gradually, but surely sapping the foundations of heathenism and vice. The people are beginning to cast off the despotism of priestcraft, and to reflect upon every doctrine that is proposed to them. By the example and efforts of Missionaries, a mighty impulse has been given to the public mind in the path of moral and religious improvement, an impulse which has caused a movement, that will not be retarded till, as it is hoped, it will in many cases subside in the attainment of truth. If then, the tone of society is in some measure improved, if the downward progress of error is being checked, and a people so long proverbial for mental weakness and the most absurd credulity, are beginning to think and inquire, is there not reason to conclude that much has been done, considering the small amount of means that are employed? We shall not wait to prove that the labour of Missionaries has principally contributed to effect this happy change; all who know any thing of the state of European as well as native society in this city 40 years ago, are well aware how much is to be attributed to the influence and exertions of Missionaries. So much has been done as ought to silence every gainsayer, and ought to prove that, regarding the Missionaries' labours in their lowest aspect, they are of vast importance and effective of the well-being of society. We are however free to confess that, as regards the conversion of the heathen to God, little has been yet effected. In this respect, Christian Missions are still in their infancy in this part of the country. The instances of native christians being zealous for the honour of their Saviour, of exhibiting a deep conviction of, and sorrow for, sin, of showing a strong desire to increase in knowledge and holiness, and an anxiety for the salvation of their countrymen, are very few and seldom to be met with. The general character of the native christians heretofore is that of deadness, indifference, want of love and zeal in the Redeemer's cause. This is a melancholy fact: still God has not left his word without a witness. There are those who adorn their profession, who have not only embraced the religion of Jesus but experienced its transforming power, and desire" to walk in ail the commandments of the Lord blameless." One remarkable instance of the power of Divine grace over the heart of a Hindu, is found in Bábájí the subject of the memoir before us. Bábájí was a bráhman, and a pandit. He was born in 1791 at Ruggothna in the southern Concan. Little is known of his early history, his mother immolated herself on her husband's funeral pile, and his only brother became a Jogí or religious mendicant, and in consequence the whole of the family property fell into his hands. About the year 1820 he was employed as a Pandit by the Rev. Mr. Crawford of the Scottish Mission, at Bombay, with whom he

remained for 2 years. In the year 1823 he went to Bombay and was employed by the American Missionaries, through whom he was brought to the knowledge of the truth. While with them, he had frequent opportunities of becoming acquainted with Christianity; but although his judgment was convinced, his heart was still unchanged. In 1828 Bábájí was persecuted by his brethren the Bráhmans for complying with the request of the Missionaries, who required all in their employ to attend family worship, and stand up during the time of prayer. He pleaded in his defence, that there was nothing contrary to the shástras in his conduct in this instance. A council of Bráhmans was held to condemn him, and cast him out. "He attended and defended himself with ability, and told many of the Bráhmans present, that with them he had actually eaten beef and drunk brandy, and caroused for whole nights together. This open exposure raised a violent storm against him, to escape which he had to leave Bombay for a time." His mind from this period seems to have been in a fluctuating state; he was convinced of the absurdity and tyranny of Hinduism, and despised it in his soul; he was persuaded of the truth of Christianity, but his heart was yet untouched; he knew so much of Christianity, and moreover was so honest and ingenuous, that he dared not to profess it while he was conscious of living an impure life. His soul was alternately entangled in the meshes of infidelity, or tortured by strong convictions of sin and compunctious of conscience. In 1831 it pleased God to enlighten his mind and sanctify his heart by the word of truth. The state of Bábájí's mind at this time, and the manner of his conversion will appear more interesting when related in his own words. Of his conversion he wrote an account; we are sorry that we have not room for the whole of it, we must confine ourselves to a few extracts. Bábájí, a servant of Jesus Christ."

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"This is the controversy which I had with my mind before I became a Christian. I first reasoned with my mind thus: O, my soul! art thou sinful or not? Then the soul replied, yes, I am sinful, and am still committing sin. Then, I said, if thou remainest in sin, what will be thy reward? My soul said, if I die in sin, I must suffer punishment in hell for ever. Then, continued I, does it seem good to thee to endure eternal punishment? The soul replied, it does not seem good. If it does not, what then art thou doing to escape the just recompense of sin? Truly, thought I, by walking according to the Hindoo religion, I am only wor shipping and serving idols, and calling over the names of Rám, Vishnoo, Kristna, and of the multitude of our other deities. But what does this profit? This is but a system devised by man, while the religion ordained by God, must be for all men."

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* "When my mind was thus distressed I resolved to cast aside every system of religion, forsake the world, and flee to a gooroo. I then employed a brahmun, by the name of Wasadeo, as my gooroo; of him I learned the muntras. These I repeated no less than three thousand

times. For a time my mind was satisfied. But soon I began to reason with myself again. Is my gooroo without sin? If not how can a sinful gooroo save a sinful disciple? What now shall I do? Where shall I find a sinless gooroo? Alas! Alas! among the whole human race there is not a sinless man to be found. For all men from their birth are sinful. Then I brought to mind the instructions I had heard, how that the almighty, allwise, ever just, merciful and holy God, in order to make atonement for the sins of men, had took on him the nature of man, and became incarnate in the world. The name of this incarnation is the anointed Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is said in our shastras that the good works of a sardoo (saint) are his way to heaven. But what are described to be the marks of a sardoo?

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"They are these-equity, compassion, self-denial, freedom from anger, and disregard of caste. But such a man is not to be found, for all men are deceitful and deceived, covetous, lascivious. Therefore O my soul, despise thyself, and flee for refuge to God the Saviour Jesus Christ, and he will make you worthy by the Holy Spirit. Hast thou ever heard of him of whom I now speak? Yes I have often heard of him, and read his shastras. And what do you think of him? I believe the Christian shastras to be true, and Jesus Christ the true Saviour of the world. Why not then believe on him? Should I believe on him and be baptised, should I not be defiled? according to the Christian shastras the things which defile a man, are these-evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, theft, lying, deceit, and such like things. By loving unholy objects, my mind has become polluted. I have despised the goodness of God which should have led me to repentance. What shall I now do to be saved? I then determined that I would renounce all worldly hope, cast off the fear of the people, repent and flee to Jesus Christ, and cry with my whole heart to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, three in one, that he would have mercy on me. I fully resolved to go to Jesus, to be baptised and partake of the Lord's supper, and to keep myself from sin. I then prayed to the living God, and communed with my own heart.

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"From that time I have examined myself, to see if I walked according to the gospel. If I find myself acting or thinking contrary to my Saviour and my God, I repent, forsake it, and ask forgiveness. When I do right I know this is through the influence of the Holy Spirit; and for this, I thank God. Moreover I leave myself in the hands of God, through the mercy of Jesus Christ."

By these short extracts the intelligent reader cannot fail to be reminded of the heart-stirring and pathetic confessions of Augustine. He indeed was a prince in Israel, a leader in the church of Christ, and from his infancy familiarized with the Sacred Scriptures through the example and instructions of a pious mother. Bábájí was a Hindu, a degraded idolator, and therefore we cannot expect to find the same knowledge and christian experience in him. Both however spoke from the convictions of a soul oppressed with guilt and recently emancipated by the grace of Christ. Bábájí, was a useful member of the Mission as long as he lived. He was a living example to the heathen, particularly to the Brahmans, of the salutary influence which Christianity alone can exert over the heart and life. He was a zealous preacher of the Gospel, and laboured

incessantly for the salvation of his countrymen. But let us hear his character from one who knew him personally, and appreciated his worth. 1

"He died, says Mr. Read, on the 17th April, 1833, aged forty-two; lamented by the mission, deeply lamented by his bereaved widow, lament. ed by the church, by the people of the poor-house, and respected, as far as a person in his circumstances could be, by all. He was highly esteemed by the lower orders of the people; and the Brahmans, while they no doubt most cordially hated him for having abandoned the religion of his fathers, and not only become a proselyte to another religion, but a teacher of it, could not but respect him as a clever man, and an honest, upright, and sincere outcast."

He was

"Bábájí was an extraordinary instance of piety and zeal. brought into the kingdom of his Redeemer at a late period of his life. His whole soul seemed intent on a single object-professedly the grand ob ject of every disciple of Christ. Zeal for the house of God consumed him. He was a light to the Gentiles. He emerged from the dark abyss of idolatry. He shone brightly for a little space. Many saw the light, and a few were guided by its refulgence to the Sun of Righteousness. This light was extinguished. It sunk not again into the abyss, but ascend. ed, burning brighter and brighter, till it was lost in the inextinguishable splendor of the perfect day.'

Such was Bábájí, and such must be the general features of the life and character of every true disciple of Christ. The question may be asked, and it ought to be met with a fair and honest reply, are there many such among our christian converts? Are there many Bábájís to be found in our native churches ? In northern India it may be that our converts are numbered by scores. Are these native christians remarkable for their anxiety to know the will of the Lord, for their disinterestedness and zeal in promoting the salvation of their countrymen, for the facility with which they give up cast, and every heathenish practice, for their strict adherence to truth in all things? These are important and momentous questions, and ought to be treated with caution and diffidence. Our own opinion is, that in northern India, the germ from which the christian church must spread is not yet formed-the nucleus from which the life, and vigour, and heat of christian principles must radiate, and destroy the powers of darkness, has not yet been called into existence. We fully agree with Mr. Read in his estimate of the character of native converts. He honestly places before us an account of the state of the native church at Ahmednuggur (see vol. 2, chap. 6) which, generally speaking, is a correct specimen of the native churches with which we are acquainted. There are two classes of our readers who are greatly mistaken regarding the character of native converts, and their errors on this subject, strange to say, are in opposite directions; the one expect too much, the other look for too little, from men recently brought out of hea

then darkness to profess the gospel of Christ. Some, when they hear that the heathen in crowds listen to the gospel message, receive tracts and books with eagerness, and profess to be convinced, imagine that a wonderful work has been accomplished. They expect to hear that Hindus professing to be christians are very zealous for the honor of their God; that they possess more humility, more devotedness, and more love to the Saviour and to the souls of men, than the same class of persons in a christian country. In fact, when they read of a native christian church, they imagine to themselves a body of humble believers, mourning over their corruptions, listening with delight to the spiritual instructions of their pastor, encouraging each other with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, and labouring to bring their hea then neighbours to the light of the truth, they have themselves embraced. Alas! this is but a midsummer dream, easily dissipated by a simple statement of facts. Whatever impressions such individuals may have received, and from whatever quarter, a very slight acquaintance with the state of our native churches, would soon convince them of their error, and perhaps bring them from the height of exultation to the vortex of despondency. If any of our young friends have been wrought upon by such Elysian dreams, if such be the feeling by which they have been, or may be excited to devote themselves to the work of an evangelist, we must tell them plainly they have not counted the cost. The supporting and animating principles of the Missionary, mustspring from another and a higher source. Persons who cherish such ideas regarding the character of native converts, must be very ignorant of the corrupt nature of man, when buried for ages under the rubbish of superstition and wickedness, and particularly of the character of the Hindus. How contrary to every principle of reason, to the very nature of things, to expect that a Hindu, whose soul has been the seat of every uncurbed passion, whose mind has been blinded from infancy by the most debasing idolatry, who indeed is proverbial for all that is mean, deceitful, and cunning, should equal, nay surpass the man born in a christian country, who has received a religious education accompanied with the prayers of pious parents? The one is familiar with all that is debasing and destructive of the moral principle, the other is acquainted with the scriptures from his youth, and with a religious example. Both may have gone equally far astray from the path of virtue and piety; but when both are brought back to the shepherd and Bishop of souls, is it reasonable to expect that both should be equally distinguished for zeal, for christian knowledge, and consistency of character? Two pieces of marble may be so polished by the hand of the artist as to make the difference between them and the quar