In this glorious way Christianity operates upon the human mind in the augmentation of those energies which have the alleviation of misery in all its diversified forms, as its great object. Religion infuses in the mind principles of benevolence, which are diffused abroad in all their God-like varieties, for the happiness of mortals. In ancient times, men looked upon their talents, of whatever description, as their own, which they might use or cease to use at their discretion. But the great Author of our religion was the first who taught that, however, in a legal point of view, the talent of individuals might belong exclusively to themselves, so that no other person had a right to demand the use of it by force, yet in the Christian dispensation they were but the stewards of every talent for good; that so much was expected from this stewardship, that it was difficult for those who were intrusted with it to enter his spiritual kingdom; that these had no right to conceal their talent in a napkin; but they were bound to dispense a portion of it to the relief of their fellow-creatures; and that, in proportion to the magnitude of it, they were accountable for the extensiveness of its use. He was the first who pronounced the misapplication of it to be a crime, and a crime of no ordinary dimensions. He was the first who broke down the boundary between Jew and Gentile, and therefore the first who pointed out to men the inhabitants of other countries for the exercise of their philanthropy and love. Hence a distinction is to be made, both in the principle and practice of charity, as existing in ancient or in modern times. It then came down as the drop, but now it is to resemble the falling shower descending from the wide-spread cloud of Christian benevolence. That which even was a mere stream in ancient times, is now to be comparable to the stupendous and magnificent ocean. That which was a beam or ray, is now to appear a sun in splendour and utility, shedding a salutary influence over the benighted nations. To Christianity alone we are indebted for the new and sublime spectacle of seeing men going beyond the bounds of individual usefulness to each other; of seeing them associate in large bodies for the extirpation of private and public misery; and of seeing them carry their charity, as a united brotherhood, into foreign lands. Yes, Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, have been benefitted by such combinations, and greatly meliorated by such mutual exertions. And in this wider field of benevolence it would be unjust not to confess, that no country has shone with more true lustre than our own; there being scarcely any case of acknowledged affliction for which some of her Christian children have not united in an attempt to provide relief. Among the evils, corrected or subdued, either by the general influence of Christianity on the minds of men, or by particular associations of Christians, the Missionary Society, amongst various denominations, appears to me to have occupied one of the foremost places. Like the illustrious luminary, the glorious sun, when he goeth from his eastern chamber, and "rejoiceth as a giant to run a race, gilding the regions of the universe, until his brilliant rays set in the western sky- -so the Wesleyan Missionary Society, already in its progress, has shed a lustre, and diffused an influence through many once benighted nations. " "Hail, Britain, hail! may nature's choicest stores, The Missionary cause may be considered as a grand instrument, calculated to remove the greatest evils, and to disseminate the greatest good. It is a gallant stately vessel, navigating seas remote, not to oppress, plunder, and destroy, but to instruct, to civilize, and save. May her voyage be prosperous, and her peaceful designation consummated! Such a great cause as this cannot be forwarded without erge pecuniary funds. The permanent relief of the nations requires the prompt assistance of the nations: and where the interests of unnumbered myriads are concerned, constant energies in their behalf is imperiously demanded. The principle of benevolence, when duly cultivated, brings forth fresh shoots, and becomes en. larged. And thus one person engaging in a good cause is not unfrequently a stimulus to others also, to use their efforts, and contribute their respective mites. In all great works, variety of talents is necessary to bring them to perfection, and on this account it is that Providence seems to prepare different persons as instruments, with dispositions and qualifications so various, that each, in pursuing that line which seems to suit him best, contributes to furnish those parts, which, when put together, make up a complete whole. There never was a cause in which the duty of Christian charity can can be so extensively exercised. It extends itself to the remotest nations. Its fostering wing is spread to cover the defenceless natives of every clime and region under heaven, as far as the state of its finances will admit. The means of the institution are not yet equal to the immensity of its grand designs. Hence may be learned the necessity of increasing exertions, and more combined and vigorous co-operation. Let the torch of Britain illumine every land!" Freely ye have received, freely give." Suffer not the imploring nations to solicit your help in vain. Our country is exalted among the nations for the noblest purposes. Let then the empire of Britain be an empire of mercy! Instead of alarm arising from the thunder of her power, let the nations hail the blessings of her beneficence. The signs of the present times are eminently auspicious, and is it presumptuous to indulge the pious hope, that to Great Britain may be entrusted the high commission of making known the name of Jehovah to the whole earth. May her sons value their privileges, and perform without delay their respective duties! OBITUARY. Died, at Scarborough, on the 12th of February last, in the 66th year of his age, Mr. JOSEPH KYTE, several years a preacher in the Methodist Connexion. At an early period in life, he was impressed with a concern for his salvation; and while yet young, was deeply awakened to a sense of his sinfulness and guilt, by hearing a sermon of the late pious Mr. Valton, on Rom. viii. 9. Being invited to attend the class-meetings, he gladly complied, and found them encouraging and edifying to his disconsolate mind. At the following quarterly visitation of the classes, he received a note of admittance into the society, from Mr. James Wood, and on the same night found peace with God. Soon after this he began to exercise his talent in calling sinners to repentance, and in unfolding the riches of the grace of Christ to the perishing children of men. At that time he was in business, and both his heart and house were open to entertain the messengers of Christ. The wise Disposer of events, having taken away the desire of his eyes, and called to an early grave five of his children, some of his brethren thought this was a call to him to engage in a line of more extensive usefulness. Accordingly, in the year 1792 he was recommended to Conference, and appointed to a Circuit, and he continued in the office of an Itinerant Preacher until 1799, when he was obliged to desist from travelling, on ac count of his bad state of health. He settled at Scarborough, where he remained till his death. During his residence in this place, he preached as often as his health would permit, and his services were acceptable. He also acted as leader of a class, in which capacity he was very useful. To promote the welfare of the Sunday School was likewise his de light. Since last July, his health declined rapidly, and in the autumn he was seized with a deafness, which made it painful to converse with him; but as his outward man decayed, it was evident that his inward man was daily ripening for eternity. Last November he received the distressing information of his son Charles having been drowned at sea, which gave his shattered frame a severe shock, this was followed by a paralytic affection, which almost deprived him of the use of speech, but he continued happy in God. Being asked how he felt the state of his mind, he replied, " Happy! my feet are on the rock. Christ is precious." In this state he continued till he was seized with the agonies of death, and his happy soul was released from its clay prison, and entered the paradise of God. His mortal remains, followed by a multitude who respected him, were interred under the vestry belonging to the Methodist chapel. Scarborough, THOMAS GEE. March 5, 1819. MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE. CEYLON. UNDER this head, because intimately connected with the Ceylon Mission, we last month laid before our readers, a letter from Dr. CLARKE, giving an account of the two Budhu Priests, under his care. We have now the pleasure to add, a short account of the motives which led them to leave Ceylon for England, lately written by MUNHI RATHANA, and presented to Sir A. JOHNSTON, who has been obliging enough to allow us to publish it. Budhu Books of Religion. Jataka Jataka atu wha ve Rhatha na kere Rhatha na wally ye 2 8 9 Sut Derm Lum carrey Parie tshada 10 Rrit Heria na thicka Dena tsharre ave 11 12 13 14 15 Wina ya lon kar re These books above mentioned 1 have thoroughly read, and endeavoured as much as I am able to understand; but there are so many things contradictory and opposed to common sense, that I find them impossible to be reconciled to my judgment. The two grand doctrines of which I could not see the reason, are these; the transmigration of souls, and the bowing down to images. view of this book. But my evil sense told me, if I were to be baptized I should lose every thing, my money, my friends, my dwelling, my reverence among the people, and indeed every thing I held dear. This my better reason told me I must not mind; I wanted truth, and that I must get. In this way my mind was agitated like the sea, sometimes raised into the greatest tempests, by warring winds, and at other times a still calm. In this state, I thought of studying the Testament, and read the 5th chapter of Matthew. In this chapter I saw a palace, a place of glory, was prepared for me, if I would take my sword firmly in my hand, detertermne to fight bravely, and manfully overcome all the suggestions of my evil imaginations. My second contention was with my mother, which began in this manner: I addressed her with, I want to go to England. My mother said, Why do you want to go to England? Because I want to be baptized, and to learn the Christian religion. My mother, weeping and crying, said, Who told you this greatly evil sense? I said, no man, but my good sense told me. My mother answered, I will tell you what. Very well, madam. 1, your father, grand-father, great grandfather, all your relations, the Cingalese people, the Burma country, Siam, all these believe our god, and only you do not. Why do you not? why do you not like our god? tell me the bad things in our religion. I said, O yes mother, I will tell you them in a very few words. If a carpenter take any kind of wood, make half of it into a stool or chair, the other half make into an image, put on paint, and having finished it, you call this your god Budhu, there is very little difference between them. Why do you worship, give gold and silver, clothes, food, and flowers to it? Mother, why do you not worship the stool or chair? Mother made no answer. Mother, I continued, the people that live in this country are foolish; I will not stop. Those people had a sense of another kind than what was * 2 N* Why for instance, my father's soul (he being a good man) after death, and after enjoying a state of happiness, should descend into the body of a cow or pig, I could not comprehend. My books tell me that a man's goodness can be worn out, unless kept up by a continued series of good actions, in the same way as a field, if not continually sown, produces nothing, and that this is the reason why the soul comes into another state of trial after all the good is worn out. This doctrine I could by no means understand. The worship of idols is still more ridiculous. For why should we worship a thing we ourselves have made, and which has no sense or perception? When these things had been considered a long time, I took the New Testament, read it, and found nothing in it but what was consoBant to reason. I then thought, if I were to go to baptism, I should get a clearer Vol. XLII. April, 1819. right. If a man be sick, he takes eggs, fowls, goats, and offers them to many gods; at the same time calling out, Come and help, come and help, take away my sickness, and receive these things. This he does to many gods. Do you never believe these things. There is only one God, and do you pray, "Our Father which art in heaven." If a fire burns in your heart, and destroys it, these words will put it out like water, and keep you from being destroyed, if you will hear the truth. Farewell mother, I am going to England. MUNHI RATHANA. The following are extracts from a journal of Mr. CARVER, which we have had some time in possession. It contains additional evidence of the moral wretchedness of the people, and the necessity of extended zealous and persevering Missionary exertions to meet their case. March 31, 1817. It being thought necessary to visit the island of Karadive (or Amsterdam) I set out this evening to Batticotte, which is a little more than half way, and about seven miles from Jaffna. Batticotte is a pretty place, having a very large church, but without the roof, a house in ruins, and the out-buildings are in a state of desolation. The American Missionaries are fitting up the house, and mean to make this place one of their principal Mission stations. During the time of the Dutch, it was the residence of the second in command. April 2. After passing over a hard country of hard coral rock, with here and there a tuft of grass, we came to the channel which separates the two islands. Here the poor people were going up and down the shallow parts of the water, catching a few small fishes, which in England would not be thought worthy the trouble of dressing; but England is a happy land, and many know it not. It being low water the Coolies ventured to carry the palanquin across without a boat; but it took them nearly one hour to wade through the mud and water. The church is about an English mile from the water's edge, and both it and the minister's house are in ruins. The island is very low and flat, and in the rains nearly inundated. It produces things common to Ceylon, and may perhaps contain one thousand inhabitants, who live by the cultivation of the land and fishing. They appear very little informed, further than what necessity compels them to learn. Many came to look at us, greatly wondering, never recollecting to have seen a minister on that island during their life time. They had no schools, no books, few that could read, and few inclined to learn; all heathens, worshipping they knew not what. About two hundred yards from the church stands a Hindoo temple, which has its Brahmins and its ceremonies, while the church, which bears the name of "Christian" is deserted and in ruins. Wilt not thou revive us again O Lord. I gave the head-man a copy of the New Testament, which he promised to read, and to let any others read, who might desire it. At noon we got back to Batticotte, and at 5 P. M. I visited another village on my way home, called Changany. At this place we found the ruins of another church and house, after the same plan as the Mayluti establishment, but in a worse condition. This place bears sufficient marks of the glory and power of its former possessors; but is now left to the mercy of the ruthless elements. The church and house are crumbling into dust together. This is one of the most fertile parts of the country; but the inhabitants are abandoned to the grossest superstitions. 12th. Being the first day of the heathen new year, many of them came to pay their respects to the Europeans; among the rest came the head Brahmin of the heathen temple at Nallour. I conversed with him some time, asking many questions, which he had learned to answer by his former conversations with ministers. He remarked, "their shasters taught every thing about the world." I asked, who wrote them? "Men from heaven." How do you know that? “Because it is written in the shaster." In what country did these men appear? What time did they remain on earth? Did they go back to heaven, or did they die? He replied, he could not tell me, and asked if I could answer so many questions respecting our shaster; being answered in the affirma tive, I again requested to know, what is the reason that you hide your shaster, if it tell us about all the world, and will not let it be read, even by your own people? To which he remarked, “Sir, if a man have a stone or a treasure, will he not lock it up in a box, and not shew every one?" I said, if your book were from God, and if you were men of God, you would put it into the hands of all men that they might learn to know God also. He was confounded, begged to be excused, that he might go, and departed. August 11th. Very early in the morning I went to see the grand procession of an heathen ceremony at Nallour, about three miles from Jaffnapatam. Crowds of people from all parts filled the road a mile before we came to the temple. The gentle opening morn dispelled the mist, and discovered to my view a vast concourse of people on the plain. The Brahmins were busily engaged arranging mat ters for the ceremony, while expectation sat on every countenance. Many of the people had come from far to behold the spectacle, and the dragging of the car round the temple was to close the idolatrous scene. Being surrounded by the people on every side, I spoke by an interpreter to many of them. At last coming to an old man, the following conversation took place. How old are you? Nearly eighty years of age. What brought you hither? I came to worship Swamy, and pray to him to forgive my sins. What is Swamy made of? Gold. Can gold hear prayer or forgive sin? You know it cannot; you are very old, and just stepping into eternity; there you will find that Swamy is no god. There is none that can forgive sins but Jesus Christ; Jesus died for you, none but Jesus can save you. And with many other words I exhorted him, and those near him, to inquire after the true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent to be the Saviour of the world. So much impression had my remarks made on the old man, and a youth about nineteen, that they followed me wherever I went. I gave to each of them a tract in their own language. By this time the sun had advanced above the horizon, and shed his cheering rays across the plain; but as if ashamed to behold the wickedness of men, veiled himself behind a cloud. Mean while the sounds of harsh and inharmonious music increasing, proclaimed the advance of the idol to his car. He came, preceded by dancing girls,+ drums, flags, and streamers of various kinds. A universal mark of adoration was paid by the people, by putting together of the hands, and raising them above the head; which seems to be the substance of exterior worship with the multitude. The idol being placed on his car, which was nearly 30 feet high, and •The name of the Idol. + Prostitutes of the temple. a sheep slain at his foot, to appease the evil demon, who it is supposed would otherwise obstruct its progress, the Brahmins seated themselves around the object of adoration. All things being ready, and a long cable taken out among the people, they dragged forth the car with a kind of horrible triumph and exultation. Immediately a double line of devotees were stretched upon the ground, rolling after the car in a course marked out by the two wheels. The procession stopped, and another sheep was slaughtered, to remove the evil demon who was supposed to have prevented their advance. By the help of a lever, the car was again set in motion, while I placed myself at an angle, to ascertain the number rolling after it, which were about TAREE HUNDRED! Perhaps the whole assembly might be about five thousand people, the blinded dupes of Brahmins, the chief of whom has not scrupled to tell me frequently in conversation, that all those things are folly; but they must keep up the customs of their fathers, and do something to please the people. Having made the circuit of the temple, various offerings were made before the god was taken in; afterwards he was deposited in his own place, there to remain for another twelve-month, when those who are not called to give up their account to God, will probably repeat the same scene. age, formerly a scholar with brother A youth, about eighteen years of Lynch, and who has since received great benefit from the American Missionaries, has been violently and cruelly persecuted. His father conceiving it a most singular misfortune, that his son should depart from the customs of his ancestors, has spared neither kindness nor cruelty, but all in vain. He niade him large promises, he flogged him, he dragged him to the temple, and there he kneeled down to pray for his persecutor, who beat him, and dragged him out again; not stopping here, his father furiously seized his Testament and some tracts, committing them to the flames, as the authors of his misfortunes. The young man being incurable, and after being confined in his father's house with his feet made fast in the stocks, he was the other day banished to Kandy, to be out of our way. He called upon me before he went off, and I gave him another Testament. To a question put to him, he replied, "Every one knows my heart is with the Christians." The following extract of a Letter from Mr. NEWSTEAD to the Committee, dated Negombo, May 27, 1818, contains many particulars as to that * 2 N 2 * |