CHRISTIAN WORK IN AFRICA. 861 



Livingstone was dead, and when this was followed by the touching story as 

 to how his little band of followers had gathered up the bones of their late 

 master from the plains of Africa at the risk of their lives, and had conveyed 

 them through a nine months' weary journey to the coast in order that they 

 might find a resting place among the great and good in his own land — when 

 all this came to be known, it was as if an electric shock had passed from one 

 end of England to the other, and every man and woman in city, town, and 

 hamlet, began to feel that somehow or other he or she was identified with 

 the country to which Livingstone had consecrated his powers and sacrificed 

 his life. And now, what did they see ? Men of the highest talent, and ani- 

 mated by the best motives, were concerning themselves in the affairs of Africa 

 and the welfare of her people. The traffic in slaves was a lasting curse to the 

 country and a standing reproach and disgrace to the civilised world. It 

 must be confessed that the present state of things constituted a very solemn 

 call to the Church to be up and doing the work of God in the name of Christ, 

 and he rejoiced that the call to the Church had met with a noble response. 



The Churches had already started on a good work, and, with as little 

 delay as possible, had organised a mission on the southern shores of the Lake 

 Nyassa. The London Missionary Society was also doing a good work, and 

 be wished God speed to every effort made by honest men in the dark places 

 of Central Africa. God's was the only Gospel for a lost human world — Jesus 

 Christ, and Him crucified. But to the Church of England justly belonged 

 the honour of taking the lead, not only in missionary enterprise, but in geo- 

 graphical discovery in Central Africa. Thirty years ago Dr. Croft and Dr. 

 Redmund had established the first mission in that region, and, moreover, dis- 

 covered a mountain, where there was perpetual snow, almost on the equator. 

 Every subsequent discovery from then till now acknowledged these discove- 

 ries as the starting point of their explorations. Two years ago the Church 

 Society sent a mission, in which he took a part, to establish and recognise a 

 colony where slaves liberated by the Government and made free by the 

 Consul at Zanzibar might find a home and Christian teaching and discipline. 

 This had scarcely been done when another expedition was equipped and sent 

 forth to carry the Gospel into the very heart of Africa, to the people living 

 on the northern and western shores of Lake Nyassa. That expedition was 

 now on its way ; it was composed of brave Christian men, but its members 

 had a task of great danger and difficulty, and he earnestly commended them 

 and their undertaking to the sympathies and prayers of God's people. 



It was satisfactory to know that of all the movements at work for the 

 benefit of Africa the Christian missionary held the foremost place. But they 

 were only now at the beginning of their great work, and those who had any 

 suggestions should not fail to make them known. The three subjects men- 

 tioned in the title of the discussion were so closely linked that they could not 



