The inquiries were so many yesterday, that though we
conversed more than four hours with them, we had to appoint another
meeting for today, and saw again several from two till five. I was led
again this day to pray about the forming of a new Missionary Institution,
and felt still more confirmed that we should do so.

[Some readers may ask why we formed a new Institution for the spread of
the Gospel, and why we did not unite with some of the religious societies,
already in existence, seeing that there are several Missionary-, Bible-,
Tract-, and School Societies. I give, therefore, our reasons, in order to
show, that nothing but the desire to maintain a good conscience led us to
act as we did. For as, by the grace of God, we acknowledged the word of
God as the only rule of action for the disciples of the Lord Jesus, we
found, in comparing the then existing religious Societies with the word of
God, that they departed so far from it, that we could not be united with
them, and yet maintain a good conscience. I only mention here the
following points.

1. The end which these religious societies propose to themselves, and
which is constantly put before their members, is, that the world will
gradually become better and better, and that at last the whole world will
be converted. To this end there is constantly reference made to the
passage in Habakkuk ii. 14. "For the earth shall be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea," or the
one in Isaiah xi. 9, "For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the
Lord, as the waters cover the sea." But that these passages can have no
reference to the present dispensation, but to the one which will commence
with the return of the Lord, that in the present dispensation things will
not become spiritually better, but rather worse, and that in the present
dispensation it is not the whole world that will be converted, but only a
people gathered out from among the Gentiles for the Lord, is clear from
many passages of the divine testimony, of which I only refer to the
following: Matt. xiii. 24-30, and verse 36-43, 2 Tim. iii. 1-13, Acts. xv.
14.

A hearty desire for the conversion of sinners, and earnest prayer for it
to the Lord, is quite scriptural; but it is unscriptural to expect the
conversion of the whole world. Such an end we could not propose to
ourselves in the service of the Lord.

2. But that which is worse, is the connexion of those religious