knowledge, which would plunge us into endless abysses of probably increasing sin, and therefore of probably increasing and endless punishment.' (ii., p. 396.)

It is true that he had often written what is quite inconsistent with this, and sometimes what is directly contradictory. (See vol. i., p. 382.) But these are his latest and maturest thoughts.

It is remarkable, at the same time, that Mr. Kingsley, preaching to villagers like his Eversley 'heth-cropping' and poaching parishioners, reveals no hint of his own universalism, whilst making use, for awakening and warning, of the strongest and most fearful Scripture phrases in regard to eternal punishment.

No.

doubt, for all such phrases he had interpretations of his own; but in these sermons he gives neither key nor hint in regard to any esoteric meaning. In illustration I need only refer to his Village Sermons: sermons which, for many reasons, deserve the attention of Preachers. They are models of clearness, beauty and force; though so plain, they are often truly profound.

Those who read the Memories will be made to feel that whatever may have been Kingsley's divergencies from the recognized standard of doctrinal unimpeachableness, not only was he a most devout man, living as in the presence of God, but also a very genuine believer and disciple of Christ, and a diligent and reverent reader and follower of Holy Scripture. I could not regard him as a sound divine, but from few thinkers have I learnt more, and never have I conversed with any man who gave me a deeper impression of one who, feeling that the eye of God was upon him, and the providence of God over him, was steadfastly endeavouring to live in all good conscience before God. In the Preface to the First

Edition of the volume in which I published my estimate of Kingsley's writings, I felt constrained to 'confess my obligations to the writings of the gentlemen whom I had undertaken to criticize, particularly Hare and Kingsley.' 'Greatly as I differ from such men on very important points,' I went on to say, 'I cannot but honour them, both for the gifts with which they have been endowed, and for the earnest and elevated purpose which has actuated them in employing' their gifts. But how much more ought I now to honour the memory of Charles Kingsley, remembering the wealth of timely and soul-stirring truth, in regard especially to the relations of science to the divine mind and government, and to the deepest realities belonging to man's personality and responsibility, which he has given to the world in his later writings. present generation owes a great debt to the author of Madam How and Lady Why,- -a book for men as well as children, of Town Geology, and of the volume of Westminster Sermons, to say nothing of that charming and very wise non-sense book for little people, (good, too, for grown up people,) The Water Babies.

The

Those who have entered truly into the meaning of the central controversies of the age as to things unseen and eternal, who have had to wrestle for their soul's life and peace with the realities of thought and questioning as to the world's deepest and most perilous problems; whose lot it has been to taste, if it be but a little, of the agony which belongs to such thought and questioning; will be the least disposed to condemn Kingsley harshly where he may have. been in error, or to deny him the character of a true and earnest Chris

tian disciple. As they follow his history through the Memories, they will understand him better, see more and more not only of his bravery,

but of his goodness, and love his character increasingly. Nevertheless it is needful to remember that, however full his life, his letters and his writings may be of instruction, he himself never attained to a satisfactory theological resting-place. Few men

wrote so suggestively: he flashes out thoughts the most luminous and fruitful; but he was notwithstanding an uncertain, and sometimes a very unsafe guide.

A thinker must needs choose between three alternative schemes of the universe, of which one denies both God and human responsibility and freedom; another (at the opposite pole) does not deny, but affirms, Deity, makes Deity, indeed, to be all-in-all, but denies human liberty and responsibility; while the third maintains both the government of God and the liberty and responsibility of man, but finds itself unable, with full satisfaction either of logic or of philosophy, to reconcile the antinomies, the seeming contradictions which beset our faith as to God and man.

The first of these schemes is that of atheistic fatalism. It appears at first to be free from the reproach of manifest logical incoherence or philosophical self-contradiction. In reality, however, besides outraging our whole consciousness and dissolving morals and morality into nothing, it is full of unthinkabilities and contradictions; it is itself, in fact, a contradiction, intrinsically and on all sides round, to all philosophy, to all thought, and therefore to all logic.

describe appearances and results which are, or at least seem to be, incompatible with genuine Atheism. It is a theism, indeed, of a sort, but a pantheo-theism: God is all, is everywhere, moves and rules all things, inspires all life, inspires and governs all intelligence; the creature is only a member, a process, a development of that universe which is but the expression of the life and power of God. This scheme, no less than the former, violates man's consciousness and obliterates morality. With this theory universalism would be consistent; indeed, from it universalism would be almost a corollary. But sin, guilt, repentance could have no honest or real meaning if pantheotheism were indeed the law of the universe. In some of his earlier writings Mr. Kingsley occasionally used language which seemed to approach dangerously near to such a view of the relations between God and the universe. Yet at the centre of his personal and moral consciousness he altogether revolted from it; and in his later writings he most powerfully and eloquently teaches the antithetic principles of man's individual personality and moral responsibility.

The third scheme lays it down that God rules all, originates all, is Himself the Alpha and the Omega, the all-in-all of the universe, and yet that He has so inscrutably made man in His own image, that man, though a creature, is yet invested with the awful attribute of moral autonomy, of personal responsibility. What this imports has been by no one more powerfully set forth than by Mr. Kingsley himself, especially in some of his later sermons. But neither he nor any other thinker has been able, logically or philosophically, to clear and harmonize in thought and correlation man's creaturely dependence with his moral individuality, his direct and true responsibility, his

These

own

proper spiritual autonomy. truths, like other mysteries equally insoluble, and even perhaps apparently self-contradictory, as, for instance, the cognate mysteries of body and soul, self and not self, mind and matter, matter and motion,-rest directly on our consciousness for their evidence and authority. We feel they are; they must be; we cannot think otherwise; however it may be as to the logical or philosophical rendering of the matter, practically and in respect of our individuality and spiritual economy, any other affirmations would contradict at every turn all the working conditions of our existence. But if this be so, we must be prepared to go a step farther. With the fact of our moral individuality and responsibility is bound up the fact not only of our actual guilt, whereinsoever we have broken the law of our morality, but of our power to make or mar our own character, to carve our own fortunes, and determine our own future, both in this world and the world to come. Our Judge, we know, will do right; nor will He be unmindful of our circumstances, of the conditions under which we have had to do our part in life. But yet He will judge us, and we shall have to bear each man his own proper burden. The doctrines of universalism appear thus to be inconsistent with the principles of the true theistic and Christian faith.

will pass away and the sun will shine out again. But in the meantime Society may have "a bad quarter of an hour." Without exaggerating the influence of the belief in future reward and punishment, or of any form of it, on the actions of ordinary men, we may safely say that the sense of responsibility to a higher Power, and of the constant presence of an allseeing Judge, has exercised an influence, the removal of which would be greatly felt. Materialism has, in fact, already begun to show its effects on human conduct and on Society. They may perhaps be more visible in communities where social conduct depends greatly on individual conviction and motive, than in communities which are more ruled by tradition and bound together by strong class organizations; though the decay of morality will perhaps be ultimately more complete and disastrous in the latter than in the former. God and future retribution being out of the question, it is difficult to see what can restrain the selfishness of an ordinary man, and induce him, in the absence of actual coercion, to sacrifice his personal desires to the public good. The service of humanity is the sentiment of a refined mind conversant with history; within no calculable time is it likely to overrule the passions and direct the conduct of the mass. And after all, without God or spirit, what is "humanity"? One school of science reckons a hundred and fifty different species of man. What is the bond of unity between all these species, and wherein consists the obligation to mutual love and help? A zealous servant of science told Agassiz that the age of real civilization would have begun when you could go out and shoot a man for scientific purposes; and in the controversy respecting the Jamaica massacre we had proof enough that the ascendency of science and a strong sense of human brotherhood might be very different things. Apparent diræ facies. We begin to perceive, looming through the mist, the lineaments of an epoch of selfishness compressed by a government of force.'

I have written this introductory paper that I may set myself free, in the that follow, without formal papers protest or criticism, even where questionable views may come strongly out, to exhibit, as a mere historian, the unfolding of Kingsley's character and the of his life. progress I wished to get done, as far as possible, once for all, with caveats, distinctions and criticisms, and with myself in any personal relations to my subject.

OUR Mission in Central China is known in the Minutes of Conference as the Wuchang District. The principal towns occupied by it are, Wuchang, Hankow, Hanyang, Kwangchi and Wusueh.

From east to west, and nearly midway between its northern and southern extremities, China Proper is intersected by the famous river Yangtse; the value and importance of which, to the whole country, cannot be told. It is a noble stream, navigable to large steamers for nearly one thousand miles. Its tributaries, some of them important rivers, are numerous, and connect it with an enormous extent of country. To the soldier, the merchant, the explorer and the missionary, this river forms the great highway of China. Our Central China Mission is on this river. It may be looked upon as our base of operations. The cities Wuchang, Hankow and Hanyang, have each an extensive frontage on the Yangtse, which is, at this point-six hundred miles from its mouth-one mile wide. Between Hankow and Hanyang flows the Han, the most important tributary of the Yangtse; Hankow owes its name to its position at the mouth of the Han.

Wusueh is a large market town, also on the north bank of the Yangtse, about one hundred and fifty miles to the east of Hankow; and Kwangchi is a small, picturesquely situated, district-city, inland, about twenty-five miles to the north of Wusueh. The population of these different towns we should estimate as follows: Hankow, 600,000; Wuchang, 350,000; Hanyang, 50,000; Wusueh, 50,000; and Kwangchi, 10,000.

The information we desire to impart in connection with this very important Mission, may, perhaps, be

most satisfactorily given in the following order: 1. Its Establishment; 2. Its Branches; 3. Its Progress; and 4. Its Prospects.

I. ITS ESTABLISHMENT.-The year 1860 was a very eventful one in China. On the 24th of October the Treaty of Tientsin was ratified by Lord Elgin and Prince Kung. By this treaty peace between England and China was restored, and several important new Treaty-ports were opened to foreign commerce and general intercourse; Hankow being one of them. At this same time the Taiping rebellion, with its strangely religious, and in some sense, Christian aspect, was raging. This remarkable combination of events suggested to several minds, contemporaneously, the desirability of establishing a second Wesleyan Mission Centre in China, either in one of the newly-opened ports or amongst the Taipings. Early in the year 1861 the Rev. G. Piercy wrote to the Committee on this subject, suggesting also at the same time that the Rev. Josiah Cox, who was then in England, should be requested to undertake the task of visiting the Taipings and the newly-opened ports, in order to ascertain in what direction extension was most feasible.

The Missionary Committee had themselves entertained similar thoughts in reference to the tendency of affairs in China, and were prepared to act upon Mr. Piercy's recommendations. Sir Francis Lycett, in whom the China Missions have always had a warm friend and generous supporter, first put the idea into Mr. Cox's mind, by expressing to him, about this time, a belief that it would be well to try some other station in addition to Canton. So it came to pass, that in August, 1861, Mr. Cox left England

for China, under instruction from the Secretaries, Drs. Hoole and Osborn, and the Rev. William Arthur, to visit and report as above suggested. Accordingly we find in the Minutes of Conference for 1861, the entry, 'Josiah Cox is instructed to visit the north of China.'

The Canton District Meeting, held in December of this year, expressed the opinion that no opening would be found among the Taipings; and that Hankow appeared to be the most eligible place for the proposed extension of the Mission. On the 13th of December Mr. Cox was at Hongkong, en route for Shanghai. After a visit to Nankin, and another to Ningpo, Mr. Cox arrived at Hankow in March, 1862. On the 31st of the same month he wrote to the Secretaries, proposing to establish the new Mission in this place. He asks for two Missionaries for Hankow, two and a schoolmaster for Wuchang, and two Missionaries for Kiukiang; and urges the appointment of 'men of ability and mental culture.' On the 23rd of June the Rev. William Arthur wrote to Mr. Cox as follows:

'Your letters from the Great River are of extraordinary interest, and whatever may be the immediate result of your explorations, we must not doubt, that in the great round of Chinese history, they will one day be followed by fruits which will bring joy to men and glory to God.'

On the 22nd of September Mr. Cox concluded the purchase of a plot of land in Hankow, at a cost of £135. This site, in the middle of the Chinese city, surrounded by a dense population, has proved to be admirable, so far as the requirements of the work are concerned, and is only a little too far from the position occupied by the foreigners for the convenience and comfort of Missionary families. With this purchase the establishment and location of the new Mission were settled.

II. ITS BRANCHES.-The operations

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of this Mission have mainly been carried on under three branchesHealing, Teaching and Preaching, or Hospitals, Schools and Chapels. As teaching and preaching are common to all our Missions, there will be less need to dwell on them than on the healing branch, which is a speciality of this Mission; the Wesleyan-Methodists having no second Medical Missionary Establishment in the world. We should like, however, to point out, that from the very first it has been our policy to place education in the front of our efforts, and to attach great importance to schools and schoolmasters. It has been seen that in the letter in which Mr. Cox proposed to establish the Mission in Hankow, he requested for that seat of learning, the city of Wuchang, two Missionaries and a schoolmaster; he also insisted that one of the Missionaries to be appointed to the District must be of high literary qualifications and tastes,' in order that the educational movements of the Mission might secure every possible advantage. As soon as practicable we opened free Day-schools, both for boys and girls, in Hankow, Wuchang and other parts of our District. Sometimes we have had as many as nine Day-schools in operation at once, with a total of two hundred and thirty scholars, of whom twenty-five were girls. We have particularly rejoiced over the success which has attended our efforts in connection with one or two schools for girls. Female education is a thing so lightly prized and so grossly neglected, and girls are generally kept up in such close confinement, being specially guarded from contact with foreigners, that we have rejoiced the more in being able to gather from twenty to thirty girls, from six to twelve years of age, and to keep them under training for an average of perhaps two years. Again and again we have requested the appointment of a trained Westminster male