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edly share in the blessedness of the same salvation."

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He then, with a peculiarly plaintive tone, exclaimed, 0, my God, my God! Is this a messenger from Heaven? A messenger sent to instruct me in the way of my salvation? And will God thus open a way for me? —Will he be merciful to me?- Will he indeed save me? Will he save my poor soul? O, if I live, I'll serve him! I will serve him, I will serve him! On which I said, "Shall we unite in prayer to him?” He eagerly assented. My heart was full, and so were the hearts of the friends that were present; every word and every tone of the afflicted man now greatly interested the feelings of us all; and we together poured out our souls before the Lord. It was a solemn season; and all seemed couscious of the divine presence. When We arose from our knees, I proceed ed to take my leave of him for the present; informing him, that I should be engaged the whole of the next day, it being the Sabbath; but that I would, by the divine permission, see him again about eight o'clock in the evening. With the most tender affection he pressed my hand, detained me a short time, pronouncing innumerable blessings upon me; and assuring me what pleasure it would yield him to see me again; and how thankful he should be for my instruction and my prayers.

On my return home, I told my family that I had just paid a very remarkable visit, that I was sincerely glad I went, and that I believed the person whom I had been to see would not live, though I thought he might continue some weeks. In less than an hour, how ever, after I left him, he died; but I believe that he died in the Lord; and that he will share in the blessedness of the first resurrection.'

Thus have I given a plain unvarnished narrative of the fact; but before I conclude, permit me to add a brief remark or two.

1. It would give me inexpressible concern, should I ever have reason to believe that this instance of sovereign mercy were abused, as an

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encouragement for delaying the great business of repentance to a dying-bed. I have now been engaged in the service of the sanctuary more than 26 years; but in no in. stance did I ever witness any thing which seemed so like an instantaneous couversion as this. In this view, however, I must consider it; for the fact is, that within about an hour, this man, from adopting the usual sentiments of an ignorant world, used the language of an advanced Christian; and that which is infinitely of more importance, discovered all the feelings of a penitent sinner, all the reliance of a stedfast, believer. While, therefore, I am desirous to give glory to God, I am, at the same time, anxious that your readers should be cautioned against perverting this display of divine compassion; and would, therefore, remind them, that though in the sacred writings we have one instance of conversion in the last hour of life, that no contrite sinner may despair; yet, as it has been frequently remarked, We have but one such instance, that no man may be encouraged to presume. Let the wretch, therefore, who deliberately perseveres in sin, because grace abouads,' know, that Heaven and earth shall pronounce his eternal condemnation just.

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2. I cannot, however, refrain from observing, how graciously the glorious gospel of the blessed God' is suited to the circumstances of the guilty and the miserable! It is, surely, to be reckoned amongst its richest glories, that it contains the most ample provision for all the wants of every real penitent. This is so truly the case, that there are no stains of guilt from which the blood of Christ will not cleanse the contrite sinner; for by washing in this fountain, though his sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Thus we perceive the superior excellencies of that salvation which is without money and without price,' to all those delusive schemes which render a long course of obedience the qualification by which men are recommended to the favour

of God. Alas! on such principles, what can the poor sinner do, whose days have been consumed by transgression, but abandon himself to despair? Blessed be God, we have not so learned Christ;' but exult in the glorious truth of his coming in to the world to save even the chief of sinners.

3. I close, by observing how desirable it is for real Christians to avail themselves of all possible opportunities of visiting the sick and dying; especially when Providence appears to point it out as the path of duty. The recollection of my visit to this poor man, will, I am persuaded, yield me satisfaction to the end of my life; and, I humbly Trust, I shall meet him in that house, not made with bands, eternal in the Heavens.'

As this narrative is remarkable, I am willing to give it all the authen ticity in my power, I therefore take the advice of my brethren in this city and neighbourhood, by giving you my name; and beg leave to assure you, I am, dear Sir, yours, &c SAMUEL LOWELL.

Bristol.

Mr. J. NICHOLAS. This pious and truly venerable servant of the Lord, died Sept. 8, 1807, at Bush, near Pembroke. For upwards of 50 years, the power of divine grace has been eminently exemplified in the life and conversation of this excellent man. He was called by divine grace at an early period of life, under the ministry of the late Rev. Mr. Howell Davies, for whose memory he ever bore the greatest seueration. The writer has often heard him recite, with the liveliest emotion, passages of his sermons, which he had heard 40 years ago.

He was, for near 30 years, butler in a gentleman's family, where there was very little apparent seriousness, In this trying situation, surrounded with temptations, and frequently exposed to scoff and ridicule, on account of his regular piety, the Lord enabled him to maintain a blameless and unsullied reputation to the last; and, by well doing, to put to silence the scoffs of wicked men.

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Having acquired a little independency, and being weary of mixing so much with those who are strangers to God, he gave up his place, and lived retired from the world, on a. very moderate income, the remainder of his life. His Bible, together with Romaine's Life of Faith, and a few other good books, were his constant companions. He seemed to be always in a devotional frame of spirit; and in conversation with his friends, he always embraced every opportunity to introduce some religious subjects. He was an experimental and truly humble Christian.

The writer one time in conversation with him, expressing a wish that the Lord would spare his life to o'd age, that he might be disengaged from the world, as he then was, that he might be able like him to spend his latter days entirely in religious meditations; he replied,Ah! I have great reason to be thankful to God for his mercies to me in my old age; but, believe me, my young friend, that the enemy of souls is busy at all periods of our life, and in every situation we may be in; but I trust, ere long, to be entirely free from his assaults, and I hope to be with Him whom my soul loves; but, till then, I expect no truce,' Frequently would be repeat the words of the psalmist,

When I awake after thy likeness, then shall I be satisfied; and would add, not till then,'

He

He was highly respected by many of the English ministers who visited Pembrokeshire, particularly Mr. Joss and Mr. Hill. He possessed an excellent constitution; and enjoy ed good health to the last. seemed like a shock of corn fully ripe; and was suddenly called in his 76th year. On the morning of the day of his dissolution, he enjoyed his usual health and cheerfulness, and went half a mile from home to the house of the gentleman whom he had long served, where he was suddenly seized, and almost instantly expired. A fresh call this, to all professors to prepare for death; to have their los girded, and their lamps trimmed, waiting for the com ing of their Lord. J. T.

Pembroke.

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REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS PUBLICATIONS.

Considerations on the Practicability, Policy, and Obligation of communicating to the Natives of India the Knowledge of Christianity; with Observations on the Pamphlet published by M. S. Waring. By a late Resident in Bengal. 28. 6d. ALTHOUGH the author of this pamphlet modestly styles himself A late Resident in Bengal, we have reason to believe that he is a person of no less consideration than Lord Teignmouth, late GovernorGeneral of Bengal, whose eminent talents, high situation, and wellknown regard to religion, certainly qualify him to write on a subject which he justly deems of great national and religious importance.'

His Lordship begins with regretting, that a measure of such momentous consideration as the propagation of Christianity among the natives of Hindostan, should have been first introduced to public notice by its avowed opponents. Instead of a calm dispassionate investigation, it has been brought for ward in a manner which places the advocates of it in the light of mad enthusiasts, who think all political danger is to be disregarded, when it comes in competition with their peculiar notions.'

The reflection which the noble author wishes to impress on the public, in consequence of Major Scott Waring's Remarks, is this: That, under the influence of panic and apprehension, the imagination hastily eatches aların, and ill-founded surmises and suspicions are easily converted into facts and proofs. This may have been the case in India: I am sure it is so in England.' P. 23.

The author then proceeds to point out some important errors into which M. S. Waring has been led by his zeal or misinformation. Our limits forbid us to take particular notice of these; but we will venture to say, that impartial readers will feel themselves perfectly satisfied with the calm and convincing reasonings of his Lordship; and that

XVI.

the alarms excited by the writings of the Major and others, will very soon subside.

As to

Much important information is given us, from the very best sources, oncerning the Hindoo character and the Hindoo idolatry. their moral state, he says, 'If I were to describe the Hindoo character generally, and, in a few words, allow ing for individual exceptions, I should define it a compound of insincerity, servility, and dishonesty. His Lordship's observations on the criminality of idolatry in the sight of God, and according to the deci sions of Scripture (particularly Deut. xiii. 6-10.) do him much honour, and form a strong argument for the obligation of communicating a better system. This is pleaded for in a noble strain of Chris. tian eloquence. We can only ex

tract a few sentences.

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The most enlightened, improved, and (may we not fairly say) most religious nation upon earth, standing for many years in the closest of all social relations to a people bowed down under a dark and degrading superstition, might it not be very naturally supposed by those who, in the varying fortunes of nations, acknowledge the hand of a superintending Providence, that it had been the design of Heaven in bringing these vast countries under the do-minion of a nation enjoying the purest of all systems of religion, that their benighted and depraved inhabitants might thus receive the light of truth, and the blessings of a sound morality.' P. 95.

On the contrary, the author warmly exposes the guilt of attempting to banish Missionaries, and prohibit the circulation of the Scriptures.

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fall of states are the judicial inflic. tions of a divine hand, the punishments of guilty nations, see, with the deepest concern, recominended, for the first time, the adoption of a system of conduct by which we should take idolatry, with all its guilt, under our special patronage, and endeavour to shut out all knowledge of (I had almost said all access to) the Almighty.' P. 98. I think it my duty to make a solemn appeal to all who still retain the fear of God, and who admit that religion, and the course of conduct which it preseribes, are not to be banished from the affairs of nations, now, when the political sky, so long overcast, has become more lowering and black than ever, whether this is a period for augmenting the weight of our national sins and provocations, by an exclusive toleration of idolatry: a crime which, unless the Bible be a forgery, has actually drawn forth the heaviest denunciations of vengeance, and the most fearful inflictions of the divine displeasure.' Ibid.

This brief view of the contents of this excellent pamphlet, and of the author's manner, will, we trust, induce many of our readers to peruse the whole; and we cannot but indulge a hope that, as the celebrity of the author will introduce his work to the attention of the most exalted characters in the government of this country, and of East India affairs, it will not only prevent any impediment being put in the way of Missions, but will convince them of the OBLIGATION, as well as the policy and practicability, of enlightening the British subjects of India.

Mr. Fuller's Apology for the late Christian Missions to India. Part the Second, Price 2s. 6d.

It is a consideration of a most painful kind, that there should be found in this country, persons called Christians, who can openly plead for Paganism, and oppose the progress of Christianity. Whoever has read what Dr. Buchanan and others have written, or will read what is inserted in this volume, concerning

the abominations of the Hindoos, will be astonished to think how it is possible for men of sense and learning to become their avowed advocates. They may indeed tell us, that they oppose the Missionaries only on political grounds, and the apprehension of danger; but, says Mr Fuller, I might meet them on this ground; and deny that the progress of the gospel in any country, or in any circumstances, can be unfriendly to its political welfare; but it would be compromising the honour of the gospel to rest its defence on this principle,

If Christianity be true, it is of such importance, that no political considerations are suf ficient to weigh against it; nor ought they, for a moment, to be placed in competition with it. If Christianity be true, it is of God; and if it be of God, to oppose its progress on the grounds of political expediency, is the same thing as to tell our Maker that we will not have him to reign over us, unless bis government be subservient to our temporal interests.' P. 6,

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This volume consists of the following pieces : —. 1. Remarks on Major Scott Waring's Letter to the Rev. Mr. Owen; 2. Remarks on A Vindication of the Hindoos, by a Bengal Officer; and, 3. Remarks on the foregoing Vindication, communicated to Mr. Fuller by a gentle, man deeply versed in Oriental lite rature.

Mr. Fuller's Apology,
Part the Third. Price 2s. 6d.

THIS Part consists, 1st, Of Stric tures on Major S. Waring's third pamphlet; in which he bestows deserved castigation on that wordy, incorrect, and mistaken writer. He particularly detects the gross and abominable falsehoods propagated against the late Mr. Thomas. He also exposes the Major's misrepresentations respecting the number of the Missionaries, by specifying all their names.

The Second Part of this Apology contains Remarks on a Letter to the President of the Board of Controul,' &c. : the writer of which advises, that, with the growing zeal

of this country for India conversion, the vigilant controul of the India Governments should keep pace.' This sounds, Mr. F. observes, very much like a system of intolerance ; but if the author means only a restriction from intemperate language and behaviour, the restraint, he trusts, will not be found necessary to be imposed upon them.' Mr. Fuller very properly introduces exfracts from the instructions given to the Missionaries, both by the London and Baptist Societies, to shew that a prudent pacific temper and careful abstinence from all interference with the political affairs of the country or government, were strongly inculcated.

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In the Third Part of this pamphlet, we have Observations On the Propriety of confining Missionary Undertakings to the Established Church, in answer to Dr. Barrow, who, in his Sermon on The Expediency of translating our Scriptures into the Oriental Languages,' preached at Oxford, Nov. 8, 1807, says, "Missionaries of various interests or parties, ignorantly or willingly differing in their comments, their opinions, and their designs, should not be suffered to appear amongst those whom we wished to convert' (p. 13, 14); and again, 'If we permit the ministers of various sects and denominations, Lutherans and Calvinists, Arminians and Baptists, to inculcate their respective tenets without restraint, the unlettered Indian will not be able to determine what that Christianity is which we would persuade him to embrace and the more learned, convinced that the doctrines of all our teach. ers cannot be equally true, may be led to conclude that all are equally false.' "Plausible," Mr. Fuller ́observes, 66 as this reasoning may appear on paper, experience and fact are against it; for, according to this, if the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge had sent out an English clergyman as a Missionary to India, they ought to have recalled Swartz, Gericke, &c. as being Lutherans." "The errors which exist in the Christian world, to whomsoever they belong, are doubtless an evil, and tend to obstruot

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Could

the progress of the gospel.
we be all of one mind, and that the
mind of Christ, we might hope for
greater success; but seeing this is
not the case, what are we to do?
Surely, there is no necessity for our
all sitting idle; nor yet for one
party, which happens to be esta
blished by civil authority, to ex-
clude the rest." P. 66.

"If we would certainly exclude all difference of opinion, we must do as the Church of Rome does, set up for infallibility, and withhold · the Scriptures from the people. On the contrary, let the Missionaries put the Bible into their hands, and let them judge for themselves."

But Dr. Barrow recommends One uniform and general attempt, to the exclusion of all others, where we have the power to exclude them, to be made by the ministers of the national church, under the authority and regulations of an act of the legislature.'

But Mr. Fuller asks, and every sensible reader will be ready to ask, "How many of the national church does Dr.Barrow think would engage in this undertaking? If there be a sufficient number to justify his proposal, why do they not supply the episcopal mission on the coast of Coromandel? The successors of Swartz have declared the harvest to be great, and the labourers few; and if the reader will consult the Report of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, for the years 1803, 1804, 1805, and 1806, he will find complaints, constantly repeated, that no suitable supplies of new Missionaries nave yet been heard of."

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Mr. Fu'ler adds," I do not reflect on the English clergy, &c. who may consider themselves called to labou in another quarter. But, I only as, How could Dr. Barrow, with these facts before his eyes, preach and write as he did? How could he propose to take the whole work of evangelizing India into the hands of the ministers of the national church, when that part of it, which had a special clain upon them, was known to be standing stifl, in a manner, for want of assistance?" P. 74. And yet Dr. B. would exclude all the

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