Spain forbade the promulgation of Protestantism," or the word of God. Yet, as if to afford us encouragement to abide faithful, the work of the Lord was not stayed; seven persons made confession of the name of Christ, and were added to the church. Bimbia and its one hundred and forty villages, were opened to the gospel. Houses and school-rooms were erected, not only without interruption, but with the glad consent of the native rulers. A translation of the first two gospels in Isubu was ready for the press, and the first native convert on the continent was baptized. And not among the least of the tokens of Divine favour attending the exertions and presence of the missionaries, at every station slavedealing, by consent of the chiefs, was entirely abolished. The return, a few weeks ago, of Captain and Mrs. Milbourne, who in the early part of the year sailed for Fernando Po with Mr. and Mrs. Newbegin, Mrs. Saker, and Mr. and Mrs. Yarnold, left the mission in the hands of Messrs. Merrick, Saker, Newbegin, and Yarnold. Painful personal or relative afflictions have constrained the first and last of these brethren, with their families, to turn their faces homewards. In the hope of recruiting his exhausted strength, Mr. Merrick and his family, about the middle of July, passed over for a few weeks to Clarence, giving at the same time the opportunity of a health-seeking voyage in the "Dove" to Mr. and Mrs. Saker and Miss Vitou. On their return from the Gaboon, "we found," says Mr. Saker, "brother Merrick very ill. He sank soon after we sailed. He preached but once during my absence. A surgeon of H. M. S. vessel had been called in, who gave no hope of recovery here: nothing less than a voyage to Europe was thought of. This he had decided to undertake as soon as arrangements could be made. This is a severe stroke. The next was expected. That night the dear suffering babe of brother Merrick was relieved by death." Thus, dear brethren, the mission strength has been paralyzed. "I need hardly tell you," says our dear brother Merrick, "that leaving Africa, at a time when God is manifestly blessing my labours, is a great calamity: to me-a burden greater than I can bear." At the very time that this mysterious Providence lays aside the workman, is the seed he has sown springing up, as the affecting narratives of Fanny Watson and Inangge so lately testify; and in the midst of these afflictive occurrences, were three converts to Christ, at Clarence, baptized into his name. Thus, severe as are these trials, yet are they accompanied by such displays of the saving grace of God, that we are led to the conclusion, that it is his will, notwithstanding these discouragements, that we press forward in a cause, which, as such, he so manifestly crowns with tokens of his favour. And now, dear brethren, we turn to you. We ask you, in the name of our Lord and Master, to sustain us. We need both the men, and the means to send them forth. Will the churches of Christ present both the offering and the fire? We want the men. Men who, from love to the Redeemer, will face the dangers, the fiery trials, the sicknesses, the tribulations which will befal them, with patience, meekness, and unshrinking fortitude. Men, whom no suffering will dismay, no peril affright, no discouragement thrust down into the dungeons of despair. If you have them not, then let prayer, much prayer, fervent prayer, arise before the altar of God, that the Lord will "send forth labourers into his harvest," for "truly, the harvest is great, but the labourers are few." But if the men be given in answer to your prayers, We want the means to send them forth. The demands upon your present funds are more than enough to absorb the whole, and leave nothing behind for an emergency like that which now appeals to you. Must we, then, relinquish this "husbandry" of the Lord? Surely not. It was not lightly that your Committee entered, at your bidding, upon this work. If the cost was great you generously and nobly met that cost. In a manner almost unprecedented, every kind of gift, the nail, the vestment, the corn, was cast in profusion into the treasury. The first band went forth laden with innumerable proofs of your deep interest and anxious care. And now that the need again appears, shall there not be a display of the like generous impulse, and the same willingness to forward the building of the sanctuary of the Lord? Brethren, we wait for your response. Your reply will indicate the will of God in this matter. With much prayer and deliberation your Committee have come to the conclusion that they ought to go forward. Without your aid they cannot. Will you, brethren, sanction their resolve, and with heart and hand bid them "God speed?" Signed, on behalf of the Committee, FRED. TRESTRAIL, ·Secretaries. INDIA. INTALLY. At various times the Herald has contained interesting notices of the Benevolent Institution at this station, which has been for so long a time under the superintendence of Mr. GEORGE PEARCE. His educational efforts have in several cases been crowned with the divine blessing, and some of the youth there instructed have become confessors of the name of Jesus. In a letter to the treasurer, W. B. Gurney, Esq., of the date of September 5, 1849, Mr. PEARCE details the following very interesting account of a boy's conversion, and his firm and decided resolution to be a disciple of Christ. Disputes with his teachers. You are aware that there is at Intally a At this time the boy had no impressions of a school for the education of Hindoo youth, favourable nature towards Christian truth, called the "Christian Institution." Here, nor probably any knowledge of it. At first in connexion with various branches of general he attracted no special notice, except that he knowledge, scriptural instruction is daily and was naturally intelligent and quick, and also sedulously imparted. 'Tis a pleasing proof very diligent in his studies. of the diminution of prejudice among the natives, in regard to the Christian religion, that the majority of the pupils, from the eldest to the youngest, come voluntarily to our morning service for prayer on Saturdays, and always behave with the utmost decorum. Some of them join in the singing of the hymns. On these occasions I often embrace the opportunity to speak to the Hindoo youth, particularly on the subject of salvation. Denonath Bose. Among the pupils of this school is one named Denonath Bose. He is a Kaist by caste, which is the next to the Brahmins. His father is a shopkeeper, a common employment of this kind of Hindoos. Being related to one of our native preachers at Intally, and having received from him the promise of some pecuniary assistance, the father came and settled here about three years ago. He brought with him his eldest son, at the time a lad eleven or twelve years of age, who soon after commenced attending the Christian Institution. During the second year, when he began to apprehend something of bible truth, he showed some forwardness in disputing with his teacher against it, which is not to be wondered at, for his parents and connexions are zealous adherents to all the current dogmas and superstitious practices of Hindooism; he had there fore lacked neither instruction nor example in respect to it, and was probably as zealous for it as any boys may be supposed to be at his age. At this time he often accompanied his parents to the idol temples, to offer sacrifices. His father's watchfulness. Knowing the character of the Intally school, his father kept a jealous eye upon his son, lest he should imbibe the Christian doctrine therein taught, and often warned him against it, and cautioned him to be on his guard; and some time after, having his fears awakened in consequence of the lad beginning to visit his Christian uncle more frequently than usual, he sent him away into the country for several months to their family home. He was obliged, however, eventually to recal him, as he wanted his services in his shop, and because his education was now quite in abeyance; and on his return he sent him to school again as before, but with this special request to his Christian relative, that he would do nothing to make his son a Christian. Fatalism. It may be asked, having these fears why did he send his son to the Intally school again? The answer is, that there is no other English school near, and that the desire of the Hindoo population for their children to learn English is so great that they will run all risks rather than that they should not learn. They are, moreover, great fatalists, and therefore argue something like this: "If my son is to be a Christian, he will be so, even if I keep him at home; and if he is not to be one, he will not be, whatever pains the sahibs may take to make him one.' Nevertheless they do not abate their warnings and cautions to their children on going to school. First impressions. On the return of Denonath to school, he soon advanced into one of the classes (of which there are three) that daily read the scriptures with Mr. Chill, the master. It is Mr. Chill's practice to comment much on the portion of scripture which is read, and an hour is occupied in this exercise, much to the advantage of the scholars. It was from this period that the youth began to feel some interest in the truths of revelation, and his knowledge of them, in consequence, rapidly increased. He also soon afterwards began to relax in his attention to the rules of caste, and would go to his uncle's house, and secretly eat rice when he felt hungry. Idolatry. Denonath's convictions. Although Denonath had witnessed these scenes often before, it was not till the last exhibition of them that his mind turned from them with pain and disgust. The conviction then came home strong to his soul, that these atrocities could form no part of true religion, as he had been taught to believe. He felt that they must have originated with wicked men or wicked spirits. He felt ashamed, too, that he had ever felt any delight in them, and pitied his countrymen, who now appeared to him to be the subjects of sad delusion. Anon these thoughts and feelings were fol lowed by the remembrance of the divine truths he had been taught at school, and instantly he felt that the God of the bible was the only true and living God, and Jesus Christ his Son and only Saviour. Now he felt his own sinfulness, and particularly his danger of perishing eternally, if he remained an idolater, or among idolaters, and the desire to become a Christian took instant and full possession of his heart. Denonath prays-his decision. Impelled by these feelings, for the first time he knelt down in his little chamber alone in the dead of the night, and prayed earnestly to Him, who had now, by his Spirit, revealed himself to his heart, and whose favour he now felt to be more than life itself. His bible now also became the companion of his leisure moments as often as he could evade the notice of his father, whose fears on his account do not appear at all to have abated. He wished now to attend our chapel services; but after doing so once or twice, his father strictly prohibited him from going again. His father's fears were further increased by his bearing towards some Brahmins who came one day into the shop. These people are always saluted by zealous Hindoos on meeting them, with folded hands, and the word "prunam,' an act of worship. The father offered it as usual, but his son remained motionless and silent. At this his father rebuked him, and desired him to honour the Brahmins. Denonath replied, "I cannot do so any more, they are but men, and we may not worship any, but God only." At this reply his father expressed great anger, but did nothing more at the time. From this period he ceased altogether to worship Brahmins. This was " The time now drew nigh when the truths of the gospel were to make a more serious impression upon his mind than he had yet been sensible of. At the close of last March, or the beginning of April, occurred the celebration of the Churruck, or the Swinging festival-the most disgusting to a sensible and feeling mind of all the Hindoo festivals. On this occasion devotees, under the influence of opium and other drugs, proceed to the shrine an act of great decision for a Hindoo youth so young as he is. of the goddess Kalee, where they pierce their bodies with iron rods in several places, and with hair clotted with mud, and their faces and bodies besmeared with ashes, they perambulate the streets of the city, dancing and making all kinds of gestures, like madmen, accompanied with a large crowd of people and bands of horrid music-a sight indeed more fit for the infernal world than for the abodes of rational and moral beings, Wishes to be a Christian. About this time he came under my notice, or rather the change that was going on in his character. A marriage was being solemnized in the chapel, and I observed that this youth was one of the spectators on the occasion. When all was over, it happened that we came out of the chapel together. Pleased at seeing him there, I laid my hand upon his head, and said, with a smile, "Well, Denonath, when you are married, will it be after the Hindoo or the Christian fashion?" "After the Christian, sir," said he. "Indeed," replied I, with some surprise, "I hope it may be so." It was only a week after this he came to me one day, and with much agitation said, "Sir, I have a great desire to be a Christian, and therefore I wish to be allowed to come to you for instruction half an hour every day before the school closes. I am so closely watched by my father, that I can come to you only in school hours." "But why do you wish to be a Christian!" "Oh, I feel that I am a great sinner, and that none but the Lord Jesus Christ can save me; and if I do not believe in him I must perish." us. lect, but on the Monday following he came and said, with much feeling, "It is quite plain now that I cannot serve Christ while I remain among Hindoos and moreover, my "father will, without doubt, send me very shortly into the country, do therefore give your permission for me to live among the Christians at once." The case was a very difficult one. He was not of age, according to Hindoo law; if he came, he might therefore be taken from Moreover, was it consistent with the duties which children owe their parents, that I should encourage him, or rather, give him leave to come among us? As to the first, in two or three cases recently the judges of the Supreme Court have set aside Hindoo law altogether, and decided the case as one of conscience, and by the evidence, afforded by a long interrogation, of the capacity of the youths to understand the comparative merits of the Hindoo and Christian systems; in respect to the second, the father was going beyond his authority in preventing his son from following Christ, seeing he was fully capable of understanding the gospel, and did, so far as I could judge, deeply feel his claims. See Matt. xix. 29, and other similar passages, which indeed the youth pointed out to me, to show it was proper for him to leave his father and come. The conclusion was, I gave him permission to come, and two days after, on the closing of the school for the day, he presented himself, saying, "I am now come, sir, to remain with you." Receives further instruction. Subsequent conversation with him convinced me that the youth was in earnest, I therefore joyfully complied with his request, and he came daily for instruction from this time; and every day's intercourse only increased my interest in him. What follows will show you what difficulties still attend both missionaries and converts in this country, in respect to the profession of the gospel, and that after fifty years labour. Denonath's intercourse with me greatly strengthened his desire to join the Christian flock here; but his youthful age, and the short period of our religious acquaintance, led me strongly to discourage the idea of quitting his father's abode. His father interferes. It seemed, however, desirable that he should, if possible, attend Christian worship, at least Occasionally. He therefore came to chapel, but on his going home his father peremptorily forbad his going any more; and some neighbours, that were present at the time, threatened to beat him for having gone. He was, moreover, told that if he did not give up all intercourse with Christians, he should be sent back to his country, and committed to the custody of his relations there. He abstained, therefore, from attending again at the chapel. The boys of the school, as before remarked, came into my house to worship on Saturday mornings, he therefore came with them as usual. His father found this out also, and prohibited him from coming again. Matters were now coming to a crisis, and he became very uneasy. On the following Friday he inquired what he should do on the morrow; whether attend worship with the school, or abstain. I advised him in the morning seriously and calmly to ask his father's permission to come to the Saturday morning worship. He did so three times, but his father held down his head and made no reply. He then took up his books, went to school, and afterwards to worship. Joins the mission family. Interview with his father. attended with a crowd of people, appeared at On the following morning early, the father, our gate, and cried bitterly for admission. I directed the gatekeeper (Ďurwan) to let him in, but not the crowd. On coming to me, he said, "Oh, sir, give me my son," and wept bitterly. I told him he should see his son, and sent some one to call him. The son came trembling. On seeing him, the father, weeping, said, "Oh, Denonath, why have you left me? Come home again." The boy said, "I have not forsaken you, but I wish to serve the true God, which you will not let me do at home. If I remain an idolater I shall perish. Do you, father, come with me, and then we both shall be happy." "Go with you," angrily said the father; "will you the lad, "I cannot support you, but God support me and the family?" "No," said will." "God will," said the father, with a sneer. "Will you go back with me, or not?" No," replied the lad, "I cannot go back to Hindooism again." The father then left with much anger. Interview with Brahmins, and Denonath's noble resolve. About nine o'clock he came again, bring What occurred that day I do not recol- ing with him several Brahmins, under pretence of reasoning with the lad, but in This is now two months and a half ago. Since then the youth has gone on well, and last sabbath I had the pleasure of baptizing him in the name of the Lord Jesus. Could you see him, you would love him. Remarks. This is a long narrative; I am afraid it will tire you. I have written it because I am not aware that any thing of the kind has appeared in the Herald of late. It opens to young Christians at home the state of things which we have to contend with here. They will see how much labour and anxiety the missionary has to undergo to win a soul to Christ, and how much more converts here have to contend with, and to sacrifice, than young people generally at home have. All may learn, also, to sympathise with missionaries in their arduous work. The battle yet rages, in all its fierceness, and hitherto there are few signs of yielding on the part of the enemy; but it is the Lord's, and he will prevail. The idols must perish, the temples must be destroyed; the Brahmins must be abased; caste must be annihilated. "This is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith." Let not the church at home faint. JESSORE. In the September number of the Oriental Baptist we find a long and interesting account of some recent baptisms by our successful missionary brother, Mr. PARRY, who is settled in the above locality. Its appearance in the pages of the Herald will, we are sure, gladden the hearts of the Lord's people, and lead them to the expression of their devout gratitude that the name of Christ is thus glorified among the heathen. Let them likewise pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth more labourers into these fields already ripe, and gleaming with the brightness of maturity. Triumphs of the Gospel. Kuriya and his wife. Sátberiya, July 3rd, 1849. Last Lord's day They heard the gospel when I first visited I baptized eighteen disciples who had been this village some eight years ago. About seeking the Lord for some months previously. three years ago, Wáris, one of the native We have had good evidence of the sincerity preachers, visited them, and having retired to of their faith in the gospel, and hope that pray in secret, Kuriya, his brother-in-law, they will continue steadfast in their profession noticed it, and when he had concluded his of Christianity. Most of them were zealous devotion, asked Waris to pray with his voice; Mohammadans before they paid any attention he did so, and through the Lord's blessing it to the gospel, and some even evinced a hatred made such an impression upon him that he and opposition towards it. But by the grace declared that henceforth he would give up his of God they began about six months ago to numáz, and would begin to pray as Waris attend upon the public means of grace, and did. Ever since he has conscientiously prayed requested the two native preachers of this in secret, and endeavoured to convince his place to visit them in their respective houses Mohammedan neighbours that the religion of for the purpose of instructing them. By the the Quran was invented by Mohammed, a above means the Holy Spirit enlightened the false prophet, and that Christianity was a said converts, and the good seed sown in divine religion, and the followers of it would their hearts began to yield fruit in their faith obtain salvation through Jesus Christ the Son and repentance. The following circumstances of God. But his fear of man, and the sacrirelative to some of the converts, being inter- fice he would have to make of the friendship esting, I hope will prove acceptable to those of the world, hindered him for some years who are seeking for the extension of our from coming to the decision of making a Lord's kingdom in India. public profession of his faith in the gospel. |