LECTURE II.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MEDICAL MISSIONS ILLUSTRATED BY HISTORICAL FACTS, WITH A SKETCH OF THE

FIELD AT PRESENT OCCUPIED.

THE excellent lecture to which you listened last Thursday evening, with which Professor Miller commenced the present course, auspiciously introduced the general subject of these lectures to your attention, and precludes the necessity of my uttering a word by way of preface or explanation.

I shall, therefore, at once proceed to my subject. It is a large one; but I have endeavoured to compress it within limits which, I trust, will prove no heavy task on your patience. Your candid attention for little more than an hour, will, I think, be sufficient for all I have to bring before you.

A simple exposition of the principles and objects of Medical Missions will prepare us to estimate their importance; a glance at the field, and a sketch of the proceedings of Medical Missionaries, will show the practicability of the scheme; the success of these incipient efforts, and the facilities opened up for continuing and extending them, give the highest encouragement to the zealous and devoted prosecution of the enterprise; while the full sanction and approbation of some of the wisest and most enlightened friends of humanity and religion bid us thank God and take courage.

The benevolent spirit of Christianity was seen in the daily walk of its Divine Author while He was upon earth. It was taught in His precepts to His disciples-it was embodied in the lives of apostles and evangelists-it has been illustrated in the deeds of Christian philanthropists of every age-it prompts to individual exertion, and to the sacrifice of ease, worldly interest, and aggrandizement, and it teaches men of kindred sentiments to combine their energies for the more effectual accomplishment of the common objects of Christian charity.

The formation of a Society for the promotion of some scheme of Christian benevolence, is but the expansion of the idea which each individual mem

ber of such Association is impressed with, as to his own personal obligation to do good to all men as he has opportunity. The combination of effort enables such a Society to do more than the members of it could separately effect for the good of their fellowcreatures, and to do some things which, in their individual capacity, would be found utterly impracticable.

The more immediate subject of the present lecture-the importance of Medical Missions-admits of ample proof and illustration. To a portion of the present audience the subject is familiar, and to them the lecturer can expect to advance nothing new; but some may have had little opportunity of attending to the subject, and to them, we hope, the following sketches may not be unwelcome or with

out use.

The importance of Medical Missions may be contemplated from a twofold point of view-as the benefits that may accrue from them are of a twofold character.

I. The first is the advancement of medical science in countries where ignorance in regard to it, and where a medical practice, founded on grossly erroneous principles, entails a fearful amount of suffering on the victims of disease in such countries.

II. The second and more direct object is-the promotion of evangelical truth in countries overrun with ignorance, idolatry, and superstition-the Medical Missionary rendering his practice as a physician and surgeon subservient to the promotion of that high object. The last of these is by far the most important object, and yet the first deserves the attention of the disciples of Him who went about continually doing good, healing all manner of disease among the people.

I feel as if no argument were necessary to prove the importance of Medical Missions, especially to such an audience as I have now the honour to address. If every thing that bears on the physical and moral welfare even of a small section of the human family, be important, then a system of means so directly adapted to promote the health, and elevate the character, and advance the wellbeing of millions of the race, cannot but be regarded as important in a high degree.

If, moreover, whatever is calculated to advance the interests of science-to diffuse useful knowledge -to dispel ignorance and prejudice-to throw down the barriers that separate the nations, changing them from the attitude and spirit of enemies into the state and feeling of friendly members of the same great family-if, in a word, whatever is cal