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Rev. M. J. Rhees, Secretary of the Board of Managers, read the following communication from that body, which on vote was accepted.

To the American Baptist Missionary Union, the Board of Managers respectfully present the following statement:

Immediately after the adjournment of the Union in May, 1848, the Board organized, and elected its officers and Executive Committee.

They also instructed the Executive Committee to continue the Teloogoo Mission, in accordance with the views expressed by the Union.

On Tuesday, May 15, 1849, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the Board met in Philadelphia, and received the reports of the Treasurer and the Executive Committee, and referred the different items and points submitted to them to appropriate Committees. On the reports of these Committees these items were reviewed, and the documents and the reports of Committees were directed to be printed. Abstracts from these reports have been directed to be read to the Union.

The Board submit to the Union a paper from the Executive Committee on "The Means by which the Home Work of Missions should be conducted in the Churches," with the request that it may be read to the Union, and made the subject of a special conference at the session on Friday morning. The Board also present to the Union the accompanying report on the votes given on the alteration of the Constitution, in answer to the circular issued by direction of the Union at its last annual meeting, as the basis on which they acted in indefinitely postponing the whole subject. In this course the Board have acted on the conviction that they have complied with the wishes of the members of the Union; and they trust that those who have favored the change will cheerfully yield their preferences to the will of the majority.

The Board have enjoyed the privilege of welcoming to their meeting two of our beloved missionaries from the East, Rev. J. Wade, of the Tavoy Mission, who has been laboring more than a quarter of a century among the Burmans and Karens; and Rev. M. Bronson, of the Assam Mission, who has been instrumental in rearing a mission of deep interest among the interesting race of Assamese. These brethren, with the beloved companions of their lives and labors, and Mrs. O. T. Cutter, of the Assam Mission, have been compelled by failing health to return to their native land to recruit. Br. Bronson is accompanied by two of the converts from heathenism. It is our fervent prayer that God will bless the means employed for the restoration of the missionaries to health, and permit them to return to their interesting and important fields of labor; and that they may see yet greater success in the work to which their lives have been devoted. It is a source of rejoicing to the Board to be able to announce, as the Treasurer's report will more fully disclose, that the receipts of the year

have exceeded the expenditures, and reduced the liabilities of the Union about $4,000.

The returns from the missions are also of a most cheering character. Converts are being multiplied, and the desert places are beginning to blossom like the rose. Let us all then be encouraged to go forward, trusting in the living God, and resolving in his strength to continue our labors until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. The Board recommend to the Union that the annual sermon be preached on Thursday evening at 74 o'clock.

All which is respectfully submitted.

M. J. RHEES, Rec. Sec.

JAMES H. DUNCAN, Chairman.

Resolved, That a Committee of seven be appointed to present the names of fifty brethren, out of whom twenty-five shall be elected members of the Board of Managers in the place of those whose term of service has expired by limitation. Rev. A. Bennett of N. Y., Mr. B. Greenough of Me., Mr. G. Colby of Mass., Mr. W. W. Keen of Pa., Rev. S. W. Adams of Ohio, Mr. P. P. Runyon of N. J., and Hon. A. Colby of N. H., were the Committee.

Voted, That 4 o'clock this P. M. be assigned as the time for electing the officers of the Union for the ensuing year.

Hon. J. M. Linnard of Pa., Rev. Messrs. H. B. Ewell of N. Y., L. H. Moore of Mich., J. Banvard of Mass., C. E. Wilson of N. J., S. W. Adams of Ohio, and S. D. Phelps of Ct., were appointed a Committee to designate the place for the next annual meeting; also to nominate some person to preach the annual sermon.

The Treasurer of the Union, R. E. Eddy, Esq., presented a summary of his annual report to the Board of Managers, which was accepted.

The Foreign Corresponding Secretary read an abstract of the annual report of the Executive Committee to the Board of Managers.

Voted, That the report be accepted.

Voted, That the time of holding our sessions during this anniversary be from 9 o'clock, A. M., to 12 P. M.; from 3 to 5 P. M., and at 7 in the evening.

Adjourned till 3 o'clock, P. M. Rev. N. Colver of Massachusetts offered prayer.

Thursday, 3 o'clock, P. M.

The Union met according to adjournment. Prayer was offered by Rev. D. Shaip, D. D., of Massachusetts.

The Committee to nominate fifty persons, out of whom twentyfive might be selected to serve on the Board of Managers, reported, and the report was accepted.

Rev. Messrs. B. Miner of Mass., and E. Worth of N. H., and Messrs. S. Colgate of N. Y., J. Hanna of Pa., G. B. Peck of R. I., D. M. Wilson of N. J., and D. Bennett of N. Y., were appointed to collect and count the votes for the officers of the Union; and subsequently reported that the following were duly elected.

HON. GEORGE N. BRIGGS, of Mass., President.

A. H. DUNLEVY, Esq., of Ohio,

Rev. B. T. WELCH, D. D., of New York, Vice Presidents. REV. WM. H. SHAILER, of Mass., Recording Secretary.

Rev. Messrs. W. W. Everts of N. Y., C. Tucker of Pa., E. P. Bond of Ia., and L. A. Dunn of Vt., and Messrs. F. C. Messenger of Del., H. Day of Ky., and S. R. Weeden of R. I., were chosen tellers to collect the votes for twenty-five persons to serve on the Board of Managers for the ensuing three years.

The Committee to designate a place for the next annual meeting and to nominate a preacher, reported; recommending that the meeting be held with the Washington Street Baptist Church, Buffalo, N. Y.; that Rev. E. L. Magoon of Ohio preach the annual sermon, and that Rev. William Hague of Mass. be his alternate. The report was adopted.

On motion of Rev. A. Bennett of N. Y., the following resolution was adopted.

Resolved, That a Committee of five be appointed to equalize the apportionment of members of the Board among the several States embraced in the home field of this body, and to report at an early hour at the next annual meeting.

Rev. Messrs. A. Bennett, E. E. Cummings, J. N. Granger, G. S. Webb and S. W. Adams, were appointed the Committee.

The Rev. J. Banvard of Mass., offered the following resolution, which was adopted.

Resolved, That the Secretaries be instructed to make out a list of those who have preached the annual sermon before this body and its Board, and insert it in the report.*

The report of the Committee to whom were referred the votes on the alteration of the Third Article of the Constitution, which was presented to the Union by the Board of Managers, was read and adopted. (p. 205.)

Voted, That the paper referred to this body by the Board of Managers, "On the Means by which the Home Work of Missions should be conducted in the Churches," be made the order of the day to-morrow at 10 o'clock, A. M.

Adjourned. Prayer by Rev. J. Matthias of Pennsylvania.

Thursday Evening, 7 o'clock.

After prayer by Rev. M. Bronson, missionary from Assam, the annual sermon was preached by Rev. M. J. Rhees, of Delaware, from Phil. 2: 5.

Adjourned till 9 o'clock, A. M., to-morrow. Prayer was offered by Rev. J. Wade, missionary from Burmah.

Friday, May 18, 9 o'clock.

The Union met according to adjournment. Prayer was offered by Rev. T. Roberts of Pennsylvania.

* See Appendix.

The records of yesterday were read and approved.

The tellers to collect the votes for persons to supply the vacancy in the Board of Managers, reported that thirteen had been duly elected.

The report was accepted.

On motion of Rev. S. S. Cutting of N. Y., the following resolution was adopted.

Resolved, That the Committee to nominate one class in the Board of Managers, be instructed to report, as soon as may be, a number of names equal to the vacancies which remain unsupplied by the balloting which has been had.

Resolved, That those Railroad Companies who have allowed delegates to this meeting to travel over their roads at reduced prices, are entitled to and receive the thanks of this body for their kindness and courtesy.

Resolved, That the thanks of the American Baptist Missionary Union be tendered to Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, of the Butler House, in Philadelphia, for their pleasant and delightful entertainment of the members on the evening of May 17, 1849, and that the Recording Secretary be instructed to transmit to them a copy of this resolution, with the best wishes of the Union for their temporal and spiritual welfare.

Resolved, That the thanks of the American Baptist Missionary Union be most cordially presented to the Baptist churches and other friends in Philadelphia, for their very generous hospitality extended to this body during its present session.

The Committee on nomination reported the names of twelve additional persons to serve on the Board of Managers, and the Union proceeded to an election; which resulted as follows:

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The document which was made the order of the day at 10 o'clock, was read by the Home Corresponding Secretary; after which the Rev. R. H. Neale offered the following resolution.

Resolved, That the report which has now been read, be adopted and printed; that the recommendations therein made be earnestly commended to the adoption of the churches; and that the Executive Committee be desired to publish the same in a separate form, as one of their Occasional Papers, and give it an extensive circulation.

After addresses by Messrs. Neale, Colver, Wattson, Howard, Everts, Taylor, Kincaid and Granger, the resolution was adopted.

MEANS ESSENTIAL TO THE RIGHT PROSECUTION OF THE MISSIONARY WORK IN CHURCHES.

The Missionary Union has closed a financial year which, in some respects, has had no equal in the history of our missionary service. The missions, as a whole, have wrought a greater work, contributors have shown a stronger determination to sustain them, and the fields in which they are planted have given promise of richer harvests, than in any other year since our first missionary reached Burmah. At such a time it behooves this organization carefully to ascertain and to recommend MEANS WHICH ARE ES

SENTIAL TO THE RIGHT PROSECUTION OF THE HOME WORK OF MISSIONS IN CHURCHES.

It is not supposed that the Union has the right, with the slightest appearance of authority, to prescribe rules for the churches. But as an agency through which inissions are sustained in different sections of the world, it is its province to submit such plans for doing the work at home as will secure to those missions ever-growing prosperity. What, then, are means inseparable from the right way of doing the missionary work in individual churches?

First, in the order of its use, is

1. THE PULPIT,—or the faithful cooperation of the pastor. "The pastor's relation to the missionary work" was brought before the Union in the annual sermon delivered at its last anniversary, and it can be necessary to do little more in this place than to recall the eminently seasonable and practical views then presented. In that discourse the plan of preaching a monthly missionary sermon to every congregation, on the Sabbath in which the Concert of Prayer is now so generally observed, was distinctly set forth; a plan which is opening new sources of missionary power to an increasing number of pastors and churches. The week which precedes the monthly meeting for prayer is to such pastors a missionary week ;—a week in which the wORLD, as the field of evangelical effort, is the subject about which they read and think and pray,—a subject embracing the widest range of elevating themes, and abounding in the richest stores of illustration. From facts and principles thus gathered, pastors themselves obtain truer conceptions of the nature and magnitude of the missionary work, and the people receive a monthly missionary day ;--a day in which instruction is imparted and thoughts are awakened and purposes are fostered, the influence of which may be felt in forwarding the work of evangelization in every land and throughout all time. Congregations so instructed become intelligent and reliable helpers in the cause of Christian missions; the habit of permanent and hearty coöperation is formed by frequent and careful reviews of its claims and progress; and the ministry of their own pastors will have supplied the agency needed to give success to all other means essential to the full development of the missionary spirit.

The first Sabbath of the month may be the time in which many churches observe the ordinances of Christ's house; but this is scarcely to be considered an objection to the plan of a monthly missionary sermon on that day. The ordinances, with all their precious and holy associations, are not more directly or closely connected with the glory of Christ and the power of the Cross than is the enterprise of missions; and there is little danger of giving its interests a larger or more sacred place in the ministration of the pulpit, than the Savior himself assigned them in what he taught and suffered.

Closely allied to the pulpit, and second only to it in importance in subserving the missionary work at home, is

2. THE PRESS,-or the placing of a copy of one of the missionary periodicals in every family. The monthly issue of the Magazine is now about 4,500 copies, and of both editions of the Macedonian 22,000 ;-while the number of families from which the missions might expect coöperation

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