BAPTISTS. 



85 



I. The report of the council ll 



thai tin-re were connected \vi;li tin- t'nion 2.H02 

 (hurt-he-., -!.i s l chapel-. l.'J - j:!."r.'ii chattel seats, 



...I members -|S.l:!'J teacher- aiul I 



pupil- in Sunday schools, 4,000 local preachers, 

 ami l.KM pastors 111 charge; ami that ~>\.t'>(>~> 



pa 



.-.II expended <ui new chapels, j:;s..V.l| (Hi 



improv. -incuts, and 07,888 toward reduction of 

 debt. An iiicor|M)ratioii had been secured in 

 ordiT In enable tin- 1'i'ion to hold securities and 

 other property of th.> Annuity fund. The estab- 

 lishment <>f a publication department and a de- 

 nominational book room had been considered. 

 Tin- -ccurities of the Annuity fund were valued 

 at L'l lo.-V.iO; the additions during the vear had 

 been L's.-j.VJ. besides which the stock had largely 

 increased in value. The receipts for the Aug- 

 mentation fund had been 10,034; and for the 

 1'nioii itself, t; 1,729. The Home Mission Society 

 made report of 81 mission churches with 84 de- 

 pendent stations and 8,53S Sunday-school chil- 

 dren. Its income was only 2.500, 700 of which 

 \\ere raised by the churches in co-operation with 

 the si icict y. The aided churches had raised more 

 than 7,000 during the year for various purposes, 

 including I"!!!) for foreign missions. Resolutions 

 adopted by the Union condemning the 

 opium trallic in India as indefensible on moral 

 grounds, an offense against God. and a terrible 

 wrong to the people of that land ; and approv- 

 ing a measure for free education that should 

 provide for the abolition of fees in the higher 

 as well as in the lower standards, place every 

 school receiving grants in lieu of fees under the 

 control of a board of representative managers, 

 and provide for at least one board school within 

 reach of every family in the kingdom. 



Tlie I'aptist Missionary Society had received 

 during the year 68.123, and had expended 78,- 

 '.s t. The present annual expenditure was some 

 10.000 in excess of the current normal receipts. 

 This was chiefly attributable to the rapid exten- 

 sion of the work on the Congo and in China. 

 Ten years previously there were only 6 mis- 

 sionaries connected with the Congo Mission, and 

 the annual expenditure was only 1,500. In the 

 last vear there were 28 missionaries, and the ex- 

 penditure was 14,592. The staff of 3 mis- 

 sionaries in China ten years ago, costing less t han 

 2,000, had been increased to 21 missionaries, 

 with an expenditure of 10,034. On these two 

 fields alone, therefore, the expenditure had in- 

 creased by 21.000, while the general contribu- 

 tions of the churches had increased by only 

 13,000. The plan of associating missionaries 

 into a sort of brotherhood, or forming communi- 

 ties of unmarried men living together and en- 

 gaging in active evangelistic work, had been 

 successful, and was favorably reported upon. 

 On the report of the executive committee, tin- 

 society decided to concentrate its work in certain 

 fields by reducing the number of stations and 

 the extent of territory to be covered. In pursu- 

 ance of this plan, the missionaries will withdraw 

 from a number of stations in India already well 

 occupied by other societies, and confederate the 

 remaining stations, working them together in 

 groups. Five such groups nave been arranged 

 for in India. It was also decided to withdraw 

 the missionaries of the society from the service 

 of Anglo-Indian churches, and leave those 



churches to their own resources, the principle 

 being stated that the funds of the society " were 

 noi. eniitnbtited for the purjMisi: of relieving 

 Chri-lian people of their individual responsibility 

 as followers of ( 'hrist.'' The plan of union of tilt- 

 society with the General Baptist Missionary So- 

 ciety was agreed to. and now only awaited the 

 ratification of that l>ody at it> coming meeting. 



The receipts for the Ze&MM Miion h.-id been 

 7,592, and the expenditure- C\(i:> more than that 

 sum. A boat was employed carrying the Indies 

 of the mission up and down the rivers of Mengal. 

 The receipts of the Bible Translation Societv 

 had been 1,280, or 130 less than in the year 

 preceding. The capital of the Baptist Building 

 fund was returned at 43,098, and the whole 

 amount of loans was 190,595. More loans had 

 been granted in the past year than in any pre- 

 ceding one. 



(General Baptist Conference. The General 

 Baptist Conference met at Burnley, June 23. The 

 Rev. Dr. Clifford presided. Resolutions were- 

 adopted confirming the plan of union with the 

 Baptists. After expressing gratification at ob- 

 serving numerous signs of union among the 

 churches, and at the spread of the principles 

 taught by the founders of the denomination till 

 they " are now the operative faith of the churches 

 of Christendom," the resolutions recite 



That in reviewing the last few years of our history 

 we gratefully remember the message which came from 

 the chair of the Baptist Union in 1886, inviting us to 

 consider the desirability of terminating the division 

 of Baptists into " General " and " Particular," as at 

 once inaccurate, misleading, and injurious; the hearty 

 and unanimous vote of tnfe Baptist county associa- 

 tions and of the Baptist Union in favor of the perfect 

 fusion of the Baptists of England ; and the courteous 

 and grace-filled endeavors of the Baptist Missionary 

 Society and the Baptist Union to facilitate such a 

 fusion. 



That while many of us have felt reluctant to break 

 our associations with a religious past that in its newer 

 development goes back to 1770, and in another form 

 to 1612, yet when we remember the practical union of 

 Baptists which has been recognized in our churches 

 in elections to the pastorate for the last thirty year*, 

 the unanimity of the votes of our churches In" favor 

 of amalgamation, the steps already taken by our 

 churches to share the work of the county assm-ia- 

 tions, the action of this association in favor of union 

 in 1861-'62, the promise of even greater etlicii iiry in 

 our foreign and home mission work, the other mi- 

 vantages of real Christian unity, we rejoice to accept 

 the invitation ottered us. 



A resolution offered as an amendment, to the 

 effect that while agreeing to the union of the de- 

 nominational institutions the association should 

 be perpetuated by retaining the name of General 

 Baptist and continuing the General Conference, 

 was lost by a vote of 4 to 1. A protest which 

 was offered. aginst the action for union was aft- 

 erward withdrawn. 



Autumnal Meeting: of the Union. The 

 autumnal meeting of the Union was held in 

 Manchester, Ix-ginning Oct. 5. The proceedings 

 consisted of meetings and discussions in the in- 

 teiv-t of the Home and Foreign Missionary So- 

 cieties, the Zenana Mission, and the colleges, 

 without the transaction of business. A resolu- 

 tion was parsed recognizing with gratitude the 

 consummation of the Union with the General 

 Baptist Association. Expressions in favor of 



