with true religion, while it is in perfect harmony with the most ardent pursuit of "the glory that shall be revealed" in " that which is to come," has also "the promise of the life that now is.” 6. How then, is this most essential and necessary revolution to be effected, in the spirit of Indian philosophy? How is it to be converted into a Baconian, practical, fruitful philosophy? Where is the Bacon ? Or rather where are those humble followers of Bacon, who require no fresh principles, but have only to place before the schoolmen of Hindustan the tried principles which the latter know not or despise? Let us hope the attempt will be made, and that soon and zealously, to renovate the spirit without rejecting the existing forms of Hindu philosophy. Sanskrit is evidently the medium to be adopted for conveying a brief exposition of Bacon's philosophy. Nor is success to be despaired of. Seneca doubtless retained till death the principles he had so long cherished. But no salutary influences, no genial breath of a more beneficent philosophy, which cares for the physical while it is consistent with or conducive to the spi ritual good of man, existed to operate on him. This philosophy, however, is now dominant, is visibly in the ascendant and within the horizon which bounds the Hindu philosopher's view, if not yet in actual contact with his mind. Why should his improvement be considered hopeless?

"Alas, what differs more than man from man!

And whence that difference? Whence but from himself?
For see the universal race endowed

With the same upright form! The sun is fixed,

And the infinite magnificence of heaven

Fixed within reach of every human eye;

The sleepless ocean murmurs for all ears;
The vernal field infuses fresh delight

Into all hearts. Throughout the world of sense,
Ever as an object is, sublime or fair,

That object is laid open to the view

Without reserve or veil; and as a power

Is salutary or an influence sweet,

Are each and all enabled to perceive

That power, that influence, by impartial law.

Gifts nobler are vouchsafed alike to all,

Reason, and with that reason smiles and tears,

Imagination, freedom in the will,

Conscience to guide and check ; and death to be
Foretasted, immortality presumed*.”

7. The learned men of Hindustan are, both on their own account and on account of the influence which they exert on the population around them, deserving of more attention than they now receive from those who make the welfare of India the * Wordsworth. Excursion, Book IX.

object of their labours. The pride and prejudices of the class in question are indeed serious obstacles in the way of their adopting sound principles in religion and philosophy; and the means by which they are to be acted upon, viz. treatises prepared in Sanskrit, carefully compiled and well reasoned, and framed with an accurate knowledge both of the systems to be exploded and that to be enforced, are such as can be obtained only by the application of skill, labour and pains. If it be quixotic to hope that these difficulties should only operate as additional incentives to urge to action those who aim at the regene ration of universal Hindustan, it may at least be fairly expected, that the grandeur of the results to which such labours would pave the way should be found an adequate motive for the perseverance of the Christian Philanthropist. January 24th.

J. M.

II.-Paul's Prayers Answered, Part 3rd.

"Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith. Now, God himself even our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you."-1 Thess. iii. 10, 11.

There are three things observable in this prayer of the Apostle, besides the subject of it. 1, Its earnestness. 2, Its piety. And 3, The objects to whom it is addressed.

1. Its earnestness. " Night and day praying exceedingly." There are some men, nay the most of men, that would be greatly offended by a repetition of the same request from the same individual. But God's ways are not as our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts. The Apostle prayed "night and day; and we may presume he means by this, every night and every day, regarding the same thing: and what he did, in this respect also we may presume was not wrong. God is not offended with reiterations of this kind. This is his way, and it will be to our advantage to comply with it. Have we, therefore, prayed for the forgiveness of our sins? Let us continue to do so. Christ himself has thus instructed us to act in the prayer which he taught his disciples. Have we prayed for the sanctification of our souls, for the conversion of the world, and for the prosperity of the Church? Let us still urge these requests; for this is acceptable to God. And let us do so with earnestness-"Praying exceedingly." Prayers often fail because of their languor. The petitions which God hears are those which assume the form of cryings night and day unto him. Luke xviii. 1-7. It is not meant by this that we should indulge in vociferation; but that we should endeavour to have a deep impression of the importance of those things which we ask, and that we should urge them with corresponding earnestness of heart and expression. And such prayers we may be certain God will answer. "Shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?"

2. Its piety. The Apostle prayed exceedingly that he might see the face of the Thessalonian Christians, and for what? Not for any temporal object, but that he might be instrumental in perfecting that which was

lacking in their faith, that is, as Macknight has expressed it, that he might give them "more complete views both of the doctrines and evidences of the gospel, and impart unto them spiritual gifts in greater plenty.” His seeing their face, they being his friends and converts, must have been a pleasant thing: but it was not for this alone that he prayed. He had a spiritual object in view: and if this could not be promoted, he was willing to give up the other. Similar feelings are always necessary to acceptable prayer. Our great business on earth is spiritual: and though God does not forbid our praying to him about temporal things, yet such requests will never be pleasing to him but in so far as they have spiritual things for their ultimate object. Does the reader, therefore, ever pray that he may see those who are dear to him? Let him not think that God will attend to him, unless he has a spiritual object in view as the ultimatum of his request.

"To God himTwo obvious reflec

3. Observe to whom the Apostle addressed his prayer. self even our Father, and to our Lord Jesus Christ.' tions may be made on this statement. 1, That our Lord Jesus Christ must indeed be the very equal of Jehovah; for he is here coupled with God the Father, and is equally addressed with him as the all-present, the alldirecting, and the prayer-hearing God. 2, That it is proper sometimes to address Christ separately in prayer. God the Father is in general, throughout the Bible, the person addressed; and we should do well to follow the Scriptures in this: but we shall do well also sometimes to imitate the Evangelist Stephen who said, "Lord Jesus receive my spirit," and the Apostle Paul who, in three other places, in this and the following epistle, directly addresses his Lord and Master, 1 Thess. iii. 12, 13; 2 Thess. ii. 16, 17; and iii. 5. On what occasions it may be best and most proper to address the Lord Jesus Christ separately, or whether he should at any time have a whole prayer addressed to him alone or only a part, may be left to the feelings of each individual believer. On these topics the Scripture has determined nothing: the heart will sometimes flow out in such a manner towards the Saviour that we shall feel ourselves almost involuntarily his direct suppliants, and that may be the time when it may be most proper to address him separately.

Let us now come to the prayer itself. and consider both its contents and the way in which it was answered. The Apostle's petitions are two. 1, That he might see the Thessalonian Christians. And 2, That he might be instrumental in perfecting that which was lacking in their faith.

1. As to the first petition, that he might see the Thessalonians, it may be asked, what rendered it necessary that he should pray earnestly and so frequently on this head? Was he not free to go to them whenever he pleased? And as, when he penned this prayer, he was not more than 300 miles from them, and separated neither by mountains nor seas, nor by impassable roads, what hindered that he should not go to them immediately? There was much that opposed. He was in danger of his life if he returned. He had been in a manner driven out from the place, Acts xvii. 1-10. He had been pursued to the next city into which he entered, ver. 13. And his friend Jason had been bound down, on his account, by the law, probably either not to harbour him again, or not to allow him, if he returned, to preach any more in the city. And was it desirable that such a man as Paul should be prematurely cut off? Or was Paul at liberty on this occasion to risk his life? The former cannot be said, and the latter can never be affirmed. But still it was desirable that he should return, if possible. Of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few, had believed; and it was a matter of vast importance that they should be confirmed in the faith, and that they should be more fully instructed in

the mystery of the gospel,-things which, from the precipitate flight of the Apostle, he had not had time to do.

And was his prayer answered? Yes: to the very letter. After having remained a year and six months at Corinth, and three years at Ephesus, the time came round when his desire should be accomplished. The obsta cles that existed to his return were now removed out of the way. The historian says, "After the uproar" at Ephesus "was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed to go unto Macedonia. And when he had gone over those parts, he came again into Greece." Now, we know that Thessalonica was one of the principal cities of Macedonia; and without question the Apostle went there. And this is confirmed by our being told, that on his return through Macedonia to Philippi, he was accompanied by Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica. Thus was the Lord mindful of his servant, and attentive to his earnest prayers.

2. As to his second petition, that he might be instrumental in perfecting that which was lacking in the faith of the Thessalonian Christians, this appears to have been abundantly answered in the Spirit's coming upon him and dictating to him, for their instruction, the two epistles which were ad dressed to, and which bear the name of, the Thessalonian Church, and in his having been permitted to visit them again at the time alluded to above. When he wrote his second epistle to them, their faith was so perfected that, in the fullness of his heart, he exclaimed, "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations which ye endure." And in his second epistle to the Corinthians, written some time after, and probably just after his second visit to the Thessalonians, he says, "Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia ; how that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, (I bear record,) yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves; praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped; but first gave their ownselves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God; insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun so he would also finish in you the same grace also.'

Nothing could be more excellent than this. Herein was their faith perfected indeed; and herein too was the Apostle's prayer not only fully realized, but also all that is comprehended in the two verses which imme diately succeed it. "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one to another and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end that he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.' What a picture of Christian loveliness! and what strong proofs that the Lord is the hearer and the answerer of prayer! Let us by these things feel encouraged to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in every time of need."

L.

III.—A brief Account of the Khasees. By the Rev. A. B. L19H, Missionary at Chirá Púnji.

[For the Calcutta Christian Observer.]

The portion of the Sylhet hills which is inhabited by the tribe of people called Khasees, bounds the plains of Sylhet on the north and runs nearly east and west. No particular accounts can, I believe, be furnished relative to the time, manner or circumstances, of our first acquaintance with this uncivilized people. It has been asserted that the town of Sylhet, the villages of Pundua and Chatuk, and a few others, were once in the possession of these mountaineers; but being invaded by their more powerful neighbours the British, they retreated to their native fastnesses, where they remained undisturbed until very recently. In the year 1826 the Khasees were brought into notice. The Burmese war having been brought to a close about that time, it was thought that a speedy and pleasant passage for troops might be obtained, across the Khasee hills into Burmah, should occasion demand such a movement. With this object in view, Mr. Scott, then agent to the Governor General on the north-east frontier, commenced a negociation with the Khasees, through whose country the projected road would principally lie. A particular account of this negociation is given in the life of Mr. Scott by Major White, from which it appears that permission was granted to the British to construct a road, on condition that the Khasees should be allowed to rent certain lands in Assam. A mutual settlement having been made, Mr. Scott visited the hills. He was delighted with the climate, and intimated a wish to the people to build a bungalow at Nunjklow. Permission was given, and the acquaintance became mutual, intimate and generally pleasant. Some of the Khasees were, however, hostile to the intentions of these new-comers, and watched all their movements with a jealous eye. Nearly two years elapsed before any symptoms of their enmity were manifest. During this time they had sufficient opportunity to become acquainted with the character of their new friends and the object they sought to accomplish; but goaded on by hatred and jealousy, they vented their passion in the murder of two unoffending individuals, Lieuts. Bedingfield and Brunton. What could have induced them to fall on these unoffending officers it is not easy to divine. Their conduct is supposed to have been occasioned by the imprudence of a Bengali "chuprassee who, "in a dispute with the Khasees prior to Mr. Scott's coming up. had threatened them with his master's vengeance, and plainly told them that it entered into his plans to subject them to a taxation similar to that upon the inhabitants of the plains."