said the excellent Mr Macgilvray, in speaking of her going to India, "in which I would like to see your father's daughter tread." "You are devoting yourself to a cause," wrote another, " for which you are, of all I ever knew, best qualified; and O may He who has given you the desire to serve Him, support you under every difficulty." Our marriage was celebrated on Tuesday, the 12th of August 1828. The late Rev. Dr Andrew Thomson officiated on the solemn occasion. Our sojourn in Scotland thereafter was but short. It was attended, however, with the strongest agitation, both joyous and mournful. Never can I forget the sublime interest with which we gazed, as we believed, for the last time, on much of the grandest and most beautiful of its scenery, and the peculiar emotions with which we bade a long adieu to our dearest friends. Our circumstances awoke the strongest sympathy of all our acquaintances, including many of the supporters of the Missionary Society; and, I doubt not, we were aided by their prayers, while we felt cheered by their benedictions. Mrs Wilson was particularly gratified by the respect and kindness which we received in my own native district, from those whose acquaintance she had only lately made; and, by the deep Christian feeling which was excited, when, from the pulpit from which I had first heard the words of eternal life most faithfully proclaimed, I delivered my farewell discourse. At the valedictory address delivered to me in Edinburgh, on the part of the Missionary Society, by one of the Secretaries, and a long-tried and zealous friend of the propagation of the Gospel in every clime under heaven,* her intense feeling prevented her from being present. She was mightily supported, however, as the hour of her departure drew near, and rejoiced that those who regarded her with the most tender and constant affection, much as they might regret their personal loss, could commit her with confidence to the guidance and protection of Him, who hath declared, that "He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it;" and whose blessed promise is, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." * The late Rev. Dr David Dickson. CHAPTER V. DEPARTURE FOR LONDON-LETTERS-EMBARKATION AT PORTSMOUTH-VOYAGE TO THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE-CAPE TOWN-GROENEKLOOF-PASSAGE OF THE CAPE-TRIALS ON BOARD SHIP-PRIVATE JOURNAL-COAST OF CEYLON, AND OF MALABAR—ARRIVAL IN BOMBAY. On the morning of the 30th of August 1828, we embarked at Newhaven for London. We had been attended to the shore by the Secretaries of the Missionary Society, and a considerable number of other friends, whose presence was a pledge to us that intercessions would continue to be made in our behalf before that mercy-seat, which is not addressed in vain. Mrs Wilson's brother, one of her sisters, and another friend, were our companions to London. The following extracts of letters, written after our arrival in that city, reveal the Christian tenderness of feeling with which the subject of this Memoir quitted her native land. "LONDON, 3d Sept. 1828. "It is impossible for me to describe my feelings in parting with you, my beloved, my dearest sisters, or that deathlike cessation of feeling which ensued, when my heart told me that I was severed from you, never perhaps to meet again in this world. But, instead of dwelling upon this, or of awakening in your minds pangs which, I trust, have, by this time, passed away, I would endeavour to call your minds to the glorious realities of that state where there is no more sorrow, and where God himself shall wipe away all tears from our eyes. . . . Till we turn to the blessed Gospel, indeed, all is midnight darkness; but, O, how divine and transporting are those objects which it holds out to our view,the scenes, surpassing fable, which it unfolds to us,—and the glorious hope which it warrants us to entertain. To these hopes our minds should ofttimes be directed; and as the character of God, and the mysteries of redemption, are manifested, and strikingly illustrated in the realities which they bring to view, there is perhaps nothing more fitted to reconcile us to the changes of time, or to prepare us for the blessedness of heaven, than the frequent contemplation of them. It seems strange that merely temporal events should move us, professing, as we do, to be heirs of an eternal inheritance. Our home is in heaven; and till we realize this fact, and act from its abiding impression, we cannot exhibit in our conduct the character and principles of those who live as strangers and pilgrims on the earth, looking for another country, even a heavenly. How little of this spirit I, as an individual, possess, is daily revealed in the little willingness I have to take up my cross and follow Christ. With such demonstrations of the love of Christ before us,-with a knowledge of all that he did and suffered for sinners, can we esteem any sacrifice we make for his service and kingdom too great? O, if we are united in Him, we shall meet, never again to know the pangs of separation! My beloved sisters, I cannot say what I feel when my thoughts turn towards you, and what I have written forms a strange contrast with the tumultuous feelings of my mind. To describe it, is impossible. The ocean in a storm,—the heavens red with lightning, or dark with lowering clouds, cannot represent it, but may give you some idea of its nature. "The day on which we parted from you was dark, and a thick haze veiled from our view the objects upon which I felt I should have had a melancholy pleasure in gazing. That splendid city of Edinburgh, which has risen much in my estimation now that we have seen the huge and smoky city of London, quickly disappeared from our sight. Arthur's Seat became like a dark cloud upon the horizon, and the waste of waters before us, bounded by a desolate shore, was now all that reminded me of beloved Scotland. How often, during the melancholy Sabbath, did Comely Bank, with its beloved inmates, rise to my thoughts. There were here no traces of the holy solemnities which we had enjoyed; and several times, when I raised my head from the pillow, unconscious where I was, I expected to see you all around me. On Monday morning, we were able to appear on deck; and, though my heart still ached dreadfully, the newness and variety of the scene in terested me not a little. We were all delighted with the scenery on the Thames,—its beauty, richness, and novelty, pleased us; while the busy scenes, ever and anon presenting themselves to our view, when sailing along, gave a sort of impulse to the feelings, which, though not to be compared with the romance excited by our Scottish scenery, had certainly the effect of rousing the mind to some activity. . . . Yours, &c. M. W.” “LONDON, 7th Sept. 1828. “This, our last day in London, is now over, and I would devote a few moments of the evening, consecrated as it should be, to sacred purposes, in writing to you, my dear and beloved sisters. We leave London at eight o'clock to-morrow morning for Portsmouth; and, on Tuesday morning, we shall in all probability embark for India. It were vain, even if it were possible, to give utterance to my thoughts at this moment. Much as I felt the pang of separation after parting with you, I did not fully realize its agony, till now that the time is approaching when we must bid adieu to the shores of Britain. O my sisters, you are all very dear to me! A thousand scenes that had passed away, rise anew to my remembrance; and, when I think of never again seeing you, never again listening to the accents of your voice, I would sink into despair, were I not strengthened by an unseen energy, and by the hope of a blessed reunion. O, my beloved sisters, live nearer to Christ than you have hitherto done; make the Eternal God your refuge, and give reality to your convictions by repairing to him amid every difficulty, and by reposing upon his Almighty strength. Do not live as if this earth were your dwelling-place, but remembering that your home is in heaven, act as becometh those who look forward to its glories. "I feel utterly unable to write any more, so unwell and exhausted am I. We have gone a great deal about, viewing the wonders of this modern Babylon; and, though we were delighted and astonished with its numerous wonders, the very variety of impressions fatigues and enervates the mind. Then, how transitory are its glories, however great, and how do they demonstrate the weakness, as well as the power of man-in comparison with those of the kingdom to which we look forward, the splendour of which will eclipse all meaner things, while its foundation standeth for ever sure. On the 8th of September, we separated from the dear female friends who had accompanied us to London; and, along with our brother, reached Portsmouth on the evening of the same day. At this place, where we experienced much attention from Mr J. C-k, a most zealous supporter of the missionary cause, the two following letters to her sisters were written before we set sail for India. ... “PORTSMOUTH, 10th Sept. 1828. "My feelings are confused, and very varied, so that I cannot express them. Sometimes I can pour them out in prayer to my Father who is in heaven; and, though I cannot do this at all times, still it is consoling to know that He heareth the groaning of the prisoner, and that the cry of the captive ascendeth to his throne. At this throne, our spirits will, I trust, ofttimes meet... "John goes to London in the ten o'clock coach, and will give you an account of our journey hither, with all other details that may interest you... . Oh, how great and exceeding precious are those promises of Christ bequeathed to his disciples, and fitted to the condition and circumstances of those who need peculiar support! God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.' We have good cause to sing of mercy, and in the language of faith to say, 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.' Our hearts are slow to adopt this language; but it is because we view the procedure of God through another medium than his own testimony, and the designs which he has revealed concerning his people. The apostles, who left all and followed Christ, were not actuated by narrow and partial views of his kingdom and glory such as ours, when we are cast down and dejected at the thought of privations and difficulties. My heart clings with too much eagerness to time and its concerns. I sometimes feel as if it were only in appearance that I had renounced the world. O that a Saviour's love, and the redemption of that world |