One who witnessed the scene and heard the addresses which
were given speaks of the occasion as follows:--
"At seven o'clock, notwithstanding the weather, that spacious building was
crowded to excess, above and below; hundreds were _standing_ through the
whole service and hundreds retiring from the house because there was not
even a place to stand. To be present among those thousands on such an
occasion, once in a life, were to stamp that life with an impression to
which language is not equal. What, then, must have been felt by each of
these missionaries, by their relatives and friends, by those angels who
rejoice over one sinner that repenteth, and whose prophetic thoughts would
connect this preparatory hour with the repentance of myriads in a distant
clime, and age after age?
"We did not wonder, therefore, to hear Dr. Wayland's address open with a
confession of the inadequacy of speech to do justice to the thoughts and
feelings that fill the soul to overflowing at such an hour. And while
listening to his lofty, bold, beautiful, and we may add emphatically
_scriptural_ delineation of the objects, qualifications, and duties of
a Christian missionary,--a delineation that made every other object and
character than that of the Christian dwindle into utter insignificance in
the comparison,--we felt as did Peter on the mount of glorious vision: 'It
is good to be here.
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