101 
• CIIRISTIAX MISSIOXS. 
school Avas also established in this village, being held in 
the chapel. At that time the outlying districts of the 
country Avere much neglected, and no system of Avard 
schools had then been established, and had it not been 
for the school established by Mr. CoAven, the children 
might have groAvn up in total ignorance. 
hor some years the church at this village Avas pros- 
perous, hut latterly it has not been so. Tlie soil has 
proA’ed sterile, and the seed soAvn has gAen little I'eturn ; 
hut so it is, and it is not so easy to remedy the defect in 
the kingdom of grace as it is in the kingdom of nature. 
We are apt to forget, that though Paul plant, and Apollo 
Avater, ,the increase is of God. In natural culture, sterile 
soil can he made fruitful ; care can he taken, the foAvls 
of the air drAen aAvay, the stones gathered out, and the 
thorns rooted up from the soil ; so that Avhen good seed 
is soAvn, the good haiTest Aviil he reaped. Even in this 
case, however, the crop Avill be large or small according 
to the sun and showers — that is, according to the 
Aveather God gAes. “ Hot by power nor by might, hut 
by my spirit, saith the Lord.” “ It is not of 1dm that 
Avilleth, nor of him that runneth, hut of God who shoAveth 
mercy.” EA-ents that haA^e transpired on a large scale 
often haA^e their counterpart in others of little note. 
AVhat has occurred in the case of the churches of Asia 
Minor has often occuiTed in churches of AAdiose existence 
the Avorld never heard. AVe do not say the candle- 
stick has been removed out of his place, neither do Ave 
Avrite “ Ichahod” on the Avails, hut Ave are constrained 
to admit that Christianity seems to Inwe lost its influ- 
ence over the minds and hearts of the j^eople of this 
village; still the good Avork of preaching Christ, and 
Him crucified, is not intermitted, and Ave therefore labour 
on and trust, that in God’s time a change may come, and 
the Sinners in Zion he aroused, and made sensible of the 
blessings of the Gospel of peace. 
At the ndssion-Adilage Mr. CoAven built a very pretty 
chapel, hut it Avas never from first to last Avell attended. 
