70 CONVERSIONS IN INDIA. [JUNE, which will fall from Him. Our "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." "I was naked, and ye clothed me." "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." I am your faithful servant, Rupert's Land-Missinipi, or English River, Jan. 1, 1855. ROBERT HUNT. We have only to add, that this communication from Mr. Hunt is, at the present moment, most appropriate. We have reached the season when the proceeds of work intended for the Rupert's Land stations require to be collected, in order that they may be duly forwarded to that distant Mission-field. We trust they will be such as to prove that none have grown wearied of this good work, and that time has been found for the discharge of these Dorcas efforts, which are productive of so much benefit to our Missionaries, and are not overlooked by Him who has promised that even a cup of cold water, given in the name of a disciple, shall not lose its reward. CONVERSIONS IN INDIA. WE have recently met with the following notice of conversions in connexion with the Missions of the Free Church of Scotland Two young men, Mahommedans by birth, but brought up in the Roman-Catholic faith, well educated as physicians-one of them having gained a silver medal by an Essay on Fever-have renounced what they found to be "their half-heathen state," and joined the Church at Madras. A woman, who seems to be savingly taught by the Spirit of God, has renounced heathenism at Puna, and been received into the Church, of which her husband has been a member since 1851. "I know nothing," said she; "I am as dull asa clod; but I embrace the feet of Jesus, and clasp them to my breast." Hindu women are in the habit of singing when engaged in their avocations, but their songs are almost always idolatrous, and often licentious. This convert keeps up the practice of singing, but how changed the strains! The following is the commencement of one of them, as written down by her husband at the request of the Missionary, as she poured it forth extempore while at her work 1855.] MANSUK. 71. Since I clasped Thy feet to my bosom, Oh, leave me never! MANSUK. It is probable that most of our readers have remarked how slow the trees have been this season in putting on their beautiful robe of green. How tardy the bud has been in resigning its hidden treasure, and making our eyes glad with the bright fresh foliage. Very gradually the process has been going on, and trees that commenced to bud weeks ago are not in full leaf yet. There have been ungenial influences abroad-cold winds by day, sharp frosts at night, while the grey clouds which have drifted along from the north-east have brought no rain. Still, however, there is progress, and when the south-west wind brings up the rain, and the refreshing showers, having saturated the arid soil, are followed by a warm sun, summer will burst forth in all its rich beauty, and we shall enjoy the change the more because of the harsh season which preceded it. Human hearts are often just as slow in opening to the knowledge of God and faith in Jesus Christ. They have endured a long and dreary winter of ignorance, and, when the gospel comes, they do not at once open beneath its influence. They have much to contend with: old habits and associations, the fear of man, and the love of sin, which ever now and then, as if unwilling to let go their hold, put forth increased efforts to prevent the heart from opening to receive the truth. They, however, who labour to win souls to Christ, must not be "weary in welldoing." Let them look up to God for help, and continue, in dependence on Him, to make mention of the name of Jesus, and wondrous changes shall be produced, very slowly and imperceptibly it may be, but still, in God's time, they shall take place, and the most prejudiced and apparently discouraging and hopeless, under the influence of gospel truth, will be found to yield and open and break forth in the manifestation of gracious affections towards God. It was very slowly indeed that gospel truth acquired influence over old Mansuk. He had many hindrances. During a long life spent in darkness, he had formed his own views about himself, and they were just what we might suppose the natural heart, which is deceitful beyond measure, and desperately wicked, would have suggested. Gravely did he assert that he was not a sinner. Once, indeed, he admitted that he had very nearly committed one sin, that of poisoning a woman with bad medicine at the instigation of another, but his mother had prevented him. To have entertained the thought of such a crime, and consented to it when suggested to him, of that he thought nothing. He had not carried it into execution, and that was enough for him. In fact, the discernment between what is sinful and what is not, except in matters of great and glaring wickedness, is unknown among the heathen. "The term 'sin,' says Mr. Budd, as we understand it, is not used by the heathen Indians : it is made use of by the Christian Indians only. Astonished at the reply of the old man, I asked him, 'What do you call sin? When an Indian murders another do you call that sin?" He said, 'Yes.' 'But when an Indian steals, and speaks bad words, is that not sin?' He said, 72 THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING." [JUNE, 'No; we say of such a man, "he is not wise," but we do not call that sinning. When I told him that every thing that the Indian does which breaks the holy law of God, and hurts his neighbour in any wise, is sin, and that all mankind, as well as the Indian, have broken the law of God times without number, and committed more sins than the hair upon their heads, he did not reply, but looked quite astonished, wondering how he could be such a sinner." Mr. Budd, however, was not discouraged: he persevered. As opportunity offered, he still brought the blessed truths of the gospel to bear on the dark mind with which he had to do. Nor were the opportunities few; for although his tent was on the other side of the river, and he had a swollen foot, still old Mansuk managed, every third or fourth day, to get across the ice and place himself in the way of instruction. It was evident that his prejudices were lessening, else he would have kept away. This was contrary to the advice his brother Wulluck had given him when, in the autumn season, he was going away: he had cautioned Mansuk not to come near the praying people, nor think at all about Christianity. No doubt Satan suggested that message. He hates the light, because it disperses the darkness in which consists his power: and if he can only persuade his slaves to hate it, and to keep at a distance from it, he feels secure they will continue such. But, happily for himself, the old man did not follow this advice. "Tell my brother Wulluck," he said to some Indians who were going to him, "that I cannot keep from going to the praying people's place: I am there almost every day. I attend their services and worship every Sunday. I find nothing bad there." There are many in our land who neglect the means of grace, who turn a deaf ear to the Church bell on the Sunday morning, and hurry by its open door. Little do they think of the injury they are inflicting on themselves. They are doing all they can to render impossible their conversion and salvation. Why should they be unwilling to go to the house of the Lord? They will "hear nothing bad there." Nay, they will hear of the great good, of the gift of God to sinful man, of Jesus, and His love and willingness to befriend them. Let them consider seriously whether it be not the object of the great enemy of man to keep them far from every means of instruction, and whether, in thus estranging themselves from every opportunity of improvement, they are not pursuing the very path which he has marked out for them with a view to the ruin of their souls. "THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING." THE inspired writers, in seeking utterance for the truths of revelation through the imperfect medium of human language, often use expressions which seem, at first view, strange and paradoxical. The ideas of God, of eternity, of the spiritual relations of man, which it is their office to convey, can be no more than shadowed forth by the ordinary forms of speech. To interpret such expressions, therefore, by the mere literal meaning of the words, is to miss the true meaning. These are the mere outward shell, designed, by the very difficulty which it presents, to rouse the mind to pierce through it to the kernel of divine truths within. [From the "Macedonian." VOL. V. NEW SERIES. MÍRUT, NORTH INDIA. WE now present the account promised in our last Number. The sketch from which our engraving has been made was sent, with the one given last month, by Mrs. Medland, so that our readers may depend upon its accuracy. Mr. Medland thus describes the sceneThe close of the old year and the beginning of the new were inter H NEW-YEAR'S TREAT TO NATIVE CHRISTIANS AT MIRUT. 74 MÍRUT, NORTH INDIA. [JULY, esting seasons with us. On the Sunday before Christmas-day we had eight baptisms-three adults in the morning, and five infants in the afternoon. On returning from our Mission Chapel in the morning, for the first time since our arrival here, we were particularly struck with the devout and orderly behaviour of the little flock, who were awaiting the commencement of Divine service. Several of them were reading their Bibles and Prayer-books, and appeared to be collecting their thoughts, thus preparing themselves to wait upon the Lord, to hear what "He would say unto them." In this respect there was a marked difference compared with not a few of our congregations at home, where many come late, and some of those who are early in attendance occupy their time principally in looking about, rather than gathering their thoughts, and preparing themselves for the holy duties in which they are about to engage. Of the three adults who were baptized in the morning, one was a very interesting case it was that of rather an aged man, the brother of Paul, our head Catechist. This man, some years since, when his brother became convinced of the truth and importance of Christianity, and was baptized, severely persecuted him, and was the chief cause of his wife and family refusing to live with him, which they still continue to do, and are to this day residing at 200 or 300 miles' distance from him. By degrees, however, his prejudices began to give way, when a severe illness led him to think seriously, and desire to be admitted into the church of Christ. After some period of probation, the Rev. R. M. Lamb, my brother Missionary, consented to his being baptized, which was accordingly done, as I have before mentioned, on the Sunday before Christmasday. He is called Peter. I have since engaged him as my munshí, and read with him, more or less, every day. He frequently accompanies our catechists and readers on their preaching expeditions, by this means publicly professing that faith which he formerly despised and persecuted. On Christmas-day, Paul, our chief catechist, gave his annual treat to the native Christians; and on New-year's day the Rev. R. M. Lamb gave them a similar entertainment, which I have represented in the accompanying rough sketch. The party, numbering upwards of eighty, assembled in our Mission school-room. All things being ready, Paul asked a blessing in Hindustaní. The guests then seated themselves on the ground, on either side of the apartment, in true oriental fashion, and then began eating their portions of rice, dál, chapaties, &c., with much evident satisfaction. Mr. Lamb also provided tea, fruit, &c., for the elder and more respectable women, which they considered a great treat. I should explain that the European portion of the assembly were seated at a large table, covered with a profusion of tea-things, cake, oranges, &c., placed at the end of the room. They were, Mr. and Mrs. Lamb; the Rev. J. E. W. Rotton and Mrs. Rotton; Captain and Mrs. Nixon; Mrs. Medland and myself. At the conclusion of the repast, Paul, the native catechist, and the readers, who had been previously occupied in waiting on the party, assembled in front of our table. A hymn having been sung, Paul gave a short address; Mr. Lamb succeeded him, concluding with prayer, and shortly after the party began to disperse, not a little pleased with their evening's entertainment. These were emphatically holy feasts. Here was a little flock gathered from amongst the heathen, uniting with their temporal enjoyment the worship of the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. |