crown of life survey,
And onward urge their conquering way."
"After which, two resolutions were passed, unanimously, by the children.
First, that they will each one attend the monthly concert of prayer
regularly, when able, and bring with them all their companions whom they
can persuade to come.
"Secondly, that they, with the children of the various schools of W----,
will constitute ---- a life member of the W---- Bible Society. Some of
the smaller children had brought their little Bibles to give them to
----, that he might carry them to the poor children of the heathen. But
when informed that the heathen could not understand English, they
determined to raise money, and send it out to purchase Bibles for the
children. This interesting meeting was closed by prayer, the doxology,
and benediction."
But not only can you pray for the heathen, you can give _something_ to
send the Gospel to them. Do you say that you have no money to give? But
cannot you earn some? Many young persons have done so. One of whom I
have read, says, "Besides supporting a school in Ceylon, we are going to
support five Chinese boys. I earn six cents a week for not using tea,
one for not using sugar, and three for not using coffee."
Another says, "I, with three others, have been making matches to the
amount of ten dollars, and should have made more, but the people are
pretty well supplied. I am going to dig my father's garden, and my
mother is going to give me a quarter of a dollar for digging it, which I
shall give to the missionaries. I am going to do all I can, and to earn
all I can, and save all that I have, to support the missionaries."
Another says, "I am going to leave off buying candy." What is that? Can
little girls and boys do without sugar-candy? I am afraid that many of
you, my dear children, would find it difficult to go without it. But let
me quote all that this child wrote. "I am going to leave off buying
candy and such little notions, unless it is necessary, and save every
cent that I can get and give it to the missionaries."
Now, my dear children, I do think that if you would save some of those
cents which you spend in buying candy, fire-crackers, and similar
things, and buy Bibles and tracts for the poor heathen, you would do
much more good with them.
I want to tell you about a little boy who belonged to one of my schools
in Ceylon, who has, as I hope, gone to heaven through the means of a
tract which cost only two or three cents, and which was the cause of his
coming under my care. After he had attended preaching for some time, he
begged me to admit him to the church. As he was quite young, not eleven
years old, I was afraid to receive him. This feeling, perhaps, was
wrong. He never joined the church on earth. He has, however, I hope,
gone to join the church in heaven. When he was about eleven years of
age, he was attacked with the cholera and died. In this country, when
children are very ill, the father or mother will catch up a cocoa-nut or
a few plantains, and run off to the temple, and say, "Now, Swammie, if
you will cure my little boy or little girl, I will give you this
cocoa-nut, or these plantains." The mother of this boy saw that he was
very ill, and she told him that she wished to go to make offerings to
one of her idols, in order that he might get well. But he requested her
not to do so. "I do not worship idols," said he; "I worship Christ, my
Saviour. If he is pleased to spare me a little longer in the world, it
will be well; if not, I shall go to him." The last words he uttered
were, "I am going to Christ the Lord."
Now when you think about this little boy, I want you to ask yourselves,
whether it is not better to give two or three cents to try and save the
soul of some poor little heathen boy or girl, than to spend them in
buying candy, and other useless things.
But I must tell you about a little girl whom I saw some time ago, who
refused to buy candy while there are so many heathen without the Bible.
Her father is a sea-captain. Being absent from home, he sent her five
dollars to buy candy, or any thing else which she wished. As this little
girl had heard about the heathen, she determined to throw all her money
into the missionary-box, instead of spending it for her own pleasure.
The mother, on learning her intentions, asked her if she would not like
to spend a part of it for candy, and similar things. She replied, that
she would not, and in due time she put her five dollars into the
missionary-box. Not long after this, she was attacked with a severe
toothache. The mother proposed that the defective tooth should be
extracted. The little creature, for she was only about eight years old,
dreaded the operation, and seemed at first to be backward about having
it performed. To encourage her to submit to it, her mother offered her
twenty-five cents. This little girl did not then begin to reason, Now,
if I can only get those twenty-five cents, I can buy a doll, or I can
buy some sugar-candy; but she reasoned thus, Now, if I can get those
twenty-five cents, I can go and put them into the missionary-box. So she
said to her mother, I will go and have the tooth taken out. The tooth,
however, ceased to ache, but still she wished to have it extracted. Her
mother then interfered, and told her that, as it had ceased to ache, it
might be well for her not to have it drawn until it ached again. The
little girl, however, persisted, saying, that if it were not taken out,
she could not get the twenty-five cents to devote to the missionary
cause. She therefore went to the dentist's, submitted to the operation,
received her twenty-five cents, and went and threw them into the Lord's
treasury. Was not that a noble little girl? Doubtless you will all say
she was.
I must tell you about a noble little boy also. Some time ago, I was
preaching to the children of Canandaigua, in the western part of New
York. After I had preached there, I went on to Rochester. Returning from
that place, I met with a lady in the cars, who told me as follows:
"After you had preached in Canandaigua," said she, "a young lady there,
who had lost her mother, and who had six or seven or eight of her
brothers and sisters under her care, formed them into a missionary
society." Oh, I wish that all the dear children in America were formed
into missionary societies. After she had done this, she asked her little
brother how he was going to get money to put into the missionary-box.
"By catching mice," said he. His sister gave him two or three cents for
every mouse he caught. Thus it appears, that this dear little boy was
going to throw all his earnings into the Lord's treasury.
But let me tell you a little more about the children to whom I before
alluded. Another says, "In some of the day-schools of this city, the
girls have formed sewing societies, and make pin-cushions, needle-books,
emery-bags, and the like, and send the money that is raised from the
sale of them to the missionaries, to be used for the heathen. There are
seven Sabbath-schools in this town, and in each of them there is a
missionary association; so that in all about five hundred dollars are
sent from the Sabbath-schools every year."
Now, my dear girls, I want you to think of what has now been said about
the formation of sewing societies; and I want you to ask your mothers
whether they will not allow you to form such societies, to meet once a
week, or once in two weeks, or once a month to sew, to get some money to
send the Gospel to the heathen. Many societies of this kind have been
formed. After I had preached to the children in one of the churches in
Third-street, New York, the little girls who attend that church formed
such a society. The account which I received of it is as follows. "You
may remember, that in your address to our Sabbath-school, you related
instances of little girls knitting, sewing, etc., to earn something for
the missionary-box The examples which you related were not lost to the
girls of the Sabbath-school. Immediately they began to talk about
forming themselves into a sewing society, and making small articles, and
giving the proceeds to the missionary society. They did not stop here,
but went right to work, and soon formed their society, which they styled
the Juvenile Sewing Society. They are in a very prosperous and
flourishing condition at present. I know not the amount of funds they
possess--they pay a cent a week into their treasury--but they have a
large assortment of articles already made. I understand, also, they meet
once a week to sew."
After I had preached at a place called Little Falls, New York, the girls
formed a sewing society there. The following account of this society I
received from one of its little members. "When you were here last fall,
and told us how much good little girls had done in having sewing
societies, we thought we would see if _we_ could not do some good in the
world, as well as they; and, since October, we have met weekly, and by
holding a fair, we have succeeded in raising sixty-two dollars. We
hope it will be the means of saving some poor heathen children."
Now, as I said before, I want you, my dear girls, to ask your mothers if
you may not form such societies also. Will you think of it? I hope you
will.
Another of the children to whom I have twice referred, says, "I can try
and save their souls, if I am not there. I can work for them, and send
some money to you to buy them Bibles, and I can pray for them; and if I
should save some souls, O how would they thank me. But if I did not send
my money, nor care any thing about them, and I should not go to heaven,
and they should not, how would they rise up in judgment against me, and
say, If we had had the privileges that you had, we should not be here.
O, how thankful we ought to be, that we were not born in heathen lands.
O, if the poor heathen could only have such privileges as we have, how
thankful would they be; and if we were born in heathen lands, I have no
doubt that they would come and tell us about a Saviour."
I have received many letters from children, breathing the same spirit
which is manifested in the notes I have copied.
One writes, "Last winter I brought in the wood for mother, and she gave
me fifty cents. I now am very glad that I have not spent it, as I can
give it to you to buy tracts for the little heathen children of India."
A second writes, "The enclosed fifty cents my grandmother gave me when I
was a very little boy, for sitting still one hour. Will you please to
use it to furnish the Bible and missionary to the heathen."
A third writes, "I have always spent my money for candy and other
trifles, but since I have heard about the darkness and misery of the
heathen, I intend to save it all, and put it into the missionary-box."
A fourth writes, "The enclosed I earned by knitting. I intended to save
it, till I had sufficient to carry me a short journey to see some of my
friends; but when I heard you tell about the little heathen girls, I
thought I would give it to you, for the poor heathen children."
A fifth writes, "I have enclosed twelve and a half cents, which my
father gave me to go and see General Tom Thumb. When I heard you
lecture last evening, I came home and concluded to give it to you, and
let you buy Bibles for the poor heathen."
A sixth writes, "I remember, before my mother died, she used to tell me
a great deal about the children of India, and now she is in heaven. I
think she would like to have me give my heart to the Saviour, and go and
teach those poor children. I give you some money that was given to me to
see an exhibition, which I saved to give for such things, rather than
go."
A seventh writes, "You told us that two cents were the means of
converting a young man. I would give two cents every week, if it would
convert souls to Christ."
An eighth writes, "My mother told me, some time ago, that every day I
recited my lessons without missing a word, she would give me a penny;
and not being desirous to spend it, I do wish you would take it--fifty
cents--to the heathen. It may buy some tracts at the bazaar or market."
A ninth writes, "We feel sorry for those poor heathen children. We will
try to earn some money to buy Bibles for the heathen. Father has
promised us some land to work next summer, and we think we can raise
something and sell it to get the money."
A tenth writes, "Since you were here last spring, I have saved what I
could--one dollar--for the heathen children, and should be glad if I
could do more."
An eleventh writes, "The money which you will find enclosed, I earned by
working for my mother on Saturday, which I intended to keep to buy a
microscope; but when I heard you preach on Sabbath, I concluded to give
it to buy Bibles for the poor heathen children."
A twelfth writes, "The enclosed, five dollars, was a birthday present
from my father, but I want to give it to Dr. Scudder, for the poor
little boys in Ceylon."
A thirteenth writes, "Please accept my mite, by the hand of my brother.
I have been keeping it for the purpose of buying a geography; but when I
heard you preach yesterday, I thought I had better send it to you, for
the poor heathen."
A fourteenth writes, "I would like much to become a missionary, as I am
named after one; I hope I shall be one. I have been saving a dollar to
buy myself some books, but concluded to give it to buy some books for
the heathen."
The last two children, whose letters you have been reading, gave to the
missionary cause the money which they had been earning to buy books.
When you have been earning money for the express purpose of giving it to
the missionary cause, then you should devote it all to that cause; but I
would advise you not to do as did the two children last mentioned. Had
my opinion been asked, relative to the disposal of their money, I would
have recommended them to give _one-tenth,_ or perhaps a little more, of
the sums they had been earning, to their Saviour, and to keep the rest
to buy their books. The giving of not less than one-tenth of all you
earn, for charitable purposes, is the principle which I wish to have
impressed fully on your minds, and I hope you will grow up under the
influence of this principle, and _never, never_ depart from it. But
while I thus speak, you must not suppose that I wish you to confine
yourselves to the giving of one-tenth, when you can give more; I hope
you will not give merely this, but one-half, or more, if you can afford
it. Indeed, if you do not go as missionaries to the heathen, I want you
to make it your great object _to make money for Christ, and to spend it
for Christ_. O, if the generation which is grown, were as anxious to
make money for Christ, and to spend it for Christ, as they are to make
it for themselves, and to spend it for themselves, or to hoard it up--it
may be for the everlasting destruction of the souls of their
heirs--there would be no complaints that money could not be had to send
the Gospel to the destitute, both at home and abroad.
In my twelfth chapter, I spoke of the liberal donations which the
heathen of India make for the support of their religion. In the city of
Calcutta alone, it is supposed that two millions of dollars are spent
every year on the festival of a single goddess--a festival which lasts
only a few days. A single native has been known to give, as I before
said, more than one hundred thousand dollars at one time to this
festival, and afterwards thirty thousand dollars yearly. How vast, then,
must be the sums which are spent upon all the different festivals of
their gods. Would that we could see such liberality among Christians.
Would that we could see the generality of them willing to give even
one-tenth of their annual income to the Lord. Alas, what would the
heathen say, if they were to learn how much greater are the sums of
money which they give to their idols, than Christians give to honor
their Saviour? Would they not exclaim, It is because Christianity is
false, and heathenism is true, that Christians give so little for
Christ, while we give so much for our gods? My dear children, I hope
that you will never allow the heathen to say that the Christian religion
is false, because you do not give your money for the spread of the
Gospel. Will you not resolve now, that you will, so long as God prospers
you in worldly goods, give _at least_ one-tenth of all you earn to the
Lord? Do, my dear children, do make the resolution now.