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meetings. The deacons at Papeuriri-viz. Fareahu and Airima, are excellent men, and fully to be depended on. It would have done your heart good to have heard the addresses

they delivered at the last church meeting warning and exhorting the members against intoxicating drinks. They are both practical, though not pledged, teetotallers."

INDIA.

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CALCUTTA.

Ir the day of India's conversion to the faith of Christ is deferred, and if the labourers in that extensive portion of the vineyard, on comparing their little isolated bands of native disciples with the dense mass of heathens by whom they are surrounded, may sometimes be prompted in seasons of despondency to exclaim, "O Lord! how long?" it is nevertheless a subject of encouragement and praise, that individual instances of conversion at the various Mission Stations in India have not been rare, The nor is the actual number of converts in the aggregate few or small. Christian believer, relying on the promises of God, will regard the present amount of success as an earnest of a future and glorious harvest; and will enter into the joy of the Missionary on every fresh accession from the ranks of heathenism. Under the influence of such feelings, the following account-extracted from the pages of the Calcutta Christian Advocate-of a baptismal service that recently took place in connexion with. the native Christian church under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Joseph Mullens, will be read with peculiar interest :—

"On Sabbath last, Oct. 20th, an unusually interesting service took place in connexion with the Native Christian church at Bhowanipore, on the south side of Calcutta. This church, which a few years ago contained only six or eight members, now numbers nineteen, while a proportionate increase has taken place among the Christian families at the station. On the occasion mentioned, six of the children of the church members were, by their parents, dedicated to the Lord in baptism; and at the same time, a young Hindoo threw off the bonds of his superstition, and was baptized together with his household. The Rev. A. F. Lacroix preached a sermon most appropriate to the occasion from 2 Cor. v. 17:-'If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.' In expounding this passage, Mr. L. dwelt particularly on the spirituality of the

gospel system, pointing out that it did not require the forsaking or adopting of any peculiar external customs of dress, food, &c., but is intended for the governance of the heart and life of men. He exhorted his hearers also to keep in view the object of baptism, and its meaning; reminding them that it is a privilege, as well as a duty, conferred by Him who has promised to be a God, not only to his people, but also to their seed. The Rev. J. Mullens next addressed the church and congregation on the duties which a profession of Christ by baptism involves; showing, that as they who are baptized into Christ are baptized into his death, they have daily to work out the end for which he died, viz. the destruction of sin in themselves and others. He then baptized the little band of neophytes' in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

"The spiritual history of the new convert,

He

thus received into the Lord's church, furnishes much encouragement to His servants to continue their work with a steady perseverance, and not to despair of its fruit, though it may be delayed. He is a native of Cuttack, and for nearly fifteen years has been under the influence and instruction of Missionaries. When twelve years of age, he entered one of the Christian schools, under the superintendence of the Rev. C. Lacey, of the General Baptist Mission. Christian instruction made little impression on his mind, but it fitted him to hear the Oriya preaching of the Missionaries with a deeper interest than he formerly felt; so much so, that he would often go to their preaching with pleasure, and stay to the end of the service. subsequently became a bearer in the family of G. Hough, Esq., and of Mr. Lacey, both of whom sought to advance his spiritual welfare, and from whom he received much knowledge of Christian truth. A year ago he came to Calcutta, and entered the service of Mr. Mullens. Here the Spirit of God wrought powerfully on his mind; the seed which had long been sown, and had not died, sprang up; by the public and private teaching of the word, his views of truth were corrected and enlarged; and, with a heart apparently truly converted, he at length resolved to devote himself to the Lord. The following answers, written by himself, to questions proposed at his baptism, will show how well he apprehends the great doctrines of the Gospel. But this is not all; he appears to feel their power, and to have more spiritual views than many native Christians possess even in a higher rank of life.

"I. What has induced you to renounce Hindooism?

"There have been, it is said, nine incarnations of Vishnu, but not one of these incarnations has done anything for man's salvation. Juggernath is an image made with hands: it is made of the wood of the Nim tree. Altogether, the Hindoos have thirtythree millions of gods, but all these are only idols of various kinds. Children, whilst they are young and foolish, play with dolls; but when they become men, they put away childish things. In the same manner, as long as the eyes of my understanding were blinded, I worshipped dolls or idols; but the

good Lord has been pleased to open my eyes, and I now know that all image worship is a great delusion. I therefore have forsaken it. Hindoos undertake long pilgrimages, count beads, give alms, read charms, offer sacrifices, and mortify their bodies in various ways, in order to obtain health, or wealth, or children, or earthly happiness. Now, all these are perishable things; yet I never found that the gods were able to bestow them. How, then, shall they be able to save the soul, and give me eternal happiness in heaven? I also felt that Hindooism could never impart to me case of conscience, or joy of heart, and therefore I have renounced it.

"II. On whom do you now rest your hopes of salvation?

"The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into this world, and performed many miracles; but wicked men despised and persecuted him. This Jesus is a sea of love; he loved the whole race of sinful man, and for it offered up his own body as a sacrifice and atonement. From this we learn that Jesus Christ is the great Saviour of men. Other refuge we have none. This I firmly believe; I believe Jesus to be my own Saviour, I receive him wholly and entirely, and into his hands I commit my spirit.

"III. Is there any salvation out of Christ? "No; there is no salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

"IV. Can you, in your own strength, do anything that is good or right?

"No; man's nature is corr" pt, and his works, thoughts, and words are only evil continually. Therefore, I know that I shall not by any endeavours of my own free myself from sin; but if God the Father will, in his great mercy, send his Holy Spirit into my heart, and make it holy, then I shall be able to act and think aright.

"V. What is the duty of every true Christian?

"His duty is to love the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind, and to love his neighbour as himself.

"VI. What benefits do Christians receive in this life, and in the life to come?

"In this life they receive many benefits.

The chief are these: they are at peace with God, and through the Holy Spirit's power and love they partake, in some measure at least, of the nature of God. God becomes their Father, and they live safe under his almighty protection. They may have either trial or prosperity in this world; in either case their minds will be happy, and all fear of death will be taken away. In the life to come, Christians will enjoy the presence of God, and perfect happiness for ever.

"VII. What ordinance has Christ established for those who enter his church, and what does this ordinance signify?

"The ordinance is baptism. The religion of Christ is essentially pure, and makes the hearts of men pure and holy. Water is therefore the most fitting emblem of regene. ration; as water purifies the bodies of men, so the Spirit of God purifies the heart, makes it holy, and gives it new birth."

ITINERANCY UP THE RIVER ISAMATTI, IN BENGAL.

THE labours of the Society's Missionaries in Calcutta being for the most part restricted to the population of that great capital, and its immediate vicinity, few opportunities offer for visiting the regions beyond. But during the cold season facilities for such labour are occasionally presented, and of these our brethren gladly avail themselves, not only for the purpose of needful recreation, but as a means of proclaiming the word of life to thousands of deluded idolaters, who are placed beyond the reach of their ordinary ministrations.

With these objects in view, the Rev. J. H. Parker, of the Calcutta Mission, accompanied by two native catechists, undertook a journey to the interior in the early part of last year, and the results of his experience and observation are recorded in the following interesting journal:

"During the greater part of the month of January, 1850, I was engaged in a missionary itinerancy up the river Isamatti, a large stream about forty miles to the eastward of the Hooghly, which, flowing through the Sunderbunds, empties itself into the Bay of Bengal.

"In this journey I was accompanied by my family, and by two Native Christian assistants connected with our station at BhowaniporeRam Chandra and Kailas; the former of whom especially, having had much experience in this work in past years, I found exceedingly useful.

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under the care of Mr. Lacroix. We reached the place on Saturday afternoon, and remained there till Monday morning. A catechist resides constantly at this station: but, owing to its distance from Calcutta, and its unhealthiness during the greater part of the year, it cannot receive the same amount of European superintendence which it might enjoy if more favourably situated. I was on this account the more desirous to spend, if possible, a Sabbath with these people; and was glad also to be able on my return, three weeks afterwards, to spend with them the last Sabbath of my absence from home. The first and fourth Sabbaths being thus employed in communicating instruction to this little band of Native Christians, the time that intervened was spent in labours for the good of the heathen population.

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giving medicine to some applicants, we left the Christian station of Balliahati, to prosecute our journey and work among the heathen. During the whole of this day we were occupied in travelling through the intricate rivers and canals of the Sunderbunds, an exclusive district of forest and marshy country, in some parts cf which tigers and other wild animals are numerous, while many of the streams abound with alligators. Our course sometimes led us along rivers of considerable breadth,—sometimes along streams so narrow, that another boat of the same size as our own could pass with difficulty; sometimes we had on both sides, down to the water's edge, dense jungle in which monkeys and a variety of beautiful birds were sporting, which disappeared at our approach, and within which had we presumed to penetrate, we might have met with beasts to frighten us in our turn; whilst, at other times, we were cheered by seeing, on one side or on both, spots which had been rescued from the jungle, and reduced by cultivation to furnish residence and food for man. Many years ago the whole of the Sunderbunds (a word signifying forests of the Sunderi tree; though some translate the word, beautiful forests) was in the state above described; but grants of land on very advantageous terms have been made by Government to enterprizing individuals, by whom a considerable portion has now been reclaimed. The Christian station of Balliahati is on one of these estates, which has been for several years under cultivation, and from which the jungle has been completely cleared away; even there, however, owing to the locality and the nature of the soil, rice is the only article that can yet be produced. It was not till dark that we emerged from these mazy channels into the broad stream of the Isamatti, and pursuing our course northward, after an hour's good rowing, arrived at Taki.

"This place is rather more than forty miles due east of Calcutta; and here on the following morning we began our itinerating work. But as it would be tedious to give a particular account of all the places we visited in our journey, I shall content myself with stating briefly the general plan of our proceedings wherever we went, and then give a short ac

count of our reception and engagements at a few of the villages we called at.

66 THE FIELD OF MISSIONARY LABOUR. "On both banks of the river the villages are numerous, and many of them of considerable size, presenting a very excellent field for this kind of missionary labour. The country around is exceedingly fertile and well cultivated, yielding in rich abundance the various products of the soil. At many of the villages bazars are held daily, and markets either once or twice a week. Great numbers of person s come on these occasions, especially to the markets, from the villages for many miles around, in order to sell the produce of their fields, or the work of their hands, and to purchase other articles required for domestic use. The bazars are generally held in the morning, the markets in the afternoon; the latter are sometimes kept open till eight or nine o'clock at night, and presented a strange appearance at some of the places we visited; the various articles of merchandize being all spread out upon the ground, and each vendor having one or two little earthen lamps (called chiraghs), in size and shape nearly resembling the bowl of a table-spoon, with a little oil and a piece of cotton for a wick, in order to show off his goods. Our movements from place to place were in a great degree regulated by these markets; as in this way we were able to make known the message of the gospel to numbers who reside in distant villages, and who would not otherwise have heard the Redeemer's name.

"On arriving at a village, we generally went ashore at once, taking with us some copies of the Scriptures, and tracts; and having selected the most suitable place we could find-a little removed from the noise and bustle of the market, but sufliciently near to attract notice, and in a good thoroughfare-there took our stand; one of our number, generally Kailas, then rang the bell, as it is called (that is, began to read a portion of one of the tracts, or a passage from the Gospels), in order to collect the people; after this, he would sometimes add a few words, which were followed up by a more extended discourse by Ram Chandra and myself.

(To be continued.)

THE CHOLERA IN JAMAICA.

Ir cannot be unknown to any of our readers that the island of Jamaica has, for several months past, been suffering from the ravages of this fearful scourge, and that hundreds, and even thousands, of its population have fallen a prey to its virulence. The epidemic is not confined to the large towns and lower parts of the island, but appears to have penetrated indiscriminately to the most elevated districts. At a period of such general calamity, we feel called upon to acknowledge, with devout gratitude, the Lord's goodness in preserving the lives of our dear Missionary brethren, and the members of their families, from the fatal effects of the pestilence. It is further most gratifying to state that, so far as our information extends, the Mission churches and congregations have, to a remarkable extent, been exempted from its ravages.

With a view to relieve the anxieties of those of our friends who are more particularly interested in the Jamaica Mission, and to excite their sympathies and their prayers on behalf of the sufferers under this afflictive visitation, we give the following extract of a Letter received from the Rev. J. Andrews, under date Morant Bay, November 25th, 1850:—

"I am extremely anxious to let you know a little of our state at this particular and solemn crisis. To enter into detail I cannot ; but must gratefully acknowledge the great goodness and mercy of our kind and gracious God to us as a family, and to the people committed to our charge.

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'Long ere this you will have received the mournful intelligence from this isle. The cholera, that alarming epidemic, has carried off upwards of 4000 in Kingston alone. Morant Bay has suffered greatly, and is suffering still. It is now raging very much in the Blue Mountain Valley. I have heard of two deaths this morning close to us, and several other cases. Truly, the hand of the Lord is upon us!

"I regret to inform you that, for the last five Sabbaths, I have been laid aside from my arduous but delightful labours. During this time I have been brought very low; but the Lord hath helped me, and hath not yet given me over unto death. As I was recovering from my first sickness, I was seized with the cholera, and was brought to the mouth of the grave; but the Lord delivered me. Mrs. Andrews was attacked with cholera, also, just as I was getting a

little better; but as she was very ill, I was compelled to crawl out of bed, to try to help her. I subsequently had a relapse, which has again reduced me, and made me unfit to attend to anything at present. Both Mrs. Andrews and myself have been at the point of death, and were so at the same time, so that we did not see one another for eight days. In fact, we did not expect to behold each other's face again in the flesh; but the Lord has been better to us than all our fears. We both felt that we were in the hands of God, and that he is 'too wise to err, and too good to be unkind.' We desire to record our Ebenezer, and exclaim, 'Hitherto the Lord hath helped us.' Our dear child, too, became very ill; but, blessed be the name of the Lord! we are all spared. Many other families have all been swept away; but we are still preserved, and desire to feel ourselves safe under the shadow of the wing of the Almighty. We can trust Him still. We regard him saying to us, 'Be still, and know that I am God.' The Scriptures have been very precious to us. By grace, through faith, we were able to claim the promises of God, as belonging to us!"

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