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TWO
DISCOURSES
PREACHED
BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE,
ON COMMENCEMENT SUNDAY,
July 1, 1810.
AND
A SERMON ..
PREACHED
BEFORE THE SOCIETY FOR MISSIONS TO AFRICA
AND THE EAST 5
AT THEIR TENTH ANNIVERSARY.
June 12, 1810.
TO WHICH ARE ADDED
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES
Rev. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, D. D.
LATE VICE-PROVOST OF THE COLLEGE OF FORT-WILLIAM,
IN BENGAL.
LONDON:
Printed by G SIDNEY, Northumberland-street ;
FOR T. CADELL AND W. DA VIES, IN THE STRAND J
AND J. DEIGHTON, CAMBRIDGE.
1811.
CONTENTS.
SERMONS.
Page
Commencement Sermon, preached before the Univer-
sity of Cambridge, on Sunday Morning, July 1,1810, I
Commencement Sermon, in the Afternoon of the
same day . . . 29
Sermon before the Society for Missions to Africa and
the East 5 preached in London, June 12, 1810 . ?5
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES
IN ASIA.
Introduction .. 1
The CHINESE V. 9
The HINDOOS 16
Juggernaut 17
Immolation of Females 35
Letters of King George I. and Archbishop Wake ... 42
Tranquebar 50
Tanjore 55
Tritchinopoly 64
Versions of the Scriptures for the Hindoos 67
The CiYLONBSE 7&
The MALAYS ..< , 78
The SYRIAN CHRISTIANS in India .,,...,... 83
CONTENTS.
Page
The Malabar Bible 122
Syriac Bible 123
ROMISH CHRISTIANS in India 125
Inquisition at Goa 130
Translation of the Scriptures for the Romish
Christians 156
The PERSIANS 159
The ARABIANS 168
The Conversion of SABAT 179
The Arabic School for the Translation of the
Scriptures 185
The JEWS in Asia 191
Their MSS. of the Scriptures 207
The Ten Tribes 215
Restoration of the Jews 220
Versions of the Scriptures into the Eastern Languages
for the Jews 22?
Bibliotheca Biblica in Bengal 231
The ARMENIANS 237
Vestiges of the Doctrines of Revelation 243
Ecclesiastical Establishment for British India 251
Letter on this subject from Dr. Watson, bishop of
Llandaff; to the Author 257
Conclusion 27S
A- list of WORKS on the Civilization of the East ;
being the compositions which gained the Prizes, or
were presented to the Universities in competition
for the Prizes, instituted by Dr. Buchanan......... 279
SERMON I.
(MORNING.)
GEN. I. 3. I<et there be LIGHT.
" JLN THE BEGINNING, GOD created the heavens
" and the earth. And the earth was without
" form and void, and darkness was upon the face
<e of the deep. And God said, Let there be
"Light': and there was Light." In these first
words of Revelation we read how God gave light
to the NATURAL world. But he is also the author
of spiritual light; and by the same almighty Fiat,
he dispelled the darkness of the MORAL world.
For, cc when the fulness of time was come, God
ci sent forth his son," who is "'the brightness of
" his glory, and the express image of his person ;"
and he said unto the Church, which was to be
illuminated by him, " Arise, shine, for thy Light
is come :" (Is. Ix. 1.) and the people which sat
in darkness and in the shadow of death, saw a
GREAT LIGHT. (Matt. iv. 16.)
B
Clje etas of ttgl)t.
Now the Scriptures mark a certain analogy
between the creation of natural and of spiritual
light; and shew that both are produced by an
exertion of the same Almighty power. " For
** God, who commanded the light to shine out of
t darkness, hath shined in our HEARTS, to give the
c light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
" the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Cor. iv. 6.
Under the authority of this analogy we may
be permitted to inquire, which is the grandest
display of the Divine power, the creation of na-
tural or of spiritual light? The production of the
sun, which shines in the firmament, or spiritual
illumination by HIM, who is called " the Sun of
" Righteousness ;" connected as it is with those
stupendous events in heaven and earth, (< which
" angels desire to look into ;" the incarnation of
the Deity ; the passion, death, resurrection, and
ascension of the Mediator ; the coming of the
Holy Ghost ; the gift of Tongues ; the promul-
gation of the Gospel ; and the liberation of mil-
lions of souls from darkness to light, and from
the power of Satan unto God ? Doubtless, the
glory of the spiritual dispensation far transcends
that of the natural creation, both in the impor-
tance of its effects, and in the extent of its dura-
tion.
Let this, then, be our subject, to contemplate
(Etas of *Ug!)t s
the spiritual illumination which comes by Jesus
Christ ; who, when the world was in darkness,
" brought life and immortality to light by the
" Gospel." Of the diffusion of this heavenly
Light, we shall notice three distinct Eras.
I. The first Era is that of the Promulgation
of the Gospel by CHRIST himself.
II. The second is the Era of the REFORMA-
TION; when, after that the Christian world had
again sunk into darkness, and passed a long night
of SUPERSTITION, the beams of truth broke forth
with renewed splendor.
III. A third Era of Light is the PRESENT
PERIOD. The Reformed Church, after preserv-
ing its purity as long, perhaps, as the primitive
Church, began to suffer a general declension, and
was in danger of being utterly overthrown by
INFIDELITY. A decorous external profession
was indeed observed ; and, in our own Church,
" the form of sound words " was retained ; but
the spirit and power of religion had very gene-
rally departed. By many persons the spiritual
influence of the Gospel was not even acknow-
ledged. The effusion of the Divine spirit was
not believed to exist in any measure or degree,
but was considered as something which was
confined to the first age of the Church. But
now the vital spirit of our religion hath revived,
4 Ci)e eras of
and is producing the fruits* of the first century.
Christianity hath assumed its true character, as
c < the Light of the world." The Holy Scrip-
tures are multiplying without number. Trans-
lations are preparing in almost all languages ;
and Preachers are going forth into almost every
region, " to make the ways of God known upon
" earth, his saving health among all nations."
I. We are first to review that grand Era of
Light, when " the Sun of Righteousness"' him-
self appeared.
The period of this event has been observed
as an epoch of time by almost all the civilized
nations of the world ; and with good reason ;
for the world was in darkness till Christ came-
The Spirit of God, indeed, moved upon the face
of the earth ; and to the Patriarchs and Pro-
phets an intimation was given that a Light
WOULD come ; yet it was true that, with the
exception of the chosen people, who were them-
selves the harbingers of the Light, "darkness
" covered the earth, and gross darkness the peo-
" pie." This was the state of mankind even
in the brightest periods of Greece and Rome.
Those nations had made some progress in
natural science, and in human learning ; but
they were utterly ignorant of THAT science
which is chiefly worthy of an immortal crea-
etas of
ture ; namely, the knowledge of their Creator,
and of their being's use arid end.
Such was the state of the moral world, when
HE came, who is called ' the DESIRE of ALL
Nations." (Haggai ii. 7-)^ was not unlike
the state of the natural world, at that period of
creation when " the earth was without form,
" and void; and darkness was upon the face of
" the deep." But while mankind were involved
in this spiritual obscurity, f{ The WORD was
" made flesh," That eternal Word, " by whom
" all things were made, and without whom was-
" not any thing made that was made," John i. 3.;
by whom " God made the worlds." Heb. i. . ;
that same Almighty word which spake at the
first creation, said a second time, " LET THERE
" BE LIGHT ?" and there was Light. " I am
" come," said our Saviour, "a LIGHT into the
" world, that whosoever believeth on me should
" not abide in darkness." (John xii. 46.) Christ
came to reveal " the MYSTERY which was kept
" secret since the world began, but now is
" made manifest; and by the Scriptures of the
" Prophets, according to the commandment of
" the Everlasting God, made known to all
" Nations." Rom. xvi. 25. What then was
this Mystery which Christ came to reveal ?
He revealed the LOVE of God the FATHEE
6 ci)e eras of Ltgljt
" God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only
" begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on
" Him, should not perish, but have everlasting
" life." John iii. Id.
He revealed the ATONEMENT of God the SON,
in assuming the human nature, and offering
himself up a sacrifice for the sins of men. " My
" flesh," saith he, " I will give for the life of
" the world." John vi. 5 1 . i( A BODY hast
" thou prepared me. Lo, I come to do thy will,
O God." Heb. x. 5.
He revealed the INSPIRATION of God the
HOLY GHOST; which was now to descend from
heaven, and to " abide with men FOR EVER ;"
(John xiv. 16.) even the spirit of truth which
should " reprove THE WORLD of sin, and of righ-
' teousness, and of judgment ;" John xvi. 8.;
the Holy Spirit, which should " be given by
" our heavenly Father to them that ASK HIM."
Luke xi. 11. These were the doctrines which
were to give LIGHT to the world. They arc
comprehended by the Apostle Peter in one sen-
tence. He addresses believers as being " elect,
" according to the foreknowledge of God the
<c FATHER, through sanctification of the SPIRIT
*' unto obedience; and sprinkling of the blood
** of JESUS CHRIST. 1 Pet. i. 2.
These doctrines our Saviour embodied in a
Clje eras of iigl)t 7
short Commission or Charge, which he delivered,
after his ascension into heaven, to one of his
Apostles. It was given to that Apostle, whom
our Lord called " the CHOSEN VESSEL, to
" bear his name to the Gentiles." Acts ix. 15.
For when Paul was proceeding on his way to
Damascus, " a light above the brightness of the
<c sun shone around him ; and our Saviour
spoke to him from heaven in the following
words : " I send thee to the Gentiles to open
^ their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to
" light, and from the power of Satan unto
" God ; that they may receive forgiveness of
" sins, and inheritance among them which are
<f sanctified by faith, which is in me." Acts
" xxvi. 18.
This Charge our Lord delivered AFTER his
ascension into heaven, expressly for the instruc-
tion of l>is Ministers, in regard to the DOC-
TRINE they were to preach, and the EFFECTS
which should follow. It may therefore be con-
sidered as a summary of the doctrine of the
four Gospels; and every Minister of Christ
ought to engrave it on the tablet of his me-
mory, and comprehend it well; whether he
preach " to Greek or to barbarian, to learned or
" to unlearned, to bond or to free."
Here is first established that fundamental
8 Cije (Eras; of JUgijt
truth, which ought ever to be present with us
in all our counsels concerning the promulgation
of the gospel, That the Gentiles are " under
" the power of Satan." " I send thee," saith
our Lord, " to the Gentiles, to turn them from
"the power of Satan unto God/' This is a
truth which the wisdom of this world "will not
" receive ;" and it is assaulted by a false phi-
losophy continually. But, like a rock assailed
by the restless waves, it will remain for ever
IMMOVEABLE. For what we call a revelation
from heaven, is properly a revelation of this,
That all men are by nature " in darkness, and
"under the power of Satan ;" and that Christ
hath come " to turn them from darkness to
" light, and from the power of Satan unto God."
The second part of our Saviour's Charge
declares the EFFECTS of preaching the Gospel,
namely, That the Gentiles should receive c for-
" giveness of sins by faith in Christ/' and that
" their eyes should be OPENED." These are the
effects in this world.
The third part declares the consequence in the
world to come ; that they should receive a glorious
" INHERITANCE among them which are sancti-
t fieri ;" that is, among them which are made
" MEET by the Holy Ghost" to become partakers
''oftheinheritancepfthe saints in light." Col. i. 12.
(Eras of
These were the doctrines of Light " which
c< were now made manifest, and, by the com-
" mandment of the everlasting God, were to
" be made known to all nations." And our
Saviour said unto his Disciples, " Go ye into
" all the world, and preach the Gospel unto
" every creature/' They accordingly went forth.
Though unlearned men, they went forth with
confidence, to CHANGE THE RELIGION OF THE
WORLD.- The darkness of paganism receded
before them ; and in process of time there was
a general illumination.
In the course of three hundred years, " THE
" EVERLASTING GOSPEL" was published gene-
rally throughout the habitable world : and a
great company were gathered out of many na-
tions, who became partakers of " the INHERI-
<( TANCE among them which are sanctified."
But, during that period " the children of light'*
had to maintain a fiery conflict with the powers
of darkness. For a new thing appeared upon
the earth. The pagan religions, though they
differed from each other in form, yet agreeing
in principle, had existed in amity together ;
because they were of the same kind, and mem-
bers of the same family. " The strong man,
ft armed, kept his palace, and his goods were in
f( peace," Luke xi. SI. But they no sooner
10 cije ras of
beheld the religion FROM HEAVEN, than they
all united against it, and persecuted it. They
hated its purity, its humility, its spiritual wor-
ship, its renunciation of self- glory, and its con-
templation of eternal life. " The light shined
" in darkness, and the darkness comprehended
" it not." John i. 5. The heathen governments
devoted multitudes of their fellow-subjects to
death, not for crimes which they had done, but
" for righteousness sake; wonderingthemselves
at their own new and strange work, of which
there had been no example in the records of
nations. And these multitudes met death with
cheerful hope; because they knew that there
would be " a resurrection from the dead." At
length the great conflict was ended, and the
Christian faith obtained the dominion.
But, as Adam, the parent of the human race,
fell from his high estate by withdrawing from
communion with God ; so his descendants follow
his sin, in perverting the truth, and renouncing
the gift of heaven. As the chosen race who
had communion with God upon earth at Sinai,
turned away afterwards and sought salvation by
other gods : so that peculiar people, yet more
highly favoured, who had ' communion with
" the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," turned
away " from him who spake unto them from
Clje Cras of ntjjltf, n
" heaven." Heb. xii. 25. No sooner had the
religion of Christ become the religion of the
world, and been invested with dignity and
power, than it began to be corrupted. Men
began " to hold the truth in unrighteousness ;"
and " Satan himself was transformed into an
Angel of Light," so as to deceive the nations.
They sunk gradually into the abyss of igno-
rance and superstition ; and c< darkness covered
" the earth, and gross darkness the people/'
What added to the horror of this darkness, the
Bible itself, the fountain of Light, was taken
away; and, for some ages, the Revelation of
God, which had been given by the hand of a
Mediator, and by the ministry of Patriarchs,
Prophets, and Apostles, was hid from the world.
Christianity hath two principal enemies to con-
tend with, SUPERSTITION and INFIDELITY. It
was Superstition which first shut the Bible.
The age of Infidelity had not yet come.
In that dark period of which we speak, even
the chief Seats of learning became fountains of
error to the world. From those very Seats it
was maintained, That Christianity was little
more than a moral code, and that the Faith by
which we should be saved, consisted principally
in " a mere historic belief." The doctrine
asserted, amounted in substance to this, that a
12 Cfie ras of JLigljt.
man might almost, if not entirely, qualify and
entitle himself by certain good actions to receive
the grace of God ; and that thus he might pur-
chase heaven by his own merit. So thick a man-
tle of darkness had covered the minds of men !
At length there appeared a dawn of light.
BRADWARDIXE of Oxford combated these errors
of doctrine with great energy and eloquence.
He was Archbishop of Canterbury, and the most
profound scholar of his age. And as he was
first in the Church in learning and in station, so
he was almost sole in his opinions. But he was
66 full of faith ;" and singly attempted, as he
expressed it, " to defend so GREAT A CAUSE."*
* " Behold/' said Archbishop BRADWARDINE, " I speak
"it with grief : as formerly four hundred and fifty prophets were
<( united against one prophet of the Lord j so at this day how
"many, O God, contend for Free-Will (human sufficiency
" and merit) against thy gratuitous Grace! How many indeed
e< in our times DESPISE thy saving Grace j or if they use the
" term Grace, how do they boast that they DESERVE it by the
" strength of their Free-Will. Almost the whole world is
"gone after PELAGIUS into error. Arise, O Lord, judge
" thine own cause ; sustain him who undertakes to defend
" thy truth. Protect, strengthen, and comfort me : for thou
<f knowest that, no where relying on my own strength, J
" attempt to maintain so GREAT A CAUSE."
Bradwardini Opera, Prefat.
The Theologians, whom Bradwardine opposed, correspond
nearly
l)e etas of JUgljk is
But WICKLIFFE of the same university was
ordained to confirm more fully the evangelic
testimony. He was properly the first great light
in that dark age. He translated the Bible into
our own tongue ; and his own mind was illumined
by it. He then assailed with an intrepid spirit
the before-mentioned errors, and in particular,
the position (which is the fundamental principle
of a corrupt theology) " That a man becomes
" acceptable to God, and is finally saved, by his
" own works and merits."
" Human nature," pronounced WickliiFe from
the theological chair, " is wholly at enmity with
" God. Man is a sinner from the womb. He
"cannot think a good thought; he cannot per-
" form a good work, except he receive GRACE."
nearly with the great PELAGIAN body of the present day.
This body assumes not the ancient name, but exists under
different names, and is composed of different denominations.
But they all -agree in one distinguishing character, " That
"they despise the saving 'grace of God." They generally
profess, what they call, RATIONAL Christianity; by which they
mean that their religion is merely rational, and that it hath
nothing spiritual in it. They acknowledge no influence from ,
above, nor any operation of divine grace. In this sense, it
is true that they profess a rational religion : but on the same
principle, it might be easy to prove that the religions of the
heathen world are ALL RATIONAL religions. It is surely
high time for Christians to take leave of the Pelagian philoso-
phy.
14 Cfje eras of (gl)t.
And with respect to that Faith whereby we shall
be saved, he speaks in these terms. " The merit
" of Christ is sufficient of itself to redeem every
'' man from Hell. Faith in our Lord Jesus
t( Christ is sufficient for salvation. We are not
" to seek to be justified in any other way than by
si his justice. We BECOME righteous through the
<c participation of HIS righteousness. "*Wick-
liffe here speaks the sense of a Text, from which
every Theologian should learn to preach ; " To
" him that worketh NOT, but believeth on HIM
" that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted
" for righteousness." This text is found in the
fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, and
at the fifth verse. But the unanswerable argu-
ment for the truth of this doctrine is derived from
the history of CORNELIUS, the Centurion. "His
" alms and prayers came up as a memorial before
" God." Acts x. 4.; but he became not THEREBY
an heir of salvation. He was directed to go to the
Apostle PETER, " who should tell him words
"WHEREBY he should be saved." Acts xi. 14.
Until Cornelius heard the words of the Gospel
from Peter, and thereupon " received the Holy
Ghost," he knew nothing of that Faith whereby
zlpne he could be saved.
* Dr. James's Apology for Wickliffe.
Cije rag of JLtg&t. 15
But Wickliffe was only the forerunner. Like
John the Baptist, he prophesied of a Light that
should come; and almost in his words he said,
* c I am but a solitary evidence against a Host. I
" am but the voice of one crying in the wilder-
" ness." But his own light did not dispel the
gloom. Though it shone far into the vale of
night, it reached not to the Throne of darkness
at Rome.
II. The second Era of Light is the REFORMA-
TION. In the midst of this spiritual darkness,
while men were sitting a second time " in the
' region and shadow of death," the "day-spring
" from on high visited them." This has been
accounted by some, an epoch in the Church, not
less remarkable than that of the first promul-
gation of the Gospel. And although it is now
much out of view in the minds of many;
although Infidelity would obscure its glory, and
" the withered hand hath been lifted up against
l HIM that healed it," the Reformation will ever
be considered as a great event in the divine dis-
pensation by all true members of the Church
of Christ, to the end of time.
As, in the first age, the preaching of the
Apostle PAUL was chiefly instrumental in the
conversion of men ; so, at this second Era, the
16 Cfje ra0 of ligftt.
ministry of LUTHER was principally honoured o
God, for that purpose. Luther was ordainec
to be the great instrument of Light ; and he
like WICKLIFFE, gave the HOLY SCRIPTURE?
to his nation in their own tongue.
But, by what means was Light restored ai
the Reformation ? The CAUSE is to be found ir
the third part of our Saviour's doctrine befor<
mentioned, namely, the inspiration of the HOLY
GHOST, the spirit of Truth which should resisl
the spirit of Satan and of error, fl reprove the
" world of sin, and of righteousness, and oi
i judgment; and guide men into all truth."*
This was the efficient cause : but the means oi
instrument was the Bible. Light was restored
to the world by the BIBLE.
The writers of that day give an animating
account of the sensations of joy and exultation,
with which the people of our own country
received the "Word of God. A Copy of the
Bible was fixed by the Royal command to a
desk in the Churches : and the people assembled
in crowds to read it, or to hear it read. It
is recorded that many persons learned to read
in their old age, that they might be able to read
the Bible. A frequent Text of the Preachers
of that time was that which we have chosen,
5 C And God said, Let there be Light; and there
Clje ras of JUjjljt 17
was Light." For the light of truth shone upon
them suddenly ; and every where illumined the
minds of men, almost at the same time.
The distinguishing doctrine of the Reforma*
tion was "Justification by Faith alone." "This,"
said Luther, " is the ONLY SOLID ROCK." " This
Rock," continues he, " did Satan shake in Para-
dise, when, " he persuaded our first parents that
" by THEIR OWN wisdom and power they might
" become LIKE unto God ; and thereby induced
*' them to renounce their faith in God, who had
" given them life, and a promise of its continu-
tf ance." In the same manner do many at this
day renounce their faith in God, who hath pro-
mised LIFE by his Son; and they seek Life by
THEIR OWN wisdom and power. "The kingdom
4< of Satan," added Luther, " is to be resisted by
fc this heavenly and all-powerful doctrine.
" Whether we be rude or eloquent, whether we
be learned or unlearned, THIS ROCK must be
" defended; this doctrine must be published
<s abroad in animated strains."*
Pure religion being thus restored, the first
labour of our Church was TO DO HONOR to the
true and genuine doctrines of Christianity. And
this she did by exhibiting them* to the world " in
* Preface to the Commentary on the Galatians,
is Cije rag of
e( a. form of sound words/' in the composition of
our LITURGY, ARTICLES, and HOMILIES ; which
we maintain to be the standard of sound doctrine
unto this day.*
But an affecting and awful scene was to follow
in England. The providence of God directed
that the truth and efficacy of THESE DOCTRINES
thus set forth, should be PROVED. In like man-
ner as at the first promulgation of the Gospel,
its divinity was displayed by the marvellous
constancy of the first MARTYRS ; so it was or-
dered that when the truth was published a
second time, it should undergo a similar trial.
Many persons, of every rank, age, and sex, suf-
fered death for the faith of Christ, c< not accept-
" ing deliverance, that they might obtain a
" better resurrection." Heb. xi. 35. And thus
there has been given to the Church, in these lat-
ter days, a recent and undeniable testimony of
the nature and divine power of the TRUE DOC-
TRINE.
From that time the light of truth continued
* And not we only ; for though certain churches differ from
us and from each other in form and discipline, they agree with
us in DOCTRINE. The doctrines of our Church are acknowledged
by the Protestant Churches on the CONTINENT, by the Esta-
blished Church of SCOTLAND, and by the great body of Dis-
senters in our own -Country.
Cj)e Crag of tg$t 19
to shine in the Protestant Church for a long
period ; with some intermission indeed, and in
certain churches more intensely than in others.
But it shone in some places as brightly, and pro-
bably endured as long, as it ever did in any period
of the Primitive Church. At length, however,
by the combined operation of causes which are
well known,* a spirit of indifference to religious
truth began to manifest itself, not only in the
* By the association of SANCTITY with the spirit of repute
licanism and rebellion during the Usurpation of Cromwell, that
holiness of life which was enjoined by our Saviour, became a
subject of scorn or contempt. The people passed over from
one error to the contrary extreme. The bow was bent till the
string was broken, and it has never been rightly strung again.
The Nation being emancipated from a yoke which assumed
a religious name, considered religion as its enemy 3 and thus the
spiritual faith of Christ became identified with fanaticism or
enthusiasm ; and so it has remained in a great measure to this
day. Political dissension, the most powerful engine in a
free nation, has tended to keep this prejudice alive. As
might be expected, the charge of fanaticism is chiefly
imputed to Dissenters. And thus both parties have been
kept IN BONDAGE during a long period, dreading each other's
power, and doubting each other's purposes, and taking the
measure of each other's religion by their own fears and
the horrors of a former age. The Dissenter is a fana-
tic, and the Churchman is a bigot. And so absolute is this
alienation in the minds of some, that the idea of an UNION in
any religious purpose, is considered to be so unnatural as to be
displeasing to God himself. On this subject neither Church-
C 2 roan
ao ct)e (Eras of JLtgltf.
established and national Churches, but among all
the other denominations of Christians. It is
difficult to say where there was most apathy and
languor. For though t( the form of sound words'
was still generally retained (in our own church
in a written form, in other churches in an extem-
pore form) and there were some eminent exam-
ples of piety and laudable zeal; yet it was most
evident that in many places religion was sinking
fast into a lifeless profession; and that in some
places it merely exhibited the body and exter-*
nal figure. Even among those denominations
of Christians^ who were once distinguished by
a name derived from PURITY, little fruit was to
be found. They were in the state in which the
Prophet describes the remnant in his day ; " as
1 the shaking of an olive tree, two or three ber-
" ries on the top of the uppermost bough."
(Isaiah xvii. 6.) And not only was the spirit
man nor Dissenter will ever find rest, until he shall have been
taught by the grace of God, the nature of that CHARITY which
our Saviour enjoined j " A new Commandment I give unto
" you, that ye LOVE one another ;" even that charity which
the Apostle Paul has so sublimely described in the thirteenth
chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians : ' ' Though I
" speak with thexaNGUE of men and angels, and have not cha-
" rity, I am nothing." And again -, " Though I have all FAITH,
" so that I could remove mountains, and have not Charity, I
" am nothing." Be a man a LEARNED Churchman or an
ORTHODOX Dissenter, " if he have not Charity, he is nothin."
etaa of jUjfljt 21
of religion nearly extinguished, but men began
to be ASHAMED of their religion.* All this
while science and human learning were progres*
sive ; but the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures
was passing away.-f- As a proof of this decay in
sacred literature, we need only notice this fact.
The HEBREW language, which is the source of all
critical knowledge of the Bible (of the New
Testament as well as of the Old), became at
length, but little known even to learned men.
And though there ever have been illustrious ex-
* To this fact the chief Representative of the Church at that
time has recorded the following testimony :
" It is a reproach, I believe peculiar to the Christians of this
" age and nation, that many of them seem ASHAMED of their
" Christianity : and excuse their piety as others do their
ef vices." Seeker's Sermons, vol. I. 59.
The testimony of Bishop Butler, to the prevalence of infi-
delity, is very remarkable. " It is come," says he " I know
" not how, to be taken for granted, by many persons, that
" Christianity is not so much as a subject of inquiry : but
" that it is, now at length, discovered to be fictitious : and,
" accordingly, they treat it as if in the present age, this were
" an agreed point among ALL PEOPLE OF DISCERNMENT} and
" that nothing remained but to set it up as a principal subject of
tf mirth and ridicule $ as it were, by way of reprisals for its
" having so long interrupted the pleasures of the world."
Preface to the Analogy, 1736.
What must have been the state of the common people io
general, when it was taken for granted that such were the jentir
nients tf all people of discernment in the nation ?
f See Appendix.
of
ceptions, it ceased at last,, to form a part of the
ordinary studies of youth at our seats of learn-
ing; even of those students, who were destined
for the sacred office.
Out of this state of things arose anew enemy
to the church; the enemy that might be ex-
pected, INFIDELITY; or the positive denial of
the truth of a revelation from God. We have
seen that it was Superstition which first shut the
Bible. The second attempt was made by Infide-
lity. But the further consideration of this
subject we must reserve for the afternoon ; when
we shall review the progress of Infidelity in
extending its darkness ; and the Era of Light
which followed.
But before I conclude this discourse, I would
beg leave to direct your attention to a subject
of no little consequence to the interests of reli-
gion, and to the character of our Universities
in the present circumstances of the church ; the
notice of which arises immediately from our
present discussion. I mean the importance of a
critical knowledge of the ORIGINAL languages of
the Holy Scriptures to the theological Student.
The original language of the New Testament
has been well cultivated; and one cause of this
has been its affinity to the GREEK CLASSICS. But
the acquisition of the language of the Old Testa-
eras of JLigirt. 23
ment is equally necessary. It is indispensable
for those who would possess a critical knowledge
of the Bible; for the New Testament is written
in the idiom of the Old. It may be received as
an axiom, " that a knowledge of Hebrew learn-
" ing among the great body of the clergy, is the
" mark of a flourishing church ;" that is, of a
church which is ardent in maintaining the true
faith, and in expounding the pure word of God
to the people. Among the members of the Ro-
mish communion this species of learning is
almost entirely extinct.
Having thus asserted the importance of a
critical knowledge of the Bible, I think it fit,
nevertheless, to controvert the opinion, that
without such a knowledge individuals cannot
build the doctrines of Christianity, or Christia-
nity itself, upon a solid foundation. If this
were true, what must have been the state of our
own church in the absence of Hebrew learning ?
If sacred criticism be the sole foundation and
constitute the very grounds of our belief, upon
what has our belief hitherto been grounded ?
This opinion places the Christian Religion on
the footing of the superstitions of Mahomet and
Brahma; which is this, that if you commit to
memory a certain number of historic facts, and
can read certain languages, (all of which, both
24 Clje eras of
facts and languages, may be obliterated from
your memory in less than twenty years) you are
a good Theologian; but with this advantage,
however, in favour of the Mahometan, in regard
to many Theologians of this day, that, whereas
he can read his Koran in the original Arabic,
they cannot read the Old Testament in the ori-
ginal Hebrew. My brethren, by this argument,
(which is the same in principle with those which,
as we have seen, were uttered in a dark age from
the chief seats of learning) the assisting Grace
of God, and all that is peculiar to the Christian
religion, seems to be very BOLDLY extinguished.
But perhaps the source of this misapprehen-
sion lies in confounding these two terms, a The-
ologian and a Christian. That which consti-
tutes a Christian is, Faith, Hope, and Charity,
these three. Much human learning is not essen-
tially necessary to constitute a Christian. Indeed,
a man MAY BE a profound Theologian and not be
a Christian at all. He may be learned in the
doctrines and history of Christianity, andyetbe a
stranger to the FRUTTS of Christianity. He may
be destitute of Faith, of Hope, and of Charity.
Let us not then confound the FRUITS of
religion, namely, its influence on our moral con-
duct, its peace of mind, and hope of heaven,
with the CIRCUMSTANCES of religion. True
Ci>e eras of
religion is that which its great Author himself
hath declared. It is a PRACTICAL knowledge
of the LOVE of God the FATHER, " who sent
" not his Son into the world, to condemn the
" world ; but that the world, through him,
" might be saved ;" of the ATONEMENT of God
the SON, by faith in whom we receive remis-
sion of our sins, and are justified in the sight of
the Father ; and of the SANCTIFICATION of
God the HOLY GHOST, by which we are made
MEET "to become partakers of the inheritance
" of the saints in light." The preacher who
can communicate THIS knowledge to his hearers
(and it is true, that if he possess a critical know-
ledge of the Bible, and of the history of Chris*
tianity, he will be likely to do it with the most
success), the same is " a workman that needeth
<( not to be ashamed, and a good minister of
Jesus Christ." 1 Tim. iv. 6.
*.
As an illustration of this truth, we may adduce
the influence of the Gospel on the ignorant minds
of persons born in the heathen world.
It has been maintained by some, that civi-
lization must always prepare the way for Chris-
tianity. But this position, like many others
allied to this subject, is completely at variance
with the fact. Civilization is a blessing of itself,
and ought to be given, as we have opportunity,
26 Cfte eras of
to all nations: but it is not universally neces-
sary that it should precede the Gospel. The
fact is, that the religion of Christ has some-
times found more difficulty in conflicting with
a refined superstition, with what St. Paul calls
" the wisdom of men," than with the ignorance
of barbarism. It doth not appear that human
learning, in itself considered, though in many
ways an important instrument of good to man-
kind, predisposes the mind in any manner or degree
to receive the Grace of God, There is a sense in
which Learning, like Riches, may impede our
spiritual progress, for " Knowledge ptnTeth up,"
(1 Cor. viii. 1.) though we are ever to dis-
tinguish between the use and the abuse of learn-
ing. On this subject we ought to keep in
remembrance our Saviour's words, " The poor
" have the Gospel preached to them :" in which
is implied, " That the poor would UNDER-
11 STAND the Gospel, and RECEIVE the Gospel ;"
and these words have been illustrated in every
age. The Apostle Paul had less success among
the learned at Athens, than among the bar-
barous people. And the same is sometimes the
experience of Preachers at this*day among the
Gentile nations. It so happens that the most
numerous conversions, during the last century,
have been among those nations which have least
Cije eras of
civilization.* And this fact demonstrates the
PERMANENT CHARACTER and DIVINE NATUREof
the Christian dispensation. For, "Where is the
" wise?" saith the Apostle, in reference to this
subject : " Where is the Scribe ? Where is the
" disputer of this world ? Hath not God made
" foolish the wisdom of this world ? For ye see
" your calling, brethren ; how that not many
" wise men after the flesh, not many mighty,
" not many noble are called. But God hath
" chosen the foolish things of the world to
'* confound the wise : and God hath chosen the
" weak things of the world to confound the
" things that are mighty : That no flesh should
" glory IN HIS PRESENCE : But that, accord-
" ing as it is written, He that glorieth, let him
glory in the Lord." 1 Cor. i. 26.
* The ESQUIMAUX Indians of LABRADOR j the COLAREES of
the Decanin India ; the AFRICAN slaves of several islands in the
West Indies $ and the natives of Caffraria, and of the Great and
Little Namaquas, in the South of Africa. See the Reports of
the Moravian, Danish, and English Missions.
SERMON II
(AFTERNOON.)
GEN. I. 3. Let there be LIGHT.
AMONG the many pieces of sublime and beau-
tiful composition with which the service of our
church abounds, there is a prayer which I have
always admired, and which will properly intro-
duce the ERA of Light that is to be the subject
of this discourse ; I mean that collect in which
we pray that our church may be " enlightened
" by the doctrine of the Evangelist Saint JOHN."
The doctrine of the Evangelist St. John ac-
cords with that of our Saviour before mentioned:
namely,
That God the father is LOVE. "God is LOVE.
tc Herein is Love, not that we loved God, but
" that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the
" propitiation for our sins." 1 John iv. 10.
Of God the SON he saith, that " Jesus Christ
so dje eras of Itgfjt
"is come in the flesh: and that the blood of
" Jesus Christ his son cleanseth from all sin."
1 John i. 7.
Of God the KOLY GHOST he saith, " It is the
" Spirit that beareth witness (to the Son of God),
* f because the spirit is TRUTH ;" and of its ope-
ration on the hearts of believers he saith, that
" they have an UNCTION from the Holy one; and
61 that this unction ABIDETH in them ; that they
are thus BORN of God, and become the children
1 ' of God ;" and finally, that the evidence of their
being thus born again, is u the love of the bre-
" thren." " We know," saith he, " that we have
" passed from death to life, because we love the
brethren." 1 John iii. 14.
This is the doctrine of the blessed Apostle and
Evangelist St. John, as expressed in his Epis-
tles, and confirmed by his Gospel; and this is
the heavenly doctrine which our Church prays
for in the following words :
(l Merciful Lord, w r e beseech thee to cast thy
" BRIGHT BEAMS of light upon thy church, that
" it being enlightened by the doctrine of thy
t{ blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John,
41 may so walk in the light of thy truth, that it
<: may at length attain to the light of everlast-
tc ing life ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Tliis prayer was offered up continually during
CJ)e eras of ntgt)t si
a, long season of darkness, and at length was
answered at the appointed time.
In our former discourse we stated that, while
the Protestant Churches were declining in piety,
a NEW ENEMY appeared. " While men slept, the
" Tares were sown." Matt. xiii. 25. It was
about the middle of the last century that INFI-
DELITY, which had appeared long before, first
began to shew itself in strong and general ope-
ration. It was at a time when the light of
Christianity was very feeble, and it was appre-
hended that this new adversary would totally
extinguish it. But behold the providence of
God ! At this very period, there was a revival
of religion in England, commencing in the
bosom of our own church. Distinguished
preachers arose in succession ; men possessing
the spirit and eloquence of the first Reformers,
and " the doctrine of the Blessed Apostle, and
" Evangelist St. John," was preached with great
energy and effect; multitudes of the people bear-
ing witness, by their repentance and conversion,
to its truth and heavenly power. And it was
soon found to be the pure and operative faith of
the Primitive Church, and of the Reformation;
differing as much from the mere profession of
Christianity, as the substance from the shadow;
and bearing the true character, which cannot be
32 Cije etas of
feigned, namely, " righteousness in life, and
" peace in death." At the very time when the
spirit of Infidelity was fostering its strength,
under the name of philosophy, and preparing
for the awful revolutions which followed, the
spiritual religion of Christ began to revive, and
has since produced the most beneficial effects.
True Religion and Infidelity have shown their
proper fruits in our own time; and we can now
contrast them with advantage. Let us there-
fore look back, and examine what have been the
effects of each.
INFIDELITY first caused a whole nation to
renounce Christianity; and, by natural conse-
quence, destroyed religious hope and moral obli-
gation ; that nation, inflamed with cupidity and
lust of dominion, invaded other nations, de-
luged them with blood, and at last, having ac-
quired the temporal power, would, like Papal
Rome, enslave the'world, by its despotism. And
the principle of its despotism is the same ;
namely, " To keep the minds of men in the
CHAIN OF DARKNESS." Thus do Infidelity and
Superstition lead to the same point, by different
ways.
The Spiritual religion of Christ hath, during
the same period, produced very considerable
effects.
of JUg!)t
1. It hath promoted a knowledge of the Holy
Scriptures (the same effect which was produced
at the Reformation), and hath thereby culti-
vated, to a great extent, the principles of the
Gospel. And, on this foundation hath been
built the practice of many excellent VIRTUES
(some of them very seasonable in this age of
revolution), such as subordination, quiet con-
duct, loyalty, and contentment.
2. It hath promoted the instruction of the
POOR. The number of those among the lower
classes, who can read the Scriptures for them-
selves, is supposed to have been more than
doubled, within the last thirty years.
3. It hath promoted a more general worship
of God. The volume of Praise and Thanks-
giving which rises to the Most High from
voices in this land, constitutes an ACCLAMATION,
compared to the feeble sound at a period not very
remote.
4. It hath cultivated very extensively a criti-
cal knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. A reve-
rence for HEBREW learning seems again to be
restored to the nation ; for persons, even in secu-
lar life, begin now to study the Bible in the
original Tongues ; as we know was the case in a
former age.
5. But this revival of religion has been pro-
p
34 CJ)e eras of JLigtjt,
ductive of another good, new and extraordinary
in its nature; not confined to this country, nor
to the present time; but extending to remote
nations and distant ages.
Christianity hath again, after a lapse of many
ages, assumed its true character as " the LIGHT
" of the world." We now hehold it animated
by its original spirit, which was to extend its
blessings " to ALL NATIONS." The Scriptures
are preparing in almost every language, and
preachers are going forth into almost every
clime. Within the period of which we speak,
men have heard the Gospel " in their own tongue,
wherein they were born," in INDIA, throughout
many of its provinces; in different parts of
AFRICA; in the interior of ASIA; in the western
parts of AMERICA ; in NEW HOLLAND, and in
the isles of the PACIFIC SEA; in the WEST
INDIES, and in the northern regions of GREEN-
LAND and LABRADOR. MALAYS, CHINESE,
PERSIANS, and ARABIANS, begin now to hear,
or read, in " their own tongues the Wonderful
"works of God/' Acts ii. 11.
III. It is with propriety then that we dis-
tinguish the present period as a THIRD Era of
Light in the Christian Dispensation. Yes, it is
true, that while INFIDELITY, like the pillar of
the cloud hanging over the Egyptians, (Exod.
Ctas of ntgfjt, 35
xiv. 20) is rising in awful form, threatening to
involve the earth in darkness ; the religion of
Christ, on the other side, like " a pillar of Fire,"
is giving light to the world. While Infidelity
is prostrating thrones, and forging chains for
mankind, the religion of the Messiah is diffusing
its pure and free spirit, like a copious stream,
into the hearts of men ; constraining them not
only to cultivate its moral and benevolent prin-*
ciples in their own country (whereby they resist
Infidelity with the best weapons) but to com-
municate them to others; and to enrich, with
higher blessings than those of commerce, the
most distant climes and nations.
Is it asked why this spirit for diffusing reli*
gious knowledge did not sooner appear in this
nation ; for it seems scarcely to have been
thought of at the era of the Reformation ? The
desire was not given, because we had not the
MEANS. Our commerce had not extended to
the uttermost parts of the earth. We had no
Empire in the East Another reason was, The
Romish Church held the world in chains. Its
superstition had supplanted us in almost every
region. But by the revolution of events, this
obstacle is now nearly removed.
It was an opinion delivered by Sir Isaac New-
ton, after the study of the prophetical books,
36 ct)e eras of
that the power of Superstition which had so
long enslaved the world, would at last be broken
by the strong arm of Infidelity. And we have
just seen this " strong arm" give the last blow
to the temporal power of Rome. This loosens
her hold upon remote nations. Now then the
fulness of time for enlightening the Gentiles
seems to be come, for the obstructions are
nearly removed, and the means are granted.
And no sooner are the means granted, than the
DESIRE is given; and thus, in every age, the
great designs of the Almighty are executed by
the Sons of men.
But let us now inquire by WHOM it is that
the Light of Christianity is diffused throughout
the heathen world? To whom has been assigned
the honor of leading the way in this under-
taking ?
Our own Church acknowledged the object a
hundred years ago, and LED THE WAY. Two
Societies were incorporated for the purpose by
the Royal sanction; and Letters were written
by the KIXG of Great Britain and by the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury to the humble Missiona-
ries in the East, to animate, strengthen, and
encourage them in their important work.*
* See Letters in Christian Researches.
Cije eras of susltf, 37
These Societies still exist, and prosecute the
primary objects of their institution. A mission
in India has been supported by cc the Society for
" promoting Christian knowledge" with eminent
success; for it was under its patronage that the
apostolic SWAUTZ preached the Gospel to men
of " different tongues, kindreds, and nations."
But it is evident that, at the present time,
missions are conducted to a greater extent by
other societies than by our own. When the
Gospel was first preached to the heathen, our
Saviour gave the commission to INDIVIDUALS;
that is, they were not associated by any power
of temporal empire. And it would appear as if
it were to be promulgated to the Gentiles a
second time, by the same means. But this is a
subject which will occupy the serious attention
of our Church.
The Church of Rome certainly considered it
to be HER duty, as the Church of Christ, to
" teach all nations." Now it has been so ordered
that the Church of England should possess at
this time a greater facility of access to the re-
motest nations, than Rome ever had in the
plenitude of her power. While therefore we
contemplate with a benignant eye the laudable
exertions of the subordinate societies, it would
Well accord with the dignity and character of
38 1)0 Cms of
the Church of England,' to RESUME the lead
in this work; and, standing as she does like a
Pharos among the nations, to be herself the
Great Instrument of Light to the world.*
Let this nation understand the voice of that
Providence \vhichhathexaltedhertosuchaheight
in the view of mankind. It saith in the words of
the text, "LET THERE BE LIGHT." But when we
speak of the nation, we mean the CHURCH ; and
the Voice of the Church is to be heard at the
UNIVERSITIES. Is not this the University that
gives the light of SCIENCE to the world ? Let it
also give the light of Religion. We are proud to
acknowledge that this Seat of Learning hath
already begun to diffuse the truth of Revelation
in the heathen world. Some of its members
have already gone forth to the East. Men of your
own body, who had acquired the very highest
honors in science, arenowin that country engaged
in translating the Scriptures into the Oriental
languages. And it would give new ardor to their
undertaking, to know that it meets with your
countenance and approbation.
But it will be proper to give some account
of the DARKNESS which exists in heathen lands,
* " Ye shine as Lights of the world, HOLDING FORTH the
word of Life." Phil. ii. 16,
Clje tas of itjj&t* 39
that our nation may feel it her duty to send
forth the Light. For it has been asserted by
some that there is NO darkness ; at least among
the idolaters of India ; and passages are quoted
from their ancient poetry to prove that their
morals are sublime and pure. It would however
appear from passages in the Holy Scriptures, that
the nations addicted to Idolatry are not only
involved in darkness and error, but live in the
commission of turpitude and crime. In the Old
Testament it is stated, that u the dark places of
* c the earth are full of the habitations of
" cruelty;"* and that "even their sons and
" their daughters they burn in the fire to
" MOLOCH ;"t and it marks the prevailing cha-
racters of Idolatry to be these two, Cruelty and
Impurity. In the New Testament the same
characters are assigned to it ; and are exempli-
fied in the state both of the Greeks and Ro-
mans ; of the Greeks in the fourth chapter to
the Bphesjans;J and of the Romans in the first
* Psalm Ixxfr. 20. f Deut. xii. 31.
I St. Paul writes to the Greeks at Ephesus in these words :
" I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth
" walk not as OTHER Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their
" mind, having the understanding darkened : who being PAST
" FEELING, have given themselves over unto laciviousness^ to
" work alj uncleanness with greediness." Eph. iv. 19.
40 Ci>e Crag of ttgljt
chapter of the Epistle 'which is addressed to
them ; and this too in the period of their learn-
ing and civilization.
If, then, turpitude and crime marked the ido-
latry of the enlightened states of GREECE and
ROME, how much more may we expect to find
them among the ignorant and idolatrous nations
of the present day? I resided many years in
the heathen world, and was satisfied, hy casual
observation, that the character of their idolatry
corresponded with that which is given in the
Scriptures. I resolved, however, to visit the
chief seat of the Hindoo religion, in order to
examine the nature of that Superstition which
held so many millions in its chain. For this
purpose I made a journey to the Great Temple
of JUGGERNAUT, in the province of Orissa, which
is to the Hindoos (what Mecca is to the Maho-
rnedans,) the strong hold and fountain-head of
their idolatry. I chose that season of the year
when there is the celebration of the great annual
festival called the RUTT JATTRA.
On our entering the province of Orissa, we
were joined by many thousands of pilgrims,
who were proceeding to the Festival. Some of
these come from remote regions, with their wives
and children, travelling slowly in the hottest
season of the year, and are sometimes upwards
Clje ffiras of- Eigljt 41
of two months on their journey. Many of the
pilgrims die by the way ; and their bodies general-
ly remain unburied ; so that the road to Jug-
gernaut may be known for the last fifty miles, by
the human bones which are strewed in the way.
On the great day of the Festival, the Idol
was brought out amidst the acclamations of
hundreds of thousands of his worshippers. He
was seated on a lofty throne, and surrounded by
his Priests. After a short interval of silence, we
heard a murmur at a distance among the mul-
titude ; and behold a body of men, having green
branches and palms in their hands, advanced
with great speed. The people made way for
them, and when they had come up to the throne,
they fell down before the Idol that sat thereon
and worshipped ; and the multitude again sent
forth an acclamation " like the voice of a great
thunder."
Thus the worship of the Idol began. But
on this subject, we cannot recite particulars.
Suffice it to say, that this worship had the two
characters before mentioned. Men and women
devoted themselves to death before Moloch. I
myself beheld the libations of human blood. And
I merely give you this short record, because I
witnessed the fact.
I feel it my duty to state to you that these
42 Ci)e Cras of Htgijt.
idolaters are, in general, our own subjects ; and
that every man, who can afford it, is obliged to
pay a tribute to the English Government for
leave to worship the Idol. This is called the
Revenue of the Temple ; and a civil officer, sup-
ported by a military force, is appointed to col-
lect the Tax. Other temples in Hindostan have
long been considered as a legitimate source of
a similar revenue.* The temple of Juggernaut
is now under our own immediate management
and controul. The law enacted for this purpose
is entitled " A Regulation for levying a tax from
" Pilgrims resorting to the Temple of Jugger-
" naut, and for the superintendence and manage -
" ment of the Temple ;" passed by the Bengal
Government, 3d April, 1806. It will give me
sincere pleasure, if the further investigation of
this subject shall tend, in any degree, to soften
the painful impression which the above state-
ment must make on the public mind,
There is another enormity of Hindoo super-
stition, which is well known to you, and which
I need not describe ; I mean the immolation of
female victims on the funeral pile. I shall only
observe, that the number of these unfortunate
persons who thus perish annually in our own
* See Christian Researches,
Clje Cras; of nijftt 43
territories is so great, that it would appear incre-
dible to those who have not inquired into the
fact.* The scene is indeed remote ; but these
are our own subjects, and we have it in our
power to redress the evil. There is a time
appointed by the Divine providence (according
to the Prophetic record) to every nation, for
its melioration and felicity. Such a time came
to our nation, when the light of Christianity
visited it, for our altars were once polluted by
human sacrifices. The same happiness, we would
hope, is now come for India. If it should be
said that the sacrifice of women cannot be abo-
lished, it will be a sufficient answer to state,
that when the Mahomedans were in power,
they did abolish it in part ; and the Brahmins
themselves have suggested means to us by
which, in the course of time, it may be entirely
abolished. But the proper answer for the pre-
sent is to ask another question : Has the subject
ever been officially enquired into ?
For many years this nation was reproached
for tolerating the Slave Trade. Many books were
written on the subject * and the attention of the
Legislature was at length directed to it. Some
asserted that the abolition of it was impracticable,
* See Christian Researches.
44 Clje cgras of tgt)t.
and some that it was 1 impolitic ; but it was
found on an investigation of the traffic, that it
was defended because it was lucrative : and a
humane nation abolished it. But let us ask,
What is there in buying and selling men com-
pared to our permitting thousands of women, our
own subjects, to be every year BURNED ALIVE,
without enquiring into the cause, and without
evidence of the necessity ? Or what CAN BE com-
pared to the disgrace of regulating by Christian
law the bloody and obscene rites of Juggernaut ?
The honour of our nation is certainly involved
in this matter. But there is no room for the
language of crimination or reproach ; for it is
the Sin of ignorance. These facts are not ge-
nerally known. And they are not known, be-
cause there has been no official inquiry. Could
the great Council of the nation witness the
darkness which I have seen, there would be no
dissentient voice as to the duty of giving light.
It is proper I should add, in justice to that
honorable body of men who administer our Em-
pire in the East, that they are not fully informed
as to these facts.*
But there is a two-fold darkness in the East
which it is proper to specify. There is the
* In regard to the Idol-Tax, the principles of the enormity,
it
eras of tgl)k 45
darkness of Paganism ; and there is the darkness
of the ROMISH Superstition in Pagan lands.
Christianity, under almost any modification, is
certainly a benefit to mankind ; for it prevents
the perpetration of the bloody rites of Idolatry.
But the corrupted Christianity to which we
allude has established its Inquisition in the East,
and has itself shed blood. About the time when
the Protestant Bishops suffered in our own
country, the Bishops of the ancient Syrian
Church became martyrs to the same faith in
India. From that time to this the mournful
bell of the Inquisition has been heard in the
mountains of Hindostan. The inquisitions in
Europe have gradually lost their power by the
increase of civilization ; but this cause has not
operated equally in India, which is yet, in many
parts, in a state of barbarism. Though the
political power of the Romish Church has decli-
ned, its ecclesiastical power remains in India, and
it is said, has never been fully explained to the Government
at home. It was admitted by the Indian Government many
years ago without reference, I believe in the first instance, to
England j and possibly the reference may now appear in the
books under some specious or general name, which is not well
understood. The Honourable the Court of Directors will feel
as indignant, on a full developement of the fact, as any public
body in the nation.
46 CJ)e (Eras of tflt)t
will probably endure for a long period to come.*
The Inquisition at Goa is still in operation, and
has captives in its dungeou.f
A Protestant Establishment is wanted in our
Empire in the East, not only to DO HONOUR to
Christianity (for in many places in Hindostan
the natives ask whether we have a God, and
whether we worship in a Temple), but to coun-
teract the influence of the ecclesiastical power
of ROME : for in some provinces of Asia, that
power is too strong for the religion of Protes-
tants, and for the unprotected and defenceless
missionaries.^
But besides the tyranny of the Inquisition,
there is in some of the Romish provinces a cor-
* .Since the delivery of this Discourse I have with pleasure
observed, in the recent Treaty between his Majesty and the
Prince Regent of Portugal, an article, by which that Prince
engages that the Inquisition shall not hereafter be established in
his South American dominions. Does not this afford a reason-
able hope that we may ere long behold that engine of Super-
stition abolished in Portugal ?
f See Christian Researches.
} The influence of the Romish Church in India is far greater
than is generally imagined ; or than our Government has
hitherto had any means of ascertaining. Though the poli-
tical power is almost extinct, the religious remains in its form
vigour. And OB this fact is founded a strong argument for the
policy
(Eras of mgl)t. 47
ruption of Christian doctrine which is scarcely
credible. In certain places the rites and cere-
monies of Moloch are blended with the worship
of Christ.*
It is surely our duty to use the means we
possess of introducing a purer Christianity into
m
policy of promoting the Christian Instruction of our native
subjects. " Although the Portuguese, for instance, possess
" but little territory in continental India, yet their hold on the,
" native affections is incalculably stronger than that of Britain,
" though in the zenith of her political power ; and were that
" power to be annihilated, as that of the Portuguese now is, it
" would scarcely be known, in respect of any hold which
" Britain has on the native mind, that she had ever set foot in
" India."
ft This impolicy astonishes those who have acted with
" success on the opposite system. A Roman Catholic, high in
" spiritual authority in India, expressed his utter amazement
" that the British Government should not act on a better
" policy : and declared that, in consequence of the hold which
" Christianity had obtained through the Roman Church on the
<e minds of the natives, there were SEVEN MILLIONS of British
( ' subjects in India, with whose sentiments he had the meani
" of becoming perfectly acquainted, and over whose minds he
" could exercise a cmmandingcontroul."
See Tenth Annual Report of " Society for Missions to Africa
and the East/' just published ; containing the communications
of SIR ALEXANDER JQHNSTONE, Chief Justice of Ceylon,
p. /8.
* At Aughoor, near Trichinopoly, and in other places.
48 e&e etas of
our Empire in the East.*- I shall mention one
circumstance which may well animate our ex-
ertions. A large province of Romish Christians
in the south of India, who are now our subjects,
are willing to receive the Bible; and this too,
under the countenance of the Romish bishop, an
Italian, and a man of liberal learning. And Pro-
vidence hath so ordered it, that a translation of
the Scriptures hath been just prepared for them.
This translation has been made by the Bishop of
the Syrian Church. Yes, my brethren, a Bishop
of the ancient Church of Christ in India, has
translated the Holy Scriptures into a new lan-
guage. That venerable man, who did not know,
till lately, that there was a pure church in the
Western world, is now pressing before many
learned men in the West, in promoting the
knowledge of the religion of Christ. |
We have now taken a review of three Eras
of Light in the Christian dispensation. Do you
require further evidence of this being a THIRD
Era? Behold societies forming in every principal
city of Great Britain for the purpose of giving
- * See Christian Researches. t Hem.
CJje tas of JLioftt 49
the BIBLE to all nations ! Do you ask further
proof? Behold the Christian church beginning,
after a delay of eighteen centuries, to instruct the
JEWS, and to attempt the conversion of the an-
cient people of God. Why did not the Church
direct her attention sooner to this great under-
taking? It was because the Era of Light had
not arrived.
This learned body have it in their power greatly
to promote the extension of Christianity among
the Jews. Men have begun to preach the Gospel
to that people without giving them the Gospel
in their own language. A Translation of the New
Testament into the Hebrew tongue would be a
gift worthy of our University to present to them.
It must appear strange to us, on* a retro-
spect of the fact, that during so long a period,
Christians should have reproached the Jews
for not believing the New Testament, and yet
never have put that volume into their hands in
their own language, that they might know what
they were to believe!* This couduct of Chris-
* Translations of portions of the New Testament into diffe-
rent dialects of the Hebrew language have been made by dif-
ferent persons at different times; but these have been rather
intended as exercises for the scholar, or for the use of the
learned, than for the use of the Jews. The Romish Church
E
so et)e Cras of
tians might be called a.n.*infatuation, were it not
prophesied that THUS it should be. They drd
not think of giving the Gospel to a people of
whom the Prophet had said, " that they should
" be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth
" for their HURT, to be a reproach, and a proverb,
" and a taunt, and a curse." Jer. xxiv. 9. But
we can now c< speak comfortably to Jerusalem,
" and cry unto her that her WARFARE is ACCOM-
<e PLISHED;" for it is prophesied again, "That
" blindness in part is happened to Israel, UNTIL
" the fulness of the Gentiles be come in."
Rom. xi. 25. By this prophecy we see that the
conversion of the Jews is connected with that of
printed a version of the Gospels in Hebrew, and the whole
Syriac New Testament in the Hebrew character ; but it would
not give the book to that people who could read it. In Spain
and Portugal they condemned the Jews to the flames, for pro-
fessing Judaism, - but they would not give them the New
Testament that they might learn Christianity. The English
Church, which has succeeded the Romish Church as first in
influence and dignity, has not, as yet, given the New Testa-
ment to the Jews. The Church of Scotland has not given it.
The chief praise is due to some of the Protestant divines in
Universities on the Continent, who published some parts of
the New Testament in what is called German Hebrew, and
dispersed copies among the Jews, as they had opportunity. It
is encouraging to know that even this partial attempt was not
without success.
J)e eras of Htjgftt 51
the Gentiles: and is to be, if not contemporane-
us, at least, an immediate consequent. But the
conversion of the Gentiles has already commen-
ced; and commenced with most remarkable suc-
cess. And now behold the preparation for the
conversion of the Jews! Add to this, the Jews
themselves contemplate some change to be at
hand. It is certainly true that both among the
Jews in the East and in the West there is, at
this time, an expectation of great events in
regard to their own nation. It is not unlike
that EXPECTATION, which pervaded the Roman
Empire before the coming of the Messiah.
We are now to notice a remarkable peculia-
rity in all these three Eras of Light.
In the first Era, when our SAVIOUR preached
his own Gospel, and performed wonderful works,
there were some who denied that the work was
from God ; and he was said to be "beside himself;"
and to do these works by the power of the
" prince of darkness." But our Lord's answer
to them was in these words, <c The WORKS that I
" do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath
sent me." John v. 36. And when the apostle Paul
preached the Gospel of Christ, he was accounted
" a fool for Christ's sake : he was reviled, per-
'* secuted, and defamed." 1 Cor. iv. 10. But he
could appeal to the GREAT WORK which he
E 2
52 Clje Cras of
formed, u the deliverance 'of the Gentiles from
" darkness to light."
In the second Era, at the Reformation, LU-
THER and those other great Teachers whom God
so highly honored, were also called Enthusiasts,
and were accused of a flagrant and misguided
zeal. But <c the works which they did " testified
that they were sent of God, as Ambassadors of
Christ, of which the conversion of our own nation
is an evidence to this day.
In the Third Era of Light, those eminent
persons who were chiefly instrumental in dif-
fusing it, were in like manner called Enthusiasts.
But " the WORKS which they did, testify that
u they were also Ambassadors of Christ," and
" able ministers of the New Testament," preach-
ing unto men the doctrine of life ; of which,
REMOTE nations as well as our own, will bear
witness at a future day.
For let us dispassionately contemplate the
works that have followed the revival of Re-
ligion in this country. We now stand at some
distance, and can survey the object in all its
parts, and in its just proportion. We stated
these works to be,
1. An increased knowledge of the Holy
Scriptures ; producing
2. A.: cultivation of the principles of the
eras of Higbt. 53
Gospel, and the practice of the virtues af sub-
ordination, loyalty, and contentment.
3. The almost universal Instruction of the
POOR : so that it may be truly said, " The poor
" have the Gospel preached to them."
4. The more general worship of God in our
land.
5. The publication of the Bible in new lan-
guages ; and,
6. The promulgation of Christianity among
all nations; to JEWS and to GENTILES.
Are these works of darkness ? Are they not
rather the works which are called in Scripture
" the fruits of the Spirit?" Let a man beware
how he arraigns or contemns those works which
he may not perfectly comprehend, lest perad ven-
ture he should speak a word against the operation
of God the Holy Ghost. There are many at
this day who say they believe in ONE God.
These may be Deists and others. There are
many who say they believe in God the SON, after
a certain manner. These may be Socinians, and
Pelagians, But the true criterion of the faith
of a Christian at this day, is to acknowledge
the continued influences of God the HOLY
GHOST. " By this shall ye know them," For
the Apostle Paul hath said, " That no man can
<c say that Jesus is the Lord but BY the Holy
54 dLl)t (Eras of JLtjjljt
" Ghost." 1 Cor. xii. 3. And our Saviour hath
said that the Holy Ghost shall abide with his
Church tl FOR EVEI." John xiv. 16.
But those who deny the influence of the Holy
Spirit, will also deny the WORKS of the Spirit.
What more undeniable work of the Spirit can be
VISIBLE in the Church of Christ than the send-
ing forth preachers to preach the everlasting
Gospel to the heathen world? What nobler or
purer work of righteousness can be imagined
than the giving the HOLY BIBLE to all nations ?
And yet there are many who behold both under-
takings with indifference, or even hostility.
Others there are who, professing a purer theo-
logy, cannot deny the truth and justice of the
principle, but they argue against THE WAY : they
contend for the old way ; as if a man should
think to evangelize the world after the fashion
of his own parish. They say they would con-
duct these new and grand designs after the old
precedent ; when the truth is, there has been no
precedent for what is now doing, in its present
extent, for nearly eighteen centuries past.
CHRIST and his Apostles established the first
and great PRECEDENT.
It may be expected that those who deny the
continued influences of the Holy Spirit in the
Church, will dtny that the present is an Era of
!je Cras of
Light. When Christ came, who was " the Light
" of the world," there were many who denied that
any Light had come. When the truth shone a
second time at the Reformation, there were many
who perceived it not. And though the BRIGHT
BEAMS of Light at the present period far transcend
those of the Reformation, there are many who
behold them not. They wonder indeed to see
various Societies, which have no connection with
each other, engaged in pursuing the same object.
They behold men of different nations and of
different languages, animated by the same spirit,
promoting the same design, encountering the
same difficulties, persevering with the same
ardour, giving and not receiving, expending
money, time, and labour, in an undertaking in
which there is no SELF-INTEREST ; and all
agreeing in one common voice, LET THERE BE
LIGHT. All this they behold, and they won-
der : but they do not believe. And thus it is
written ; " Behold ye despisers, and wonder,
" and perish ; for I work a work in your days,
" a work which ye shall in no wise believe,
" though a man declare it unto you.'' Acts
xiii. 41.
A violent but ineffectual attempt was made
some time ago to impede the progress of this
work. But the current was strong and deep, and k
66 Cfje ras of
these momentary obstructions served merely to
increase its force. "There is a river, the streams
"whereof shall make glad the city of God."
Psalm xlvi. 4. No human power can stop its
course. Many who are yet hostile to this under-
taking will shortly join in it. We believe that
the strength of the nation will soon be with it :
and that all hope of resisting it, entertained by
unbelieving men, will be disappointed. For the
prophecy hath gone forth, " He that sitteth in
" the heavens shall laugh ; the Lord shall have
" them in derision. I will declare the DECREE :
" Thou art my Son, I shall give thee the
" heathen for thine INHERITANCE, and the utter-
" most parts of the earth for thy POSSESSION."
Psalm ii. 8.
It is of vast consequence to the purity and
perpetuity of our Church that those Students
who are preparing to enter it, should have just
views on this subject. There is one fact which
ought frequently to be illustrated to them, as
being the foundation, on which they are to
form a judgement on this and other parts of the
divine dispensation. It is the following.
It is an undeniable truth, constantly asserted
by scripture, and demonstrated by experience,
that there have ever been TWO descriptions of
persons in the Church, They are denominated
Ctje eras; of ligltf. .57
by our Saviour, " the children of light and the
" children of this world ;" and again, " the child-
" ren of the wicked one, and the children of the
" kingdom." Matt. xiii. 38. These different
terms originate entirely from our receiving or
not receiving that illumination of understanding
which God, who cannot lie, hath promised to
give to them that ask him. For if a man sup-
plicate the Father of Lights for his " good and
perfect Gift," with a humble and believing
spirit, he will soon be sensible of the effect in his
own mind. He will begin to behold many things
in a view very different from what he did before ;
he will devote himself to the duties of his pro-
fession with alacrity and zeal, as to " a labour of
" love;" and his moral conduct will be exemplary
and pure, adorning that Gospel which he is now
desirous to preach. Another consequence will
be this. He will learn, for the first time, what is
meant by the reproach of the world. For men in
general will not approve of the piety and purity
of his life; and they will distinguish it by some
term of disparagement or contempt.
I arn aware that many who have supplicated
the Father of Lights for " the good and perfect
" gift," and who see, by the light that is in
them, " a world lying in wickedness," (1 John
v. 19.) are yet induced to conceal their senti-
58 Cije eras of mc$t
ments in religion, or at least, are prevented
from assuming a decided character in the pro-
fession of it, from the dread of REPROACH.
But they ought to remember that a term of
reproach has become now so general, and at-
taches to so slight a degree, not only of religious
zeal, but of moral propriety, that no man who
desires to maintain a pure character in his holy
office needs to be ashamed of it.*
* It is worthy of remark, that the names of reproach which
men of the world have given to religious men, have been gene-
rally derived from something highly virtuous or laudable.
Believers were first called CHRISTIANS^ a term of reproach,
after the name of Christ. They have been since called Pietists,
from their PIETY, Puritans from their PURITY, and Saints from
their HOLINESS. In the present day, their ministers are called
EVANGELICAL, from their desire to " do the work of an Evan-
gelist." See 2 Tim. iv. 5. Thus, the evil spirit in the damsel
who followed Paul, cried out, by an impulse which he could
not resist, " These men are the servants of the most high God,
<f which shew unto us the way of salvation." Acts xvi. 17.
The most opprobrious epithet which the Jews thought they
could give our Saviour, was to call him a Samaritan. " Thou
" art a Samaritan, and hast a devil." John viii. 48. But
our Saviour has given a permanent honour to the name, by his
parable of " the GOOD Samaritan."
The usual name of religious reproach at this day is ME-
THODIST j a term first used at Oxford, and derived from the
METHOD, which some religious Students observed in the em-
ployment of their TI M E. So far it is an honourable appellation ,
Clje eras Of JLiSftt 69
But there is another consideration for those
who are ordained to be ministers of Christ, viz,
that this reproach seems to be ordained as a
necessary evidence in an evil world that their
doctrine is true. For the offence of the Cross
will never cease. The Apostle Paul was accused
of being " beside himself;" but his only answer
was this; "Whether we be beside ourselves, it is
" to God; or whether we be sober, it is for your
" cause.*' (2 Cor. v. 13.) And let this be your
answer also. If the minister of Christ give no
offence to " the children of this world," he has
reason to suspect the purity either of his doctrine
or of his practice.
On the other hand, a corrupt theology has no
offence and no reproach. You have heard of a
two^fold darkness in the East. There is also a
It is now applied to any man of pure and unaffected piety,
and is, in short, another term for a Christian. Of the Methodists
Paley says, in his Evidences of Christianity, that in regard to
piety to God, and purity of life, they may be compared to " the
" primitive Christians." The name Methodist in England was
for a time, as disreputable as Royalist in France. And indeed
there is an analogy in the character ; for Methodism implies
Loyalty to " the King of kings." And I am happy to add,
(in regard to that numerous body of our fellow-subjects who
are called by that name) that it also implies, after an expe-
rience of half a century, PURE IOYALTY to an EARTHLY
SOVEREIGN
60 i;e eras of
two-fold darkness in the West. There is the
darkness of Infidelity, and the darkness of a cor-
rupt Theology. Infidelity has slain its thousands:
but a corrupt Theology has slain its ten thou-
sands.
Let every student of Theology inquire whether
the religion he professes bear the true character.
Instead of shunning the reproach of Christ, his
anxiety ought to be, how he may prepare him-
self for that high and sacred office which he is
about to enter. Let him examine himself whether
his views correspond, in any degree, with the
character of the ministers of Christ, as recorded
in the New Testament. "Woe is unto me, if I
" preach not the Gospel." 1 Cor. ix. 16. Even
the Old Testament arrests the progress of the
unqualified and worldly-minded teacher. It is
recorded that when Dathan and Abiram invaded
the priest's office, with a secular spirit, " the
<c earth opened her mouth and swallowed them
" up," in the presence of Israel. This was writ-
" ten for our admonition," that no man should
attempt to minister in holy things until he has
cleansed his heart from the impurities of life; and
is able to publish the glad tidings of salvation
with unpolluted lips.
If the Student desire that God would honour
his future ministry, and make him an instrument
Ci;e eras of JLijjl)t 6i
for preserving the UNITY of the Church, instead
of his being an instrument of SECESSION from it,
lie will seek to understand that pure doctrine of
which our Lord speaks, when he saith, " He
" that will do the will of God shall know of the
" doctrine whether it he of God." This is
an Era of Light in the Church. Men are
ardent to hear the word of God. And if a
thousand churches were added to the present
number, and u enlightened by the doctrine of
the Evangelist John," they would all be rilled.
Those who preach that doctrine are the true
DEFENDERS of the Faith and the legitimate SUP-
PORTERS of the Church of England. If these
increase, the Church will increase. If these in-
crease in succeeding years in the same proportion
as they have hitherto done, it is the surest pledge
that the Church is to flourish for centuries to
come, as she has flourished for centuries past.
And there is nothing which forbids the hope
that she will be PERPETUAL; if she be the
ordained instrument of giving light to the
world.
I shall now conclude this discourse with de-
livering my testimony concerning the spiritual
religion of Christ. I have passed through a
great part of the world, and have seen Chris-
tianity, Judaism, Mahomedanism, and Paganism
m almost all their forms ; and I can truly declare,
62 e&e ras of
that almost every step of my progress afforded
new proof not only of the general truth of the
religion of Christ, but of the truth of that change
of heart in true believers which our Lord describes
in these words, " Born of the Spirit; and which
the Evangelist John calls, " Receiving an unction
" from the Holy One." For even the heathens
shew in their traditions and religious ceremonies,
vestiges of this doctrine.* Every thing else that
is called religion, in Pagan or Christian lands, is
a COUNTERFEIT of this. This change of heart ever
carries with it its own witness ; and it alone ex-
hibits the SAME character among men of every
language and of every clime. It bears the fruit
of righteousness; it aifords the highest enjoy-
ment of life which was intended by God, or is
attainable by man ; it inspires the soul with a
sense of pardon and of acceptance through a
Redeemer : it gives peace in death ; and " a sure
" and certain hope of the resurrection unto eter-
nal life."
Let every man then, who hath any doubt in his
mind as to this change in the state of the soul
in this life, apply himself to the consideration
of the subject. FOR IF THERE BE ANY TRUTH IN
* See The Star in the East-.
eras of
va.r t '
REVELATION, THIS is TRUE. "What shall it pro- .
" fit a man, if he gain the whole world and lose
" his own soul ?" What avails it that all the trea-
sures of science and literature are poured at our
feet, if we are ignorant of ourselves, of Christ,
and holiness? The period is hastening which will
put an end to this world and all its distinctions;
which, like a flood, will sweep away its applause
and its frown, its learning and its ignorance. The
awful glories of the last judgment will, ere long
appear; when the humble and penitent inquirer,
who has received by faith that stupendous grace
which the doctrine of Christ reveals, shall be
eternally saved; while the merely speculative
student, whose secret love of sin led to the re-
jection of that doctrine, shall, notwithstanding
his presumption of final impunity, be, for ever,
undone.
I cannot permit myself to conclude} without
expressing my thanks for the very candid at-
tention with which you have been pleased to
honour these discourses. I trust that every word
hath been spoken with a just deference for the
learned assembly before whom I preach : for I
greatly covet your approbation, and I hope that
I shall obtain it. But I have a solemn account
to render; for I have had many opportunities*
64 Clje eras of JLiffjjt
and I desire to say that, now, which my consci-
ence shall approve, at that hour when I shall be
called to give an account of my stewardship.
I pray that " the Spirit of truth/' which our
Saviour promised should abide with his people
for ever, may manifest his power amongst us,
dispel the darkness of ignorance and error, and
" guide our minds into all Truth." John xvi. 13.
To this Holy Spirit, who, together with the
Father and the Son, is One God, be ascribed all
honour and glory, power, might, majesty, and
dominion, now and evermore. Amen.
APPENDIX.
PREPARATORY STUDIES
FOR THE
CHURCH.
[The knowledge of the Holy Scriptures was passing away.]
MORNING SERMON, page 21.
NOT only was Hebrew literature neglected at the Uni-
versities, but theological learning in general had de-
clined ; and it was, for the most part, left to the student
to chuse, whether he would qualify himself or not for
the sacred function. And, as the candidates for holy
orders were not required to study WHAT was to be
preached, so they were not instructed HOW they were to
preach. There were no lectures in public speaking;
no exercises in recitation or in sacred composition. Or,
if some lectures and exercises still existed under that
name, they had become of little practical use.
In the torpid state, jn which all the other religious
denominations then were, in common with the Esta-
blished Church, she would not suffer much, in the way
of secession, by this decay in theological learning.
But the case is widely different, now that there has been
a revival of religion in the nation ; and we cannot won-
der that, under circumstances so unfavourable to the
acquirement of the faculty of preaching, there should
have been so great a separation from the Church of late
years.
66
Some, indeed, think it improper, that eloquence should
be displayed in a Church, as at the Bar, or in the Senate,
and would be disposed to call it " Rhapsody," or " Rant;"
for that is the name frequently given to " eloquence on a
sacred subject." Bu L , in the judgment of Fenelon and
Quiutiliian, it would be called true and legitimate ora-
tory, " the power of persuading men by the fittest
means." This was that kind of pulpit address which
prevailed in our own Church in her better days,
from the time of the Reformation to the reign of
the First Charles ; and which filled the churches at the
Universities with willing auditors. And, when a corrupt
taste was at length introduced, and preachers began to
read their sermons, the innovation was checked, for a
time, by the following mandate of King Charles the
Second.
" VICE CHANCELLOR AND GENTLEMEN,
" Whereas his Majesty is informed, that the prac-
" tice of reading sermons is generally taken up by the
cs preachers before the University, and, therefore, some-
" times continued even before himself: his Majesty hath
" commanded me to signify to you his pleasure, that the
" said practice, which took its beginning from the dis-
" orders of the late times, be 'wholly laid aside ; and
cc that the said preachers deliver their sermons, both in
(t Latin and English, by memory, without book : as being
" a way of preaching which his Majesty judgeth most
" agreeable to the use of all foreign churches, to the custom
" of the University heretofore, and to the nature and inten-
te tion of that holy exercise. And, that his Majesty's com-
" mands, in these premises, may be duly regarded and
" observed, his further pleasure is, that the names of all
" such ecclesiastical persons as shall continue the present
" supine and slothful way of preaching, be, from time to
67
" time, signified to me, by the Vice-Chancellor, for the
" time being, on pain of his Majesty's displeasure.
" MONMOUTH."*
It is evident that no man can speak with propriety
from the pulpit, any more than at the bar, without some
eduction for that purpose. Would it be impracticable
for our Church to retrace her steps, in regard to prepa-
ration for the Sacerdotal office, and see what can be
done towards attaching the people to her communion,
by restoring the primitive means ? If she is to be
saved from the evils that threaten her, she will be saved,
under God, by PREACHING; not by acts of legislation,
nor by volumes from the press in her defence, but by the
means which God hath been pleased to honor in every
age, and which are called in Scripture, " the foolish-
ness- of preaching." 1 Cor. i. 21. By which expres-
sion is intended, that the means are so simple, that they
appear as " foolishness" to some. And if any one
should doubt that this ordinance of God is so honoured
in our time, he has only to look around, and behold its
JPOWER.
Would it be impossible then to restore theological
learning to more respect ? I mean not what is called
the learning of the schools, but legitimate theology,
the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, and of History
and Chronology, as the handmaids of revelation.
It is generally taken for granted that the student is
acquainted with the Holy Scriptures before he comes to
College. But this is by no means generally the case ; he
may be acquainted with Horace and Virgil ; but he often
knows little of the Scriptures. That which would give
immediate life and interest to the department of theology
* Extracted from the Statute-book of the University of Cambridge,
page 301, Car. U. Rex.
68
at the University, would be the institution of some plan,
for the advancement of biblical learning. The Scriptures
are the foundation of moral philosophy as well as of
theology. To study any system of morals, or of divi-
nity, or even the articles of our Church, without having
previously deduced their principles from Revelation, is
like studying the higher parts of mathematics withou
having learned the elements of Euclid.
It is chiefly in the power of masters of colleges
to establish a scheme for clerical instruction, adapted
to the circumstances of their respective societies. It
would not be proper to abate the ardour of mathe-
matical study at Cambridge -, for it is better that an
University should maintain her pre-eminence, (when
she has attained it) in one particular science, than, by
relaxing, to run the hazard of preserving but a medio-
crity in all. But the pursuit of mathematical science
is perfectly compatible with the study of the Scriptures,
and with exercises in sacred composition, from the first
to the last year of the student's residence at the uni-
versity.
I have no pleasure in adverting to the necessity of
some improvement in our system of preparatory study,
for the sacred office. But the principles of truth on
which this necessity is founded, are so undeniable ; they
are so generally acknowledged throughout the nation,
and so perfectly evident both at home and abroad, par-
ticularly to those who have had an opportunity of view-
ing the church at a distance, as well as near at hand,
that I feel it would betray a culpable indifference to the
interests of religion, were I to be deterred by a false
delicacy from noticing it. It must be evident to every
man who is acquainted with the history of Christianity
from the first ages, that in the present circum-
69
stances of our church, and in the warfare in which she
is engaged, it is not eminent advances in science OP
classics, that are chiefly required, but advances in the
knowledge of Christian doctrine, and in the ability of
communicating it to the people. It must be equally
evident, that whatever plan of study will bring the bible
most into view, will be the most conducive for this pur-
pose. The State may have the defence of the sword,
and the shield of the law, against its assailants ; but
the Church has no defence, in this Era of Light, but
the BIBLE.
The power of reviving Hebrew learning in the
Church lies principally with the Bishops. It is pre-
sumed that the object might be effected by the following
means, viz. by requiring that candidates for Deacon's orders
should be able to construe the Hebrew Pentateuch ;
and that those who offer themselves for Priests orders,
should be competent to read the whole of the Old
Testament, ad aperturam libri ; and by refusing ordina-^
tion to candidates coming from the universities, who
should continue, after due notice (for which three years
would suffice) to neglect to acquire this qualification.
By this simple regulation it is probable that Hebrew
literature would be restored very generally to the Church,
in a few years.
But other advantages would result from this measure.
It is hardly possible to suppose that the student who
has read the whole of the Old Testament in the original
tongue, with the attention which such a course requires,
should be a contemptible divine. For in the course of
his study, he will be necessarily led into various useful
and important investigations, which otherwise he would
never have thought of. Another benefit would accrue.
It will be a salutary exercise to his own heart. The
70
assiduous study of the sacred volume for one year,
will, if any thing can, call his thoughts from the vain
pursuits of the world, and fix them on the solemn
duties of the profession on which he is about to enter.
Before he has gone through the Old Testament, he will
find it to be truly what the Poet calls nHFH
PEOTSA riEiGOYS, " a fountain pouring forth per-
suasives" to seek heavenly knowledge and purity of
life.
It may be added that, to read the Old Testament in
the original language, is the way to understand the New.
The Student who has made himself acquainted with the
treasures of revealed truth under the first dispensation,
will not stop there ; but will proceed with impatience
to a still nobler theme in the inspired strains of the
New Testament, which are written, for the most part,
in the idiom of the old. And here, he will have the
advantage of that rich and precious mine for the theo-
logian, the Syriac New Testament; for he who can
read the Old Testament in Hebrew will soon be able to
read the New in Syriac. t I call it a " rich and precious
mine;" for Syriac is the language which our blessed
Lord himself spoke in the land of Judea : and it is
probable that EVERY PARABLE AND EVERY SPEECH
IN THE FOUR GOSPELS IS RECORDED NEARLY IN THE
VERY WORDS WHICH PROCEEDED FROM HIS LIPS. Every
scholar then who thirsts for (( the words of life," and
would become " an able minister of the New Testa-
ment," ought to draw from this pure fountain. What
a proof of the decline of sacred literature among us, that
this volume (the Syriac Version,) is scarcely known !
But it will perhaps be said, " Is not the prescribed
study of the whole of the Scriptures a work of too much
labour for the student?" I think not, particularly w
71
no other labour is prescribed. If there were indeed any-
other indispensable syllabus of theology proposed by
the church or university, which would of itself occupy
much time, it might be less necessary to insist upon
this specific study. But if in the present circumstances
we cannot readily establish a more efficient course, it
seems expedient to begin with this simple and intelligible
plan. For even supposing that the imposition of such
a study would prove to some individuals a severe or un-
grateful task, what is this to be accounted of, in the con-
templation of the advantage to the Church ! The
wound of our Church must be healed; and we are
persuaded that if a convocation were held at this day it
would readily adopt, in the prospect of such a benefit,
even a painful remedy. And yet the remedy proposed
would be only painful for a moment; for it is most cer-
tain that the student himself would afterwards reflect on
the benefit derived to him from such a course of study,
with fervent gratitude, to the end of his life.*
Young divines ought not to complain of the labor of
learning Hebrew when even their own country -women
can attain it with facility. There are now several ladies
who can read the Old Testament in the original tongue ;
but they are ashamed to confess it, when they see that
some of the Cfergy are ignorant of the language. It
was death alone which brought to light the Hebrew
learning of Miss Elizabeth Smith.
* The Church of England will, I doubt not, gratefully acknowledge
hereafter the advantages for the study of the Hebrew language, which
have been afforded by the zealous exertions of Dr. BURGESS, Bishop of
St. David's. It is pleasing to behold a man of his learning and statioa
condescending to smooth the path to beginners, and to offer facilitie
for the acquirement of the sacred language These are the labour*
which in their nature and issue are tiuly immortal : '* To instruct the
w ignorant, to invite to useful knowledge, to point tc heaven and to lead
" the way ; these are the labours which will enable a man to say at the
" close of life, By the Grace of God I have not lived in vain,"
72
I think it not foreign to the general subject of these
pages to observe here, that an increased cultivation of
the female mind is a characteristic of the present era of
Clirisdan knowledge : and is a sure prognostic of a yet
brighter period. Custom and use will sway the majority,
and even prejudice men of learning and intelligence on
this subject ; but there seems to me to be little doubt of
the truth of the following position ; Young women ought
to possess the same advantages of education which are given
to young men in general useful learning, until the age of
fifteen. I apprehend that the difference which now exists is
the effect of barbarism, and is, in no respect, accordant with
reason or Christianity. To THIS DAY, WOMEN HAVE NOT
ENJOYED THE FULL PRIVILEGES OF THE CHRISTIAN DIS-
PENSATION. It is in the New Testament alone we see the
female character exalted to its just place. The age of
chivalry rather disgraced the female mind than did it
honour. In the present circumstances of the world,
a due cultivation of the female mind would do more
for the interests of religion and virtue, than is gene-
rally imagined. Whenever knowledge shall become
universal, we may be sure that women will be principal
instruments in communicating it; for there is one bene-
fit to be derived from instructing the female
sex, which will be acknowledged by all. It enables
mothers to teach their oicn children. There must cer-
tainly be something very defective in the education of
that woman, who cannot instruct her own son (according
to the rank in society in which she herself has lived) to
the twelfth year of his age. To afford a mother such a
qualification, and such an advantage, and such a plea-
sure, is a plain dictate of Christianity.
Printed by G. Sidney,
Northumberland Street, Suand,
A
SERMON,
PREACHED AT
Parish Church of St. Anne, Blackfriars, Lcmdon,
ON
TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 1810,
BEFORE
THE SOCIETY
FOR
MISSIONS TO AFRICA AND THE EAST,
INSTITUTED BY
MEMBERS OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH,
BEING THEIR
TENTH ANNirERSART.
BY THE
REV. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, D.D.
ATE VICE-PROVOST OF THE COLLEGE OF FORT-WILLIAM IN
BENGAL.
THIRD EDITION, REVISED.
SERMON III.
MATT. V. 14. Ye are the Light of the World.
" IN THE BEGINNING was the WORD, and the
*' Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John i. 1. " And the Word was made FLESH,
" and dwelt among us ; and we beheld his Glory,
" the glory as of the only-begotten of the
" Father, full of grace and truth." John i. 14.
And the Word, being " manifest in the flesh,
tf was justified in the Spirit, seen of angels" in
this humble state, " preached unto the Gentiles,
" believed on in the world, received up into
This, my Brethren, is the sum of that Divine
Record, which is to give light to the world.
CHRIST is the fountain of light. " I am the
" light of the world," saith the Eternal Word.
When therefore he saith, <f Ye are the light of
" the world," he means not that ye are that
G2
76 c&e iitgljt of fye
light, but are to <c bear witness of that Light."
John i. 18. Ye are merely INSTRUMENTS of the
light (like the greater and lesser lights in the
firmament of heaven) to reflect and diffuse it
throughout the world.
CHRIST is the Fountain of Light; that is, of
spiritual light. For, as the light of REASON was
conferred on the first man Adam, and is natural
to all men ; so the Light of LIFE cometh by
the Second Adam, who is " a quickening spirit,
" the Lord from heaven." " He that followeth
" me," saith Christ, " shall have the light of
" LIFE;" John viii. 12.
That you may have clear conceptions on this
subject, we shall, in our introduction, discuss
this doctrine of our Saviour concerning " the
Light of LIFE," even that spiritual light by
which, saith the Apostle, " the eyes of our under-
standing are enlightened" (Eph. i. 18.); for I
fear that many discourses have been pronounced
in this nation without any allusion to it. And,
first, let us inquire who those persons were whom
our Lord called " the light of the world." This
appellation was not given to the Jewish nation
in general, but to a few individuals, whom the
great body of the Jews supposed to be in the
darkness of error; but who, in reality, saw the
Clje lUflljt af tlje CKlarlD, 77
true ligfit, while " the darkness comprehended
" it not."
As it was in tlie days of Christ, so it is in our
time : the spiritual light is not poured upon a
whole nation, or upon a whole community of
men by any system of education, but it is given
to individuals; even to such individuals as
earnestly pray for it. " He, that folio weth me/'
saith Christ, " shall not walk in darkness, but
" shall have the light of life ;" for " every one,
" that asketh, receiveth : he, that seeketh,
" findeth: and to him, that knocketh, it shall
be opened." Matt, vii* 8. And this is ex-
pressly spoken in reference to the gift of the
Holy Spirit. A whole nation may enjoy the
external light, and may exhibit the civilizing
power of Christianity, and yet be involved in
spiritual darkness. And this is " the hard say-
" ing" which " the world cannot receive. 5 '
" The words of Scripture,' 1 say they, " are
" sufficient of themselves to illuminate the
" mind, without the light from heaven." The
dead letter hath light enough for them. Whereas
the Apostle saith, " God hath made us able
* ministers of the New Testament: not of the
" letter, but of the spirit : for the letter killeth,
but the spirit giveth life." 2 Cor. iii. 6. But
the world in general will not receive this truth.
rs Cf>eiUg!)t0f flje
f< And this is the condemnation," saith our Lord,
u that light is come into the world, and men
love darkness rather than light." Thus St.
Paul himself disbelieved once, and proceeded
to Damascus, having his heart filled with enmity
against this heavenly doctrine. But behold,
" he saw in the way a light from heaven, above
fe the brightness of the sun, shining round about
"him:" yet this external light was but a faint
emblem of that ILLUMINATION, which was
imparted to his soul, and which our Saviour
calleth the Light of Life."
My Brethren, unless a man have the Light
of Life, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
For, though there be no external miracle, like
that in the case of the Apostle, to accompany
it; yet the INTERNAL miracle subsists, in all its
truth and reality ; and is manifested at this day
in the same kind of vigour and efficacy, as
in the first days of tte Gospel. For, as the
first Christians and the Christians of this age
are to be partakers of the same glory in heaven,
so it is necessary that they acquire the same
MEETNESS for that inheritance, and become
subjects of the same conversion of heart here
on earth.
I would record this doctrine of the Divine
Illumination in the very threshold of our dis-
C!je JUjjIjt of tfje aziorltr* 79
course ; for it is of importance that its truth be
made manifest to ourselves, before it be preached
to the heathen world. But it will be useful to
prosecute the argument further.
It is common to arraign that ancient peo-
ple, the Jews, for their unbelief: and we are
wont to view their hardness of heart with a
kind of horror. But, in regard to the doctrine
alluded to, Jews and nominal Christians are in
the same condemnation. The Jews received the
words of Scripture as we do ; but they re-
jected the spiritual light. " When they read
" the Old Testament," saith the Apostle* " the
" veil is upon their hearts unto this day ;" they
perceived not the spiritual kingdom of the pro-
mised Messiah. In like manner, when no-
minal Christians read the New Testament, the
veil is upon their hearts, and they perceive not
the promise of the Holy Spirit. For, as the
Messiah, God the SON, was the one great
object presented to view in the promises and
prophecies of the Old Testament so the sub-
ject of the Grand Promise in the New Tes-
tament is, God the HOLY GHOST. The
Holy Spirit is the very life and essence, and, in
regard to actual operation on the hearts of men,
"the Alpha and Omega of the New Dispensation,
which is emphatically called " the Ministration
so ci;e tigltf of tlje
" of the SPIRIT/' 2 Cor. iii. 8. This was that
" promise of the Father," of which our Saviour
spake with such earnestness and exultation to
his disciples; an J which he said would "abide
" in the world for ever." John xiv. 16. The Day
of Pentecost was properly the first day of the
Christian Dispensation; for, on that day, the
fountains of divine influence were opened for
the Universal Church ; never to be closed again
to the end of time. Unless this light of the
Spirit had been shed forth, the Apostles them-
selves could not have fully understood the Gos-
pel, even after hearing the words of Christ from
the beginning of his ministry to the hour of his
ascension. And, without this light, the New
Testament, in regard to its spiritual meaning,
must be as " a sealed book" to every man, at
this day.
Men of the world acknowledge, indeed, that
there is a promise of divine light under the New
Dispensation ; but they allege that it was in-
tended for OTHERS, and not for them. They say
that the light shone a little while at the begin-
ning of the Christian Religion, but was soon
extinguished, and that the world was left again
in darkness ! They do not understand, they say r
that there is any difference between the dispen-
sation of Moses and the dispensation of Christ,
Clje JUjjijt of tfje anotlD* si
except merely in the publication of an INSPIRED
BOOK throughout the world ! What further evi-
dence can we require of the existence of a king-
dom in this world, which is under the dominion
of that spirit, who is called by our Saviour,
" the Prince of DARKNESS;" and by St. Paul,
" the god of THIS WORLD," who "hath blinded
" the minds of them that believe not, lest the
"light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is
" the image of God, should shine unto them."
2 Cor. iv. 4.
In the foregoing argument, we have not spoken
of that extraordinary light, which imparted to
men the gift of prophecy and of tongues ; but of
that ordinary light, which sheweth to the sinner,
" the glorious Gospel of Christ ;" as above ex-
pressed; and which inspired him with love to
God and with faith in his Redeemer: which
mortifieth evil affections, purifieth the heart,
giveth to the soul a peace which passeth all un-
derstanding, and a sure and certain hope of the
resurrection unto eternal life. We speak of that
light, whatever it may be, which is necessary,
" to open the understanding, that we may under-
" stand the Scriptures.'' Luke xxiv. 45.
We before asserted, that the spiritual light rs
not given to a nation or community of men by
any system of education; but to individuals : evcia
82 Clje 3JLtgl)t of tlje (KHorlfi.
to those, who obey the divine admonition, and
supplicate " the Father of Lights," for the GOOD
and PERFECT gift" Let us now proceed to en-
quire what was the CHARACTER of those persons
whom our Saviour addressed as " the Light of
" the World." For if men say, " We cannot see
" this spiritual light : to us it is invisible :" we
must lead their attention to that which is obvious
and visible ; namely, the MORAL character of
" the children of Light."
The character of those who are called the
Light of the World, is recorded by our Lord
himself in his Sermon from the Mount ; for they
are the persons whose virtues are the subject
of his BEATITUDES. It was on that occasion,
when he had finished the enumeration of their
peculiar dispositions, that he said, " Ye are the
" Light of the World."
I know not any mistake so general at this
day as that which regards our Lord's Ser-
mon from the Mount. The general impres-
sion seems to be that these precepts may be
obeyed by a heathen as well as by a Chris-
tian, if you merely propose them to him, with-
out the aid of any spiritual influence from
above. But, my brethren, no man can observe
these precepts, or even have a just concep-
tion of the meaning of these Beatitudes, unless
C&f ti$)t of tf)e (HJ0tHu 85
he have the " the light of life." For how can
we understand what it is to be " poor in spirit;"
" to hunger and thirst after righteousness :" or
" to rejoice and be exceeding glad when we
" are persecuted for righteousness sake ;" or
" to pray for them who speak all manner of
" evil against us falsely for Christ's sake," unless
the " eyes of our understanding be opened ?"
Eph. i. 18.
In these Beatitudes, our Saviour exhibits to
the world the character of HIS disciples. He
declares the heavenly temper and consequent
blessedness of those persons, who should be sub-
jects of his spiritual kingdom, which had now
commenced. For, when he saith, "Blessed are the
" poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
" heaven;" he saith, in effect, " Blessed are ye,
" my disciples, for ye are poor in spirit :" and
so of all the other dispositions there described ;
" Blessed are the meek :" " Blessed are the
" merciful:" " Blessed are the peace makers :"
" Blessed are the pure in heart :" " Blessed are
" they which hunger and thirst after righteous-
" ness." All these inestimable qualities of mind
belong to the disciples of Christ : not one of
them, but ALL. They all flow from " the self-
*' same Spirit ;" like sweet waters from the same
fountain. They are the characters of that great
84 etje Lijjljt of tip
MORAL CHANGE, which our Saviour foretold
would be a frequent event under the New Dis-
pensation.
When our Lord had given this record of the
pure and heavenly dispositions of his disciples,
he said unto them, " Ye are the light of the
" world/'
. At that time there were many illustrious cha-
racters in the world : men of great eminence,
who flourished in Greece and Rome, and enlight-
ened mankind by their science and learning;
whose names are renowned at this day. But our
Lord said to his unlettered disciples, " YE are the
light of the world."
At that time, too, there were many in Judea,
who had the revelation of God in their hands ;
" to whom were committed the oracles of God,"
and who conceived themselves to be the church
and people of God. Yet, when our Saviour
came, he did not find one fit instrument for his
ministry among the priesthood of the Jewish
Church. And he turned to his disciples, and
said, "YE are the light of the world."
We have introduced this doctrine of the Divine
Illumination into the exordium of the Discourse,
that it may guide us in our way through the dif-
ficult subject which lies before us. You will be
now prepared to consider the following proposi-
tions :
of ti>e saioris, 35
. 1 . If you would be " The light of the world,"
you will draw your light from Christ, and send
forth preachers bearing the CHARACTER which
HE hath delineated.
2. If you be instruments of " the true light,"
you will be zealous in adopting the most effec-
tual MEANS of diffusing it. And it will pro-
bably appear to you, that you ought to adopt
more efficient measures for this purpose, than
have hitherto been employed. For it is mani-
fest, that a new era in the Church hath arrived ;
which authorises you to use new means.
I. IF you WOULD APPROPRIATE THE APPEL-
LATION OF OUR SAVIOUR, AND BE " THE
" LIGHT OF THE WORLD," YOU WILL DRAW
YOUR LIGHT FROM CHRIST, AND SEND FORTH
PREACHERS BEARING THE CHARACTER WHICH
HE HATH DELINEATED.
They must be men into whose hearts " the
" true light hath shined ;" such preachers as our
own Church approves ; who " trust that they
" are moved to the work by the Holy Ghost.'*
And, with regard to their outward deportment,
they must be men whose dispositions accord
with those which are described in the Sermon
on the Mount; such as the Hindoo Christians
call " Men of the Beatitudes :" That is their
proper character; and there are more persons
86 CDe JUfiljt of ti)e fcuotttr,
of that character in Great Britain at this day,
than there were in Judea, in the time of our
Saviour. This is sufficiently evident from the
Evangelic History. You ought to be at no loss,
then, to find fit instruments of the Light.
But, in regard to such instruments, there are
two important subjects of inquiry at this period
of the Church : first, what degree of Learn-
ing they ought to possess ; and, secondly, whe-
ther they ought to be invested with the Sacred
Character before they proceed on their mission.
1. Our first inquiry respects the DEGREE OF
LEARNING, which Christian Missionaries ought
to possess.
The preachers, whom our Saviour sent forth,
were men of humble condition, and destitute of
human learning. This was ordained, that the
divine power of his Gospel might be made
manifest, by the apparently inadequate means
employed in its promulgation. All learning,
however, of whatever kind, which was neces-
sary for their ministry, was imparted to them
supernaturally.
But the Apostle PAUL the " chosen vessel"
who was ordained to preach to the Gentiles,
was not destitute of human learning, naturally
acquired. And we are taught by his Epistles,
that we may avail ourselves of every human
Cfte lList)t of fye
aid to dispense the blessings of the Gospel ; such
as rank, wealth, eloquence and learning. For
all these are blessings of God ; and are means
of persuading men, as much as speech itself.
Has it ever been imagined, that a man could
preach the Gospel without the gift of speech,
by signs alone ? All these human aids, I say,
are valuable gifts of God ; and only cease to be
blessings by the abuse of them. It is true, that
the Gospel may be preached with great energy
by Ministers possessing inconsiderable attain-
ments in literature. It sometimes happens,
that the most successful ministrations are con-
ducted by men of very moderate acquirements.
And, indeed, the character of the Gospel seems
to require, that, in most cases (where the true
doctrine is preached) it should give more honour
to zeal and diligence, than to genius and learn-
ing. But it is also true, that God is pleased
to make himself known by the use of MEANS.
And, when these means are used in subordina-
tion to his grace, he will HONOUR the means.
This has been the experience of every eminent
preacher of the Gospel, in the history of Chris-
tianity, from the time of the Apostle Paul,
down to your late pious, eloquent, and honoured
Pastor, who so long and so successfully minis-
tered in this church.*
* The Rev. William Roroaine.
88 ci)e tg!)t of tfje
It is expedient, then, that those who go forth
as preachers to the Gentiles at this day, should,
like the FIRST GREAT IPREACHER, have a com-
petent degree of knowledge ; that they may be
able to meet the arguments of the more learned
among the Heathen.
I have sometimes been ashamed to see the
Christian Missionary put to silence by the intel-
ligent Brahmin, in some point relating to the
history of Eastern nations, or to the present
state of mankind. I have felt anxious for the
credit of Christianity, if I may so speak, on
such occasions: for the argument from fact,
and from the existing state of the world, is
strong ground, both for the Christian and his
adversary, in all discussions relating to a reve-
lation from God. This is well illustrated in
the history of St. Paul, who disputed with
the learned at Athens on their own princi-
ples ; and quoted their poets in defence of the
Gospel.
Let us then honour human learning. Every
branch of knowledge which a good man pos-
sesses, he may apply to some good purpose.
If he possessed the knowledge of an archangel,
he might employ it all to the advantage of
men, and the glory of God.
Some portion of learning is, therefore, indis-
pensable to insure even a tolerable degree of
Cfje JUgljt of tlje etariO, sg
success, in preaching to the Heathen World.
But let us rightly understand what the nature
of this learning is. It" is not an acquaintance
with mathematical or classical literature that is
chiefly required. The chief use of natural
science to a preacher, is to illustrate moral and
spiritual subjects: but if other men be not ac-
quainted with the scientific facts which he ad-
duces, these facts no longer serve as illustrations
to them. Neither is a knowledge of the classics
requisite. For those Missionaries, indeed, who
are to translate the Scriptures, a knowledge of
the original languages is indispensable; but for
Missionaries in general, who preach to unci-
vilized nations, classical erudition is not ne-
cessary.
The proper learning of the Christian Preacher,
who goes forth to the Gentiles, is an accurate
knowledge of the BIBLE, and a general know-
ledge of the HISTORY of the world. It was re-
ported to me, as a saying of the venerable
SWARTZ, that the foundation of extensive use-
fulness among the Heathen is " a knowledge
" of the Scriptures in the vernacular language,
" and an acquaintance with the history of
" nations in any language." This seems to be
the testimony of truth. The History of the
World illustrates the Word of God; and the
H
90 . Clje jii$l)t of tije
Book of Providence, when devoutly studied,
becomes a commentary on the Book of Revela-
tion. But if the preacher be ignorant of the
great events of the world, " the word of pro-
phecy" is in a manner lost in his ministry ;
particularly in relation to the revolutions in
Eastern Nations: for, in this respect, the East has
an importance greater than that of the West;
for the East is the country of the first genera-
tions of men.
To conclude this part of our subject. The
Missionaries of this day find by experience the
importance of human learning in the present cir-
cumstances of the world ; and some of them, by
painful study in their old age, have acquired a
competent degree of knowledge while resident
in a foreign land.
2. We now come to the second point of
enquiry : Whether the Christian Missionary
ought to be invested with the SACRED CHA-
RACTER, before he leaves our own shores.
To preach the glad tidings of salvation to a
lost ivorld, is the most honourable office that can
be assigned to man. The office of Kings and
Legislators is not so exalted. Angels alone, we
should naturally think, are qualified to do justice
to the heavenly theme ; and to appear before
of tlje (HHflra. 91
men as " the ambassadors of Christ." Let
those, therefore, who undertake this embassy
be satisfied that they are called to it of God.
We have already seen the importance of hu-
man learning for the preacher of the Gospel.
It is no less necessary that he should appear
before the nations of the East in a characer of
sanctity : for they expect that the man who
ministers among them in holy things, should be
recognized by his own countrymen as bearing
a holy character.
It is proper, then, that every preacher who
obtains from our own Church official sanction
to " go and baptize the nations," should be set
apart to the Holy Office, and ordained according
to the Order of the Church. You may observe,
that almost all societies of Christians have some
form of Ordination ; and, so far, they recog-
nize the Office of the Ministry as sacred.
Nay more, they confine their Missionaries to
their own ritual or creed ; and will patronize
them no longer than they conform to it. This
is not, indeed, the Catholic Charity of the Gos-
pel. This is not the character of the true light
which shineth on all. But this partiality ap-
pears to be inseparable from the very con-
stitution of religious bodies, differing in form
from one another. It may
H
92 Clje %itf)t of tije uoriD.
of the Visible Church of Christ; which is imper-
fect and militant here on earth. This advantage,
however, results from such partiality, that more
interest is created and more energy excited, when
the attention is confined to the operation of a
single body of men. At this very time, some
societies are so intent on their own work, that
they do not well know what the rest are doing.
But the Church of England ought to shine
upon ALL. Like a venerable Nursing-Mother
of the Church of Christ, she ought to contem-
plate with candour and benignity the useful ex-
ertions of the several Societies not subject to
her jurisdiction, notwithstanding their differing
from her, and from one another, in matters not
essential to salvation.
But, in the great work of converting the
Heathen World, men of different stations and
offices are required. At the first promulgation
of the Gospel, there were, saith the Apostle,
" some Evangelists; and some, Pastors and
" Teachers." There were also what he deno-
minates " Helps for the work of the Ministry."
In like manner, we may now employ, " some/'
Evangelists and Pastors invested with the sacred
character; and some Teachers and Catechists,
with such " Helps" of a secular kind as may be
useful. Such subordinate instructors may be
Ci)e fj$t of tfje COatttr, 93
sent forth to commence the work ; and, in pro-
cess of time, those of them may return as candi-
dates for ordination, who shall have acquired a
knowledge of the foreign language, and a com-
petent degree of learning for the sacred office ;
and who shall have obtained a good report for
piety, zeal, diligence, and fidelity.
To this object we would now particularly
direct your attention. I can report to you from
my own observation, that the most useful and
necessary labours among the Heathen, during the
first years of Christian Instruction, are those of
the humble Teacher and Catechist. Whenever
then, you find a man well qualified by knowledge
and piety for this subordinate office, you may
send him forth with confidence, in his secular
character, as a fit instrument of light in a dark
region.
If you look around, you may observe that few
of the RICH or LEARNED of any society of Chris-
tians, however small, and however zealous to
diffuse Christianity, are disposed to go forth as
Missionaries. And it is true, that, if the rich
and learned did go, they could not assimilate
with the poor and ignorant among the Heathen,
so easily as their brethren of inferior station. They
could not so easily associate with their poverty,
or tolerate their ignorance.
94 l)e !ltgf)t of tlje
If then you cannot find rich men of your own
body to go forth to enlighten the world, you must
send men of humble condition ; and if you
cannot engage learned men, you must send men
of inferior attainments: for the Gospel must be
" preached to all nations :" some men must go
forth to be " the Light of the World." Only
let it be your care that the men whom you do
send, possess the dispositions which our Lord
hath enjoined. Let them be " Men of the
BEATITUDES." In regard to learning they will
acquire some portion of it in a foreign land. It
is proper to observe, that a Missionary is not made
a Missionary wholly in his own country ; but in
the country of his labours. Learning is eventually
necessary for him : it is indispensable to great
success : but it is not so requisite at his first
entrance on his employments. The primary qua-
lifications are evangelic fortitude, zeal, humility,
self-denial, prudence, temperance; to which must
be added, assiduity in learning a new language
with the docility of a child. And, in the period
of eight or ten years, whilst that language is
acquiring, some other branches of useful learning
may be successfully cultivated.
This opinion on the means of forming a Mis-
sionary, I deliver in perfect confidence : not only
Clje tfffi)t of tye aatorttr. 95
as the result of my own observation and enquiry ;
but as being sanctioned by the most eminent and
useful preachers in the East, during the last
century.*
II. We now proceed to consider our Second
Proposition : that, IF YOU BE INSTRUMENTS of
THE TRUE LlGHT, YOU WILL BE ZEALOUS tN
ADOPTING THE MOST EFFECTUAL MEANS OF
DIFFUSING IT.
But, perhaps, it may be expected, that, to
stimulate your exertions, I should give some
account of the Darkness which exists in the
Heathen World.
I have, indeed, seen that Darkness ; but it is
not easy to describe it. No man can know what
it is, who has not seen it. It is no less dreadful,
than when the Israelites beheld, at a distance, the
thick darkness of Egypt from their dwellings " in
" Gosheri, where there was Light." I have been
in what the Scripture calls " the Chambers of
Imagery;*' Ezekiel viii. 12, and have witnessed
the enormity of the Pagan Idolatry in all its
turpitude and blood. I can now better understand
those words of the Scriptures, " The dark places
" of the earth are full of thehabitations of cruelty :'
Psalm Ixxiv. 20. I have seen the libations of
human blood, offered to the Moloch of the Eastern
* iegeubalg, Shultz, Swartz, and Gerick6.
96 Cjje tigljt
World ; and an assembly, not of two thousand
only, which may constitute your number, but of
two hundred thousand, falling prostrate at the
sight before the Idol, and raising acclamations
to his name.
But the particulars of these scenes cannot be
rehearsed before a Christian Assembly ; as indeed
the Scriptures themselves intimate : Eph. v. 12.
It may suffice to observe, that the two prominent
characters of idolatry are the same which the
Scriptures describe ; Cruelty and Lacivious-
ness; Blood and Impurity. It is already known
to you that the fountain-head of this supersti-
tion in India, is the temple of Juggernaut ; and it
will give you satisfaction to hear that the Gos-
pels have been recently translated into the lan-
guage of Juggernaut. The Christian World is
indebted to the labours of the Missionaries of the
Baptist Society in India, for this important ser-
vice.
But there is a moral darkness iri the East of a
different character from that of Paganism, I mean
the darkness of the ROMISH Superstition in Pagan
Lands. Upwards of two centuries ago, Papal
Rome established her Inquisition in India, and it
is still in operation. By this tribunal, the power
of the Romish Church was consolidated in that
hemisphere. From Goa, as a centre, issue the
orders of the Santa Casa, or Holy Office, to almost
Clje !Ugf)t of tye a^crllr. 97
every nation of the East ; to the western coast
of Africa, where there arc many Romish
churches ; and thence to their settlements along
the shores of the continent of Asia, as far as
China and the Philippine Isles. SHIPS of war
and ships of commerce have ever been under its
command ; for the Vice-Roy of Goa himself is
subject to its jurisdiction : and these ships
afford the means of transmitting orders to all
countries, of sending forth priests, and some-
times of bringing back victims.
Besides the spiritual tyranny of the Inquisition,
there exists, in certain provinces, a corruption of
Christian Doctrine moreheinous than can easily be
credited. In some places, the Ceremonies and
,Rites of Moloch are blended with the Worship of
Christ ! This spectacle I myself have witnessed at
Aughoor, near Madura, in the south of India. The
chief source of the enormity is this : The In-
quisition would not give the BIBLE to the peo-
ple. In some provinces I found that the Scrip-
tures were not known to the common people,
even by name; and some of the priests themselves
assured me that they had never seen them.
But the era of light seems to have arrived, even
to this dark region ; for a translation of the Scrip-
tures has been prepared for it. This version has
been recently made by the Bishop of the ancient
ss Clje ItffDt of t!)e
Syrian Christians ; and I have the satisfaction to
announce to you that a part of it hath been al-
ready published. It has been printed at Bombay,
by the aid of the funds, to the augmentation of
which this Society has recently contributed.
This translation is in the Malayalim Tongue,
sometimes called the Malabar : which is spoken,
not only by the Hindoos of Malabar, Travancore,
and Cochin ; but by upwards of three hundred
thousand Christians in these provinces : some of
them belonging to the ancient Syrian Church,
and some of them to the Romish Church ; and
who will all, as we have been informed, gladly
receive the Word of God, both priests and
people.
Another remarkable event hath concurred to
favour the design. The Italian Bishop of chief
eminence in those parts, who presides over the
college of Verapoli, which has been established
for the Students of the Romish Church, has
denied the authority of the Inquisition; and has
acceded to the design of giving the Holy Scrip-
tures to the people. I myself received from him
the assurance of his determination to this effect,
in the presence of the British Resident in Tra-
vancore. So that the version executed by the
Syrian Bishop, whom Rome has ever accounted
her enemy in the East, will be given to the
cije iugt)t of fye a&attfc, 99
Romish Church. Thus, after a strife of three
hundred years, doth " the Wolf lie down with the
Lamb ;" and the Lion, changing his nature,
begins to " eat straw like the Ox." Isaiah, xi. 7.
And it is for the support of this work, in par-
ticular, that we would solicit your liberality on
this day. It is for the translation of the Bible
into a new language, which is not only verna-
cular to Hindoos and Mahomedans, but is the
language of a nation of Christians, who never
saw the Bible; and whose minds are already dis-
posed to read the book which gives an account
of their own religion.
Thus much of the Darkness which pervades
Heathen Lands. We shall now advert to the
MEANS of imparting light to them.
The time seems to have arrived, when more
effectual measures ought to be adopted for the
promulgation of Christianity, than have hitherto
been employed. It is now expedient to open a
more direct and regular communication with our
Missionaries in foreign countries. It is not enough
that there be ample contributions at home, and
that we meet in large assemblies to hear and to ap-
prove; but there must be greater personal activity,
and a more frequent intercourse with the scen6
abroad.
LET SHIPS BE PREPARED TO CARRY THE GLAD
TIDINGS of the GOSPEL TO REMOTE NATIONS,
ioo Clje iltfiJjt of flje
The auspicious circumstances of the present
time, and the blessing that hath hitherto evi-
dently attended the labours of the general body
of Missionaries, seem to justify the adoption of
these means. There is nothing new in the pro-
posal, if it be not, that it is new to us. You have
seen with what facility theRomish Church can open
a communication with distant nations, by ships
of war and commerce. You see with what fa-
cility commercial men at home can open a com-
munication with remote regions, at a very small
expense, sometimes merely on speculation ; and,
if they do not succeed in one country, they go to
another. " The children of this world are wiser
" in their generation than the children of light."
Let us follow their example in conducting the
commerce of knowledge. Let societies, let in-
dividuals, according to their ability, charter
ships for this very purpose. Much of the ex-
pense may be defrayed by judicious plans of
commerce. But let the chief and avowed
object be, " THE MERCHANDISE OF THE Gos-
PEL.'
In support of the perfect expedience of this
measure, we shall submit to you the following
considerations:
1. A chief obstacle to persons proceeding as
Missionaries to remote regions, is the want of
Clje iLtgljt of tlje ffitwrio. 101
conveyance. Were a facility afforded in this
respect, many individuals and families would offer
themselves for the work, who would not other-
wise ever think seriously on the subject. Experi-
ence has shewn how difficult it is to procure a
passage, in a commercial ship, for a religious
family of humble condition. Nor is it proper
that a family of pure manners, who never heard
the holy name of God profaned in their own
houses, should be exposed, during some months,
to the contaminating influence of that offensive
Language, which is too often permitted on
board ships of war and commerce belonging to
the English Nation.
2. The success of a Mission abroad depends
much on frequent CORRESPONDENCE with the
patrons at home. By this communication the
interest and reputation of the Missionaries are
better supported, at their respective places of
residence. And they always need this support;
for, in every place, they are exposed to some
degree of persecution.
3. The Missionaries need regular SUPPLIES, for
their comfortable subsistence, and for the prosecu-
tion of their work. The want of subsistence is
more frequent in certain climates, than is generally
supposed. And the regular transmission of such
supplies as are connected with the prosecution
102 Clje iLiffltf of tlje
of their proper work is indispensable. The object
of the Missionaries, in the East in particular,
is to PRINT and PUBLISH the Holy Scriptures;
and a fresh supply of the several materials,
essential to the prosecution of this purpose, is
required every year.
In the first promulgation of the Gospel, the
preachers were endowed with " the Gift of
TONGUES; and thus they may be said to have
carried about with them the instruments of
conversion. In its present promulgation, the
Providence of God hath ordained the Gift of
the SCRIPTURES: and the materials for print-
ing these Scriptures must be sent out to the
preachers. There is likewise this further
preparation by the same Providence ; that
most of the languages of the East have be-
come, in the course of ages, written lan-
guages. As the art of printing extended the
knowledge of the Gospel to our own country,
at the Reformation ; so the art of printing
must now convey it to the other nations of the
world.
It may be also observed, that, if the means
of conveyance were at our command, many
works in the Eastern Languages, might be
printed with more expedition, and at less
expense, at home, than abroad.
CJje tgj)t of flje ftBorltt* 103
4. A further and a very important consideration
is this. It is proper that a Missionary should
have an opportunity of RETURNING to his
native country, when ill health or the affairs
of his family may require it. When he goes
out as a Missionary, we are not to understand
that he goes necessarily into a state of banish-
ment. It is proper indeed that he should go
forth with the spirit of one, who "hath left father
and mother for the Gospel's sake ;" but men in
general have duties to discharge to their
parents, to their children, and to their relations
of consanguinity ; duties sometimes of a spiri-
tual nature. We do not read that St. Paul went
forth to his work as an exile. On the contrary,
we know that he returned home, at least for a
time, and kept up a personal correspondence
with Jerusalem. In like manner, many of the
preachers who are now abroad, suffering in
health, and sinking under the pressure of an
enervating climate, if they had the means of
conveyance, would be glad to visit their Jeru-
salem ; that they might return again to their
labours with renewed strength and spirits.
It may be further observed, that the communi-
cations of such persons would be very valuable
to the Church at home. This may be exemplified
in the instance of the worthy clergyman of New
104
South Wales; who lately -visited England :* and
whose communications were not only serviceable
to the general interests of religion ; but were,
in many respects, very acceptable to the British
government.
5. The last advantage which we shall mention,
is that of VISITATION, by men of learning, pru-
dence, and piety: who would make a voyage with
no intention of remaining ; but, induced partly by
considerations of health, and partly by motives of
public service to the Church, would visit their
brethren in distant lands, to inform themselves
fully of their state and progress, to animate and
exhort them, and to report to their respective
societies concerning new plans of usefulness. As
there ought to be no jealousy among men promot-
ing the same object, the same ship might, in her
voyage, visit all the stations in her way, render
everygrateful service, communicate with all, afford
supplies to all. There are, at this time, upwards
of thirty different places where Missionaries are
preaching in foreign lands. If but a single ship
were employed for the general use of all socie-
ties, it might be an auspicious beginning.
In adopting means for regular communication
with our Missionaries, we have the example of
* The Rev. Mr. Marsden.
Clje lUffljt of tlje flfttorttu 105
two of the oldest societies : the "Society for
" promoting Christian Knowledge," and the So-
ciety of the " United Brethren." The former
sends out an investment to their Missionaries in
India, regularly every year ; and has so done for
a century past. These supplies consist not only
of books, stationary, and materials for printing;
but they include articles of household economy,
and for female use, which are forwarded, under
the name of presents, to the families of the Mis-
sionaries.
The Reverend Mr. Kohloff, the worthy suc-
cessor of Swartz, assured me, that he considered
the well-being of that Mission, during so long
a period, to have been much promoted by this
parental and affectionate intercourse. The " So-
" ciety for promoting Christian Knowledge," have
no ship of their own ; but they are favoured with
the necessary freight every year in fhe ships of the
East-India Company. Let us then imitate the
example of this Venerable Society, which, in regard
to the support of Missions, and the translation of
the Scriptures, is " the mother of us all."
But the strongest recommendation of the mea-
sure which I propose to you, is the successful
example of the " United Brethren." That Episco-
pal Body has had a ship during a period of more
than fifty years, chartered for the sole purpose of
carryingthe Gospel to Labrador, and other foreign
106 Cije igi)t of tt)e
lands. The ships Harmony and Resolution have
been employed in this important service ; a service
far more honourable than any that has ever been
achieved by any ship of war, commerce, or dis-
covery.
Nor ought we to omit, on this occasion, to
make honourable mention of the liberal plans of
the " London Missionary Society." The first
operation of that body, in sending forth, at once,
a " great company of preachers," displayed a noble
spirit of Zealand unanimity; and manifested a lau-
dable and well-grounded confidence in the ul timate
success of the great design. The merits of that
Christian Expedition have not, perhaps, been suffi-
ciently acknowledged at home. But the sending
forth a ship to the Pacific ocean at that day was a
great event in the history of the Gospel; and will
no doubt be recorded in the books of the Heathen
World in age* to come.*
* Our approbation here refers not to the place selected for
the first mission, but to the spirit which sent it forth. Those,
who now blame the choice of the place, did not themselves,
perhaps, anticipate the difficulties. A country which is pro-
tected by a regular government, is indeed the most suitable.
But a regular government will not always receive a mission, of
which we have several examples. Besides, the Gospel is to be
preached to Barbarians as well as to Greeks j and Savages have
become obedient to the Gospel in every age.
Clje Hfs!)t of tfte amotttn 107
That I may lead your thoughts to the serious
contemplation of the measure which I have pro-
posed, I shall now recite to you a prediction of the
prophet Isaiah, and the interpretation of it by the
Jews of the East.
The prophecy to which I allude is in the xviiith
chapter of Isaiah. It begins in our Translation
with these words : " Woe to the land ;" but it
ought to be translated " O land !" being an address
of affection and respect. " O land ! shadowing
" with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethio-
" pia ; that sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even
" in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying,
" Go,ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and
" peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning
" hitherto :"and concludes with these words : " In
" that time shall the present be brought unto the
" Lords of Hosts of a people scattered and peeled
" to the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts,
" the Mount Zion."
This prophecy, which had been considered by
some of the learned in this country, and first,
I believe, by the late Bishop Horsley, as referring
to these times, I proposed to the Jews in the East ;
who, after some deliberation, gave me the follow-
ing explanation :
, c * The prophecy in this chapter relates to the
108 cije Higljt of tlje
" restoration of the Jews to their own country.
" The nation here addressed by a kind compella-
" tion, ' O thou land,' was to send a message to
" the Jewish people ; and this was to be a message
5* of kindness."
I then desired they would describe the character
of the nation, which was to send a message of kind-
ness to the Jewish People, according to the pro-
phecy. They stated these four particulars con-
cerning it.
1. That the place of the nation was beyond the
rivers of CUSH, that is, to the west of the Nile ; for
the prophet was on the east of the Nile when he
delivered his prophecy.
2. That it was a land " shadowing with wings ;'*
which signifies that it should be of great extent
and power, and capable of giving protection.
3. That it was a Maritime Nation "sending
" ambassadors- by sea in vessels of bulrushes :"
a figure for light ships, not burdened with com-
merce, but light for dispatch ; carrying merely the
TIDINGS OF GLADNESS : and that the ambassadors
sent in them were messengers of peace. When
I expressed some doubt as to the character of these
Ambassadors, we referred to the old Arabic Trans-
lation of Isaiah, which happened to be at hand :
where the word for Ambassadors is rendered
Prophets or Preachers.
of tl)e anorift, 109
4. That the issue of this embassy would be the
restoration of " the people scattered and peeled
** to the Lord of Hosts in Zion :" and that, at
the period when this should take place, there
would be a shaking of the nations; for it is said,
in the third verse, that God *' would lift up his
" ensign on the mountains, that all might see :
" and blow his trumpet, that all the inhabitants
'* of the earth might hear."
When I endeavoured to shew that all these
characters centered in Great Britain, and that she
was actually sending forth messengers at this
time to all nations, the Jews were alarmed at
their own interpretation, and began to qualify
some parts of it. I then demanded what they
really believed to be intended by the mission of
these " ambassadors." They answered, that they
understood the embassy in a political sense only ;
and that the nation spoken of was merely to
afford its aid to restore them to their temporal
kingdom.
.But, whether the prophecy have a temporal or
a spiritual sense, I submit to your judgment, and
not to that of the Jews in the East.
Let us then, my Brethren, obey the prophetic
mandate, and " send forth ambassadors in light
" ships ; saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a
" nation scattered and peeled," dispersed in all
1 10 cije lUsfrt of ti>e
lands: " to a people terrible from their beginning
" hitherto." For from the time since they came
forth from Egypt, accompanied by signs and
wonders, they have been a terror and a wonder
to all. Send ye ambassadors " to a nation ex-
" pecting and looking out " for the Messiah, who
is also the desire of other nations; and announce
ye to all, That the " Desire of ALL nations is
" come." Hag. ii. 7. " Lift ye up the ensign
<c upon the mountains, that all the inhabitants
" of the world may see ; and blow ye the trumpet,"
the Great Trumpet of the World's Jubilee, " that
" all the dwellers on the earth may hear."
" Ye are the light of the world." Let not
your light be confined to this spot, in a northern
region. Put away the reproach, that ye are
known out of your country, merely as a Com-
mercial People. Even as a Commercial People,
you are, at this moment, shut out of the coun-
tries of Europe. Obey then the present pro-
vidence, and resort to the ports of distant
lands ; carrying the message of kindness to a
people who " stretch forth their hands," and
will receive your commerce, and the Gospel
together.
It is not your duty to wait till the nation send
forth messengers at the public expence. Perhaps
that period may never come. It may be, that our
i)e ILiffijt of tlje aajarttu 1 1 1
Church knoweth not how to promote such an
object, but by the instrumentality of subordinate
societies : even as the state sometimes adminis-
ters the government of a remote branch of the
empire by the same means. Two societies were
instituted about a hundred years ago ; but the
period for great and successful exertion was evi-
dently not then come. You are a Third Society
established in more auspicious times ; and others
may follow.
It is not your duty, I say, to wait till the
Nation, in its public capacity, begin to send forth
preachers to the Gentiles. If that -event should
ever arrive, you prepare the way. If Individuals
did not begin, the Universal Church would not
follow. What measure of great public utility was
ever executed by Church or State, which was not
first proposed by Individuals? which was not
first resisted by the greater body ; and, perhaps,
defeated fora time?
Consider, finally, the example of the Great
Author of our Religion. Draw your light from
Christ. At the first promulgation of his Gospel
to the Heathen World, he gave his commission to
individuals. During three hundred years, the
Ministry of the Gospel was committed to indi-
viduals ; I mean they were not associated by any
authority of temporal empire: and by them the
ii2 eijelUffltfof t&e
conversion of the nations was effected, under the
direction of their respective Churches in Rome,
Corinth, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. It
may be the Divine will that the promulgation
of the Gospel at this time should be effected
partly -by the same means.
Your object and that of the Bible Society is
the same. It is to give the Bible to the World.
But, as that Sacred Volume cannot be given to
men of different nations until it be translated
into their respective languages, it is the province
of your Institution to send forth proper instru-
ments for this purpose. Your Society is con-
fined to Members of the Established Church.
You do not interfere with the " society for the
" Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,"
nor with that " for Promoting Christian Know-
" ledge :" for neither of these professes the pre-
cise objects to which you would confine your-
selves. It does not seem to be possible to frame
an objection to your establishment. When the
design and the proceedings of your institution
shall have been fully made known, you may ex-
pect the support of the Episcopal Body, of the
two Universities, and of every zealous Member
of the Church of England.
It has been objected to that Noble Institution
to which wehavealluded, the British and Foreign
C&e i#l)t of tlje (GHorHu 1 1 s
Bible Society, that it is in its character universal;
that it emb races all, and acknowledges no cast'm
the Christian Religion; and it has been insinuated,
that we ought not to be zealous evenforthe exten-
sion of Christ's Kingdom, if we must associate,
in any degree, with men of all denominations.
But, surely, there is an error in this judgment.
We seek the aid of all descriptions of men in
defending our country against the enemy. We
love to see men of all descriptions shewing their
allegiance to the King. Was it ever said to a
poor man " You are not qualified to shew your
" allegiance to the King? You must not cast
your mite into the treasury of your King?"
My Brethren, let every man, who opposes these
Institutions, examine his own heart whether he
" be true in his allegiance to the King of kings."
For myself, I hail the present unanimity of
hitherto discordant bands, as a great event in
the Church ; and as marking a grand character
of Christ's promised kingdom ; when " the
" leopard shall lie down with the kid ; and the
"calf, and the young lion, and the'fatling to-
gether, and a little child shall lead them.'' Isaiah
xi. 6. I consider the extension and unity of
the Bible Society as the best pledge of the
continuance of the Divine mercy to this
land ; and I doubt not, the time will come when
114 i)e Hlffljt Of tt)t 8210116.
the nation will reckon , that Society a great-
er honour to her, as a Christian People, than
any other institution of which she can
boast.
We shall now conclude this discourse with
stating to you the cause why so few compara-
tively co-operate in these sacred designs. Many,
it is probable, are ignorant of their existence :
some may be supposed, wifliout any culpable
motives, to question their expediency: but
die greater part, it is feared, are restrained by a
state of mind, which we cannot sufficiently con-
demn and deplore. It is not because they do not
believe in Christianity, generally ; but because
they are strangers to Christ's spiritual religion.
They have seen the light of civilization, but
they have not seen the " Light of Life;" and
this is the great and important distinction on
which the happiness of the soul depends. This
was the great distinction in the time of the
Apostle Paul; for even in the day of HIS mi-
nistration, the Gospel was hid from some.
" If our Gospel be HIP," saith he, "it is
" hid to them that are lost." 2 Cor. iv. 3. If
then the light was hid from some when he
preached, with a divine energy, and with the
demonstration of miracles, shall we wonder that
it is hid from some in our day ?
There is nothing, my Brethren, worth living
&|)e *Ltjj!)t of tl)e motto. 1 is
for, of equal importance with the diffusion of this
light. We must all meet again at a future day,
in a larger Assembly than the present, when we
shall behold HIM who has said, " I am the Light
'' of the world/' Let every one of us, then, "BEAR
c; WITNESS to the light;" by contributing, accord-
ing to his ability, to its extension throughout the
world: If the Christian Revelation be from God,
to give that Revelation to the heathen world is
the first duty of a Christian nation. If there be
a majority of our nation who do not acknowledge
this duty, the case is not different from what it
ever hath been. When the Apostle Paul went
forth to evangelize the world, men accounted
him to be " beside himself." Now we have
stronger encouragement to attempt the conver-
sion of the heathen world at this day, than the
Apostle had, in the first age ; for we have seen
that their conversion is PRACTICABLE. We only
meditate to do that a second time which hath
been once done already. And we know that the
same Divine Spirit which was with him, " will
abide in the world forever." Men were not
converted then, merely by the sight of a, miracle:
but by the Grace of God. And the same Grace
is promised to us.
But there is another consideration. Do we not
hear the command of Christ ? " Go ye and tea,ch
of tf)e
" all nations." If we arejsure that this is Christ
who speaketh to us, let us not " confer with
" flesh and blood." If there be any man who is
swayed by the opinion of the multitude, he (t is
" not worthy" of Christ. " He that taketh not
<c his cross and followeth after me, saith our Lord,
" is not worthy of me: and he that loveth father
" or mother more than me is not worthy of me."
No man can follow Christ in the sense here
intended, who cannot follow the example of
Enoch and Noah, and believe God and not man.
Let us therefore press forward in faith, and
" serve God in our generation," contented to do
a little, where much cannot be done. Some of
the disciples of our Lord whom he addressed as
" the Light of the World," left the world very
shortly afterwards :* but, like John the Baptist,
whose race was also short, they shone as "burning
lights" during their appointed season. So let us
shine.
Yet a little while and " the Son of Man shall
" come in his glory, and all the holy angels with
? c him ; and before him shall be gathered all
"nations." Then shall the adversaries of the truth
be abashed and confounded, when they shall hear
him say to "the Redeemed out of every kindred,
* Stephen and James.
Cije JLf $)t of tl)e aaiorlfl. 1 1 7
u and tongue, and people, and nation," (some of
whom they had said could never believe in Christ)
COME, YE BLESSED ! Then shall they strike
their breasts and say, * Destroyers of our own
* souls ! we could not believe the word of God.
' But our doom is just. We believed Satan
' and promoted his designs, and laboured for his
6 glory : and we opposed the work of God, and
' obstructed the Gospel of Christ, and ruined the
c souls of men. Our condemnation is just ; and
' now we must go with the " Prince of Dark-
* ness" whom we served upon earth : and now we
' must hear the terrible sentence, " Depart ye
" cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the
" Devil and his angels." Matt. xxv. 41.
My Brethren, " Heaven and Earth shall pass
" away ; but the words of Christ shall not pass
" away." Matt. xxiv. 35.
Let us then, with true affection for the souls
of our brethren, earnestly supplicate a merciful
God who willeth not the death of a sinner, that
he would send forth his Light and his Truth to
convert their hearts and enlighten their under-
standings, in this their day of life and hope;
that so they may unite with his people, in endea-
vouring to do his will on earth, as it is in hea-
" ven ; teaching all nations to observe all things
" whatsoever Christ hath commanded us."
Matth. xxviii. 20.
1 1 8 c&e ligftt of tlje
And now, with one voice, and with true
faith, let us ascribe to God the FATHER who
loved us before the world was : and to God the
Son who redeemed us by his blood ; and to God
the Holy GHOST, who hath sanctified us and
" made us meet to be partakers of the inheri-
" tance of the saints in light," all blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power, for ever and
ever. Amen.
THE END.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES
IN
ASIA.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES,
IN his late Discourses before the University of
Cambridge, the Author noticed incidentally some
general circumstances of the darkness of Pagan-
ism, and of the means which are now employed to
diffuse the light of Christianity in the East. This
awakened a desire in some Members of that learned
Body to know the particulars; for if there were a
just expectation of success, and if the design were
conducted in consonance with the principles and
order of the Church of England, it might be a
proper subject for their countenance and co-ope-
ration. A more detailed account, therefore, will
probably be read with interest. Many, doubtless,
will rejoice to see the stream of Divine knowledge
and civilization flowing to the utmost ends of the
earth. And even those who have hitherto heard
of the progress of Christianity with little con-
cern, may be induced to regard it with a humane
solicitude.
B
2
In the College of Fort- William in Bengal, there
was a department for translating the Scriptures
into the Oriental languages ; and, so early as 1805,
(the fifth year of its institution) a commencement
had been made in five languages. The first version
of any of the Gospels in the Persian and Hindos-
tame languages which were printed in India,
issued from the Press of the College of Fort-
William. The Persian was superintended by
Lieut-Colonel Colebrooke, and the Hindostanee
by William Hunter, esq. The Gospels were trans-
lated into the Western Malay by Thomas Jarrett,
esq. of the Civil Service ; into the Orissa lan-
guage by Pooroosh Ram, the Orissa Pundit; and,
into the Mahratta language by Vydyunath, the
Mahratta Pundit; the two latter versions being
under the superintendance of Dr. William Carey.*
The principal Oriental translator, in the Per-
sian department, was Mirza Fitrut, a native
of the dominions of the Great MOGHUL .; and
the head translator, in the Hindu department,
was Meer Buhador Ulee, a Hindu.
The College was founded on the 4th of May,
I 800. After it had flourished for almost seven
years, during which period it produced nearly
* See " First Four Years of the College of Fort- William :"
p. 230. Caddl and Davies.
one hundred volumes in Oriental literature,* the
Court of Directors resolved on reducing the
establishment within narrower limits, on the 1st
of January, 1807. In consequence of this mea-
sure, the translations of the Scriptures and some
other literary works were suspended.
As this event had been long expected, the
Superintendants of the College, who were sensible
of the importance of restoring Sacred learning
to the East, had begun, some time before, to consi-
der of the means, by which that benefit might yet
be secured. Much expense had already been incur-
red. Many learned natives had come from remote
regions to Calcutta, whose services could not be
easily replaced ; and who never could have been
assembled, but by the influence of the supreme
government, as exerted by the Marquis Wellesley.
The Court of Directors were probably not fully
aware of the importance of the works then carry-
ing on, (although, indeed, their objection was not
so much to the utility, as to the expense of the
institution) and it was believed that a time would
come, when they would be happy to think that
these works had not been permitted to fall to
the ground. It was not, however, their causing
the expense to cease which was the chief source
4
of regret; but that the unity of the undertak-
ing was now destroyed. The College of Fort-
William had been identified with the Church
of England ; and, under that character, had
extended a liberal patronage to all learned men
who could promote the translation of the Scrip-
tures. But now these translations being no
longer subject to its revision, its responsibility
would also cease.*
* It will be gratifying to the public to learn that the College
of Fort-William is now in a flourishing state, and has received
the final sanction and patronage of the East-India Company.
It owes much to the cultivated mind and liberal spirit of Lord
MINTO, the present Governor-General of India. His Lordship
had not been many months in that country, before he perceived
its importance to the interests of the British Empire in the
East ; and his annual Speeches at the public Disputations,
shew that he thinks the College of Fort-William deserves as
much of his attention and support as any department under his
Government. It will be yet more gratifying to many to hear
that the College of Fort- William is likely to become once more
a fountain of translation for the Sacred Scriptures. Dr. LEYDEN,
Professor of the Hindostanee Language, has come forward
(March 1810) with a proposal to superintend the transla-
tion of the Scriptures into seven languages, hitherto little
cultivated in India. This subject will be noticed here-
after.
It was expected that the East-India College at Hertford
would eventually supersede the College in Bengal ; but it is
obvious, that in order to give any efficiency to the purposes of
a College at home, there must be also a college abroad. Little
^ntrolmctftnu 5
Under these circumstances the Superintendants
of the College resolved to encourage individuals to
proceed with their versions by such means as they
could command; and to trust to the contributions
of the public, and to the future sanction of the
Government, for the perpetuity of the design.
They purposed at the same time, not to confine the
undertaking to Bengal alone, or to the territories
of the Company ; but to extend it to every part of
the East, where fit instruments for translation
could be found. With this view, they aided the
designs of theBaptistMissionaries in Bengal,of the
more than the elements of the Oriental Languages can be con-
veniently learnt in England. But this elementary labour at
home is doubtless so much time saved in India. And thus far
the institution at Hertford, independently of iis other objects,
is highly useful, in subserviency to the College of Fort-
William. The two Institutions combine the primary idea of
Marquis Wellesley ; and the expense is not less than that States-
man had originally intended. There is this difference in the
execution, that there are now two institutions instead of one.
His Lordship proposed that the two institutions should be in
India combined in one ; and his reasons were, that the organs
of speech in youth are more flexible at an early age for learn-
ing a new language : and that the constitution of young persons
assimilates more easily to a strange climate. There are various
advantages however in having the elementary Institution at home,
which may counterbalance these reasons; and if it continue to
be conducted with the same spirit and effect which have hitherto
distinguished it, I think that the present plan is preferable.
Lutheran Missionaries in Coromandel belonging
to " the Society for promoting Christian Know-
ledge," and of the other Missionaries in the East
connec t ed withSocieties in England andScotland :
and also patronised those Roman Catholic Mis-
sionaries in the South of India whom they found
qualified for conducting useful works. About
the same period they exerted themselves in cir-
culating proposals for the translation of the Scrip-
tures into the Oriental Languages, by the Baptist
Missionaries in Bengal, and in promoting sub-
scriptions for that object by all the means in their
power; and when it was proposed to the Gover-
nor-General (Lord Minto, then just arrived) to
suppress this Mission, a memorial was addressed
to the Government in its behalf.
In order to obtain a distinct view of the state
of Christianity and of Superstition in Asia, the
Superintendants of the College had, before this
period entered into correspondence with in-
telligent persons in different countries ; and
from every quarter, (even from the confines of
China) they received encouragement to proceed.
But, as contradictory accounts were given by
different writers concerning the real state of the
numerous tribes in India, both of Christians and
Natives, the Author conceived the design of
devoting the last year or two of his residence in
the East, to purposes of local examination and
inquiry. With this view, he travelled through
the Peninsula of India by land, from Calcutta
to Cape Comorin, a continent extending through
fourteen degrees of latitude, and visited Ceylon
thrice. And he soon discovered that a person
may reside all his life in Bengal, and yet know
almost as little of other countries in India, for
instance, of Travancore, Ceylon, Goa, or Madura,
of their manners, customs, habits and religion,
as if he had never left England.* The principal
objects of this tour, were to investigate the state
of Superstition at the most celebrated Temples of
the Hindoos ; to examine the Churches and li-
braries of the Romish, Syrian, and Protestant
Christians , to ascertain the present state and
recent history of the Eastern Jews; and to discover
what persons might be fit instruments for the
promotion oflearningin their respective coun tries,
and for maintaining a future correspondence on
the subject of disseminating the Scriptures in
India. In pursuance of these objects the Author
visited Cuttack, Ganjam, Visagapatam, Samul-
* Of the Books published in Britain on the discussion
relating to Missions and the state of India, the most sensible
and authentic are, in general, those written by learned men
of the Universities who have never been in the East,
8 ntrotmcttoiu
cotta, Rajamundry, Ellore, Ongole, Nellore,
Madras, Mailapoor, Pondicherry,Cudalore, Tran-
quebar, Tanjore,Tritchinopoly,Aughoor, Madura,
Palamcotta, Ramnad, Jaffna-patam, Columbo,
Manaar, Tutecorin, Augengo, Quilon, Cochin,
Cranganor, Verapoli, Calicut, Tellicherry, Goa,
and other places between Cape Comorin and
Bombay ; the interior of Travancore and the
interior of Malabar ; also seven principal Temples
of the Hindoos, viz. Seemachalum in the Telinga
country, Chillumbrum, Seringham, Madura,
Ramisseram, Elephanta, and Juggernaut.
After this tour, the Author returned to Cal-
cutta, where he remained about three quarters of
a year longer : and then visited the Jews and
the Syrian Christians in Malabar and Travan-
core a second time before his return to England.
Those nations or communities for whom
translations of the Scriptures have been com-
menced under the patronage or direction already
alluded to, are the following : the Chinese, the
Hindoos, the Cingalese or Ceylonese, the Malays,
the Syrian Christians, the Romish Christians,
the Persians, the Arabians, and the Jews. Of
these it is proposed to give some account in
their order.
THE CHINESE.
IN the discussions concerning the promulgation
of Christianity, some writers have confined their
views intirely to India, merely, it is supposed,
because India is connected, by political relation
with Great Britain. India however contains but
a small part of the nations which seek the Re-
velation of God. The Malayan Archipelago
includes more territory and a larger population
than the continent of India. China is a more
extensive field than either ; and is, in some
respects, far more important. The Romish
Church has maintained a long and ineffectual
contest with that empire ; because it would never
give the people, " the good and perfect gift," the
Bible. It further degraded the doctrine of the
Cross by blending it with Pagan rites.
The means of obtaining a version of the
Scriptures in the Chinese language, occupied the
minds of the superintendants of the College of
Fort- William, at an early period. It appeared
an object of the utmost importance to procure
an erudite Professor, who should undertake such
10 Christian Klesearcjjes
a work ; for, if but a single copy of the Scrip-
tures could be introduced into China, they might
be transcribed in almost every part of that im-
mense Empire. Another object in view was to
introduce some knowlege of the Chinese Lan-
guage among ourselves ; for although the Chinese
Forts on the Tibet frontier overlook the Com-
pany's territories in Bengal, there was not
a person, it was said, in the Company's service
in India, who could read a common Chinese
letter.
After a long inquiry they succeeded in pro-
curing Mr. Joannes Lassar, an Armenian Chris-
tian, a native of China and a proficient in the
Chinese Language, who had been employed by
the Portuguese at Macao, in conducting their
official correspondence with the Court of Pekin.
He was willing to relinquish his commercial
pursuits and to attach himself to the college, for
a salary of ^g 450 a year. But as the order for
reducing the establishment of the College was
daily expected, this salary could not be given
him. The object however was so important, and
Mr. Lassar appeared to be so well qualified to
execute it, that they thought fit to retain him
at the above stipend in a private character. He
entered immediately on the translation of the
Scriptures into the Chinese Language, and this
respecting fye Chinese. 1 1
work he has continued to carry on to the pre-
sent time. But, as his services might be made
otherwise useful, they resolved to establish a
class of youths under his tuition ; and as they
could not obtain the young civil servants of the
Company for this purpose, they proposed to the
Baptist Missionaries that Mr. Lassar should reside
at Serampore, which is near Calcutta, on the fol-
lowing condition : that one of their elder Missi-
onaries, and three at least of their youths, should
immediately engage in the study of the Chinese
Language. Dr. Carey declined the offer, but
Mr. Marshman accepted it, and was joined by
two sons of his own, and a son of Dr. Carey ; and
they have prosecuted their studies with uu-
remitted attention for about five years.
In the year 1 807, a copy of the Gospel of
St. Matthew in the Chinese Language, translated
by Mr. Lassar, and beautifully written by him-
self, was transmitted to his Grace the Archbishop
of Canterbury for the Lambeth Library. Since
that period a considerable portion of the New
Testament has been printed off from blocks,
after the Chinese manner.
The proficiency of the Chinese pupils has
far surpassed the most sanguine hopes which
were previously entertained, and has been already
publicly noticed. His Excellency Lord Minttf,
12 Cljrtetian Hesearrfjes
Governor-General of Indui, in his first annual
Speech to the College of Fort-William, has re-
corded the following testimony to their progress
in the language, and to the importance of their
attainments.
fe If I have not passed beyond the legitimate
" bounds of this discourse, in ranging to the extremity
a of those countries, and to the furthest island of that
" vast Archipelago in which the Malay Language pre-
(e vails, I shall scarcely seem to transgress them, by
" the short and easy transition thence to the language
" of CHINA. I am, in truth, strongly inclined, wh'ether
66 regularly or not, to deal one encouraging word to the
" meritorious, and, I hope, not unsuccessful effort,
" making, I may say, at the door of our College, though
" not admitted to its portico, to force that hitherto
" impregnable fortress, the Chinese Language. Three
" young men, I ought indeed to say, boys, have not
" only acquired a ready use of the Chinese Language,
" for the purpose of oral communication (which I under-
" stand is neither difficult nor rare amongst Europeans
({ connected with China) but they have achieved, in
" a degree worthy of admiration, that which has been
" deemed scarcely within the reach of European faculties
" or industry; I mean a very extensive and correct
" acquaintance with the written Language of China.
" I will not detail the particulars of the Examination
" which took place on the 10th of this month
" (February 1808,) at Serampore, in the Chinese Lan-
respecting ti>e Chinese. i s
" guage, the report of which I have read, however,
" with great interest, and recommended to the liberal
" notice of those whom I have the honour to address.
ce It is enough for my present purpose to say that these
" young pupils read Chinese books and translate them ;
(e and they write compositions of their own in the
" Chinese Language and character. A Chinese PRESS
" too is established, and in actual use. In a word, if
<( the founders and supporters of this little College have
" not yet dispelled, they have at least sent and ad-
" mitted a dawn of day through that thick impenetrable
" cloud : they have passed that Oceanum dissodalilem,
ff which for so many ages has insulated that vast
" Empire from the rest of mankind.
" I must not omit to commend the zealous and
" persevering labours of Mr. LASSAR, and of those
" learned and pious persons associated with him, who
" have accomplished, for the future benefit, we may
" hope, of that immense and populous region^ CHINESE
" VERSIONS in the Chinese Character, of the Gos-
" PELS of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, throwing open
" that precious mine, with all its religious and moral
fe treasure, to the largest associated population in the
world."*
When this Chinese class was first estahlished,
it was directed that there should be regular pub-
lic Examinations and Disputations, as at the
See College Report for 1808.
14 Christian
College of Fort-William. The Examination in
September, 1 808, (a few months after the above
Speech of Lord Minto was pronounced) was
held in the presence of J. H. Harrington, esq.
Vice-President of the Asiatic Society, Dr. John
Leyden, and other Oriental scholars; when the
three youths, mentioned above, maintained a
Disputation in the Chinese Language. On this
occasion, the Respondent defended the follow-
ing position : " To commit to memory the Chi-
" nese Classics is the best mode of acquiring
" the Chinese Language."
One most valuable effect of these measures
is a work just published by Mr. Joshua Marsh-
man, the elder pupil of Mr.Lassar. It is the first
volume of " the Works of Confucius, containing
" the Original Text, with a translation ; to
" which is prefixed a Dissertation on the
" Chinese Language, pp. 877, 4to." to be follow-
ed by four volumes more. This translation will
be received with gratitude by the learned, and
will be considered as a singular monument of
the indefatigable labour of an English Mission-
ary in the acquisition of a new language.
While treating of the cultivation of the
Chinese Language, it will be proper to notice
the endeavours of the London Missionary Society
in the same department. While Mr. Lassar and
respecting t&e clnnese. 15
Mr. Marshman are translating the Scriptures at
Calcutta, Mr. Morrison is prosecuting a similar
work at Canton in China, with the aid of able
native scholars. It is stated in the report of their
Society, that the principal difficulties have been
surmounted, and that the period of his acquir-
ing a complete knowledge of the language is by
no means so distant as what he once expected.
" It has proved of great advantage to him that
" he copied and carried out with him the Chi-
" nese, translation of the Gospels preserved in
" the British Museum, which he now finds,
" from his own increasing acquaintance with
" the language, and the opinion of the Chinese
" assistants, to be exceedingly valuable, and
" which must, from the excellency of the style,
" have been produced by Chinese natives." He
adds, that the manuscript of the New Testa-
ment is fit to be printed ; and that he proposes
to publish also a Dictionary and a Grammar of
the language, the last of which is already " pre-
pared for the press."* The expense to the Lon-
don Missionary Society for the current year, in
the Chinese department alone, is stated to be
* Report of London Missionary Society for 1810, p. 22.
16 Christian
The foregoing notices of the progress of Chi-
nese literature will, I doubt not, be acceptable
to many ; for the cultivation of the Chinese
language, considered merely in a political point
of view, must prove of the utmost advantage
to this country, in her further transactions
with that ancient and ingenious, but jealous,
incommunicative, and partially civilized nation.
THE HINDOOS.
IT is admitted by all writers that the civili-
zation of the Hindoos will be promoted by
intercourse with the English. But this only
applies to that small portion of the natives, who
live in the vicinity of Europeans, and mix with
them. As for the bulk of the population, they
scarcely ever see an Englishman. It becomes
then of importance " to ascertain what have
" been the actual effects of Christianity in
" those interior provinces of Hindostan, where
" it has been introduced by the Christian Mis-
sionaries ; and to compare them with such
of their countrymen as remain in their pristine
idolatry. It was a chief object of the Author's
tour through India, to mark the relative
respecting tjje ^fn&oos,, 1 7
influence of Paganism and Christianity. In order
then that the English nation may Be able to form
a judgment on this subject, he will proceed to give
some account of the Hindoos of Juggernaut, and
of the native Christians in Tan gore. The Hindoos
of Juggernaut have as yet had no advantages of
Christian instruction : and continue to worship
the Idol called Juggernaut. The native Christians
of Tanjore, until the light of Revelation visited
them, worshipped an idol also, called the great
Black Bull of Tanjore. And, as in this brief work
the Author proposes to state merely what he
himself has seen, with little comment, or obser-
vation, it will suffice to give a few extracts from
the Journal of his tour through these Provinces.
EXTRACTS from the AUTHOR'S JOURNAL in his
Tour to the Temple of Juggernaut in Orissa,
in the year 1806.
' Buddruck in Orissa, May 30th, 1806.
* We know that we are approaching Juggernaut (and
yet we are more than fifty miles from it) by the human
bones which we have seen for some days strewed by the
way. At this place we have been joined by several
large bodies of pilgrims, perhaps 2000 in number, who
have come from various parts of Northern India. Some
of them, with whom I have conversed, say that they
c
is Christian
have been two months on their march, travelling slowly
n the hottest season of the year, with their wives and
children. Some old persons are among them who wish
to die at Juggernaut. Numbers of pilgrims die on the
road ; and their bodies generally remain unburied. On
a plain by the river, near the pilgrim's Caravansera at
this place, there are more than a hundred skulls. The
dogs, jackals, and vultures seem to live here on human
prey. The vultures exhibit a shocking tameness. The
obscene animals will not leave the body sometimes till
we come close to them. This Buddruck is a horrid
place. Wherever I turn my eyes, I meet death in
some shape or other. Surely Juggernaut cannot be
worse than Buddruck/
6 In sight of Juggernaut, 1 2th June.
Many thousands of pilgrims have accompanied us
for some days past. They cover the road before and
behind as far as the eye can reach. At nine o'clock
this morning, the temple of Juggernaut appeared in
view at a great distance. When the multitude first saw-
it, they gave a shout, and fell to the ground and wor-
shipped. I have heard nothing to-day but shouts and
acclamations by the successive bodies of pilgrims.
From the place where I now stand I have a view of a
host of people like an army, encamped at the outer gate
of the town of Juggernaut : where a guard of soldiers is
posted to prevent their entering the town, until they
have paid the pilgrim's tax. I passed a devotee to day
respecting tfte Jptnlioa& 19
who laid himself down at every step, measuring the
road to Juggernaut, by the length of his body, as a pe-
nance of merit to please the God/
' Outer Gate of Juggernaut y \2thJune.
* A disaster has just occurred. As I approached
the gate, the pilgrims crowded from all quarters around
me, and shouted, as they usually did when I passed
them on the road, an expression of welcome and
respect. I was a little alarmed at their number, and
looked round for my guard. A guard of soldiers had
accompanied me from Cuttack, the last military sta-
tion ; but they were now about a quarter of a mile
behind, with my servants and the baggage. The
pilgrims cried out that they were entitled to some in-
dulgence, that they were poor, they could not pay
the tax 5 but I was not aware of their design. At this
moment, when I was within a few yards of the gate, au
old Sanyassee (or holy man) who had travelled some
days by the side of my horse, came up and said, c Sir,
you are in danger ; the people are going to rush through
the gate when it is opened for you.' I immediately
dismounted, and endeavoured to escape to one side;
but it was too late. The mob was now in motion, and
with a tumultuous shout pressed violently towards the
gate. The guard within seeing my danger opened it,
and the multitude rushing through, carried me forward
in the torrent a considerable space : so that I was
literally borne into Juggernaut by the Hindoos them-
c 2
so Christian Keseatcljes
selves. A distressing scene followed. As the number
and strength of the mob increased, the narrow way was
choaked up by the mass of people ; and I apprehended
that many of them would have been suffocated, or
bruised to death. My horse was yet among them. But
suddenly one of the side posts of the gate, which was of
wood, gave way and fell to the ground.. And perhaps
this circumstance alone prevented the loss of lives.
Notice of the event was immediately communicated to
Mr. Hunter, the superintendant of the temple, who re-
paired to the spot, and sent an additional guard to the
inner gate, lest the people should force that also ; for
there is an outer and an inner gate to the town of
Juggernaut; but both of them are slightly con
structed. Mr. Hunter told me that similar accidents
sometimes occur, and that many have been crushed to
death by the pressure of the mob. He added, that
sometimes a body of pilgrims, (consisting chiefly of
women and children and old men) trusting to the
physical weight of their mass, will make, what he called,
a charge on the armed guards, and overwhelm them ;
the guards not being willing in such circumstances, t
oppose their bayonets."
respecting tl)e ^fatow
' Juggernaut, \4thJune.
' 1 have seen Juggernaut. The scene at Budclruck
is but the vestibule to Juggernaut. No record of ancient
or modern history can give, I think, an adequate idea of
this valley of death ; it may be truly compared with the
' valley of Hinnom/ The idol called Juggernaut, has
been considered as the Moloch of the present age ; and
he is justly so named, for the sacrifices offered up to
him by self-devotement, are not less criminal, perhaps
not less numerous, than those recorded of the Moloch
of Canaan. Two other idols accompany Juggernaut,
namely, Boloram and Shubudra, his brother and sister :
for there are three Deities worshipped here. They re-
ceive equal adoration, and sit on thrones of nearly equal
height/
' This morning I viewed the Temple ; a stupendous
fabric, and truly commensurate with the extensive sway
of ( the horrid king/ As other temples are usually
adorned with figures emblematical of their religion, so
Juggernaut has representations (numerous and various)
of that vice, which cons' *+utes the essence of his 'wot*
ship. The walls and ge *. covered with indecent
emblems, in massive and 'Ipture. I have also
visited the sand plains by ti ^laces whitened
with the bones of the pilgrim,. aer place a little
way out of the town, called by the English, the Golgo-
22 ct)ttettan
tha, where the dead bodies are usually cast forth ; an
where dogs and vultures are ever seen.'*
s The grand Hindoo festival of the Rutt Jattra,
takes place on the 18th inst. when the idol is to be
brought forth to the people. I reside during my
stay here at the house of James Hunter, esq. the
Company's collector of the tax on pilgrims, and super-
intendant of the temple, formerly a student in the
College of Fort- William ; by whom I am hospitably
entertained, and also by Captain Patton, and Lieut.
Woodcock, commanding the military force. Mr.
Hunter distinguished himself at the College by his
proficiency in the Oriental Language. He is a
gentleman of polished manners and of classical taste.
The agreeable society of these gentlemen is very
refreshing to my spirits in the midst of the present
scenes. I was surprised to see how little they seemed
to be moved by the scenes of Juggernaut. They said
they were now so accustomed to them, they thought
* The vultures generally find out the prey first: and begin
with the intestines j for the flesh of the body is too firm for
their beaks immediately after death. But the dogs soon
receive notice of the circvmistance, generally from seeing
the Hurries, or corpse-carriers, returning from the place. On
the approach of the dogs, the vultures retire a few yards,
and wait till the body be sufficiently torn for easy deglutition.
The vultures and dogs often feed together ; and sometime
begin their attack before the pilgrim be quite dead. There
are four animals which are sometimes seen about a carcase,
the dog, the jackal, the vulture, and the Hurgeela, or Adju-
tant, called by Pennant, the Gigantic Crane.
respecting tlje $fn&00& 2 3
little of them. They had almost forgot their first im-
pressions. Their houses are on the sea shore, about a
mile or more from the temple. They cannot live
nearer, on account of the offensive effluvia of the
town. For independently of the enormity of the
superstition, there are other circumstances which ren-
der Juggernaut noisome in an extreme degree. The
senses are assailed by the squalid and ghastly appear-
ance of the famished pilgrims ; many of whom die
in the streets of want or of disease; while the
devotees with clotted hair and painted flesh, are seen
practising their various austerities, and modes of self-
torture. Persons of both sexes, with little regard to
concealment, sit down on the sands close to the town,
in public view; and the SACRED BULLS walk about
among them and eat the ordure.'*
' The vicinity of Juggernaut to the sea probably
prevents the contagion, which otherwise would be pro-
duced by the putrefactions of the place. There is
scarcely any verdure to refresh the sight near Juggernaut ;
the temple and town being nearly encompassed by hills
of sand, which has been cast up in the lapse of ages
by the surge of the ocean. All is barren and desolate
to the eye ; and in the ear there is the never-intermitting
sound of the roaring sea.'
* This singular fact was pointed out to me by the gentle-
men here. There is no vegetation for the sacred Bulls on the
sand plains. They are fed generally with vegetables from
the hands of the pilgrims.
124 Christian
' Juggernaut, ISth of June.
e 1 have returned home from witnessing a scene
which I shall never forget. At twelve o'clock of this
day, being the great day of the f ast, the Moloch of
Hindoostan was brought out of his temple amidst
the acclamations of hundreds of thousands of his
worshippers. When the idol was placed on his throne,
a shout was raised, by the multitude, such as I had
never heard before. It continued equable for a few
minutes, and then gradually died away. After a short
interval of silence, a murmur was heard at a distance ;
all eyes were turned towards the place, and, behold, a
grove advanc-ng. A body of men, having green branches,
or palms, in their hands, approached with great celerity.
The people opened a way for them ; and when they had
come up to the throne, they fell down before him that sat
thereon, and worshipped. And the multitude again sent
forth a voice ' like the sound of a great thunder.' But
the voices I now heard, were not those of melody
or of joyful acclamation ; for there is no harmony
in the praise of Moloch's worshippers. Their number
indeed brought to my mind the countless multitude of
the Revelations , but their voices gave no tuneful
Hosanna or Hallelujah; but rather a yell of appro-
bation, united with a kind ot hissing applause.*
* See Milton's Pandemonium, Book X.
respecting tlje ]j)tn&a0& 25
I was at a loss how to account for this latter noise,
until I was directed to notice the women; who
emitted a sound like that of whistling, with the lips cir-
cular and the tongue vibrating : as if a serpent would,
speak by their organs, uttering human sounds/
( The throne of the idol was placed on a stupendous
car or tower about sixty feet in height, resting on
wheels which indented the ground deeply, as they
turned slowly under the ponderous machine. Attached
to it were six cables, of the size and length of a ship's
cable, by which the people drew it along. Upon
the tower were the priests and satellites of the idol,
surrounding his throne. The idol is a block of wood,
having a frightful visage painted black, with a dis-
tended mouth of a bloody colour. His arms are of gold,
and he is dressed in gorgeous apparel. The other two
idols are of a white and yellow colour. Five elephants
preceded the three towers, bearing towering flags,
dressed in crimson caparisons, and having bells hang-
ing to their caparisons, which sounded musically as
they moved.'
' I went on in the procession, close by the
tower of Moloch ; which, as it was drawn with
difficulty, " grated on its many wheels harsh thun-
der.* After a few minutes it stopped; and now
* Two of the military gentlemen had mounted my elephant
that they might witness the spectacle, and had brought him
close to the tower ; but the moment it began to move, the
animal, alarmed at the unusual noise, took fright and ran
off through the crowd till he was stopt by a wall. The natural
26 Christian JSesearrfjes
the worship of the God began. A high priest
mounted the car in front of the idol, and pronounced
his obscene stanzas in the ears of the people; who
responded at intervals in the same strain. * These
' songs,' said he, < are the delight of the God. His
6 car can only move when he is pleased with the
4 song.' The car moved on a little way and then
stopped. A boy of about twelve years was then
brought forth to attempt something yet more las-
civious, if peradventure the God would move. The
' child perfected the praise' of his idol with such
ardent expression and gesture, that the God was
pleased, and the multitude, emitting a sensual yell
of delight, urged the car along. After a few mi-
nutes it stopped again. An aged minister of the idol
then stood up, and with a long rod in his hand,
which he moved with indecent action, completed the
variety of this disgusting exhibition. I felt a con-
sciousness of doing wrong in witnessing it.
fear of the elephant, lest he should injure human life, was
remarkably exemplified on this occasion. Though the crowd
was very closely set, he endeavoured, in the midst of his own
terror, to throw the people off, on both sides, with his feet,
and it was found that he had only trod upon one person. It
was with great concern I afterwards learnt, that this was a poor
woman, and that the fleshy part of her leg had been torn off.
There being no medical person here, Lieut. Woodcock, with
great humanity, endeavoured to dress the wound, and attended
her daily ; and Mr. Hunter ordered her to be supplied with
every thing that might conduce to her recovery.
respecting tlje IDmtroos, 27
I was also somewhat appalled at the magnitude and
horror of the spectacle; I felt like a guilty person,
on whom all eyes were fixed, and I was about
to withdraw. But a scene of a different kind was
now to be presented. The characteristics of Mo-
loch's worship are obscenity and blood. We have
seen the former. Now comes the blood/
6 After the tower had proceeded some way, a pilgrim
announced that he was ready to offer himself a sacri-
fice to the idol. He laid himself down in the road
before the tower as it was moving along, lying on
his face, with his arms stretched forwards. The
multitude passed round him, leaving the space clear,
and he was crushed to death by the wheels of the
tower. A shout of joy was raised to the God. He
is said to smile when the libation of the blood is
made. The People threw cowries, or small money,
on the body of the victim, in approbation of the
deed. He was left to view a considerable time, and
was then carried by the Hurries to the Golgotha,
where I have just been viewing his remains. How
much I wished that the Proprietors of India Stock
could have attended the wheels of Juggernaut, and
seen this peculiar source of their revenue/
28 Christian Heseatrijes
* Juggernaut, 20th June.
< Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood
" Of human sacrifice, and parents' tears.'' MILTON.
e .The horrid solemnities still continue. Yesterday
a woman devoted herself to the idol. She laid
herself down on the road in an oblique direction so
that the wheel did not kill her instantaneously, as is
generally the case ; but she died in a few hours.
This morning as I passed the Place of Skulls, nothing
remained of her but her bones/
( And this, thought I, is the worship of the
Brahmins of Hindoostan ! And their worship in its
sublimest degree ! What then shall we think of their
private manners, and their moral principles ! For
it is equally tine of India as of Europe. If you
would know the state of the people, look at the state
of the Temple/
( I was surprised to see the Brahmins with their
heads uncovered in the open plain falling down in
the midst of the Sooders before 'the horrid shape/
and mingling so complacently with ( that polluted
cast/ But this proved what I had before heard, that
so great a God is this, that the dignity of high cast
disappears before him. This great king recognises
no distinction of rank among his subjects, all men are
equal in his presence/
respecting tlje iptnaoos,
6 Juggernaut, 2lst June.
* The idolatrous processions continue for some days
longer, but my spirits are so exhausted by the constant
view of these enormities, that I mean to hasten away
from this place sooner than I at first intended. I beheld
another distressing scene this morning at the Place of
Skulls ; a poor woman lying dead, or nearly dead, and
her two children by her, looking at the dogs and vultures
which were near. The people passed by without notic-
ing the children. I asked them where was their home.
They said, ' they had no home but where their mother
was/ O, there is no pity at Juggernaut ! no mercy, no
tenderness of heart in Moloch's kingdom ! Those who
support his kingdom, err, I trust, from ignorance.
' They know not what they do.
( As to the number of worshippers assembled here at
this time, no accurate calculation can be made. The
natives themselves, when speaking of the numbers at
particular festivals, usually say that a lack of people
(100,000) would not be missed. I asked a Brahmin how
many he supposed were present at the most numerous
festival he had ever witnessed. < How can I tell,' said
he, f how many grains there are in a handful of sand?'
' The languages spoken here are various, as there are
Hindoos from every country in India : but the two chief
30 Christian Eesearrfjes
languages in use by those who are resident, are the
Orissa and the Telinga. The border of the Telinga
Country is only a few miles distant from the Tower of
Juggernaut/
' Chilka Lake, 24th June.
f 1 felt my mind relieved and happy when I had
passed beyond the confines of Juggernaut. I certainly
was not prepared for the scene. But no one can know
what it is who has not seen it. From an eminence* on
the pleasant banks of the Chilka Lake (where no human
bones are seen,) I had a view of the lofty tower of
Juggernaut far remote ; and while I viewed it, its abo-
minations came to mind. It was on the morning
of the Sabbath. Ruminating long on the wide and ex-
tended empire of Moloch in the heathen world, I che-
rished in my thoughts the design of some e Christian
Institution/ which, being fostered by Britain, my Chris-
tian country, might gradually undermine this baleful
idolatry, and put out the memory of it for ever/
* Manickpatam.
respecting flje i|)f n&oos. 3 1
Annual Expenses of the Idol JUGGERNAUT,
presented to the English Government.
[Extracted from the Official Accounts.]
Rupees. . Sterling.
1. Expenses attending the table of the idol 36, 115 or 4,514
2. Ditto of his dress or wearing apparel - 2,712 339
3. Ditto of the wages of his servants - - 10,057 1*259
4. Ditto of contingent expenses at the dif-
ferent seasons of pilgrimage - -
5. Ditto of his elephants and horses - -
(5. Ditto of his rutt or annual state carriage
Rupees 69,616 8,702
' In Item third, e wages of his servants,' are included
the wages of the courtesans, who are kept for the service
of the temple.
e Item sixth. What is here called in the official
account ( the state carriage,' is the same as the car or
tower. Mr. Hunter informed me that the three ( state
carriages' were decorated this year (in June 1806) with
upwards of 2001. sterling worth of English broad
doth.
f Of the rites celebrated in the interior of Juggernaut
called the Daily Service, I can say nothing of my own
knowledge, not having been within the Temple/'*
* The Temple of Juggernaut is under the immediate controul
of the English Government, who levy a tax on pilgrims as a
source
32 Clwsttan
JUGGERNAUT IN BENGAL.
Lest it should be supposed that the rites of
Juggernaut are confined to the Temple in Orissa,
source of revenue. See 'A Regulation (by the Bengal Go-
vernment) for levying a Tax from Pilgrims resorting to the
Temple of Juggernaut, and for the Superintendance and
Management of the Temple. Passed April 3, 1806.'
The province of Orissa first became subject to the British
Empire under the administration of the Marquis Wellesley, who
permitted the pilgrims at first to visit Juggernaut without pay-
ing tribute. It was proposed to his Lordship, soon after, to pass
the above regulation for the management of the Temple, and
levying the tax ; but he did not approve of it, and actually left
the Government without giving his sanction to the opprobrious
law. When the measure was discussed by the succeeding
Government, it was resisted by George Udny, esq. one of the
Members of the Supreme Council, who recorded his solemn
dissent on the proceedings of Government, for transmission to
England. The other members considered Juggernaut to be
a legitimate source of revenue, on the principle, I believe, that
money from other temples in Hindoostan had long been brought
into the treasury. It is just that I should state that these
gentlemen (though their opinion on this subject will differ so
much from that of their countrymen at home) are men of the
most honourable principles and of unimpeached integrity. Nor
would any one of them, I believe (for I have the honour to
know them) do any thing which he thought injurious to the
honour or religion of his country. But the truth is this, that
those persons who go to India in early youth, and witness the
Hindoo customs all their life, seeing little at the same time of
the Christian Religion to counteract the effect, are disposed to
view them with complacency, and are sometimes in danger of
at length considering them even as proper or necessary.
respecting tije &uttoo& 33
or that the Hindoos there practice a more crimi-
nal superstition than they do in other places,
it may be proper to notice the effects of the
same idolatry in Bengal. The English nation
will not expect to hear that the blood of Jug-
gernaut is known at Calcutta: but, alas, it is
shed at the very doors of the English, almost'
under the eye of the Supreme Government.
Moloch has many a tower in the province of
Bengal : that fair and fertile province which
has been called " The Garden of Nations."
Close to Ishera, a beautiful villa on the river's
side, about eight miles from Calcutta, once
the residence of Governor Hastings, and within
view of the present Governor-General's country-
house, there is a temple of this idol which is
often stained with human blood. At the festi-
val of the Rutt Jattra, in May, 1807, the Author
visited it, on his return from the South of
India, having heard that its rites were similar
to those of Juggernaut.
6 Juggernaut's Temple, near Isliera, on the Ganges:
< RuttJuttra, May, 1807.
c The tower here is drawn along, like that at Jugger-
naut, by cables. The number of worshippers at this
festival is computed to be about a hundred thousand.
The tower is covered with indecent emblems, which
D
34 Christian
were freshly painted for the occasion, and were the
objects of sensual gaze by both sexes. One of the vic-
tims of this year was a well-made young man, of healthy
appearance and comely aspect. He had a garland of
flowers round his neck, and his long black hair was
dishevelled. He danced for a while before the idol,
singing in an enthusiastic strain, and then rushing sud-
denly to the wheels, he shed his blood under the tower
of obscenity. I was not at the spot at the time, my
attention having been engaged by a more pleasing
scene.
6 On the other side, on a rising ground by the side
of a Tank, stood the Christian Missionaries, and around
them a crowd of people listening to their preaching.
The town of Serampore, where the Protestant Mission-
aries reside, is only about a mile and a half from this
Temple of Juggernaut. As I passed through the multi-
tude, I met several persons having the printed papers of
the Missionaries in their hands. Some of them were
reading them very gravely ; others were laughing with
each other at the contents, and saying, e What do these
words mean ?'
' I sat down on an elevated spot to contemplate this
scene, the tower of blood and impurity on the one
hand, and the Christian Preachers on the other. I
thought on the commandment of our Saviour, ( Go ye,
teach all nations/ I said to myself, ( How great and
glorious a ministry are these humble persons now exer-
cising in the presence of God !' How is it applauded
by the holy Angels, who ( have joy in heaven over one
sinner that repenteth ;' and how far does it transcend
respecting tlje $fnQ0o& 35
the work of the Warrior or Statesman, in charity, utility
and lasting fame ! And I could not help wishing that
the Representatives of the Church of Christ in my own
country had been present to witness this scene, that they
might have seen how practicable it is to offer Christian
instruction to our Hindoo subjects/
IMMOLATION OF FEMALES.
Before the Author proceeds to shew the happy
effects of Christianity in those provinces of India
where it has been introduced, it may be proper
to notice in this place that other sanguinary rite
of the Hindoo superstition, the FEMALE SACRI-
FICE. The report of the number of women
burned within the period of six months near
Calcutta, will give the reader some idea of the
multitude who perish annually in India.
c REPORT of the Number of Women who were Burned
( Alive on the Funeral Pile of their Husbands, within
' thirty miles round Calcutta, from the beginning of
'Bysakh (15th April) to the end of Aswin (15th
October) 1804/
From
36 Christian Eeseatrfjes
Women burned
alive.
From Gurria to Bar rypore j at eleven d ifFerent places* 1 8
From Tolly's Nulla mouth to Gurria; at seventeen
different places 36
From Barrypore to Buhipore ; at seven places . . 11
From Seebpore to Baleeaj at five places 1O
From Balee to Bydyabattee ; at three places 3
From Bydyabattee to Bassbareea -, at five places. . 10
From Calcutta to Burahnugur (or Barnagore ;) at
four places , 6
From Burahnugur to Chanok (or Barrackpore;) at
six places 1 3
From Chanok to Kachrapara ; at four places 8
Total of women burned alive in six months,
near Calcutta 115
6 The above Report was made by persons of the
Hindoo cast, deputed for that purpose, under the su-
perintendance of the Professor of the Shanscrit and
Bengalee languages in the College of Fort- William.
They were ten in number, and were stationed at different
places during the whole period- of six months. They
gave in their account monthly, specifying the particu-
lars of each immolation, so that every iridividval in-
stance was subject to investigation immediately after its
occurrence.
* See the names of the places and other particulars ia
Memoir of the Expediency of an Ecclesiastical Establishment in
British India, p. 102.
respecting tf)e $fn&00& 37
* By an account taken in 1803, the number of women
sacrificed, during that year, within thirty miles round
Calcutta, was two hundred and seventy-five.
' In the foregoing Report of six months, in 1804, it
will be perceived that no account was taken of burnings
in a district to the west of Calcutta, nor further than
twenty miles in some other directions; so that the
whole number of burnings within thirty miles round
Calcutta must have been considerably greater than is
here stated/
The following account will give the reader
some idea of the flagitious circumstance which
sometimes attend these sacrifices.
SACRIFICE OF THE KOOLIN BRAHMIN's
THREE WIVES.
6 Calcutta, 30th $ept. 1807.
A horrid tragedy was acted, on the 12th instant, near
Barnagore (a place about three miles above Calcutta.)
A Koolin Brahmin of Cammar-hattie, by name Kristo
Deb Mookerjee, died at the advanced age of ninety-
two. He had twelve wives j* and three of them were
* The Koolin Brahmin is the purest of all Brahmins, and is
privileged to marry as many wives as he pleases. The Hindoo
families account it an honour to unite their daughters with a
Koolin Brahmin. " The Ghautics or Registrars of the Koolin
cast state that 'Rajeb Bonnerjee, now of Calcutta, has forty
wives j
38 Christian Kesearcljes
burned alive with his dead body. Of these three,
one was a venerable lady, having white locks, who had
been long known in the neighbourhood. Not being
able to walk, she was carried in a palanquin to
the place of burning ; and was then placed by the
Brahmins on the funeral pile. The two other
ladies were younger ; one of them of a very pleasing and
interesting countenance. The old lady was placed on
one side of the dead husband, and the two other wives
laid themselves down on the other side ; and then an
old Brahmin, the eldest son of the deceased, applied his
torch to the pile, with unaverted face. The pile sud-
denly blazed for it was covered with combustibles ;
and this human sacrifice was completed amidst the din
of drums and cymbals, and the shouts of Brahmins. A
person present observed, < Surely if Lord Minto were
here, who is just come from England, and is not used
to see women burned alive, he would have saved these
three ladies/ The Mahomedan Governors saved whom
they pleased, and suffered no deluded female to commit
suicide, without previous investigation of the circum-
stances, and official permission
wives; and that Raj-chunder Bonnerjee, also of Calcutta,
has forty-two wives j and intends to marry more : that
Ramraja Bonnerjee, of Bicrampore, aged thiny years, and
Pooran Bonnerjee, Rajkissore Chutterjee, and Roopram
Mookerjee, have each upwards of forty wives, and intend to
marry more j that Birjoo Mookerjee, of Bicrampore, who
died about five years ago, had ninety wives." This account
was authenticated at Calcutta in the year 1804. See further
particulars in " Memoir' before quoled, p. 111.
respecting t!)e Q>fttto0&. 39
In a discussion which this event has produced in
Calcutta, the following question has been asked, WHO
WAS GUILTY OF THE BLOOD OF THE OLD LADY ?
ior it was manifest that she could not destroy herself ?
She was carried to be burned. It was also alleged that
the Brahmin who fired the pile was not guilty, because
he was never informed by the English government, that
there was any immorality in the action. On the con-
trary, he might argue that the English, witnessing this
scene daily, as they do, without remonstrance, acquiesced
in its propriety. The Government in India was excul-
pated, on the ground that the Government at home
never sent any instructions on the subject ; and the
Court of Directors were exculpated, because they were
the agents of others. It remained that the Proprietors
of India Stock, who originate and sanction all proceed
ings of the Court of Directors, WERE REMOTELY AC-
CESSARY TO THE DEED.'
The best vindication of the great body of
Proprietors, is this, that some of themn^ver heard
of the Female Sacrifice at all ; and that few of
them are acquainted with the full extent and
frequency of the crime. Besides, in the above
discussion, it was taken for granted that the
Court of Directors have done nothing towards
the suppression of this enormity ; and that the
Court of Proprietors have looked on, without con-
cern, at this omission of duty. But this, perhaps,
40 Christian Eeseavctjes
may not be the case. The question then remains
to be asked. Have the Court of Directors at any
time sent instructions to their Government in
India, to report on the means by which the fre-
quency of the female sacrifice might be dimi-
nished, and the practice itself eventually abo-
lished ? Or have the Proprietors of India Stock
at any time instructed the Court of Directors to
attend to a point of so much consequence to the
character of the Company * and the honour of
the nation ?
That the abolition is practicable has been
demonstrated : and that too by the most ra-
tional and lenient measures ; and these means
have been pointed out by the Brahmins them-
selves.*
Had Marquis Wellesley remained in India,
and been permitted tocomplete his salutary plans
for the improvement of that distant Empire (for
he did not finish one half of the civil and political
regulations which he had in view, and had actually
commenced) the Female Sacrifice would probably
have been by this time nearly abolished. f The
humanity and intrepid spirit of that nobleman
abolished a yet more criminal practice which was
* See them detailed in Memoir, p. 49.
t Ibid. p. 47.
respecting fye piflwoa. 4 1
considered by the Hindoos as a religious rite,
and consecrated by custom, I mean the SACRIFICE
of CHILDREN". His Lordship had been informed
that it had been a custom of the Hindoos to
sacrifice children in consequence of vows, by
drowning them, or exposing ihem to Sharks and
Crocodiles ; and that twenty-three persons had
perished at Saugor in one month (January 180 1 ,)
many of whom where sacrificed in this manner.
He immediately instituted an inquiry into the
principle of this ancient atrocity, heard what
Natives and Europeans had to say on the subject;
and then passed a law, " declaring the practice
" to be murder punishable by death." The law
is entitled " A Regulation for preventing the
" Sacrifice of Children at Saugor and other
"places; passed by the Governor-General in
" Council on the 20th of August, 1802." The
purpose of this regulation was completely effected.
Not a murmur was heard on the subject : nor has
any attempt of the kind come to our knowledge
since. It is impossible to calculate the number
of human lives that have been saved, during the
last eight years, by this humane law of Marquis
Wellesley. Now it is well known that it is as
easy to prevent the sacrifice of women as the
sacrifice of children. Has this fact ever been
denied by any man who is competent to fier
42 e&tfett'an Heseatcfjes
a judgment on the subject ? Until the supreme
Government in Bengal shall declare that it is
utterly impracticable to lessen the frequency of*
the Immolation of Females by any means, THE
AUTHOR WILL NOT CEASE TO CALL THE ATTEN-
TENTION OF THE ENGLISH NATION TO THIS
SUBJECT.
T A N J O R E.
THE Letters of KING GEORGE the FIRST to
the Missionaries in India, will form a proper
introduction to the account which it is now
intended to give of the Christian Hindoos of
Tanjore. The first Protestant Mission in India
was founded by Bartholomew Ziegenbalg, a man
of erudition and piety, educated at the University
of Halle, in Germany. He was ordained by the
learned Burmannus, bishop of Zealand, in his
twenty-third year, and sailed for India in 1705.
In the second year of his ministry he founded
a Christian Church among the Hindoos, which
has been extending its limits to the present time.
In 1714, he returned to Europe for a short time,
and on that occasion was honoured with an
audience by His Majesty George the First, who
took much interest in the success of the Mission.
respecting fye l)inlJ00L 43
He was also patronized by " the Society for
" promoting Christian Knowledge," which was
superintended by men of distinguished learning
and piety. The King and the Society, encouraged
the Oriental Missionary to proceed in his trans-
lation of the Scriptures into the Tamul tongue
which they designated " the grand work." This
was indeed THE GRAND WORK ; for wherever the
Scriptures are translated into the vernacular
tongue, and are open and common to all, inviting
inquiry and causing discussion, they cannot
remain "a dead letter." When the Scriptures
speak to a heathen in his own tongue, his con-
science responds, " This is the word of God."
How little is the importance of a version of the
Bible in a new language understood by some.
The man who produces a translation of the Lible
into a new language, (like Wickliffe, and Luther,
and Ziegenbalg, and Carey) is a greater benefac-
tor to mankind than the Prince who founds an
Empire. For the " incorruptible seed of the word
"of God*' can never die. After ages have re-
volved, it is still producing new accessions to
truth and human happiness.
In the year 1719, Ziegenbalg finished the
Bible in the Tamul tongue, having devoted
fourteen years to the work. The peculiar in-
terest taken by the King in this primary endea-
44 Christian
vour to evangelize the Hindoos, will appear from
the following letters, addressed to the Mission
aries by his Majesty.
<c GEORGE, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain,
" France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. to the
" Reverend and Learned Bartholomew Ziegenbalgius
a and John Earnest Grtmdlerus, Missionaries at Trail -
<f quebar, in the East Indies.
" Reverend and Beloved,
" Your letters dated the 20th of January of the present
" year, were most welcome to us ; not only because the
f( work undertaken by you of converting the heathen to
<e the Christian faith, doth, by the grace f God, prosper,
<( but also because that, in this our kingdom, such a lau-
(( dable zeal for the promotion of the gospel prevails.
" We pray you may be endued with health and
ce strength of body, that you may long continue to fulfil
your ministry with good success ; of which, as we shall
be rejoiced to hear, so you will always find us ready to
cc succour you in whatever may tend to promote your
" work, and to excite your zeal. We assure you of the
" continuance of our royal favour.
GEORGE R.
ff Given at our Palace of Hampton
" Court, the 23d of August,
" A. D. 1717, in the 4th year
ff of our reign."
respecting tlje Fpinfloos, 45
The King continued to cherish, with much
solicitude, the interests of the mission, after the
death of Ziegenbalgius ; and in ten years from
the date of the foregoing letter, a second was
addressed to the members of the mission, by his
Majesty.
" Reverend and beloved,
"From your letters dated Tranquebar, the 12th of
" September, 1725, which some time since came to hand,
" we received much pleasure ; since by the r we are inform-
" ed, not only of your zealous exertions in the prosecu-
(( tion of the work committed to you, but also of the happy
" success which hath hitherto attended it, and which hath
""been graciously given of God.
" We return you thanks for these accounts, and it will
tf be acceptable to us, if you continue to communicate
" whatever shall occur in the progress of your mission.
(i In the mean time, we pray you may enjoy strength
* f , of body and mind for the long continuance of your
" labours in this good work, to the glory of God, and the
" promotion of Christianity among the heathens ; that its
t( perpetuity may not fail in generations to come.*
" GEORGE R.
" Given at our Palace at St. James's,
" the 23d of February, 1727, in
" the 13th year of our Keigu."
* Niecampius, Hut.'Mks.
46 Christian
But these Royal Epistles are not the only
evangelic documents, of high authority, in the
hands of the Hindoos. They are in possession
of letters written by the Archbishop of Canter-
bury, of the same reign ;* who supported the
interests of the mission with unexampled libera-
lity, affection, and zeal. These letters, which are
many in number, are all written in the Latin lan-
guage. The following is a translation of his
Grace's first letter; which appears to have been
written by him as President of the " Society for
" promoting Christian Knowledge."
tf To Bartholomew Ziegenbalgius, and John Earnest
" Grundlerus, Preachers of the Christian faith, on the
" Coast of Coromandel.
" As often as I behold your letters, Reverend Brethren,
" addressed to the venerable Society instituted for the
" promotion of the gospel, whose chief honour and
" ornament ye are ; and as often as I contemplate the
" light of the Gospel, either now first rising on the
(( Indian nations, or after the intermission of some ages
" again revived, and as it were restored to its inheri-
<f tance ; I am constrained to magnify that singular
" goodness of God in visiting nations so remote ;
" and to account you, my Brethren, highly honoured,
whose ministry it hath plea ed him to employ in
. * Archbishop Wake.
respecting tlje ipm&oog, 47
* this pious work, to the glory of his name, and the
" salvation of so many millions of souls.
" Let others indulge in a ministry, if not idle,
" certainly less laborious, among Christians at home*
" Let them enjoy in the hosom of the Church, titles
" and honours obtained, without labour and without
" danger. Your praise it will be (a praise of endless
* duration on earth, and followed by a just recompense
" in heaven) to have laboured in the vineyard which
v yourselves have planted ; to have declared the name
" of Christ, where it was not known before : and through
" much peril and difficulty to have converted to the
" faith those among whom ye afterwards fulfilled your
" ministry. Your province, therefore, Brethren, your
t( office, I place before all dignities in the Church.
" Let others be Pontiffs, Patriarchs, or Popes ; let them
" glitter in purple, in scarlet, or in gold ; let them seek
* ( the admiration of the wondering multitude, and receive
i( obeisance on the bended knee. Ye have acquired a
" better name than they, and a more sacred fame. And
" when that day shall arrive when the chief Shepherd
(utAJf
fe shall give towtty man ace >rding to his work, a. reater
" reward shall be adjudged to you. Admitted into
" the glorious society of the Prophets, Evangelists, and
" Apostles, ye, with them shall shine, like the sun
" among the lesser stars, in the kingdom of your Father,
" for ever*
" Since then so great honour is now given unto
f( you by all competent judges on earth, and since
"so great reward is laid up for you in heaven; go
48 Christian Eesearrl/es
" forth with alacrity to that work, to the which the Holy
<( Ghost hath called you. God hath already given to
" you an illustrious pledge of his favour, an increase not
" to be expected without the aid of his grace. Ye have
(e begun happily, proceed with spirit. He, who hath
" carried you safely through the dangers of the seas
(i to such a remote country, and who hath given you
" favour in the eyes of those whose countenance ye most
" desired ; he who hath so liberally and unexpectedly
" ministered unto your wants, and who doth now daily
" add members to your Church ; he will continue to
" prosper your endeavours, and will subdue unto himself,
" by your means, the whole Continent of Oriental India.
" O happy men ! who, standing before the tribunal
(e of Christ, shall exhibit so many nations converted
<c to his faith by your preaching ; happy men ! to
" whom it shall be given to say before the assembly of
" the whole human race, ' Behold us, O Lord, and the
" children whom thou hast given us ;' happy men ! who
a being justified by the Saviour, shall receive in that
(c day the reward of your labours, and also shall hear
" that glorious encomium ; Well done, good and
" faithful servants, enter ye into the joy of your
" Lord/
" May Almighty God graciously favour you and
" your labours in all things. May he send to your aid
(e fellow-labourers, such and as many as ye wish. May
"-he increase the bounds of your Churches. May he
st * open the hearts of those ta whom ye preach the
respecting tl)e $fn&oo* 49
" Gospel of Christ, that hearing you, they may receive
" life-giving faith. May he protect you and yours from
" all evils and dangers. And when ye arrive (may it
" be late) at the end of your course, may the same
" God, who hath called you to this work of the Gospel,
" and hath preserved you in it, grant to you the re-
"ward of your labour, an incorruptible crown of
" glory.
" These are the fervent wishes and prayers of,
(( venerable Brethren,
" Your most faithful
" fellow-servant in Christ,
GULIELMUS CANT.
11 From our Palace at Lambeth,
January 7, A. D. 1719."
Providence hath been pleased to grant the
prayer of the King, " that the work might not
fail in generations to come ; and the prophecy
of his Archbishop is likely to be fulfilled, that
it should extend " over the whole Continent of
" Oriental India." After the first Missionary,
Ziegenbalg had finished his course, he was fol-
lowed by other learned and zealous men, upwards
of fifty in number, in the period of a hundred years,
among whom were Schultz, lasnicke, Gericke,
and Swartz, whose ministry has been continued
in succession in different provinces, unto this
time. The present state of the Mission will
E
50 Christian
appear by the folio wing extract from the Journal
of the Author's Tour through these provinces.
c Tranquebar, 2oth August, 1806.
e Tranquebar was the first scene of the Protestant
Mission in India. There are at present three
Missionaries here, superintending the Hindoo con-
gregations. Yesterday I visited the Church built by
ZIEGENBALG. His body lies on one side of the
altar, and that of his fellow Missionary GRUNDLER
on the other. Above are the epitaphs of both, written
in Latin, and engraved on plates of brass. The
Church was consecrated in 1718, and Ziegenbalg, and
his companion, died in two years after. They laid the
foundation for evangelizing India, and then departed,
* having finished the work, which was given them to
do.* I saw also the dwelling-house of Ziegenbalg,
in the lower apartment of which the registers of the
Church are still kept. In these I found the name
of the first heathen baptized by him, and recorded
in his own hand-writing in the year 1707. la
Ziegenbalg's Church, and from the pulpit where he
stood, I first heard the Gospel preached to a con-
gregation of Hindoos, in their own tongue. The
Missionaries told me that religion had suffered much
in Tranquebar, of late years, from European Infidelity.
French principles had corrupted the Danes, and
rendered them indifferent to their own religion, and
respecting tlje $fnboa& 5 1
therefore hostile to the conversion of the Hindoos.
( Religion/ said they, ( flourishes more among the
natives of Tanjore and in other provinces where
there are few Europeans, than here or at Madras ;
for we find that European example in the large towns,
is the bane of Christian instruction. One instance
of hostility to the Mission they mentioned, as having
occurred only a few weeks before my arrival. On the
9th of July, 1756, the native Christians at Tranquebar
celebrated a JUBILEE, in commemoration of the
fiftieth year since the Christian ministers brought the
Bible from Europe. The present year 1806, being
the second 50th, preparations were made at Tranque-
bar for the second Jubilee, on the 9th of last month ;
but the French principles preponderating in the
Government, they would not give it any pub-
lic support; in consequence of which it was not
observed with that solemnity which was intended.
But in other places, where there were few Europeans,
it was celebrated by the native Christians with en-
thusiasm and every demonstration of joy. When
I expressed my astonishment at this hostility, the
aged Missionary, Dr. John, said, ( I have always re-
marked that the disciples of Voltaire are the true
enemies of Missions, and that the enemies of Missions
are, in general, the disciples of Voltaire/
E
CIjtfettau Beseatrfjes
* Tanjore, 30th August, 1806.
< On my entering this Province, I stopped an hour
at a village near the road ; and there I first heard the
name of SWARTZ pronounced by a Hindoo. When
I arrived at the capital, I waited on Major Blackburne,
the British resident at the Court of Tanjore, who
informed me that the Rajah had appointed the next
day at 12 o'clock to receive my visit. On the same
day I went to Swartz's garden close to the Christian
village, where the Rev. Mr. Kohloff resides. Mr.
Kohloff is the worthy successor of Mr. Swartz ; and
with him I found the Rev. Dr. John, and Mr. Horst,
two other Missionaries who were on a visit to
Mr. Kohloff.
Next day I visited the Rajah of Tanjore, in com-
pany with Major Blackburne. When the first
ceremonial was over, the Rajah conducted us to the
grand saloon, which was adorned by the portraits of
his ancestors ; and immediately led me up to the
portrait of Mr. Swartz. He then discoursed for
a considerable time concerning ( that good man'
whom he ever revered as ' his father and guardian.'
The Rajah speaks and writes English very in-
telligibly. I smiled to see Swartz's picture amongst
these Hindoo kings, and thought with myself that
there are many who would think such a combination
scarcely possible. I then addressed the Rajah, and
respecting tfje ^tntraos, 53
thanked him, in the name of the Church of England,
for his kindness to the late Mr. Swartz, and to his
successors, and particularly for his recent acts of
benevolence to the Christians residing within his
provinces. The Missionaries had just informed me
that the Rajah had erected e a College for Hindoos,
Mahometans, and Christians ; ' in which provision
was made for the instruction of 'fifty Christian child-
ren.' His Highness is very desirous that I should
visit this College, which is only about sixteen miles
from the capital. Having heard of the fame of the
ancient Shanscrit, and Mahratta Library of the king's
of Tanjore, I requested his Highness would present
a catalogue of its volumes to the College of Fort-
William ; which he was pleased to do. It is vo-
luminous, and written in the Mahratta character;
for that is the proper language of the Tanjore
Court.
'In the evening I dined with the Resident, and
the Rajah sent his band of music, consisting of eight
or more Vinas with other instruments. The Vina or
Been, is the ancient instrument which Sir William
Jones has described in his interesting descant on
the musical science of the Hindoos, in the Asiatic
Researches, and the sight of which, he says, he found
it so difficult to obtain in northern India. The band
played the English air of ' God save the King/ set to
Mahratta words, and applied to the Maha Rajah,
or Great King of Tanjore. Two of the Missionaries
dined at the Resident's house, together with some
English officers, ^Mr. Kohloff informed me that
54 Cijrfettau
Major Blackburne has promoted the interests of the
Missions by every means in his power. Major
Blackburne is a man of superior attainments,
amiable manners, and a hospitable disposition ; and
is well qualified for the important station he has
long held, as English Resident at this Court.
6 On the day following, I went to view the Hindoo
Temples, and saw the great BLACK BULL of Tanjore.
It is said to be of one stone, hewn out of a rock of
granite ; and so large that the Temple was built
around it. While I surveyed it, I reflected on the
multitudes of natives, who during the last hundred
years, had turned away their eyes from this Idol.
When I returned, I sat some hours with the
Missionaries, conversing on the general state of
Christianity in the provinces of Tanjore, Tritchinopoly,
Madura, and Palamcottah. They want help. Their
vineyard is increased, and their labourers are decreased.
They have had no supply from Gemany in the room of
Swartz, laenicke, and Gericke ; and they have no
prospect of further supply, except from 'the Society
* for promoting Christian Knowledge ; who they
hope, will be able to send out English Preachers to
perpetuate the Mission.'
respecting tfje tyftOvoos. 55
< Tanjvre, Sept. 2, 1806.
f Last Sunday and Monday were interesting days to
me, at Tanjore. It being rumoured that a friend of the
late Mr. Swartz had arrived, the people assembled from
all quarters. On Sunday three Sermons were preached
in three different languages. At eight o'clock we pro-
ceeded to the Church built by Mr. Swartz within the
Fort. From Mr. Swartz's pulpit I preached in English
from Mark xiii. 10. ( And the Gospel must first be
published among all nations/ The English gentlemen
here attended, civil and military, with the Missionaries,
Catechists, and British soldiers. After this service was
ended, the congregation of Hindoos assembled in the
same Church, and filled the aisles and porches. The
Tamul service commenced with some forms of prayer,
in which all the congregation joined with loud fervour.
A chapter of the Bible was then read, and a hymn of
Luther's sung. After a short extempore prayer, during
which the whole congregation knelt on the floor, the
Rev. Dr. John delivered an animated Discourse in the
Tamul tongue, from these words, ( Jesus stood and
cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to me and
drink/ As Mi% Whitfield, on his first going to Scot-
loud, was surprised at the rustling of the leaves of the
Bible, which took place immediately on his pronouncing
his text (so different from any thing he hafL^een in his
56 C&rfettan Hesearcljes
own country) so I was surprised here at the sound of the
iron pen engraving the Palmyra leaf. Many persons
had then* Ollas in their hands writing the sermon in
Tamul short-hand. Mr. Kohloff assured me that some
of the elder Students and Catechists will not lose a word
of the preacher if he speak deliberately.* This, thought
I, is more than some of the Students at our English
Universities can do. This aptitude of the people to
record the words of the preacher, renders it peculiarly
necessary ' that the priest's lips should keep knowledge/
An old rule of the Mission is that the sermon of the
morning should be read to the Schools in the evening,
by the Catechist, from his Palmyra leaf.
* Another custom obtains among them which pleased
me much. In the midst of the discourse the preacher
sometimes puts a question to the congregation ; who
answers it without hesitation, in one voice. The object
is to keep their attention awake, and the minister gene-
rally prompts the answer himself. Thus suppose that
he is saying, ' My dear Brethren, it is true that your
profession of the faith of Christ is attended with some
reproach, and that you have lost your cast with the
Brahmins. But your case is not peculiar. The man of
the world is the man of cast in Europe ; and he despises
the humble and devout disciple of Christ, even as your
Brahmin contemns the Sooder. But, thus it hath been
*It is well known that natives of Tanjore and Travancore
can write fluently what is spoken deliberately. They do not
Jouk much at their olias while writing. The fibre of the leaf
guides the t en.
respecting tDe j&faaoos. 57
from the "beginning. Every faithful Christian must lose
cast for the Gospel ; even as Christ himself, the Fore-
runner, made himself of no reputation, and was despised
and rejected of men. In like manner, you will be
despised; but be of good cheer, and say, Though we
have lost our cast and inheritance amongst men, we
shall receive in heaven a new name and a better inheri-
tance, through Jesus Christ our Lord/ He then adds,
t What, my beloved Brethren, shall you obtain in heaven ?'
They answer, * A new name arid a better inheritance,
through Jesus Christ our Lord/ It is impossible for a
stranger not to be affected with this scene. This custom
is deduced from Ziegenbalg, who proved its use by long
experience.
( After the Sermon was ended, I returned with the
Missionaries into the vestry or library of the Church.
Here I was introduced to the Elders and Catechists of
the congregation. Among others came SATTIANADEN,
the Hindoo preacher, one of whose Sermons was pub-
lished in England some years ago, by the Society for
promoting Christian Knowledge. He is now advanced
in years, and his black locks have grown gray. As
I returned from the Church, I saw the Christian families
going back in crowds to the country, and the boys look-
ing at their ollas. What a contrast, thought I, is this to
the scene at Juggernaut ! Here there is becoming dress,
humane affections, and rational discourse. I see here no
skulls, no self-torture, no self-murder, no dogs and
vultures tearing human flesh ! Here the Christian virtues
are found in exercise by the feeble-minded Hindoo, in
a vigour and purity which will surprise those who
58
have never known the native character but under
the greatest disadvantages, as in Bengal. It cer-
tainly surprised myself; and when I reflected on the
moral conduct, upright dealing, and decorous manners
of the native Christians of Tanjore, I found in my
breast a new evidence of the peculiar excellence and
benign influence of the Christian Faith.
6 At four o'clock in the afternoon, we attend Divine
Service at the Chapel in the Mission Garden out of the
Fort. The Rev. Mr. Horst preached in the Portuguese
Language. The organ here accompanied the voice in
singing. I sat on a granite stone which covered the
grave of Swartz. The epitaph is in English verse,
written by the present Rajah, and signed by him,
( Serfogee.' In the evening Mr. Kohloff presided at
the exercise in the schools : on which occasion the
Tamul Sermon was repeated ; and the boys' ollas ex-
amined.
' In consequence of my having expressed a wish to
hear Sattianaden preach, Mr. Kohloff had given notice
that there would be divine service next day, Monday.
Accordingly the chapel in Swartz 's garden was crowded
at an early hour. Sattianaden delivered his Discourse
in the Tamul language, with much natural eloquence,
and with visible effect. His subject was the ( Mar-
vellous Light/ He first described the pagan darkness,
then the light of Ziegenbalg, then the light of Swartz,
and then the heavenly light, ' when there shall be no
more need of the light 9f the sun, or of the moon/ In
quoting a passage from Scripture, he desired a lower
minister to read it, listening to it as to a record j and
respecting fye l^n&aofc 59
then proceeded to the illustration. The responses by
the audience were more frequently called for than in
the former Sermon. He concluded with praying fer-
vently for the glory and prosperity of the Church of
England. After the Sermon, 1 went up to Sattianaden,
and the old Christians who had known Swartz came
around us. They were anxious to hear something of
the progress of Christianity in the North of India.
They said they had heard good news from Bengal. I told
them that the news were good, but that Bengal was
exactly a hundred years behind Tanjore.
' 1 have had long conversations with the Missionaries
relating to the present circumstances of the Tanjore
Mission. It is in a languishing state at this moment,
in consequence of the war on the Continent of Europe.
Two of its sources have dried up, the Royal College at
Copenhagen, and the Orphan-house at Halle, in Ger-
many. Their remaining resource from Europe is the
stipend of * The Society for promoting Christian Know-
ledge;' whom they never mention but with emotions
of gratitude and affection. But this supply is by no
means commensurate with the increasing number of
their Churches and Schools. The chief support of the
Mission is derived from itself. Mr. Swartz had in his
life time acquired a considerable property, through the
kindness of the English Government and of the Native
Princes. When he was dying, he said, Let the c cause
of Christ be my heir/ When his colleague, the pious
Gericke, was departing, he also bequeathed his property
to the Mission. And now Mr. Kohloff gives from his
private funds an annual sum; not that he can well
60 Christian Besearrijes
afford it $ but the Mission is so extended, that he gives
it, he told me, to preserve the new and remote congre-
gations in existence. He stated that there were upwards
of ten thousand Protestant Christians belonging to the
Tanjore and Tinavelly districts alone, who had not
among them one complete copy of the Bible ; and that
not one Christian perhaps in a hundred, had a New
Testament ; and yet there are some copies of the Tamul
Scriptures still to be sold at Tranquebar : but the poor
natives cannot afford to purchase them. When
I mentioned the designs of the Bible Society in
England, they received the tidings with very sensible
emotions of thankfulness. Mr. Horst said, If
only every tenth person were to obtain a copy
of the Scriptures, it would be an event long to be re-
membered in Tanjore. They lamented much that they
were destitute of the aid of a printing-press, and repre-
sented to me that the progress of Christianity had been
materially retarded of late years by the want of that
important auxiliary. They have petitioned the Society
for promoting Christian Knowledge to send them one.
They justly observed, If you can no longer send us
Missionaries to preach the Gospel, send us the means
of printing the Gospel.* The Tranquebar Mission and
* The Brahmins in Tanjore have procured a press, " which
they dedicate (say the Missionaries in their last letter) to the
glory of their gods :" but their Missionaries, who first intro-
duced the civilization of Christianity at the Tanjore capital, are
still without one. Printing is certainly the legitimate instru-
ment of the Christian for the promulgation of Christianity. We
Fro-
respecting tlje Jptn&oos. 6\
the Madras mission have both possessed printing-presses
for a long period ; by the means of which they have
been extensively useful in distributing the scriptures and
religious publications in several languages. The Mis-
sion Press at Tranquebar may be said to have been the
fountain of all the good that was done in India during
the last century. It was established by Ziegenbalg.
From this press, in conjunction with that at Halle, in
Germany, have proceeded volumes in Arabic, Syriac,
Hindoostanee, Tamul, Telinga, Portuguese, Danish, and
English. I have in my possession the Psalms of David
in the Hindoostanee Language, printed in the Arabic cha-
racter; and the History of Christ in Syriac, intended
probably for the Syro-Romish Christians on the sea-coast
of Travancore, whom a Danish missionary once visited,
both of which volumes were edited by the Missionaries
of Tranquebar. There is also in Swartz's Library at
Tanjore a grammar of the Hindoostanee Language in
quarto, published at the same press ; an important fact
which was not known at the College of Fort- William,
when Professor Gilchrist commenced his useful labours
in that language,"
Protestants have put it into the hands of the Brahmins, and we
ought to see to it that the teachers of our own religion are
possessed of an equal advantage.
62 Christian
< Tanj&re, Sept. 3, 180G.
c Before I left the capital of Tanjore, the Rajah was
pleased to honour me with a second audience. On this
occasion he presented to me a portrait of himself, a very
striking likeness, painted by a Hindoo artist at the
Tanjore Court.* The Missionary, Dr. John, accom-
panied me to the palace. The Rajah received him with
much kindness, and presented to him a piece of gold
cloth. Of the resident Missionary Mr. Kohloff, whom
the Rajah sees frequently, he spoke to me in terms of
high approbation. This cannot be very agreeable to
the Brahmins ; but the Rajah, though he yet professes
the Brahminical religion, is no longer obedient to the
dictate of the Brahmins, and they are compelled to
admit his superior attainments in knowledge. I passed
the chief part of this morning in looking over Mr.
Swartz's manuscripts and books : and when I was com-
ing away Mr. Kohloff presented to me a Hebrew
Psalter, which had been Mr. Swartz's companion for
fifty years ; also a brass lamp which he had got first
when a Student at the College of Halle, and had used
in his lucubrations to the time of his death ; for
Mr. Swartz seldom preached to the natives without pre- ,
study. I thought I saw the image of Swartz in
* It is now placed in the Public Library of the University of
Cambridge.
respecting tlje gnufcoosu GS
his successor. Mr. Kohloff is a man of great simplicity
of manners, of meek deportment, and of ardent zeal in
the cause of revealed Religion, and of humanity.
He walked with me through the Christian village close
to his house -, and I was much pleased to see the affec-
tionate respect of the people towards him ; the young
people of both sexes coming forward from the doors on
both sides, to salute him and receive his benediction/*
* That I may give to those who are interested in the promo-
tion of Christianity in the East, a more just view of the cha-
racter of Swartz's successor, the Rev. Mr. Kohloff, I shall sub-
join an Extract of a Letter which I have since received from
the Rev. Mr. Horst.
" Tanjore, Sept. 24, 1807.
" The Rev. Mr. Kohloff is sometimes rather weak, on ac-
count of so many and various cares that assail him without
ceasing. He provides for the wants of this and the Southern
Missions (Tritchinopoly excepted) by disbursing annually
upwards of one thousand pagodas (about 250/. sterling) out
of his private purse, partly to make up the difference between
the income and expenditure of this and the Southern Mission
(of which I annex an abstract) and the rest in assisting the
deserving poor, without regard to religion ; and for various
pious uses. To him as Arbitrator and Father, apply all
Christians that are at variance, disturbed frorn without or
from within, out of service or distressed j for most of our
Christians will do any thing rather than go to law.
" All these heterogeneous, but, to a Missionary at Tanjore,
unavoidable avocations, joined to the ordinary duties of his
station, exercise his mind early and late j and if he be not of
a robust constitution, will undermine his health at last.
Happily, several neighbouring Churches and new congrega-
64 Christian Eesearrfjes
< September 4th, 1SOG.
' Leaving Tanjcre, I passed through the woods in-
habited by the Collaries (or thieves) now humanized
by Christianity. When they understood who I was,
they followed me on the road, stating their destitute
condition, in regard to religious instruction. They
were clamorous for Bibles. They supplicated for
teachers. c We don't want bread or money from you,
said they ; but we want the word of God/ Now,
thought I, whose duty is it to attend to the moral
wants of this people ? Is it that of the English nation,
or of some other nation ?"
' Tritchinopoly, September 5th.
' The first Church built by Swartz is at this place.
It is called Christ's Church, and is a large building,
tions, belonging to the Mission of Tanjore, afford Mr. KohlofF
frequent opportunities to relax his mind, and to recruit his
health and spirits, by making occasional short excursions to
see these new Christians, who were professed thieves only a few
years ago, and many of them are now an honour to the Christian
profession, and industrious peasants. It is pleasing to behold
the anxiety with which a great number of our Christian chil-
dren inquire at such times when their father will return ; and
how they run several miles to meet him with shouts and
clapping of hands, and hymns of thanks to God, as soon as
they discern his palankeen at a distance."
respecting tfje Jputooos. 65
capable of containing perhaps two thousand people.
The aged Missionary, the Rev. Mr. Pohle, presides
over this Church, and over the native congregations at
this place. Christianity flourishes ; but I found that
here, as at other places, there is a e famine of Bibles.'
The Jubilee was celebrated on the 19th of July, being
the hundredth year from the arrival of the messengers of
the Gospel. On this occasion their venerable Pastor
preached from Matth. xxviii. 19. ' Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost/ At this station, there are about a thousand
English troops. Mr. Pohle being a German, does not
speak English very well; but he is reverenced for
his piety by the English ; and both officers and
men are glad to hear the religion of their country
preached in any way.- On the Sunday morning,
I preached in Christ's Church to a full assembly,
from these words, ' For we have seen his Star in the
East, and are come to worship him/ Indeed, what
I had seen in these provinces rendered this tent the
most appropriate I could select. Next day some
of the English soldiers came to me, desiring to know
how they might procure Bibles. ( It is a delightful
thing,' said one of them, ' to hear our own religion
preached by our own countryman/ I am informed
that there are at this time above twenty English
regiments in India, and that not one of them has
a chaplain. The men live without religion, and
then they bury each other. O England, England, it
66 eijrtsttan
is not for thine own goodness that Providence givetk
thee the treasures of India !
e I proceed hence to visit the Christian Churches in
the provinces of Madura, and Tinnavelly/
The friends of Christianity in India have had
it in their power to afford some aid to the Chris-
tian Churches in Tanjore On the 1st of Janu-
ary of the present year (1810,) the Rev. Mr.
Brown preached a Sermon at Calcutta, in which
he represented the petition of the Hindoos for
Bibles. A plain statement of the fact was suf-
ficient to open the hearts of the public. A
subscription was immediately set on foot, and
Lieut-General Hewitt, Commander-in-Chief^
then Deputy Governor in Bengal, subscribed
250/. The chief officers of government, and
the principal inhabitants of Calcutta, raised the
subscription, in a few days, to the sum of 1000/.
sterling. Instructions were sent to Mr. Kolhoff
to buy up all the copies of the Tamul Scrip-
tures, to distribute them at a small price
amongst the natives, and order a new edition to
be printed off without loss of time.*
* The chief names in this subscription, besides that of
General Hewitt, were Sir John Royds, Sir W. Burroughs,
John Lumsden, esq., George Udney, esq., J. H. Harrington,
respecting tf)e &ftti>0a& 67
VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES
FOR THE HINDOOS.
HAVING now seen what the Hindoos are in
their state of idolatry, as at Juggernaut, and in
Bengal ; and what they may become under the
influence of Christianity, as at Tranquebar.
Tritchinopoly, and Tanjore , it remains, to give
some account of the translation of the Scriptures
into the languages of the Hindoos.
There are five principal languages spoken by
Hindoos in countries subject to the British Em-
pire. These are, the Hindoostanee, which pervades
Hindoostan generally ; and the four languages
of the four great provinces, viz. the Bengalee)
for the province of Bengal ; the Tetinga, for the
esq. Sir John D'Oyley, Colonel Carey, John ThornhilJ, esq.,
R. C. Plowden, esq. Thos. Hayes, esq., W. Egerton, esq.,
&c. &c.
Thus, while we are disputing in England whether the
Bible ought to be given to the Hindoos, the Deputy Governor
in Bengal, the Members of the Supreme Council, and of the
Supreme Court of Judicature, and the chief officers of the
Government, after perusing the information concerning the
state of India sent from this country, are satisfied that it is an
important duty, and a Christian obligation.
68 Cijttsttan
Northern Sircars ; the Tamul, for Coromandel,
and the Carnatic ; and the Malay alim or Malabar,
for the coast of Malabar and Travancore.
Of these five languages, there are two into
which the Scriptures are already translated ; the
Tamul, by the Danish Missionaries in the last
century ; and the Bengalee, by the Baptist Mis-
sionaries from England. The remaining three
languages are in progress of translation ; the Hin-
doos fanee, by the Rev. Henry Marty n, B. D. Chap-
lain in Bengal ; the Malabar, by Mar Dionysius,
Bishop of the Syrian Christians in Travancore ;
both of which translations will be noticed more
particularly hereafter ; and the Telinga, by
Ananda Rayer, a Telinga Brahmin, by birth a
Mahratta, under the superintendance of Mr.
Augustus Desgranges, at Vizagapatam, a Mis-
sionary belonging to the London Society.*
Ananda Rayer, a Brahmin of high cast, was
lately converted to the Christian faith, and has
given undoubted proofs of the serious impression
* The Christian church has now to lament the loss of two
of the Translators of the Holy Scriptures, mentioned in this page,
riz. the venerable bishop of the Syrian church, and the young
missionary, Mr. Augustus Desgranges. Their WORKS do fol-
low them. Rev. xiii. 14- " Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the
" HARVEST that he would send forth more labourers into his
" Harvest." Luke x. 2. Second Edition.
respecting tjje $ftffloa& 69
*f its principles on his heart.* It is remarkable
that versions of the scriptures should be now
* The account of Ananda Rayer's conversion is given by
the Rev. Dr. John, the aged Missionary at Tranquebar, in
a letter to Mr. Desgranges. This Brahman applied, (as many
Brahmins and other Hindoos constantly do) to an older Brah-
min of some fame for sanctity, to know, " what he should do
" that he might be saved ?" The old Brahmin told him, that
" he must repeat a certain prayer four lack of times :" that is,
400,000 times. This he performed in a Pagoda, in six months ;
and added many painful ceremonies. But finding no comforter
peace from these external rites, he went to a Romish Priest,
and asked him if he knew what was the true religion ? The
Priest gave him some Christian books in the Telinga language,
and, after along investigation of Christianity, the inquiring Hin-
doo had no doubt remaining on his mind, that " Christ was the
tf Saviour of the world." But he was not satisfied with the
Romish worship in many points : he disliked the adoration of
images, and other superstitions ,- and having heard from the
Priests themselves, that the Protestant Christians at Tanjore
and Tranquebar, professed to have a purer faith, and had got
the Bible translated, and worshipped no images; he visited
Dr. John, and the other Missionaries at Tranquebar, where he
remained four months, conversing, says Dr. John, " almost
" every day with me," and examining the Holy Scriptures.
He soon acquired the Tamul language (which has affinity
with the Telinga) that he might read the Tamul translation j
and he finally became a member of the Protestant Church.
The Missionaries at Vizagapatam being in want of a learned
Telinga scholar to assist them in a translation of the Scriptures
into the Telinga language, Dr. John recommended Ananda
Rayer 3 " for he was averse," says he, " to undertake any worldly
70 Cljrtetian Heseatcijes
preparing for the Mahomedans and Hindoos, by
their own converted countrymen; namely, the
Persian and Arabic versions, by SABAT the
Arabian ; and the Telinga version by Ax AN DA
RAYER, the Telinga Brahmin. The latter has
translated the four Gospels, and the Acts of the
Apostles. The progress of Sabat in his trans-
lations will be noticed hereafter.
THE CEYLONESE.
IN the island of Ceylon, the population under
the British Government amounts, according to
the best authorities, to upwards of a million and
a half ; and one third is supposed to profess
Christianity. This population was divided by
the Dutch, while they had possession of the
island, into 240 church-ships, and three native
" employment, and had a great desire to be useful to his
" brethren of the Telinga nation." The reverend Missionary
concludes thus : " What Jesus Christ hath required of his
" followers, this man hath literally done j he hath left father,
"mother, sisters, and brothers, and houses, and lands, for the
" Gospel's sake."
See Dr. John's Letter, dated 2Qth January, 1808, com-
municated to the Bible Society, by the Rev. Mr. Brown.
respecting fye ceglouese* 7 1
schoolmasters were appointed to each church-
ship. The Dutch government never gave an
official appointment to any native who was
not a Christian ; a distinction which was ever
considered by them as a wise policy, as well as a
Christian duty, and which is continued by his
Majesty's Government in Ceylon. Perhaps it is
not generally known in England that our Ben-
gal and Madras Governments do not patronise
the native Christians. They give official ap-
pointments to Mahomedans and Hindoos gene-
rally in preference to natives professing Chris-
tianity, The chief argument for the retention
of this system is precedent. It was the practice
of the first settlers. But it has been often ob-
served that what might be proper or necessary
in a factory, may not be tolerable in a great
Empire. It is certain that this system confirms
prejudice, exposes our religion to contempt
in the eyes of the natives, and precludes every
ray of hope of the future prevalence of Chris-
tianity at the seats of government.
4 Jaffna-patam, in Ceykn, Sept. 2?, 1806.
* From the Hindoo Temple of Ramisseram, I crossed
72 cijtastian
over to Ceylon, keeping close to Adam's bridge.
I was surprized to find, that all the boatmen were
Christians of Ceylon. I asked the helmsman what reli-
gion the English professed who now governed the island.
He said he could not tell, only that they were not of the
Portuguese or Dutch religion. I was not so much sur-
prized at his ignorance afterwards, as I was at the time.
I have had the pleasure to meet here with Alexander
Johnstone, Esq.* of the Supreme Court of Judicature,
who is on the circuit ; a man of large and liberal views,
the friend of learning, and of Christianity. He is well
acquainted with the language of the country, and with
the history of the island ; and his professional pursuits
afford him a particular knowledge of its present state ;
so that his communications are truly valuable- It will
be scarcely believed in England, that there are here
Protestant Churches under the King's government,
which are without ministers. In the time of BALD .BUS,
the Dutch preacher and historian, there were thirty -
two Christian Churches in the province of Jaffna alone.
At this time there is not one Protestant European
Minister in the whole province. I ought to except
Mr. Palm, a solitary Missionary, who has been sent
out by the London Society, and receives some stipend
from the British government. I visited Mr. Palm, at
his residence a few miles from the town of Jaffna. He
is prosecuting the study '"of the Tamil language ; for
that is the language of this part of Ceylon, from its
* Now Sir Alexander Johnstone, Chief- Justice of Ceylon.
respecting tije ceplouese* rs
proximity to the Tamul continent. Mrs. Palm has
made as great progress in the language as her husband,
and is extremely active in the instruction of the native
women and children. I asked her if she had no wish to
return to Europe, after living so long among the un-
civilized Cingalese. No, she said ; she was ' all the
day long happy in the communication of knowledge/
Mr. Palm has taken possession of the old Protestant
Church of Tilly-Pally. By reference to the history,
I found it was the church in which Baldaeus himself
preached (as he himself mentions) to a congregation of
two thousand natives ; for a view of the Church is given
in his work. Most of those handsome Churches, of
which views are given in the plates of Baldaeus's history,
are now in ruins. Even in the town and fort of Jaffna,
where there is a spacious edifice for Divine Worship,
and respectable society of English and Dutch inhabi-
tants, no Clergyman has been yet appointed. The only
Protestant preacher in the town of Jaffna is Christian
David, a Hindoo Catechist sent over by the Mission of
Tranquebar. His chief ministrations are in the Tamul
Tongue ; but he sometimes preaches in the English
Language, which he speaks with tolerable propriety:
and the Dutch and English resort to hear him. I went
with the rest to his Church ; when he delivered extem-
pore a very excellent Discourse, which his present
Majesty George the Third would not have disdained to
hear. And this Hindoo supports the interests of the
English Church in the province of Jaffna. The Dutch
Ministers who formerly officiated here, have gone to
Batavia or to Europe, The whole district is now in
74 Christian
the hands of the Romish priests from the College of
Goa; who perceiving the indifference of the English
nation to their own religion, have assumed quiet and
undisturbed possession of the land. And the English
Government justly preferring the Romish superstition
to the worship of the idol Boodha, thinks it right to
countenance the Catholic Religion in Ceylon. But
whenever our Church shall direct her attention to the
promotion of Christianity in the East, I know of no
place which is more worthy of her labour,, than the old
Protestant Vineyard of Jaffna Patam. The Scriptures
are already prepared in the Tamul Language. The
language of the rest of Ceylon is the Cingalese, or
Ceylonese*
< Columbo, in Ceylon, 10th March, 1808.
< I find that the South part of the island is in much
the same state as the north, in regard to Christian
instruction. There are but two English Clergymen in
the whole island. f What wonder' (said a Romish priest
to me) ' that your nation should be so little interested
about the conversion of the Pagans to Christianity,
when it does not even give teachers to its own subjects
who are already Christians ? I was not surprised to
hear that great numbers of the Protestants every year
go back to idolatry. Being destitute of a Head to take
cognizance of their state, they apostatise to Boodho,
as the Israelites turned to Baal and Ashteroih. It is
perhaps true that the religion of Christ has never beer-
respecting tije cepiauese. 79
so disgraced in any age of the Church, as it has been
lately, by our official neglect of the Protestant Church
in Ceylon.
f I passed the day at Mount Lavinia, the country
residence of General Maitland, the Governor of Ceylon ;
and had some conversation with his Excellency
on the religious state of the country. He desired
I would commit to writing and leave with him a me-
morandum of inquiries which I wished should be made
on subjects relating to the former prevalence of the
Protestant Religion in the island, and the means of
reviving and establishing it once more. His Excellency
expressed his conviction that some Ecclesiastical Esta-
blishment ought to be given to Ceylon; as had been
given to other Colonies of His Majesty in America
and the West Indies. He asked what was the cause of
the delay in giving an Ecclesiastical Establishment to
the Continent of India. I told him I supposed the
chief cause was the mixed government of our Indian
Empire. It was said to be a question at home, who
ought to originate it. Had there been no revolution
in Europe to distract the attention of the nation, and
had Mr. Pitt lived, many things of a grand and arduous
character would have been done which are yet left un-
done. There are now three missionaries of the London
Society established in three different parts of the
island. It gave me great pleasure to find that General
Maitland, and the senior Chaplain at Columbo, the
Honourable Mr. Twisleton, had afforded their patronage
in the most liberal manner to these useful teachers.
Government has allowed to each of them an annual
76 CJjtfett'an
stipend. In returning from the country I passed
through the groves of CINNAMON, which extend nearly
a mile in length. Ceylon is believed by some of the
Easterns, both Mahomedans and Hindoos, to have been
the residence of the first man (for the Hindoos have
a First Man, and a Garden of Eden, as well as the
Christians) : because it abounds in fi Trees pleasant to
the eyes, and good for food f and is famous for its rare
metals and precious stones. c There is gold, bdellium,
and the onyx-stone.' The rocky ridge which connects
this happy island with the main land, is called Adam's
Bridge ; the lofty mountain in the middle of the island
every where visible, is called Adam's Peak : and there is
a sepulchre of immense length, which they call Abel's
Tomb. All these names were given many ages before
the introduction of Christianity from Europe: The
Cinnamon trees love a sandy soil. The surface of the
ground appeared to be entirely sand. I thought it won-
derful that the most valuable of all trees should grow in
luxuriance in such an arid soil without human culture.
I compared them in my mind to the Ceylon Christians
in their present state, who are left to flourish by them-
selves under the blessing of heaven, without those exter-
nal and rational aids which have been divinely appointed
to nourish the Church of Christ/
< Columbo, llth March) 1808.
c I have conversed with intelligent persons on the
means of translating the Scriptures into the Cingalese
respecting tfje ceplonese. 77
Language. The whole of the New Testament has
been translated, but only three books of the Old
Testament. But even this portion has been translated
almost in vain : for there is no supply of books for
the use of the people. I reflected with astonishment
on the fact, that there are by computation 500,000
natives in Ceylon professirig Christianity, and that
there should not be one complete copy of the Holy
Scriptures in the vernacular tongue. Samuel Tolfry,
Esq. head of a civil department in Columbo, is a good
Cingalese scholar, and is now engaged in compiling
a Cingalese dictionary. I proposed to him to under-
take the completion of the Cingalese Version j which
is easily practicable, as there are many learned
Cingalese Christians in Columbo. He professed
himself ready to engage in the work, provided he
should receive the sanction of the government.
I mentioned to him what had passed in my con-
versation with General Maitland, and his Excellency's
favourable sentiments on the subject ; and added that
a correspondence would be immediately commenced
with him from Calcutta, concerning the work, and
funds apportioned for the execution of it. Alexander
Johnstone, esq. who is now in Columbo, has furnished
me with his sentiments on the best means of reviving
and maintaining the Protestant interest in Ceylon.
Did his professional avocations permit, Mr. Johnstone
is himself the fit person to superintend the translation
and printing of the Scriptures. It is a proof of the
interest which this gentleman takes in the progress of
Christian knowledge, that he hath caused Bishop
78 Christian
Porteus's Evidences of Christianity to be translated
into the Cingalese tongue, for distribution among the
natives/
THE MALAYS.
A NEW empire has been added to Great
Britain in the East, which may be called her
Malay Empire. The ex tensive dominion of the
Dutch in the Indian Ocean, is devolving upon
the English ; and it may be expected that Britain
will soon be mistress of the whole of the MA-
LAYAN ARCHIPELAGO. But as we increase
our territories, we increase our obligations.
Our duties to our Hindoo Empire have been
long enough the subject of discussion : let
us now turn our attention to the obligations
which we owe to our Malay Empire. We are
now about to take possession of islands, peo-
pled by numbers of Protestant Christians.
For in every island where the Dutch esta-
blished their government, they endeavoured
to convert the natives to Christianity, and they
were successful. Those amongst us who would
recommend that the evangelization of barbarous
nations should bedeferred "'till amore convenient
*' season/'will have no opportunity of offering the
advice in regard to some of the islands : foi\
rejecting tlje Jfflala^. 75
behold, the natives are Christians already. They
profess the religion of the Bible. Let it be our
endeavour then to do more justice to these our
newProtestant subjects than we have done to the
Christians of Ceylon. We have less excuse in
the present in&tance, for the Malay Scriptures are
already translated to our hands. What a noble
field here opens to the view of the " Society for
" promoting Christian Knowledge," and of the
Bible Society ! Here there is ample room for
a praise- worthy emulation, and for the utmost
exercise of their benevolent exertions. One
hundred thousand Malay Bibles will not suffice
to supply the Malay Christians.
"The Sacred Scriptures were translated by the
Dutch into the Eastern Malay ;* for that is
the general language of their ex tensive dominions
in the Indian Sea. But the Eastern Malay is
different from the Western Malay, or that of
Sumatra. In the College of Fort-William,
Thomas Jarret, esq. of the Honourable Com-
pany's Civil Service, was preparing a version
of the Scriptures in the Western Malay ; for
* A complete version of the Malay Bible was published
in the Arabic character at Batavia, in 5 vols. 8vo. in 1/58,
under the direction of Jacob Mossel, Governor- General of the
Dutch possessions in the East Indies.
so
which undertaking he was well qualified,
having resided twelve years in Sumatra.
When the progress of the Biblical translations
was interrupted in the College, Mr. Jarrett pro-
secuted the work, after his return to Madras.
He has had, as an assistant in the design,
a learned Malay of the rank of Rajah in his
own country, who came from Sumatra for the
purpose. Mr. Jarrett has also made consider-
able progress in compiling a copious Malay
Dictionary, which he commenced before he
left the island. His labour, it is to be hoped,
will not be lost to the public ; for the Malay
language is daily increasing in its importance
to the British nation.
Prince of Wales's Island, or, as it is called by
the natives, Penang, or Pulo Penang, that is, the
Island Penang, is the capital of our Malay terri-
tories, and is the proper place for the cultivation
of the Malay language, being situated close to
the main land of Malacca. As there is a College
in Bengal for instructing the English in the
languages of the continent of Hindoostan, it is
equally expedient that there should be an Insti-
tution in Penang for the cultivation of the Malay
tongue, and of the various dialects of our insular
possessions. The Dutch attended to this object
in the very infancy of their empire. Besides,
respecting tlje jalaps. si
it is probable that Penang will, in the progress
of Eastern civilization, become the great empo-
rium of Asiatic Commerce. Its sudden elevation,
is a prognostic of its future celebrity. It is
situated on what may be called, " the high way,"
in which ships sail from either hemisphere; and
is the very centre of British navigation in the
East. The Author resided on this island for
about a month, and was greatly surprised at
the variety of languages which are spoken, and
at the different races of men who present
themselves to view in this infant settlement.
The Merchants are chiefly of the Malay, and
Indo-Chinese nations. John Shaw, esq. was
prosecuting the study of the Eastern Malay
Language, when the Author visited the island,
and has since published a considerable portion
of a Malay Grammar.
The author who chiefly claims ouf notice in
regard to the Malay regions is J. C. Ley den,
M.D. Professor of Hindoos tanee in the College of
Fort-William. To him the learned world is
indebted for " a Dissertation on the Languages,
" and Literature of the Indo-Chinese nations,'*
just published in the'Asiatic Researches, in which
he illuminates a very dark subject, and opens
a new view to Great Britain of her insular
possessions in Asia. Dr. Ley den takes the lead
6
82 Christian
in this most useful science, in the East, being
possessed of very rare talents for general Philo-
logy, which he has applied almost suddenly, and
with admirable effect, to theOrientalLanguages. If
this erudite scholar should prosecutehisresearches
for some years to come, with equal assiduity and
success, he will promote, in the most effectual
manner, the general civilization of the East, by
opening the way for the future exertions of
Christian teachers, and preparing them for the
study of languages, the names of which are
not yet known in Europe.
Penang, and the neighbouring settlement of
Malacca, are most favourable stations for the
study of the various dialects of the Malay and
Chinese Languages ; and for pouring forth from
the press useful works for the civilization of
maritime and Austral Asia. Every week, boats
of different nations are ready to carry off every
thing that is printed to their respective regions.
The Author found here a general spirit of in-
quiry, a communicative disposition, and an un-
usual thirst for knowledge ; for the civilities
of commerce have a tendency to weaken
prejudice and superstition among barbarous
tribes.
Although the Dutch introduced Christianity on
every island where they established a Government
respecting t!)e jflaiaps, 83
yet the greater part of the Malay islands are
involved in darkness. The natives are of three
general casts, Pagans, Mahomed an s, and Chi-
nese. The Mahomedans chiefly inhabit the
shores, and the Pagans the interior parts of
the islands. The barbarism of the interior
.ftSnfcats in Sumatra, Borneo, and other islands,
almost exceeds belief. Marsden, in his
history of Sumatra, had informed us that
it was usual with the natives of the interior,
called the Batta tribes, to kill and eat their
criminals, and prisoners of war ; but the re-
searches of Dr. Leyden have led to the discovery
that they sometimes sacrifice their own relations.
" They themselves declare," (says he,) "that they
" frequently eat their own relations when aged
" and infirm : and that not so much to gratify their
" appetite, as to perform a pious ceremony. Thus,
" when a man becomes infirm and weary of the
" world, he is said to invite his own children to
" eat him in the season when salt and limes
*' are cheapest. He then ascends a tree, round
" which his friends and offspring assemble, and
w as they shake the tree, join in a funeral
" dirge, the import of which is, ' The season
" is come, the fruit is ripe, and it must de*
" scend.' The victim descends, and those thafc
" are nearest and dearest to him deprive him
84 Christian Eesearcljes
" of life and devour his remains in a solemn
" banquet."*
These cannibals inhabit the interior of the
island of Sumatra, on the shore of which is
the English settlement, Bencoolen, or Fort-
Malborough. We have been settled there for
a long period, and trade with the inhabitants for
their spices. In return for the pepper which the
natives give us, it would well become our charac-
ter as a Christian nation, were we now at length,
to offer them the New Testament.
Another description of barbarians in the
Eastern Isles, are the Haraforas^ called by the
Dutch, the Alfoers. They are to be found in
almost all the larger islands. " In their man-
" ners," says Dr. Leyden, " the most singular
" feature is the necessity imposed on every per-
" son of, sometime in his life, imbruing
" his hands in human blood : and in general,
" among all their tribes, no person is per-
":mitted to marry, 'till he can shew the
" skull of a man whom he has slaughtered.
" They eat the flesh of their enemies like
" the Battas, and drink out of their skulls ; and
the ornaments of their houses are human skulls
" and teeth/-)- When the Author was at Pulo
* Asiatic Researches, Vol. X.p, 203.
f Ibid, p, 217.
respecting tlje jMalaps. 35
Penang, he himself saw a Chief of the Malay
tribe who had a staff, on the head of which was
a bushy lock of human hair ; which he said he
had cut from the head of his enemy, whom he
had killed.
The Author has mentioned the foregoing cir-
cumstances to shew what Paganism is in its na-
tural state, and to awaken some desire of civilizing
a people, who are now so accessible to us. Some
Philosophers of the school of Voltaire and Gib-
bon, have been extravagant in their eulogium of
man in a state of nature, or in some other state
DEVOID of Christianity ; and it is to be lamented
that some Christian writers have tried of late to
draw the same picture. But Paganism in its best
estate, is well described by one line of the Poet :
Monstrum, horrendum, informe, ingens cni LUMEN ad
emptum. VIRG.
No quarter of the globe promises to be more
auspicious toChristian Missions than the Malayan
Archipelago. In regard to the probable success
of our endeavours, the Dutch have already shewn
what is practicable. The natives are of different
casts, and are a divided people. The .communi-
cation is easy from island to island ; our own ships
are continually plying on their shores. The
86 Christian Keseattljes
China fleet pass through twice or oftener every
year; and with most of the islands we have
intercourse by what is called in India, the coun-
try trade. And now there will be, of course, an
English Government established in each of the
conquered islands in lieu of the Dutch.
The Mahomedans found it easy to translate
the Koran into the languages of Java, and of
the Celebes; but the Sacred Scriptures are not
yet translated into either of these languages. The
proper language of Java is different from the
Malay of the city of Batavia. The language
of the Celebes is called the Bugis, or Bouguese.*
The natives of Celebes are distinguished for their
vigour of mind and strength of body ; and are
acknowledged to be the first of the Orang Timor.
or Eastern men. Literature was formerly cultivated
among them. Dr. Leyden enumerates fifty-three
different volumes. "Their songs," says he, "and
" romances, are famous among all the islands of
" the East." Their language extends to other
islands, for they formerly carried their conquests
beyond the Moluccas. The man who shall first
* Lord Minto notices in his Speech to the College of Fort
William, that Thos. Raffles, Esq. Secretary to the Government
in Prince of Wales's Island, is employed in compiling a code of
Malay laws, in the Malay and Bougeuse Languages.
respecting tlje jalaps* s;
translate the Bible in to the language of the Celebes,
will probably be read by as many islanders as have
read the translation of Wickliffe. Let us consi-
der how long these nations have waited for
Christian instruction, and con template the words
of the prophecy, " The isles shall wait for HIS
" Law." Is. xliii. 4.
The facilities for civilizing the Malayan isles
are certainly very great; and these facilities are
our strongest encouragement to make the attempt.
Both in our translation of the Scriptures and in
missions to the heathen, we should avoid as much
as possible what may be called enterprise. Let
us follow the path that is easy and secure, and
make use of those means which are already af-
forded to us by Providence. Thus the most va-
luable and important translation of the Scrip-
tures in the present circumstances, will be that
for which a people are already prepared, such as
the Malayalim, the Cingalese, and Malay. And
the most judiciously planned Missions will be
those where there is a prospect of personal secu-
rity to the teachers ; and where there are, judging
from human probabilities, the greatest facilities
for the conversion of the people.
88 Christian Eesearcljes
THE SYRIAN CHRISTIANS IN INDIA.
THE Syrian Christians inhabit the interior of
Travancore and Malabar, in the South of India ;
and have been settled there from the early ages
of Christianity. The first notices of this an-'
cient people in recent times are to be found in
the Portuguese histories. When Vasco de Gama
arrived at Cochin on the coast of Malabar, in the
year 1503, he saw the sceptre of the Christian
King ; for the Syrian Christians had formerly
regal power in Malay-Ala.* The name or title of
their last King was Beliarte; and he dying with-
out issue, the dominion devolved on the King of
Cochin and Diamper.
When the Portuguese arrived, they were agree-
ably surprised to find upwards of a hundred
Christian Churches on the coast of Malabar. But
when they became acquainted with the purity and
simplicity of their worship, they were offended.
* Malay-ala is the proper name for the whole country of Tra-
vancore and Malabar, comprehending the territory between the
mountains and the sea, from Cape Cormorin to Cape Illi or
Dilly. The language of these extensive regions is called Malay-
alim, and sometimes Malabar. We shall use the word Malabar
as being of easier pronunciation.
respecting ti>e g>prtan& 89
''These Churches/' said the Portuguese, "belong
" to the Pope/ "Who is the Pope," said the
natives, " we never heard of him." The Euro-
pean priests were yet more alarmed, when they
found that these Hindoo Christians maintained
the order and discipline of a regular Church un-
der Episcopal Jurisdiction : and that, for 1300
years past, they had enjoyed a succession of Bi-
shops appointed by the Patriarch of Antioch.
" We/' said they, are of the true faith, whatever
"you from the West may be ; for we come from
the place where the followers of Christ were first
called Christians."
When the power of the Portuguese became
sufficient for their purpose, they invaded these
tranquil Churches, seized some of the Clergy, and
devoted them to the death of heretics. Then
the inhabitants heard for the first time that
there was a place called the Inquisition ; and that
its fires had been lately lighted at Goa, near their
own land. But the Portuguese, finding that the
people were resolute in defending their ancient
faith, began to try more conciliatory measures.
They seized the Syrian Bishop, Mar Joseph, and
gent him prisoner to Lisbon, and then convened
a Synod at one of the Syrian Churches called
Diamper, near Cochin, at which theRomishArch-
bishop Menezes presided. At this compulsory
90 Christian fteseatrijes
Synod, 150 of the Syrian Clergy appeared.
They were accused of the following practices
and opinions, "That they had married wives; that
they owned but two Sacraments, Baptism and
the Lord's Supper; that they neither invoked
" Saints, nor worshipped Images, nor believed
t( in Purgatory : and that they had no other
" orders or names of dignity in the Church,
" than Bishop, Priest, and Deacon.'' These
tenets they were called on to abjure, or to suffer
suspension from all Church benefices. It was
also decreed that all the Syrian books on Eccle-
siastical subjects that could be found, should be
burned ; " in order," said the Inquisitors, " that
no pretended apostolical monuments may re-
main."
The Churches on the sea-coast were thus
compelled to acknowledge the supremacy of
the Pope : but they refused to pray in Latin, and
insisted on retaining their own language and Li-
turgy. This point they said they would only
give up with their lives. The Pope compro-
mised with them : Menezes purged their Litur-
gy of its errors : and they retain their Syriac
Language, and have a Syriac College unto this
day. These are called the Syro-Roman Churches,
and are principally situated on the sea-coast
The Churches in the interior would not yield
to Rome. After a show of submission for a little
respecttng tlje Brians. 9 1
while, they proclaimed eternal war against the
Inquisition ; they hid their books, fled occa-
sionally to the mountains, and sought the pro-
tection of the Native Princes, who had always
been proud of their alliance.
Two centuries had elapsed without any parti-
cular information concerning the Syrian Chris-
tians in the interior of India. It was doubted
by many whether they existed at all; but if
they did exist, it was thought probable that
they must possess some interesting documents
of Christian antiquity. The Author conceived
the design of visiting them, if practicable, in
his tour through Hindoostan. He presented a
short memoir on the subject in 1805, to Marquis
Wellesley, then Governor-General of India;
who was pleased to give orders that every faci-
lity should be afforded to him in the prosecution
of his inquiries. About a year after that Noble-
man had left India, the Author proceeded on
his Tour. It was necessary that he should visit
first the Court of the Rajah of Travancore, in
whose dominions the Syrian Christians resided,
that he might obtain permission to pass to their
country. The two chief objects which he
proposed to himself in exploring the state of
this ancient people, were these : First, to inves-
tigate their literature and history, and to collect
92 Christian Researches
Biblical manuscripts. Secondly, if he should
find them to be an intelligent people, and well
acquainted with the Syriac Scriptures, to endea-
vour to make them instruments of illuminating
o
the Southern part of India, by engaging them
in translating their Scriptures into the Native
Languages. He had reason to believe that this
had not yet been done; and he was prepared
not to wonder at the delay, by the reflection
how long it was before his own countrymen
began to think it their duty to make versions of
the Scriptures, for the use of other nations.
f Palace of Travancore, 19th Oct. 1805.
' I have now been a week at the Palace of Trivan
duram, where the Rajah resides. A letter of introduction
from Lieut.-Colonel Macauley, the British Resident at
Travancore, procured me a proper reception. At my
first audience His Highness was very inquisitive as to
the objects of my journey. As I had servants with me
of different casts and languages, it was very easy for
the Brahmins to discover every particular they might
wish to know, in regard to my profession, pursuits, and
manner of life. When I told the Rajah that the Syrian
Christians were supposed to be of the same religion with
the English, he said he thought that could not be the
case, else he must have heard it before ; if, however, it
was so, he considered my desire to visit them as being
respecting tlje g>jrian0. 93
very reasonable. I assured His Highness that their
Shaster and ours was the same ; and shewed him a
Syriac New Testament which I had at hand. The book
being bound and gilt after the European manner, the
Rajah shook his head, and said he was sure there was
not a native in his dominions who could read that book.
I observed that this would be proved in a few days.
The Dewan (or Prime Minister) thought the character
something like what he had seen sometimes in the
houses of the Sooriani. The Rajah said he would afford
me every facility for my journey in his power. He put
an emerald ring on my finger, as a mark of his friend-
ship, and to secure me respect in passing through his
country; and he directed his Dewan to send proper
persons with me as guides.
' I requested that the Rajah would be pleased to pre-
sent a Catalogue of all the Hindoo Manuscripts in the
Temples of Travancore to the College of Fort-William
in Bengal. The Brahmins were very averse to this ; but
when I shewed the Rajah the catalogues of the books
in the Temples of Tanjore, given by the Rajah of Tan-
jore, and of those of the Temple of Ramisseram, given
me by order of the Rannie (or Queen) of Ramnad;
he desired it might be done : and orders have been sent
to the Hindoo College of Trichoor for that purpose/*
* These three Catalogues, together with that of the Rajah
of Cochin, which the Author procured afterwards, are now
deposited in the College of Fort- William, and probably contain
all the Hindoo literature of the South of India.
94 Christian
c Chmganoor; a Church of the Syrian Christians,
Nov. 10th, 1806.
c From the palace of Travancore I proceeded to
Mavely-car, and thence to the hills at the bottom of the
high Ghauts which divide the Carnatic from Malayala.
The face of the country in general, in the vicinity of the
mountains, exhibits a varied scene of hill and dale, and
winding streams. These streams fall from the moun-
tains, and preserve the vallies in perpetual verdure. The
woods produce pepper, cardamoms and cassia, or common
cinnamon ; also frankincense and other aromatic gums.
What adds much to the grandeur of the scenery in
this country is, that the adjacent mountains of Travan-
core are not barren, but are covered with forests of teak
wood ; the Indian oak, producing, it is said, the largest
timber in the world.
* The first view of the Christian Churches in this
sequestered region of Hindoostan, connected with the
idea of their tranquil duration for so many ages, cannot
fail to excite pleasing emotions in the mind of the
beholder. The form of the oldest buildings is not unlike
that of some of the old Parish Churches in England;
the style of building in both being of Saracenic origin.
They have sloping roofs, pointed arch windows and
buttresses supporting the walls. The beams of the roof
being exposed to view are ornamented ; and the ceiling
of the choir and altar is circular and fretted. In th$
respecting tlje &jrfan& 95
Cathedral Churches, the shrines of the deceased bishops
are placed on each side of the altar. Most of the
Churches are built of a reddish stone, squared and
polished at the quarry ; and are of durable construction,
the front wall of the largest edifices being six feet thick.
The bells of the Churches are cast in the founderies of
the country : some of them are of large dimensions,
and have inscriptions in Syriac and Malay-alim. In
approaching a town in the evening, I once heard the
sound of the bells among the hills ; a circumstance whicrj.
made me forget for a moment that I was in Hindoostan,
and reminded me of another country.
f The first Syrian Church which I saw was at Mavely-
car: but the Syrians here are in the vicinity of the
Romish Christians 5 and are not so simple in their man-
ners as those nearer the mountains. They had been
often visited by Romish emissaries in former times:
and they at first suspected that I belonged to that com-
munion. They had heard of the English, but strangely
supposed that they belonged to the Church of the Pope
in the West. They had been so little accustomed to
see a friend, that they could not believe that I was come
with any friendly purpose. Added to this, I had some
discussions with a most intelligent priest, in regard to
the original language of the Four Gospels, which he
maintained to be Syriac ; and they suspected from the
complexion of my argument, that I wished to weaken
the evidences for their antiquity,* Soon, however, the
* " You concede," said the Syrian, " that our Saviour spoke
in our language ; how do you know it ?" From Syriac expres-
9 Christian
gloom and suspicion subsided ; they gave me the right
hand of fellowship, in the primitive manner ; and one of
sions in the Greek Gospels. It appears that he spoke Syriac
when he walked by the way (Ephphatha), and when he sat in
the house (Talitha Cumi), and when he was upon the cross
(EM, Eli, lama sabachthani). The Syrians were pleased when
they heard that we had got their language in our English books.
The priest observed that these last were not the exact words,
but ' Ail, Ail, lamono sabachthani.' I answered that the
word must have been very like Eli, for one said ' He calleth
E/ias.' " True," said he, " but yet it was more likely to be Ail,
Ail (pronounced II or Eel) for Hil or Hila, is old Syriac for
Vinegar j and one thought he wanted Vinegar, and filled
immediately a sponge with it. But our Saviour did not want
the medicated drink as they supposed. But," added he, " if
the parables and discourses of our Lord were in Syriac, and the
people of Jerusalem commonly used it, is it not marvellous that
his Disciples did not record his parables in the Syriac Lan-
guage j and that they should have recourse to the Greek ?" I
observed that the Gospel was for the world, and the Greek was
then the universal language, and therefore Providence selected
it. " It is very probable," said he, <c that the Gospels were trans-
lated immediately afterwards into Greek, as into other lan-
guages j but surely there must have been a Syriac original.
The poor people in Jerusalem could not read Greek. Had they
no record in their hands, of Christ's parables which they had
heard, and of his sublime discourses recorded by St. John, after
bis ascension ?" I acknowledged that it was generally believed
by the learned that the Gospel of St. Matthew was written
originally in Syriac. " So yon admit St. Matthew? You may
" as well admit Si. John. Or was one gospel enough for the
"inhabitants, of Jerusalem ?" I contended that there were
many Greek and Roman words in their own Syriac Gospels
respecting fyt &prt'an0. 97
their number was deputed to accompany me to the
Churches in the interior.
* When we were approaching the Church of Chin-
ganoor, we met one of the Cassanars, or Syrian
Clergy. He was dressed in a white loose vestment
with a cap of red silk hanging down behind. Being
informed who he was, I said to him in the Syriac
Language, ' Peace be unto you/ He was surprized
at the salutation, but immediately answered, c The
God of peace be with you.' He accosted the Rajah's
servants in the language of the country to know who
I was ; and immediately returned to the village to
announce our approach. When we arrived I was
received at the door of the Church by three Kasheeshas
that is, Presbyters, or Priests, who were habited in
like manner, in white vestments. Their names were
Jesu, Zecharias, and Urias, which they wrote down
in my Journal, each of them adding to his name the
title of Kasheesha. There were also present two Shum-
shanas, or Deacons. The elder Priest was a very in-
telligent man, of reverend appearance, having a long
white beard, and of an affable and engaging deport-
ment. The three principal Christians, or lay elders^
belonging to the Church, were named Abraham, Thoma,
and Alexandros. After some conversation with my
attendants they received me with confidence, and
" True/' said he, " Roman words for Roman things." They
wished however to see some of these words. The discussion
afterwards., particularly in reference to the Gospel of St. Luke,
was more in my favour.
a
98 Cljtfettau
affection ; and the people of the neighbouring vil-
lages came round, women as well as men. The sight
of the WOMEN assured me that I was once more
(after a long absence from England) in a Christian
country. For the Hindoo women, and the Maho-
medan women, and in short, all women who are not
Christians, are accounted by the men an inferior race :
and, in general, are confined to the house for life, like
irrational creatures. In every countenance now before
me I thought I could discover the intelligence of Chris-
tianity. But at the same time, I perceived, all around,
symptoms of poverty and political depression. In the
Churches, and in the people, there was the air of fallen
greatness. I said to the senior Priest, f You appear to
me like a people who have known better days.' ( It is
even so/ said he. ( We are in a degenerate state com-
pared with our forefathers/ He noticed, that there were
two causes of their present decay. ' About 300 years
ago, an enemy came from the west, bearing the name of
Christ, but armed with the inquisition : and compelled
us to seek the protection of the native Princes. And
the native Princes have kept us in a state of depression
ever since. They indeed recognize our ancient personal
privileges, for we rank in general next to the Nairs, the
nobility of the country ; but they have encroached by
degrees on our property, till we have been reduced to the
humble state in which you find us. The glory of our
Church has passed away ; but we hope your nation will
revive it again/ I observed that c the glory of a Church
could never die, if it preserved the Bible.' We have
preserved the Bible, ' said he, ' the Hindoo Princes
respecting tlje feprtarts* 99
Bever touched our liberty of conscience. We were for-
merly on a footing with them in political power ; and
they respect our religion. We have also converts from
time to time ; but in this Christian duty we are not so
active as we once were ; besides, it is not so creditable
now to become Christian, in our lotv estate/ He then
pointed out to me a Namboory Brahmin, (that is, a
Brahmin of the highest cast) who had lately become
a Christian, and assumed the white vestment of a Syrian
Priest. ' The learning too of the Bible,* he added, ' is
in a low state amongst us, Our copies are few in num-
ber ; and that number is diminishing instead of increas-
ing ; and the writing out a whole copy of Sacred Scrip-
tures is a great labour, where there is no profit and little
piety/ I then produced a printed copy of the Syriac
New Testament. There was not one of them who had
ever seen a printed copy before. They admired it
much ; and every Priest, as it came into his hands, began
to read a portion, which he did fluently, while the wo-
men came round' to hear. I asked the old Priest whether
I should send them some copies from Europe. ( They
would be worth their weight in silver,' said he. He
asked me whether the Old Testament was printed in
Syriac as well as the new. I told him it was, but I had
not a copy. They professed an earnest desire to obtain
some copies of the ivhole Syriac Bible ; and asked whe-
ther it would be practicable to obtain one copy for every
church. ( I must confess to you/ said Zecharias, ' that
we have very few copies of the Prophetical Scriptures in
the Church. Our Church languishes for want of the
Scriptures/ But he added, ( the language that is most
in use among the people is the Malayalira, (or Malabar),
tt 2
ioo Christian Beseatcijes
the vernacular language of the country. The Syriac is
now only the learned language, and the language of the
Church : but we generally expound the Scriptures to the
people in the vernacular tongue/
I then entered on the subject of the translation of the
Scriptures. He said ' a version could be made with
critical accuracy ; for there were many of the Syrian
Clergy who were perfect masters of both languages,
having spoken them from their infancy. But/ said he,
' our Bishop will rejoice to see you, and to discourse
with you on this and other subjects.' I told them that
if a translation could be prepared, I should be able to
get it printed, and to distribute copies among their fifty-
five Churches at a small price. ( That indeed would
give joy/ said old Abraham. There was here a murmur
of satisfaction among the people. f If I understand you
right/ said I/ the greatest blessing the English Church
can bestow upon you, is the Bible/ c It is so/ said he.
c And what is the next greatest/ said I. f Some freedom
and personal consequence as a people/ By which
he meant political liberty. - * We are here in
bondage, like Israel in Egypt/ I observed that the
English nation would doubtless recognize a nation
of fellow Christians ; and would be happy to interest
itself in their behalf, as far as our political relation
with the Prince of the country would permit. They
wished to know what were the principles of the English-
Government, civil and religious. I answered that our
Government might be said to be founded generally on
the principle of the Bible. ' Ah/ said old Zecharias, 'that
must be a glorious Government which is founded on the
principles of the Bible/ Trie Priests then desired I
respecting tl;e &prfaw& 101
would give them some account of the History of the
English nation, and of our secession from their enemy
the Church of Rome. And in return, I requested they
would give me some account of their History. My
communications with the Syrians are rendered very easy,
by means of an Interpreter whom I brought with me
all the way from the Tanjore country. He is a
Hindoo by descent, but is an intelligent Christian, and
was a pupil and catechist of the late Mr. Swartz. The
Rev. Mr. Kolhoff recommended him to me. He for-
merly lived in Travancore, and is well acquainted with
the vernacular tongue. He also reads and writes En-
glish very well, and is as much interested in favour of
the Syrian Christians as I myself. Besides Mr. Swartz's
catechist, there are two natives of Travancore here, who
speak the Hindostanee Language, which is familiar
to me. My knowledge of the Syriac is sufficient to refer
to texts of Scripture ; but I do not well understand the
pronunciation of the Syrians. I hope to be better ac-
quainted with their language before I leave the coun-
try/
Ranniel, a Syrian Church, Nov. 12th, 1806.
This Church is built upon a rocky hill on the banks of
the river ; and is the most remote of all the Churches in
this quarter. The two Kusheeshas here are Lucas and
102 Christian Hesearrije*
Mattai (Luke and Matthew.) The chief Lay members
are Abraham, Georgius, Thoma, and Philippus. Some
of the Priests accorrpany me from Church to Church.
I have now visited eight 'Churches, and scarcely believe
sometimes that I am in the land of the Hindoos ; only
that I now and then see a Hindoo temple on the banks
of the river. 1 observed that the bells of most of the
Churches are within the building, and not in a tower.
The reason they said was this. When a Hindoo temple
happens to be near a church, the Hindoos do not like the
bell to sound loud, for they say it frightens their God.-
I perceive that the Syrian Christians assimilate much to
the Hindoos in the practice of frequent ablutions for health
and cleanliness, and in the use of vegetables and light
food.
' I attended divine service on the Sunday. Their Li-
turgy is that which was formerly used in the Churches of
the Patriarch of Antioch. During the prayers, there
were intervals of silence : the priest praying in a low
voice, and every man praying for himself. These silent
intervals add much to the solemnity and appearance of
devotion. They use incense in the Churches, it grows
in the woods around them ; and contributes much, they
say, to health, and to the warmth and comfort of the
Church, during the cold and rainy season of the year. At
the conclusion of the sernce, a ceremony takes place
which pleased me much. The Priest, (or Bishop, if he be
present) comes forward, and all the people pass by him as
they go out, receiving his benediction individually. If any
man has been guilty of any immorality, he does not re-
ceive the blessing ; and this, in their primitive and patri-
respecting tlje feprtans. 103
archal state, is accounted a severe punishment. Instruction
by preaching is little in use among them now. Many of
the old men lamented the decay of piety, and religious
knowledge ; and spoke with pleasure of the record of
ancient times. They have some ceremonies nearly allied
to those of the Greek Church. Here, as in all Churches
in a state of decline, there is too much formality in the
worship. But they have the Bible and a scriptural Liturgy;
&nd these will save a Church in the worst of times. These
may preserve the spark and life of religion, though the
flame be out. And as there were but few copies of the
Bible among the Syrians, (for every copy was transcribed
with the pen) it is highly probable that, if they had not
enjoyed the advantage of the daily prayers, and daily por-
tions of Scripture in their Liturgy, there would have been
in the revolution of ages, no vestige of Christianity left
among them.*
* In a nation like ours, overflowing with knowledge, men
are not always in circumstances to perceive the value of a scrip-
tural Liturgy. When Christians are well taught, they think they
want something better. But the young and the ignorant, who
form a great proportion of the community, are edified by a little
plain instruction frequently repeated. A small Church or Sect
may do without a form for a while. But a national Liturgy is
that which preserves a relic of the true faith among the people
in a large empire, when the Priests leave their ARTICLES and
their CONFESSIONS of FAITH. Woe to the declining Church
which hath no Gospel Liturgy ! Witness the Presbyterians in
the West of England, and some other sects, who are said to have
become Arians and Socinians to a man. The Puritans of a for-
mer age did not live long enough to see the use of an evangelical
104 Christian
* The doctrines of the Syrian Christians are few in
number, but pure, and agree in essential points with those
of the Church of England : so that, although the body of
Formulary. By them, the experiment of a pure church devoid
of form, was made under the most favourable circumstances j
and the issue has been much the same, as in former ages. The
Puritan Church in England commenced under the fairest aus-
pices. I know not what was wanting of human and local cir-
cumstance, to give peculiar doctrines perpetuity. But yet, with
the first generation of men, (a case of frequent example) the
spiritual fervor seemed to pass away. Instead of increasing, it
decreased and declined in most places, till little more than the
name was left. For when the spirit is gone, (in a church having
no form) nothing is left. In the mean time, primitive Christia-
nity revived in England (not amongst them, but in the midst of
rational/brms and evangelical articles : " for so it seemed good
unto God 3" and from that source is derived the greater part of
pure religion now professed in this land, under whatever form it
may exist. These observations are not made in a spirit of
disrespect for any mode of Christian worship : every form we
know, is human and, therefore, imperfect : nor is perfection
required j that form being best for the time, which is best ad-
ministered. Christ left no form : because Churches in dif-
ferent climates, must have different forms. They may even
vary in the same climate. There are differences of " adminis-
" trations, saith the Apostle, but the same Lord." 1 Cor. i. 12.
ft One man esteemeth one day above another. He that
ff regardeth the day, (as Easter and Pentecost) regardeth it
" unto the Lord ; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord
"he doth not regard it." Rom. xiv. 6. We are not to de-
spise "a weak brother, for whom Christ died," (1 Cor. viii. 11.)
though he be destitute of learning, and think be possesses all
respecting tlje >j>rtans, 1 05
the Church appears to be ignorant, and formal, and dead,
there are individuals who are alive to righteousness, who
are distinguished from the rest by their purity of life, and
are sometimes censured for too rigid a piety.
6 The following are the chief doctrines of this ancient
Church :
* 1 . They hold the doctrine of a vicarious ATONEMENT
for the sins of men 5 by the blood and merits of Christ,
and of the justification of the soul before God, " by
faith alone," in that atonement.
f 2. They maintain the REGENERATION, or new birth
of the Soul to righteousness, by the influence of the Spi-
rit of God, which change is called in their books, from
the Greek, the META-NOIA, or Change of Mind.
C 3. In regard to the TRINITY the creed of the Syrian
Christians accords with that of St. Athanasius, but without
the damnatory clauses. In a written and official com-
munication to the English Resident of Travancore, the
Metropolitan states it to be as follows :
" We believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
{i three persons in one God, neither confounding the per-
" sons nor dividing the substance, one in three, and three
that is necessary for regulating a Church, when he has got the
leaves of the New Testament j when the truth is, that a know-
ledge of cotemporary history and languages is as necessary to
understand the facts of the New Testament, as the fact of any
other book. But the above remarks have been made with
this view, to qualify the contempt, which ignorant persons in
small sects frequently express for the established worship of a
CHRISTIAN EMPIRE.
io6 Christian iResearrijesr
" in one. The Father generator, the Son generated, and
" the Holy Ghost proceeding. None is hefore or after the
ge other; in majesty, honour, might, and power co-equal ;
" Unity in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity/' He then
proceeds to disclaim the different errors of Arius, Sabel-
lius, Macedonius, Manes, Marcianus, Julianus, Nestorius,
and the Chalcedonians ; and concludes, " That in the
" appointed time, through the disposition of the Father
" and the Holy Ghost, the Son appeared on earth for the
" salvation of mankind ; that he was born of the Virgin
" Mary, through the means of the Holy Ghost, and was
" incarnate God and man."
In every Church, and in many of the private houses,
here are manuscripts in the Syriac Language : and I have
been successful in procuring some old and valuable
copies of the Scriptures and other books, written in dif-
ferent ages and in different characters.'
e Cande-nad, a Church of the Syrian Christians,
November 23, 1806.
* This is the residence of Mar Dionysius, the Metro-
politan of the Syrian Church. A great number of the
Priests from the other Churches had assembled by desire
of the Bishop, before my arrival. The Bishop resides in a
building attached to the Church, I was much struck with
his first appearance. He was dressed in a vestment of
dark red silk ; a large golden cross hung from his neck,
and his venerable beard reached below his girdle.
respecting tije >gtian& 1 07
Such, thought I, was the appearance of Chrysostom in
the fourth century. On public occasions, he wears the
Episcopal mitre, and a muslin robe is thrown over his
under garment ; and in his hand he bears the crosier, or
pastoral staff. He is a man of highly respectable cha-
racter in his Church, eminent for his piety, and for the
attention he devotes to his sacred functions. I found
him to be far superior in general learning to any of his
clergy whom I had yet seen. He told me that all my
conversations with his Priests since my arrival in the
country had been communicated to him. c You have
come/ said he, to visit a declining Church, and I am
now an old man : but the hopes of its seeing better days
cheer my old age, though I may not live to see them/
I submitted to the Bishop my wishes in regard to the
translation and printing of the Holy Scriptures. e I have
already fully considered the subject,' said he, ' and have
determined to superintend the work myself, and to call
the most learned of my clergy to my aid. It is a work
which will illuminate these dark regions, and God will
give it his blessing/ I was much pleased when I heard
this pious resolution of the venerable man ; for I had
now ascertained that there are upwards of 200,000
Christians in the South of India, besides the Syrians, who
speak the Malabar Language. The next subject of
importance in my mind, was the collection of useful ma-
nuscripts in the Chaldaic and Syriac Languages ; and
the Bishop was pleased to say that he would assist my
inquiries and add to my collection. He descanted with
great satisfaction on the hope of seeing printed Syriac
Bibles from England 5 and said they would be ' a trea*
sure to his Church/
108 CJjrattan
e Cande-nad, 24th November, 1S06.
c Since my coming amongst this people, I had che-
rished the hope that they might be one day united with
the Church of England. When I reflected on the im-
mense power of the Romish Church in India, and on our
inability to withstand its influence, alone, it appeared to
be an object of great consequence to secure the aid and
co-operation of the Syrian Church, and the sanction of
its antiquity in the East. I thought it might be ser-
viceable, at least, to lay such a foundation by the discus-
sion of the subject, as our Chirch might act upon here-
after, if he should think it expedient. I was afraid to
mention the subject to the Bishop at our first interview;
but he himself intimated that he would be glad I would
communicate freely upon it with two of his clergy. I
had hitherto observed somewhat of a reserve in those
with whom I had conversed on this matter : and now the
cause was explained. The Bishop's chaplains confessed
to me that they had doubts as to the purity of English
Ordination. c The English/ said they, 'may be a warlike
and great people ; but their Church, by your own ac-
count, is but of recent origin. Whence do you derive
your Ordination ?' ' From Rome/ ( You derive it from a
Church which is our ancient enemy, and with which we
would never unite/ They acknowledged that there
might be salvation in every Church where f the name of
Christ was named ;' but in the question of an UNION, it
respecting tfje &ymn$. 109
was to be considered that they had existed a pure Church
of Christ from the earliest ages ; that if there was such a
thing in the world as Ordination by the laying on of
hands, in succession from the Apostles, it was probable
that they possessed it ; that there was no record of his-
tory or tradition to impeach their claim. I observed
that there was reason to believe that the same Ordination
had decended from the Apostles, to the Church of Rome.
e It might be so : but that Church had departed from the
faith.' I answered that the impurity of the channel had
not corrupted the ordinance itself, or invalidated the le-
gitimacy of the imposition of hands ; any more than the
wickedness of a High Priest in Israel could disqualify his
successors. The Church of England assumed that she
derived Apostolical Ordination through the Church of
Rome, as she might have derived it through the Church
of Antioch. I did not consider that the Church of En-
gland was entitled to reckon her Ordination to be high-
er or more sacred than that of the Syrian Church. This
was the point upon which they wished me to be explicit.
They expected that in any official negotiation on this
subject, the antiquity and purity of Syrian Ordination
should be expressly admitted.
6 Our conversation was reported to the Bishop. He
wished me to state the advantages of an Union. One
advantage would be, I observed, that English Clergymen,
or rather Missionaries ordained by the Church of En-
gland, might be permitted hereafter to preach in the
numerous Churches of the Syrians in India, and aid them
in the promulgation of pure religion, against the pre-
ponderating and increasing influence of the Romish
no CJjrfetian Beseatrljes;
Church; and again. That Ordination by the Syrian
Bishop might qualify for preaching in the English
Churches in India ; ^or we had an immense Empire in
Hindoostan. but few Preachers : and of these few scarcely
any could preach in the native languages. The Bishop
said, ( I would sacrifice much for such an Union ; only
let me not be called to compromise any thing of the
dignity and purity of cur Church.' I told him, we did
not wish to degrade, we would rather protect and defend
it. All must confess that it was Christ's Church in the
midst of a heathen land. The Church of England would
be happy to promote its welfare, to revive its spirit, and
to use it as an instrument of future good in the midst of
her own Empire. I took this occasion to observe that
there were some rites and practices in the Syrian
Church, which our Church might consider objectionable
or nugatory. The Bishop confessed that some customs
had been introduced during their decline in the latter
centuries, which had no necessary connection with the
constitution of the Church, and might be removed with-
out inconvenience. He asked whether I had authority
from my own Church to make any proposition to him.
I answered that I had not : that my own Church scarcely
knew that the Syrian Church existed : but I could anti-
cipate the wishes and purposes of good men. He
thought it strange that there was no Bishop in India to
superintend so large an Empire ; and said he did not
perfectly comprehend our ecclesiastical principles. I
told him that we had sent Bishops to other countries ;
but that our Indian Empire was yet in its infancy.
Next day, the Bishop, after conferring with his clergy
respecting d)e &j>uan& 1 1 1
on the subject, returned an answer in writing to the
following effect; f That an union with the English
Church, or, at least, such a connection as should appear
to both Churches practicable and expedient, would be a
happy event, and favourable to the advancement of Reli-
gion in India.' In making this communication, he used
his official designation, f Mar Dionysius, Metropolitan of
Malabar.' I asked the Bishop if he would permit two
of the young Cassanars to go to England to finish their
education, and then return to India. He said he should
be very happy to give his permission, if any should be
found who were willing to go. I have accordingly made
the offer to two youths of good abilities, who aje well
skilled in the Syriac Language/
< Cande-nad, 25th Nov.
' The Bishop was desirous to know something of the
ether Churches which had separated from Rome. I was
ashamed to tell him how many they were. I mentioned
that there was a Kasheeslia or Presbyter Church in our
own kingdom, in which every Kasheesha was equal to,
another. ' And are there no Shimshanas T (Deacons
in holy orders). 'None/ < And what, is there nobody to
overlook the Casheeshas ?' < Not one/ < And who is the
Angel of their Church?' (alluding to the form of the
seveu Churches in Asia. Rev. ii. 1.) < They have none/
112 Cljrtsttan
' There must be something imperfect there,' said he^
This led to the mention of the different sects. Those
which most interested him were the Quakers and Bap-
tists. He said it was an imposing idea to wash the body
with water, to begin a new life. He asked whether they
were baptized again every time they relapsed into sin
and known apostacy. Are there good men amongst
these sects ?' * Excellent men almost in all/ ' I see it is
with you as it was in the first ages ; new sects were pro-
duced by true piety, but it was piety founded on igno-
rance. But do not good men in these sects relax a lit-
tle when they grow old?' 'Yes, they speak in general
less frequently and less dogmatically of their peculiar
forms when they are old : one reason of which is, that
the smaller sects, who are, for the most part, poor gene-
rally, acquire their competence of learning in advanced
life.' We next had some conversation concerning forms
of worship; whether Christ intended that his Church
should have the same form under the burning line, and
in a country of frost and snow/
* It is proper to sate, for the satisfaction of those who may
differ in opinion with the venerable Bishop, that in the Svriac
translation of the New Testament, there is no proper word for
Bishop other than Kashecsha. The words Kasheesha and Shutn-
shana, or properly Me-shumshana, are the two terms for the
two orders of Bishop and Deacon in the third chapter of 1st
Timothy. The terms Episcopos and Methropolita have been in-
troduced into the Syrian Church from the Greek. The Bishop
seemed to be more surprised at the striking out the sacred order
of Deacon, than at the not finding the order of a superintending
Priest or Bishop.
resper tins ft* Sprtans. 1 1 3
c Udiamper, Dec. 1806.
* From Cande-nad I returned to the Sea-coast to visit
Lieut.-Colonel Macauley, the British Resident in Tra-
vancore. He is at present on the island of Bal-gatty,
called by the natives the Pepper Jungle. I have derived
much valuable information from this intelligent officer,
who possesses a better knowledge of the South of India,
than I suppose, N ariy other European. He is a gentle-
man of a highly cultivated mind, of much various learn-
ing, and master of several languages. To these attain-
ments he adds a quality which does not always accom-
pany them. He is the friend of Christianity. After
residing with him a few days, he accompanied me in a
Tour to the interior We first visited Udiamper, or as it
is called by the Portuguese writers, Diamper. This was
formerly the residence of Beliarte, King of the Chris-
tians ; and here is the Syrian Church at which Arch-
bishop Menezes from Goa, convened the Synod of the
Syrian Clergy in 1599, when he burned the Syriac and
Chaldaic books. The Syrians report, that while the
flames ascended, he went round the Church in proces-
sion chaunting a song of triumph.
' From Udiamper, Colonel Macaulay accompanied me
to Cande-nad, to visit the Syrian Bishop a second time.
He told us he had commenced the translation of the
Scriptures. He was rather indisposed, and said he felt
the infirmities of advanced years, his age being now
seventy-eight. I promised to see him once more before
I left the country*'
1 14 Christian Eesearcijes
' Cranganore, 9th Dec. 1806.
e This is that celebrated place of Christian antiquity
where the Apostle Thomas is said to have landed, when
he first arrived in India from Aden in Arabia. There
was formerly a town and fort at Cranganore, the Portu-
guese having once thought of making it the emporium
of their commerce in India ; but both are now in ruins.
There is however one substantial relic of its greatness.
There is an Archbishop of Cranganore, and subject to
him there are forty-five Churches ; many of which I
entered. In some of them the worship is conducted
with as much decorum as in the Romish Churches of
Western Ireland. Not far from Cranganore is the town
of PAROOR, where there is an ancient Syrian Church,
which bears the name of the Apostle Thomas. It is
supposed to be the oldest in Malabar, and is still used
for Divine Service. I took a drawing of it. The tra-
dition among the Syrians is, that the Apostle continued
at this place for a time, before we went to preach at
Melapoor and St. Thomas's Mount, on the coast of
Coromandel, where he was put to death. The fact is
certainly of little consequence ; but I am satisfied that
we have as good audit- rity for believing that the Apos-
tle Thomas died in India, as that the Apostle Peter died
at Rome.'
respecting tlje ^priaus. 115
'Ferapoli, Dec. 180f>.
c This is the residence of Bishop Raymondo, the Pope's
Apostolic Vicar in Malabar. There is a College here
for the sacerdotal office, in which the students (from ten
to twenty in number) are instructed in the Latin and
Syriac Languages. At Pulingunna there is another
College, in which the Syriac alone is taught. Here I
counted twelve Students. The Apostolic Vicar super-
intends sixty-four Churches ; exclusive of the forty-five
governed by the Archbishop of Cranganore, and exclu-
sive of the large Dioceses of the Bishops of Cochin and
of Quilon, whose Churches extend to Cape Comorin,
and are visible from the sea. The view of this assem-
blage of Christian congregations excited in my mind
mingled sensations of pleasure and regret; of pleasure
to think that so many of the Hindoos has been rescued
from the idolatry of Brahma, and its criminal worship ;
and of regret when I reflected that there was not to be
found among the whole body, one copy of the Holy
Bible.
The Apostolic Vicar is an Italian, and corresponds
with the Society ' de propaganda Fide/ He is a man of
liberal manners, and gave me free access to the archives
of Verapoli, which are upwards of two centuries old.
In the library I found many volumes marked < Liber he-
reticus prohibitus.' Every step I take in Christian India,
I meet with a memento of the Inquisition. The Apos-
tolical Vicar, however, does not acknowledge its autho-
rity, and places himself under British protection. He
I 2
ii6 Christian Kesearcljes
spoke of the Inquisition with just indignation, and, in
the presence of the British Resident, called it ' a horrid
Tribunal/ I asked him whether he thought I might
with safety visit the Inquisition, when I sailed past Goa ;
there being at this time a British force in its vicinity.
It asserted a personal jurisdiction over natives who were
now British subjects : and it was proper the English Go-
vernment should know something of its present state. The
Bishop answered, c I do not know what you might do
under the protection of a British force ; but I should not
like (smiling, and pressing his capacious sides,) to trust
rw/ body in their hands/
( We then had some conversation on the subject of
giving the Scriptures to the native Roman Catholics.
I had heard before, that the Bishop was by no means
hostile to the measure. I told him that I should proba-
bly find the means of translating the Scriptures into the
Malabar Language, and wished to know whether he had
any objection to this mode of illuminating the ignorant
minds of the native Christians. He said he had none.
I visited the Bishop two or three times afterwards. At
our last interview he said, ( I have been thinking of the
good gift you are meditating for the native Christians ;
but believe me, the Inquisition will endeavour to counter-
act your purposes by every means in their power. I
afterwards conversed with an intelligent native Priest,
who was well acquainted with the state and character of
the Christians, and asked him whether he thought they
would be happy to obtain the Scriptures ? * Yes/ an-
swered he, e those who have heard of them.' I asked if he
had got a Bible himself ? c No/ he said ; ' but he had
seen one at Goa.' '
reverting tlje feprians, 117
Angamalee, a Syrian Town, containing Three Churches,
1807.
c I have penetrated once more inland to visit the
Syrian Churches. At the town of Cenotta, I was sur-
prised to meet with Jews and Christians in the same
street. The Jews led me first to their Synagogue, and
allowed me to take away some manuscripts for money.
The Syrian Christians then conducted me to their ancient
church. I afterwards set down on an eminence above the
town to contemplate this interesting spectacle ; a Jewish
Synagogue, and a Christian Church, standing over against
each other ; exhibiting, as it were, during many revolving
ages, the LAW and the GOSPEL to the view of the hea-
then people.
6 Angamalee is one of the most remote of the Syrian.
towns in this direction, and is situated on a high land.
This was once the residence of the Syrian Bishop.
The inhabitants told me, that when Tippoo Sultan invaded
Travancore, a detachment of his cavalry penetrated to
Angamalee, where they expected to find great wealth,
from its ancient fame. Being Mahomedans, they ex-
pressed their abhorrence of the Christian religion, by de-
stroying one of the lesser Churches, and stabling their
horses in the great Church. In this place I have found a
good many valuable manuscripts. I had been leii to sup-
pose, from the statement of the Portuguese historian^ that
118 Christian Hesearcfces
possibly all the Syriac MSS. of the Bible had been
burned by the Romish Church at the Synod of Diamper,
in 1599. But this was not the case. The Inquisitors
condemned many books to the flames ; but they saved
the Bible ; being content to order that the Syriac Scrip-
tures should be amended agreeably to the Vulgate of
Rome. But many Bibles and other volumes were not
produced at all. In the acts of the council of Nice, it is
recorded, that Johannes, Bishop of India, signed his
name at that council in A. D. 325. The Syriac version
of the Scriptures was brought to India, according to the
popular belief, before the year 325. Some of their pre-
sent copies are certainly of ancient date. Though writ-
ten on a strong thick paper, like that of some MSS. in
the British Museum, commonly called Eastern paper,
the ink has, in several places, eat through the material in
the exact form of the letter. In other copies, where
the ink had less of a corroding quality, it Jaas fallen off,
and left a dark vestige of the letter ; faint, indeed, but
not, in general, illegible. There is a volume, which was
deposited in one of the remote Churches, near the moun-
tains, which merits a particular description. It contains
the Old and New Testaments, engrossed on strong vel-
lum, in large folio, having three columns in a page ; and
is written with beautiful accuracy. The character is
Estrangelo Syriac ; and the words of every book are
numbered. But the volume has suffered injury from
time or neglect. In certain places the ink has been
totally obliterated from the page, and left the parchment
in its state of natural whiteness : but the letters can, in
general, be distinctly traced from the impress of the
respecting tfje feprtans. 119
pen, or from the partial corrosion of the ink. I scarcely
expected that the Syrian Church would have parted with
this manuscript. But the Bishop was pleased to present
it to me, saying, < It will be safer in your hands than in
our own ;' alluding to the revolutions in Hindoostan.
* And yet/ said he, * we have kept it, as some think, for
near a thousand years.' ( I wish,' said I, 6 that England
may be able to keep it a thousand years/ In looking
over it, I find the very first proposed emendation of the
Hebrew Text by Dr. Kennicott, (Gen. iv. 8.) in this ma-
nuscript ; and, no doubt, it is the right reading. The
disputed passage in 1 John v. 7- is not to be found in it;
nor is this verse to be found in any copy of the Syriac Scrip-
tures which I have yet seen.* The view of these copies
of the Scriptures, and of the Churches which contain
them, still continues to excite a pleasing astonishment
* Notwithstanding this omission, the author believes the
passage to be genuine. The foundation on which he builds
this opinion, is the following: Considering, as he does, that
learning and argument on both sides, have been nearly equal,
he would rest the genuineness of the verse on the answer to the
following question : "Which is most likely to be true, that the
Arians of the fourth century, in their fury against the Church
should silently omit a testimony, (in transcribing their copies)
which, if true, destroyed their whole system j or that the gene-
ral Church should directly forge and insert it ?"
This appears to the author to be the just mode of stating the
question j but he has certainly no wish to awaken the contro-
versy concerning this verse. If it be genuine it is only one of the
hewn-stones of the temple. If it be not genuine, it is not a
corner-itone.
120 Christian Hesearrijes
in my mind : and I sometimes question myself, whether
I am indeed in India, in the midst of the Hindoos, and
not far from the equinoctial line. How wonderful
it is, that, during the dark ages of Europe, whilst ig-
norance and superstition, in a manner, denied the Scrip-
tures to the rest of the world, the Bible should have
found an asylum in the mountains of Malay-ala; where
it was freely read by upwards of an hundred Churches !
' But there are other ancient documents in Malabar,
not less interesting than the Syrian Manuscripts. The
old Portuguese historians relate, that soon after the
arrival of their countrymen in India, about 300 years
ago, the Syrian Bishop of Angamalee (the place
where I now am) deposited in the Fort of Cochin,
for safe custody, certain tablets of brass, on which
were engraved rights of nobility, and other privileges
granted by a Prince of a former age ; and that while
these Tablets were under the charge of the Portuguese,
they had been unaccountably lost, and were never
after heard of. Adrian Moens, a Governor of Cochin,
in 1770, who published some account of the Jews
of Malabar, informs us that he used every means in
his power, for many years, to obtain a sight of the
famed Christian Plates ; and was at length satisfied
that they were irrecoverably lost, or rather, he adds,
that they never existed. The Learned in general, and
the Antiquarian in particular, will be glad to hear
ithat these ancient Tablets have been recovered within
this last month by the exertions of Lieutenant-
jColonel Macauley, the British Resident in Travan-
respecting tije &prfan&
core, and are now officially deposited with that
Officer.
f The Christian Tablets are six in number. They
are composed of a mixed metal. The engraving on
the largest plate is thirteen inches long, by about four
broad. They are closely written, four of them on both
sides of the plate, making in all eleven pages. On
the plate reputed to be the oldest, there is writing
perspicuously engraved in nail-headed or triangular-
headed letters, resembling the Persepolitan or Baby-
lonish. On the same plate there is writing in another
character, which is supposed to have no affinity with
any existing character in Hindoostan. The grant on
this plate appears to be witnessed by four Jews of
rank, whose names are distinctly engraved in an old
Hebrew character, resembling the alphabet called the
Palmyrene : and to each name is prefixed the title
of c Mageriy or Chief, as the Jews translated it. It
may be doubted, whether there exist in the world
many documents of so great length, which are of
equal antiquity, and in such faultless preservation, as
the Christian Tablets of Malabar. The Jews of
Cochin indeed contest the palm of antiquity: for they
also produce two Tablets, containing privileges granted
at a remote period; of which they presented to me
a Hebrew translation. As no person can be found
in this country who is able to translate the Christian
Tablets, I have directed an engraver at Cochin to
execute a copper-plate fac simile of the whole, for
the purpose of transmitting copies to the learned
jSocieties in Asia and Europe. The Christian and
Christian Besearcftes
Jewish plates together make' fourteen pages. A copy
was sent in the first instance to the Pundits of the
Shanscrit College at Trichiur, by direction of the
Rajah of Cochin ; but they could not read the cha-
racter.* From this place I proceed to Cande-nad,
to visit the Bishop once more before I return to
Bengal/
THE MALABAR BIBLE.
AFTER the Author left Travancore, the Bishop
prosecuted the translation of the Scriptures into
the Malabar Language without intermission,
until he had completed the New Testament.
The year following, the Author visited Travan-
core a second time, and carried the Manuscript
to Bombay to be printed, an excellent fount of
Malabar types having been recently cast at that
place. Learned natives went from Travancore
to superintend the press ; and it is probable that
it is now nearly finished, as a copy of the Gos-
* Most of the Manuscripts which I collected among the
Syrian Christians, I have presented to the University of Cam-
bridge ; and they are now deposited in the Public Library of
that University, together with the copper-plate fac-similes of
the Christian and Jewish Tablets.
pels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, beautifully
printed, was received in England sonYe trm6
ago. This version of the Scriptures will be pro-
secuted until the whole Bible is completed, and
copies circulated throughout the Christian re-
gions of Malabar.*
THE SYRIAC BIBLE.
IT has been further in contemplation to print
* The Author received from the Syrian Christians the names
of several Christian churches in Mesopotamia and Syria, with
which they formerly had intercourse, and which constitute the
remnant of the ancient church of ANTIOCH. These have, for
the most part, remained in a tranquil state under Mahomedan
dominion, for several ages; and the Author promised the Syrian
Bishop that he would visit them, if circumstances permitted.
For this purpose he intended to have returned from India to Eu-
rope by a route overland ; but the French influence at the Court
of Persia at that time, prevented him. He has it now in con-
templation to make a voyage from England, and to fulfil his
promise if practicable ; the relations of amity subsisting
between Great Britain and the Porte and Persia rendering
literary researches in these regions more easy than at any
former period. He proposes also to visit Jerusalem and the
interior of Palestine, Greece, and the Archipelago, with the
view of investigating subjects connected with the translation of
the Scriptures, and the extension of Christianity.
124 CJjrfetfan
an edition of the Syriac Scriptures, if the pub-
lic should countenance the design. This gift, it
may be presumed, the English nation will be
pleased to present to the Syrian Christians. We
are already debtors to that ancient people. They
have preserved the manuscripts of the Holy
Scriptures incorrupt, during a long series of
ages, and have now committed them into our
own hands. By their long and energetic defence
of pure doctrine against anti-christian error,
they are entitled to the gratitude and thanks of
the rest of the Christian world. Further, they
have preserved to this day the language in which
our blessed Lord preached to men the glad
tidings of Salvation. Their Scriptures, their
doctrine, their language, in short their very
existence, all add something to the evidence of
the truth of Christianity.
The motives then for printing an edition of
the Syriac Bible are these :
1. To do honour to the language which was
spoken by our blessed Saviour when upon earth.
2. To do honour to that ancient Church,
which has preserved his language and his doc-
trine.
3. As the means of perpetuating the true Faith
in the same Church for ages to come.
4. As the means of preserving the pronun-
laomfe!) Christians. 125
elation, and of cultivating the knowledge of
the Syriac Language in the East ; and
5. As the means of reviving the knowledge of
the Syriac Language in our own nation.
On the Author's return to England, he
could not find one copy of the Syriac Bible
in a separate volume for sale in the kingdom.
He wished to send a copy to the Syrian Bishop,
as an earnest of more when an edition should be
printed.
The Syriac Bible is wanted not only by the
Churches of the Syrian Christians, but by the
still more numerous Churches of the Syro-
Romish Christians in Malabar, who also use the
Syriac Language.
THE ROMISH CHRISTIANS IN INDIA.
IN every age of the Church of Rome there
have been individuals, of an enlightened piety,
who derived their religion not from " the com-
mandments of men/' but from the doctrines
of the Bible. There are at this day, in India
and in England, members of that communion,
who deserve the affection and respect of all good
126 Christian
men; and whose cultivated minds will arraign
the corruptions of their own religion, which
the Author is about to describe, more severely
than he will permit himself to do. He is in-
deed prepared to speak of Roman Catholics
with as much liberality as perhaps any Protes-
tant has ever attempted on Christian principles:
for he is acquainted with individuals, whose
unaffected piety he considers a reproach to a
great body of Protestants, even of the strictest
sort. It is indeed painful to say any thing
which may seem to feeling and noble minds un-
generous ; but those enlightened persons, whose
good opinion it is desirable to preserve, will
themselves be pleased to see that truth is not
sacrificed to personal respect, or to a spurious
candour. Their own Church sets an example
of " plainness of speech " in the assertion of
those tenets which it professes, some of
which must be extremely painful to v the
feeling of Protestants, in their social inter-
course with Catholics; such as, " That there
" is no salvation out of the pale of the Romish
" Church."
This exclusive- character prevents concord and
intimacy between Protestant and Catholic fami-
lies. On the principles o! Infidelity they can asso-
ciate very easily ; but on the principles of
Ci)e ftomfel) cfptetiang* 127
Religion, the Protestant must ever be on the
defensive; for the Romish Church excommuni-
cates him : and although he must hope that
some individuals do not maintain the tenet, yet
his uncertainty as to the fact prevents that
cordiality which he desires. Many excellent
Catholics suffer unjustly in their intercourse
with Protestants, from the ancient and exclu-
sive articles of their own Church, which they
themselves neither profess nor believe. If they
will only intimate to their Protestant friends,
that they renounce the exclusive principle, and
that they profess the religion of the Bible, no
more seems requisite to form with such persons
the sincerest friendship on Christian principles.
At the present time we see the Romish Re-
ligion in Europe without dominion; and hence it
is viewed by the mere philosopher with indif-
ference or contempt. He is pleased to see, that
the " seven heads and the ten horns " are taken
away; and thinks nothing of the " names of
" blasphemy." But in the following pages, the
Author will have occasion to shew what Rome
is, as having dominion ; and possessing it too
within the boundaries of the British Empire,
In passing through the Romish Provinces in
the East, though the Author had before heard
much of the Papal corruptions, he certainly did
128 Christian Eesearrijes.
not expect to see Christianity in the degraded
state in which he found it. Of the Priests it may
truly be said, that they are, in general, better
acquainted with the Veda of Brahma than with
the Gospel of Christ. In some places the doc-
trines of both are blended. At Aughoor, situated
between Tritchinopoly and Madura, he witnessed
(in October 1806) the Tower of Juggernaut em-
ployed to solemnize a Christian festival. The
old Priest Josephus accompanied him, when he
surveyed the idolatrous car and its painted
figures, and gave him a particular account of
the various ceremonies which are performed,
seemingly unconscious himself of any impro-
priety in them. The Author went with him
afterwards into the Church, and seeing a book
lying on the altar, opened it ; but the Reader
may judge of his surprize, when he found it
was a Syriac volume, and was informed that the
Priest himself was a descendant of the Syrian
Christians, and belonged to what is now called
the Syro-Roman Church, the whole service of
which is in Syriac. Thus, by the intervention
of the Papal power, are the ceremonies of
Moloch consecrated in a manner by the sacred
Syriac Language. What a heavy responsibility
lies on Rome, for having thus corrupted and
degraded that pure and ancient Church !
CI)e iRomfei) cintetfans* 129
While the Author viewed these Christian cor-
ruptions in different places, and indifferent forms,
he was always referred to the Inquisition at Goa,
as the fountain-head. He had long cherished the
hope, that he should be able to visit Goa before
he left India. His chief objects were the fol-
lowing:
!. To ascertain whether the Inquisition actu-
ally refused to recognise the Bible, among the
Romish Churches in British India.
2. To inquire into the state and jurisdiction
of the Inquisition, particularly as it affected
British subjects.
3. To learn what was the system of educa-
tion for the Priesthood ; and
4. To examine the ancient Church-libraries
in Goa, which were said to contain all the books
of the first printing.
He will select from his Journal, in this place,
chiefly what relates to the Inquisition. He had
learnt from every quarter, that this tribunal, for-
merly so well known for its frequent burnings,
was still in operation, though under some re-
striction as to the publicity of its proceedings ;
and that its power extended to the extreme
boundary of Hindoostan. That, in the present
civilized state of Christian nations in Europe, an
Inquisition should exist at all under their au-
K:
thority, appeared strange; but that a Papal tri-
bunal of this character should exist under the
implied toleration and countenance of the
British Government; that Christians, being-
subjects of the British Empire, and inhabiting
the British territories, should be amenable to its
power and jurisdiction, was a statement which
seemed to be scarcely credible; but, if true, a fact
which demanded the most .public and solemn
representation.
Goa ; Convent of the Augustimonr,
Jan. 23, 1808.
6 On my arrival at Goa, I was received into the
Louse of Captain Schuyler, the British Resident.
The British force here is commanded hy Colonel
Adams, of His Majesty's 78th Regiment, with whom
I was formerly well acquainted in Bengal.* Next day
I was introduced by these gentlemen to the Vice-Roy
of Goa, the Count de Cabral. 1 intimated to His
Excellency my wish to sail up the river to Old Goa,f
* The forts in the harbour of Goa were then occupied by
British troops (two King's regiments, and two regiments of
Native infantry) to prevent its falling into the hands of the
French.
f There is Old and New Goa. The old city is about eight
miles up the river. The Vice-Roy and the chief Portuguese
CJje Eomtsf) ct)rfstfan& 131
(where the Inquisition is,) to which he politely acceded.
Major Pareira, of the Portuguese establishment, who
was present, and to whom I had letters of Introduction
from Bengal, offered to accompany me to the city, and
to introduce me to the Archbishop of Goa, the Primate
of the Orient.
( I had communicated to Colonel Adams, and to the
British Resident, my purpose of enquiring into the state
of the Inquisition. These gentlemen informed me, that
I should not be able to accomplish my design without
difficulty ; since every thing relating to the Inquisition
was conducted in a very secret manner, the most respec-
table of the Lay Portuguese themselves being ignorant
of its proceedings ; and that, if the Priests were to dis-
cover my object, their excessive jealousy and alarm
would prevent their communicating with me, or satis-
fying my inquiries on any subject,
6 On receiving this intelligence, I perceived that it
would be necessary to proceed with caution. I was, in
fact, about to visit a republic of Priests ; whose domi-
nion had existed for nearly three centuries ; whose pro-
vince it was to prosecute heretics, and particularly the
inhabitants reside at New Goa, which is at the mouth of the
river, within the forts of the harbour. The old city, where
the Inquisition and the Churches are, is now almost entirely de-
serted by the secular Portuguese, and is inhabited by the Priests
alone. The unhealthiness of the place, and the ascendancy of
the Priests, are the causes assigned for abandoning ihe an-
cient city,
K2
132 CJmstfan
teachers of heresy ; and from whose authority and sen-
tence there was no .appeal in India.*
e It happened that Lieutenant Kempthorne, Comman-
der of His Majesty's hrig Diana, a distant connection of
my own, was at this time in the harbour. On his learn-
ing that I meant to visit Old Goa, he offered to accom-
pany me; as did Captain Stirling, of His Majesty's 84th
regiment, which is now stationed at the forts.
6 We proceeded up the river in the British Resident's
barge, accompanied by Major Pareira, who was well qua-
lified, by a thirty years' residence, to give information
concerning local circumstances. From him I learned
that there were upwards of two hundred Churches and
Chapels in the province of Goa, and upwards of two
thousand Priests.'
( On our arrival at the city,f it was past twelve o'clock :
* I was informed that the Vice-Roy of Goa has no authority
over the Inquisition, and that he himself is liable to its censure.
Wtire the British Government, for instance, to prefer a com-
plaint against the Inquisition to the Portuguese Government at
Goa, it could obtain no redress. By the very constitution of
the Inquisition, there is no power in India which can invade its
jurisdiction, or even put a question to it on any subject.
f We entered the city by the palace gate, over which is the
Statue of Fasco de Gama, who first opened India to the view of
Europe. I had seen at Calicut, a few weeks before, the ruins
of the SAMGRIN'S Palace, in which Vasco de Gama was first
received. The Samorin was the first native Prince against
whom the Europeans made war. The empire of the Samorin
lias passed away j and the empire of his conquerers has passed
aomfej) c&rfsttans. 133
all the Churches were shut, and we were told that they
would not be opened again till two o'clock. I mention-
ed to Major Pareira, that I intended to stay at Old Goa
some days ; and that I should be obliged to him to find
me a place to sleep in. He seemed surprised at this
intimation, and observed that it would be difficult for me
to obtain reception in any of the Churches or Convents,
and that there were no private houses into which I could
be admitted. 1 said I could sleep any where ; I had
two servants with me, and a travelling bed. When he
perceived that I was serious in my purpose, he gave di-
rections to a civil officer, in that place, to clear out a
room in a building which had been long uninhabited,
and which was then used as a warehouse for goods.
Matters at this time presented a very gloomy appear
ance ; and I had thoughts of returning with my com-
panions from this inhospitable place. In the mean time
we sat down in the room I have just mentioned, to take
some refreshment, while Major Pareira went to call
on some of his friends. During this interval, I com-
municated to Lieutenant Kempthorne the object of my
visit. I had in my pocket * Dellon's Account of the In-
quisition at Goa ;' * and I mentioned some particulars.
away : and now imperial Britain exercises dominion. May
imperial Britain be prepared to give a good account of her
stewardship, when it shall be said unto her, t( Thou mayest be
no longer steward !"
* Monsieur Dellon, a physician was, imprisoned in the dun-
geon of the Inquisition at Goa for two years, and witnessed an
134 Cljristtan Hesearcljes.
While we were conversing on the subject, the great
bell began to toll ; the same which Dellon observes
always tolls, before day-light, on the morning of the
Auto da Fe. I did not myself ask any questions of the
people concerning the Inquisition ; but Mr. Kempthorne
made inquiries for me : and he soon found out that the
Santa Casa, or Holy Office, was close to the house
where we were then sitting. The gentlemen went to
tbe window to view the horrid mansion ; and I could see
the indignation of free and enlightened men arise in the
countenance of the two British officers, while they
contemplated a place where formerly their own country-
men were condemned to the flames, and into which they
themselves might now suddenly be thrown, without the
possibility of rescue.
6 At two o'clock we went out to view the Churches,
which were now open for the afternoon service ; for there
are regular daily masses ; and the bells began to assail
the ear in every quarter.
" The magnificence of the Churches of Goa, far ex-
ceeded any idea I had formed from the previous descrip-
tion. Goa is properly a city of Churches ; and the
wealth of provinces seems to have been expended in their
erection. The ancient specimens of architecture at this
place far excel any thing that has been attempted in mo-
Auto da Fe, when some heretics were burned j at which he
walked barefoot. After his release he wrote the history of his
confinement. His descriptions are in general very accurate.
1 35
dern times in any other part of the East, both in gran-
deur and in taste. The Chapel of the Palace is built
after the plan of St. Peter's at Rome, and is said to be
an accurate model of that paragon of architecture. The
Church of St. Dominic, the founder of the Inquisition,
is decorated with paintings of Italian masters. St.
Francis Xavier lies enshrined in a monument of exquisite
art, and his coffin is enchased with silver and precious
stones. The Cathedral of Goa is worthy of one of the
principal cities of Europe ; and the Church and Con-
vent of the Augustinians (in which I now reside) is a
noble pile of building, situated on an eminence, and has
a magnificent appearance from afar.
6 But what a contrast to all this grandeur of the
Churches is the worship offered in them ! I have been
present at the service in one or other of the Chapels
every day since I arrived ; and I seldom see a single wor-
shipper, but the ecclesiastics. Two rows of native
Priests, kneeling in order before the altar, clothed in
coarse black garments, of sickly appearance, and vacant
countenance, perform here, from day to day, their labo-
rious masses, seemingly unconscious of any other duty
or obligation of life.
6 The day was now far spent, and my companions
were about to leave me. While I was considering whe-
ther I should return with them, Major Pareira said he
would first introduce me to a Priest, high in office, and
one of the most learned men in the place. We accord-
ingly walked to the Convent of the Augustinians, where I
was presented to Joseph a Doloribus, a man well advan-
ced in life, of pale visage and penetrating eye, rather of
136 Cijrfetian Hesearctjes,
B. reverend appearance, and possessing great fluency of
speech and urbanity of manners. At first sight he pre-
sented the aspect of one of those acute and prudent men
of the world, the learned and respectable Italian Jesuits,
some of whom are yet found, since the demolition of
their order, reposing, in tranquil obscurity, in different
parts of the East. After half an hour's conversation in
the Latin language, during which he adverted rapidly to
a variety of subjects, and enquired concerning some
learned men of his own Church, whom I had visited in
my tour, he politely invited me to take up my residence
with him, during my stay at Old Goa. I was highly
gratified by this unexpected invitation ; but Lieutenant
Kempthorne did not approve of leaving me in the hands
of the Inquisitor. For judge of our surprise, when we
discovered that my learned host was one of the Inquisi-
ors of the Holy Office, the second member of that au-
gust tribunal in rank, but the first and most active agent
in the business of the department. Apartments were
assigned to me in the College adjoining the Convent,
next to the rooms of the Inquisitor himself; and here I
have been now four days at the very fountain head of
information, in regard to those subjects which I wished
to investigate. I breakfast and dine with the Inquisitor
almost every day, and he generally passes his evenings in
my apartment. As he considers my enquiries to be
chiefly of a literary nature, he is perfectly candid and
communicative on all subjects.
6 Next day after my arrival, I was introduced by my
learned conductor to the Archbishop of Goa. We found
him reading the Latin Letters of St. Francis Xavier.
On my adverting to the loner duration of the city of Goa,
1ft cmtsf) ftfjtf *fan& 1 37
while other cities of Europeans in India had suffered
from war or revolution, the Archbishop observed, that
the preservation of Goa, was owing to the prayers of St.
Francis Xavier. The inquisitor looked at me to see
what I thought of this sentiment. I acknowledged that
Xavier was considered by the learned among the English
to have been a great man. What he wrote himself, be-
speaks him a man of learning, of original genius, and
great fortitude of mind ; but what others have written for
him, and of him, tarnished his fame, by making him the
inventor of fables. The Archbishop signified his assent.
He afterwards conducted me into his private Chapel,
which is decorated with images of silver, and then into
the Archiepiscopal Library, which possesses a valuable
collection of books. As I passed through our Convent,
in returning from the Archbishop's, I observed among the
paintings in the cloisters a portrait of the famous Alexis
de Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, who held the Synod of
Diamper near Cochin in 1599, and burned the books of
the Syrian Christians. From the inscription underneath
I learned that he was the founder of the magnificent
Church and Convent in which I am now residing.
" On the same day I received an invitation to dine
with the chief Inquisitor, at his house in the country.
The second Inquisitor accompanied me, and we found a
respectable company of Priests, and a sumptuous enter-
tainment. In the library of the chief Inquisitor I saw a
register, containing the present establishment of the
Inquisition at Goa, and the names of all the officers.
On my asking the chief Inquisitor whether the establish-
ment was as extensive as formerly, he said it was nearly
138 Christian
the same. I had hitherto said little to any person con-
cerning the Inquisition, but I had indirectly gleaned
much information coacerning it, not only from the In-
quisitors themselves, but from certain Priests, whom I
visited at their respective convents ; particularly from a
Father in the Fransciscan Convent, who had himself
repeatedly witnessed an Auto da Fe.
c Goa, Augustinian Con-cent, 26th Jan. 1808.
6 On Sunday, after divine service, which I attended,
we looked over together the prayers and portions of
Scripture for the day, which led to a discussion concern-
ing some of the doctrines of Christianity. We then
read the third chapter of St. John's Gospel, in the
Latin Vulgate. I asked the Inquisitor whether he
believed in the influence of the Spirit there spoken of.
He distinctly admitted it ; conjointly however he thought,
in some obscure sense, with water. I observed that
water was merely an emblem of the purifying effects of
the Spirit, and could be but an emblem. We next
adverted to the expression of St. John in his first Epistle;
< This is he that came by water and blood : even Jesus
Christ ; not by water only, but by water and blood : blood
to atone for sin, and water to purify the heart; justification
and sanctification : both of which were expressed at the
same moment on the Cross. The Inquisitor was pleased
with the subject. By an easy transition we passed to the
importance of the Bible itself, to illuminate the priests
Eamfel) clmstians. 139
and people. I noticed to him that after looking through
the colleges and schools, there appeared to me to he a
total eclipse of Scriptural light. He acknowledged that
religion and learning were truly in a degraded state. I
had visited the theological schools, and at every place I
expressed my surprize to the tutors, in presence of the
pupils, at the absence of the Bible, and almost total
want of reference to it. They pleaded the custom of the
place, and the scarcity of copies of the book itself.
Some of the younger Priests came to me afterwards,
desiring to know by what means they might procure
copies. This inquiry for Bibles was like a ray of hope
beaming on the walls of the Inquisition.
' I pass an hour sometimes in the spacious library of
the Augustinian Convent. There are many rare volumes,
but they are chiefly theological, and almost all of the
sixteenth century. There are few classics ; and I have
not yet seen one copy of the original Scriptures in Hebrew
or Greek/
6 Goa, Augustinian Convent) 2jthJan. 1808.
4 On the second morning after my arrival, I was
surprised by my host, the Inquisitor, coming into my
apartment clothed in black robes from head to foot : for
the usual dress of his order is white. He said he was
going to sit on the Tribunal of the Holy Office. e I
presume, Father, your august Office does not occupy
much of your time ?' ' Yes' answered he, e much. I sit
on the Tribunal three or four days every week.'
140 Christian Hesearches*
' I had thought, for some days, of puting Dellon's
book into the Inquisitor's hands ; for if I could get him
to advert to the facts stated in that book, I should be able
to learn, by comparison, the exact state of the Inquisition
at the present time. In the evening he came in, as
usual, to pass an hour in my apartment. After some
conversation I took the pen in my hand to write a few
notes in my Journal ; and, as if to amuse him, while I
was writing, I took up Dellon's book, which was lying
with some others on the table, and handing it across to
him, asked him whether he had ever seen it. It was in
the French Language, which he understood well. ' Re-
lation de T Inquisition de Goa,' pronounced he, with a
slow, articulate voice. He had never seen it before, and
began to read with eagerness. He had not proceeded
far, before he betrayed evident symptoms of uneasiness.
He turned hastily to the middle of the book, and then
to the end, and then ran over the table of contents at the
beginning, as if to ascertain the full extent of the evil.
He then composed himself to read, while I continued to
write. He turned over the pages with rapidity, and when
he came to a certain place, he exclaimed in the broad
Italian accent, ' Mendacium, Mendacium.' I requested
he would mark those passages which were untrue, and
we should discuss them afterwards, for that I had other
books on the subject. e Other books,' said he, and he
looked with an inquiring eye on those on the table. He
continued reading till it was time to retire to rest and then
begged to take the book with him.
< It was on this night that a circumstance happened
which caused my first alarm at Goa. My servants slept
every night at my chamber door, in the long gallery which
CJje JRamfe!) Christian*, 141
is common to all the apartments, and not far distant
from the servants of the convent. About midnight I was
waked by loud shrieks and expressions of terror, from
some person in the gallery. In the first moment of
surprize I concluded it must be the Alguazils of the Holy
Office, seizing my servants to carry them to the Inquisi-
tion. But, on going out, I saw my own servants
standing at the door, and the person who had caused the
alarm (a boy of about fourteen) at a little distance,
surrounded by some of the Priests, who had come out of
their cells on hearing the noise. The boy said he
had seen a spectre, and it was a considerable time before
the agitations of his body and voice subsided. Next
morning at breakfast the Inquisitor apologised for the dis-
turbance, and said the boy's alarm proceeded from a
6 phantasma animi,' a phantasm of the imagination.'
c After breakfast we resumed the subject of the
Inquisition. The Inquisitor admitted that Del Ion's
descriptions of the dungeons, of the torture, of the mode
of trial, and of the Auto da F were, in general, just;
but he said the writer judged untruly of the motives of
the Inquisitors, and very uncharitably of the character of
the Holy Church ; and I admitted that, under the pressure
of his peculiar suffering, this might possibly be the case.
The Inquisitor was now anxious to know to what extent
Dellon's book had been circulated in Europe. I told
him that Picart had published to the world extracts from
it, in his celebrated work called ( Religious Ceremonies/
together with plates of the system of torture and
burnings at the Auto da Fe. I added that it was now
142 cijrtsttan mesearcljes.
generally believed in Europe that these enormities no
longer existed, and that the Inquisition itself had been
totally suppressed; but that I was concerned to find
that this was not the case. He now began a grave
narration to shew that the Inquisition had undergone a
change in some respects, and that its terrors were
mitigated.*
* The following were the passages in Mr. Dellon's narrative,
to which I wished particularly to draw the attention of the
Inquisitor. Mr. D. had been thrown into the Inquisition
at Goa and confined in a dungeon, ten feet square, where he
remained upwards of two years, without seeing any person, but
the gaoler who brought him his victuals, except when he was
brought to his trial, expecting daily to be brought to the stake.
His alleged crime was, charging the Inquisition with cruelty,
in a conversation he had with a Priest at Daman, another part
of India.
" During the months of November and December, I heard,
every morning, the shrieks of the unfortunate victims, who
were undergoing the Question. I remembered to have heard,
before I was cast into prison, that the Auto da FS was gene-
rally celebrated on the first Sunday in Advent, because on
that day is read in the Churches that part of the Gospel in
which mention is made of the LAST JUDGMENT j and the
Inquisitors pretend by this ceremony to exhibit a lively emblem
of that awful event. I was likewise convinced that there
were a great number of prisoners, besides myself ; the pro-
found silence, which reigned within the walls of the building,
having enabled me to count the number of doors which were
opened at the hours of meals. However, the first and second
Sundays of Advent passed by, without my hearing of any thing,
and I orepared to undergo another year of melancholy capti-
Clje laomfel) Christians* 143
* I had already discovered, from written or printed
documents, that the Inquisition of Goa was suppressed
vity, when I was aroused from my despair on the llth of
January, by the noise of the guards removing the bars from
the door of my prison. The Alcaide presented me with
a habit, which he ordered me to put on, and to make myself
ready to attend him, when he should come again. Thus
saying, he left a lighted lamp in my dungeon. The guards
returned, about two o'clock in the morning, and led me out
into a long gallery, where I found a number of the companions
of my fate, drawn up in a rank against a wall : I placed
myself among the rest, and several more soon joined the
melancholy band. The profound silence and stillness caused
them to resemble statues more than the animated bodies of
human creatures. The women, who were clothed in a similar
manner, were placed in a neighbouring gallery, where we
could not see them; but I remarked that a number of persons
stood by themselves at some distance, attended by others who
wore long black dresses, and who walked backwards and
forwards occasionally. I did not then know who these were :
but I was afterwards informed that the former were the
victims who were condemned to be burned, and the others
were their confessors.
" After we were all ranged against the wall of this gallery,
we received each a large wax taper. They then brought
us a number of dresses made of yellow cloth, with the cross of
St. Andrew painted before and behind. This is called the
San Benito. The relapsed heretics wear another species of
robe, called the Samarra, the ground of which is grey. The
portrait of the sufferer is painted upon it, placed upon burning
torches with flames and demons all round. Caps were then
produced called Carrochas j made of pasteboard, pointed like
sugar-loaves, all covered over with devils, and flames of fire.
144
by Royal Edict in the year 1775? and established
again in 1779. The Franciscan Father before men-
" The great bell of the Cathedral began to ring a little
before sun-rise, which served as a signal to warn the people
of Goa to come and behold the august ceremony of the Auto
da Fe ; and then they made us proceed from the gallery one
by one. I remarked as we passed into the great hall, that
the Inquisitor was sitting at the door with his secretary by
him, and that he delivered every prisoner into the hands of
a particular person, who is to be his guard to the place of
burning. These persons are called Parrains, or Godfathers.
My Godfather was the commander of a ship. I went forth
with him, and as soon as we were in the street, I saw that the
procession was commenced by the Dominican Friars j who
have this honour, because St. Dominic founded the Inquisition.
These are followed by the prisoners who walk one after the
other, each having his Godfather by his side, and a lighted
taper in his hand. The least guilty go foremost j and as I did
not pass for one of them, there were many who took pre-
cedence of me. The women were mixed promiscuously with
the men. We all walked barefoot, and the sharp stones of
the streets of Goa wounded my tender feet, and caused the
blood to stream : for they made us march through the chief
streets of the city : and we were regarded every where by an
innumerable crowd of people, who had assembled from all
parts of India to behold this spectacle ; for the Inquisition
takes care to announce it long before, in the most remote
parishes. At length we arrived nt the Church of St. Francis,
which was, for this time, destined for the celebration of the
Act of Faith. On one side of the Altar, was the Grand
Inquisitor and his Counsellors ; and on the other, the Vice-
Roy of Goa and his Court. All the prisoners are seated to
Eomtsl) cftristfans. 145
tioned witnessed the annual Auto da Fe, from 1770,
to 1775. " It was the humanity, and tender mercy of
a good King/' said the old Father, " which abolished
the Inquisition/' But immediately on his death, the
power of the Priests acquired the ascendant, under
the Queen Dowager, and the Tribunal was re-esta-
blished, after a bloodless interval of five years. It has
continued in operation ever since. It was restored in
1779; subject to certain restrictions, the chief of
which are the two following, " That a greater number
of witnesses should be required to convict a crimi na
hear a Sermon. I observed that those prisoners who wore
the horrible Carrochas came in last in the procession. One of
the Augustin Monks ascended the pulpit, and preached for
a quarter of an hour. The sermon being concluded, two
readers went up to the pulpit, one after the other, and read
the sentences of the prisoners. My joy was extreme when
I heard that my sentence was not to be burnt but to be a
galley-slave for live years. After the sentences were read,
they summoned forth those miserable victims who were
destined to be immolated by the Holy Inquisition. The images
of the heretics who had died in prison were brought up at the
same time, their bones being contained in small chests, covered
with flames and demons. An officer of the secular tribunal
now came forward, and seized these unhappy people, after
they had each received a slight blow upon the breast from
the Alcaide, to intimate that they were abandoned. They
were then led away to the bank of the river, where the
Vice-Roy and his Court were assembled, and where the faggots
had been prepared the preceding day. As soon as they arrive
at this place, the condemned persons are asked In what religion
they chuse to die 5 and the moment they have replied to this
L
146 Christian Hesearcljes.
than were before necessary ;' and, ' That the Auto da Fe
should not be held publicly as before \ but that the sen-
tences of the Tribunal should be executed privately,
within the walls of the Inquisition/
6 In this particular, the constitution of the new Inquisi-
tion is more reprehensible than that of the old one ; for,
as the old Father expressed it, f Nunc sigillum non revelat
Inquisitio.' Formerly the friends of those unfortunate
persons who were thrown into its prison, had the melan-
choly satisfaction of seeing them once a year walking in
the procession of the Auto da Fe ; or if they were con-
demned to die, they witnessed their death, and mourned
for the dead. But now they have no means of learning
for years whether they be dead or alive. The policy of
this new code of concealment appears to be this, to pre-
serve the power of the Inquisition, and at the same time
to lessen the public odium of its proceedings, in the pre-
sence of British dominion and civilization. I asked the
Father his opinion concerning the nature and frequency
of the punishments within the walls. He said he pos-
sessed no certain means of giving a satisfactory answer ;
that every thing transacted there was declared to be
' sacrum et secretum/ But this he knew to be true, that
question, the executioner seizes them, and binds them to a
stake in the midst of the faggots The day after the execution,
the portraits of the dead are carried to the Church of the Domi-
nicans. The heads only are represented,, (which are generally
very accurately drawn -, for the Inquisition keeps excellent lim-
ners for the purpose,) surrounded by flames and demons j and
underneath is the name and crime of the person who has been
burned." Relation de I' Inquisition de Goa, chap. XXIV.
laomtsl) c&ristfans* ur
there were constantly captives in the dungeons; that
some of them are liberated after long confinement, hut
that they never speak afterwards of what passed within
the place. He added that, of all the persons he had
known, who had been liberated, he never knew one who
did not carry about with him what might be called, ' the
mark of the Inquisition ;' that is to say, who did not shew
in the solemnity of his countenance, or in his peculiar
demeanor, or his terror of the Priests, that he had been in
that dreadful place.
( The chief argument of the Inquisitor to prove the
melioration of the Inquisition was the superior humanity
of the Inquisitors. I remarked that I did not doubt the
humanity of the existing officers ; but what availed huma-
nity in an Inquisitor? he must pronounce sentence ac-
cording to the Laws of the Tribunal, which are notorious
enough ; and a relapsed Heretic must be burned in the
flames, or confined for life in a dungeon, whether the
Inquisitor be humane or not. ' But if,' said I, e you would
satisfy my mind completely on this subject, shew me-
the Inquisition/ He said it was not permitted to any
person to see the Inquisition. I observed that mine
might be considered as a peculiar case ; that the charac*
ter of the Inquisition, and the expediency of its longer
continuance had been called in question ; that I had my-
self written on the civilization of India, and might possi-
bly publish something more upon that subject, and that
it could not be expected that I should pass over the Inqui-
sition without notice, knowing what I did of its proceed-
ings ; at the same time I should not wish to state a single
fact without his authority, or at least his admission of its
truth, I added that he himself had been pleased to com-
148
raunicate with me very fully on the subject, and that ia
all our discussions we had both been actuated, I hoped,
by a good purpose. The countenance of the Inquisitor
evidently altered on receiving this intimation, nor did it
ever after wholly regain its wonted frankness and placi-
dity. After some hesitation, however, he said he would
take me with him to the Inquisition the next day. I
was a good deal surprised at this acquiescence of the
Inquisitor, but I did not know what was in his mind.
e Next morning after breakfast my host went to dress
for the Holy Office, and soon returned in his inquisitorial
robes. He said he would go half an hour before the
usual time for the purpose of shewing me the Inquisition^
The buildings are about a quarter of a mile distant from
the convent, and we proceeded thither in our Manjeels.*
On our arrival at the place, the Inquisitor said to me, as
we were ascending the steps of the outer stair, that he
hoped I should be satisfied with a transient view of the
Inquisition, and that I would retire whenever he should
desire it. I took this as a good omen, and followed my
conductor with tolerable confidence.
( He led me first to the Great Hall of the Inquisition.
We were met at the door by a number of well-dressed
persons, who, I afterwards understood, were the familiars.
and attendants of the Holy Office. They bowed very
* The Manjeel is a kind of Palankeen common at Goa.
It is merely a sea cot suspended from a bamboo, which is
borne on the k a ads of four men. Sometimes a footman runs
before, having a staff in his hand, to ~vhich are attached little
bell* or rings, which lie jingles as he runs, keeping time with
the motion of the bearers.
Clje Romfety SLftrtstfans. 149
low to the Inquisitor, and looked with surprise at me.
The Great Hall is the place in which the prisoners are
marshalled for the procession of the Auto da Fe. At the
procession described by Dellon, in which he himself
walked barefoot, clothed with the painted garment, there
were upwards of one hundred and fifty prisoners. I
traversed this hall for some time, with a slow step, re-
flecting on its former scenes, the Inquisitor walking by
my side, in silence. I thought of the fate of the multi-
tude of my fellow-creatures who had passed through this
place, condemned by a tribunal of their fellow-sinners,
their bodies devoted to the flames, and their souls to per-
dition. And I could not help saying to him, ( Would not
the Holy Church wish, in her mercy, to have those souls
back again, that she might allow them a little further
probation ?' The Inquisitor answered nothing, but beck-
oned me to go with him to a door at one end of the hall.
By this door he conducted me to some small rooms, and
thence to the spacious apartments of the chief Inquisi-
tor. Having surveyed these he brought me back again
to the Great Hall ; and I thought he seemed now desi-
rous that I should depart. ' Now, Father/ said I, * lead
me to the dungeons below ; I want to see the captives.*
c No,' said he, 'that cannot be/ I now began to sus-
pect that it had been in the mind of the Inquisitor, from
the beginning, to shew me only a certain part of the
Inquisition, in the hope of satisfying my enquiries in
a general way. I urged him with earnestness, but he
steadily resisted, and seemed to be offended, or rather
agitated by my importunity. I intimated to him
plainly, that the only way to do justice to his own
assertions and arguments, regarding the present state
of the Inquisition, was to shew me the prisons and the
captives. I should then describe only what I saw 5
but now the subject was left in awful obscurity.
' Lead me down/ said I, ' to the inner building and let
me pass through the two hundred dungeons, ten
feet square, described by your former captives. Let
me count the number of your present captives, and
converse with them. I want to see if there be any
subjects of the British Government, to whom we owe
protection. I want to ask how long they have been
here, how long it is since they beheld the light of the
sun, and whether they ever expect to see it again.
Shew me the Chamber of Torture ; and declare what
modes of execution, or of punishment, are now prac-
tised within the walls of the Inquisition, in lieu of
the public Auto da Fe. If, after all that has passed,
Father, you resist this reasonable request, I shall be
justified in believing, that you are afraid of exposing
the real state of the Inquisition in India/ To these
observations the Inquisitor made no reply ; but seemed
impatient that I should withdraw. * My good Father/
said I, ( I am about to take my leave of you, and to
thank you for your hospitable attentions, (it had
been before understood that I should take my final
leave at the door of the Inquisition, after having seen
the interior,) and I wish always to preserve on my
mind a favourable sentiment of your kindness and
candour. You cannot, you say, shew me the captives
and the dungeons ; be pleased then merely to answer this
question ; for I shall believe your word : How many
prisoners are there now below, in the cells of the
Inquisition?' The Inquisitor replied, c That is a
question which I cannot answer.' On his pronouncing
!)e momfe!) Christians.
these words, I retired hastily towards the door, and
wished him farewell. We shook hands with as much
cordiality as we could at the moment assume ; and
both of us, I believe, were sorry that our parting took
place with a clouded countenance.
6 From the Inquisition I went to the place of
burning in the Camp Santo Lazaro, on the rive
side, where the victims were brought to the stake at
the Auto da Fe. It is close to the Palace, that the
Vice-Roy and his Court may witness the execution;
fot it has ever been the policy of the Inquisition to
make these spiritual executions appear to be the exe-
cution of the State. ,. An old Priest accompanied me,
who pointed out the place and described the scene.
As I passed over this melancholy plain, I thought on
the difference between the pure and benign doctrine,
which was first preached to India in the Apostolic
age, and that bloody code, which, after a long night
of darkness, was announced to it under the same
name ! And I pondered on the mysterious dispen-
sation, which permitted the ministers of the Inquisition,
with their racks and flames, to visit these lands, before
the heralds of the Gospel of Peace. But the most
painful reflection was, that this tribunal should yet
exist, unawed by the vicinity of British humanity
and dominion. I was not satisfied with what I had
seen or said at the Inquisition, and I determined to
go back again. The Inquisitors were now sitting
on the tribunal, and I had some excuse for returning;
for I was to receive from the chief Inquisitor a letter
which he said he would give me, before I left the place,
for the British Resident in Travancore, being an answer
to a letter from that officer.
152 Clm'sttan iResearcljes.
' When I arrived at the Inquisition, and had as-
cended the outer stairs, the door-keepers surveyed me
doubtingly, but suffered me to pass, supposing that
I had returned by permission and appointment of the
Inquisitor. I entered the Great Hall, and went up
directly towards the tribunal of the Inquisition, de-
scribed by Dellon, in which is the lofty Crucifix. I
sat down on a form, and wrote some notes ; and then
desired one of the attendants to carry in my name to
the Inquisitor. As I walked up the Hall, I saw a poor
woman silting by herself, on a bench by the wall
apparently in a disconsolate state of mind. She clasped
her hands as I passed, and gave me a look expressive of
her distress. This sight chilled my spirits. The fami-
liars told me she was waiting there to be called up
before the tribunal of the Inquisition. While I was
asking questions concerning her crime, the second
Inquisitor came out in evident trepidation, and was
about to complain of the intrusion ; when I informed
him I had come back for the letter from the chief
Inquisitor. He said it should be sent after me to Goa 5
and he conducted me with a quick step to\vards the door.
As we passed the poor woman I pointed to her, and
said to him with some emphasis, ' Behold, Father, another
victim of the holy Inquisition !' He answered nothing.
When we arrived at the head of the great stair, he
bowed, and I took my last leave of Josephus a Dolo-
ribus, without uttering a word.'
The foregoing particulars concerning the In-
quisition at Goa are detailed chiefly with this
Clje Komfelj Christians. 153
view; that the English nation may consider,
whether there be sufficient ground for present-
ing a remonstrance to the Portuguese Govern-
ment, on the longer continuance of that tribu-
nal in India ; it being notorious, that a great
part of the Romish Christians are now under
British protection. " The Romans," says Mon-
tesquieu, " deserved well of human nature, for
" making it an article in their treaty with the
" Carthaginians, that they should abstain from
" SACRIFICING their CHILDREN to their Gods."
It has been lately 9bserved by respectable
writers, that the English nation ought to imi-
tate this example, and endeavour to induce
her allies " to abolish the human sacrifices of
" the Inquisition ;" and a censure is passed on
our Government for their indifference to this
subject.* The indifference to the Inquisition
is attributable, we believe, to the same cause
which has produced an indifference to the reli-
gious principles which first organized the In-
quisition. The mighty despot, who suppressed
the Inquisition in Spain, was not swayed proba-
bly by very powerful motives of humanity ;
*Edin. Rev. No. XXXII. p. 44g.
154 Christian Beseatrijes.
but viewed with jealousy a tribunal, which
usurped an independent dominion ; and he put
it down, on the same principle that he put down
the Popedom, that he might remain Pontiff and
Grand Inquisitor himself. And so he will re-
main for a time, till the purposes of Providence
shall have been accomplished by him. But are
we to look on in silence, and to expect that fur-
ther meliorations in human society are to be
effected by despotism, or by great revolutions?
" If," say the same authors, " while the Inqui-
6( sition is destroyed in Europe by the power of
" despotism, we could entertain the hope, and
" it is not too much to entertain such a hope,
" that the power of liberty is about to destroy
" it in America ; we might even, amid the gloom
" that surrounds us, congratulate our fellow-
" creatures on one of the most remarkable pe-
" riods in the history of the progress of human
" society, the FINAL ERASURE of the Inquisition
"from the face of the earth.''* It will indeed be
an important and happy day to the earth, when
this final erasure shall take place ; but the pe-
riod of such an event js nearer, I apprehend, in
* Edin. Rev. No. XXXII. p. 42p.
iRomfel) Christians, 155
Europe and America, than it is in Asia ; and its
termination in Asia depends as much on Great
Britain as on Portugal. And shall not Great
Britain do her part to hasten this desirable
time ? Do we wait, as if to see whether the
power of Infidelity will abolish the other Inqui-
sitions of the earth ? Shall not we, in the mean
while, attempt to do something, on Christian
principles, for the honour of God and of huma-
nity ? Do we dread even to express a sentiment
on the subject in our legislative Assemblies, or
to notice it in our Treaties ? It is surely our
duty to declare our wishes, at least, for the abo-
lition of these inhuman tribunals, (since we take
an active part in promoting the welfare of other
nations,) and to deliver our testimony against
them in the presence of Europe.
This case is not unlike that of the Immolation
of Females ; with this aggravation in regard to
the latter, that the rite is perpetrated in our
own territories. Our humanity revolts at the
occasional description of the enormity ; but the
matter comes not to our own business and
bosoms, and we fail even to insinuate our disap-
probation of the deed. It may be concluded
then, that while we remain silent and un-
moved spectators of the flames of the Widow's
156
Pile, there is no hope that we shall be justly
affected by the reported horrors of the Inqui-
sition.
TRANSLATIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES
FOR THE ROMISH CHRISTIANS.
THE principal languages spoken by the Romish
Christians in India are these four : the Tamul,
the Malabar, the Ceylonese, and the Portuguese.
The Author has already had occasion to notice
the three first. The Tamul version has been
long since completed by the Protestant Mission-
aries ; and the Malabar and the Ceylonese are in
course of publication. It is now proper to ex-
plain that excellent effects may be expected
from the diffusion of the Portuguese Scriptures
in India. The Portuguese Language prevails
wherever there are, or have been, settlements
of that nation. Their descendants people the
coasts from the vicinity of the Cape of Good
Hope to the Sea of China ; beginning from
Sofala, Mocaranga, Mosambique, (where there
is a Bishop,) Zinzebar, and Melinda, (where
Ci)e laamtsJ) cljrfett'aus, 157
there are many churches,) on the east of
Africa ; and extending round by Babelmandel,
Diu, Surat, Daman, Bombay, Goa, Calicut,
Cochin, Angengo, Tutecorin, Negapatam, JafT-
napatam, Columbo, Point de Galle, Tranquebar,
Tanjore, Tritchinopoly, Porto-Novo, Pondicher-
ry, Sadras, Madras, Masulipatam, Calcutta, Chin-
surah, Bandel, Chittagong, Macao and Canton ;
and almost all the islands of the Malayan Archi-
pelago, which were first conquered by the Por-
tuguese. The greater part of the Portuguese
in India are now subjects of the British Em-
pire. The Author visited most of the places
above enumerated; and in many of them he
could not hear of a single copy of the Portu-
guese Scriptures. There is a Portuguese Press
at Tranquebar, and another at Vespery near Ma-
dras ; and pecuniary aid only is wanted from
Europe to multiply copies, and to circulate them
round the coasts of Asia. The Portuguese Lan-
guage is certainly a most favourable medium for
diffusing the true religion in the maritime pro-
vinces of the East.
158 Christian
THE COLLEGES AT GOA.
GOA will probably remain tbe theological
school to a great part of India, for a long period
to coine. It is of vast importance to the interests
of Christianity in the East, that this source of
instruction should be purified. The appointed
instrument for affecting this, is the Bible. This
is " the salt which must be thrown into the
<f fountain to heal the waters."* There are
upwards of three thousand Priests belonging to
Goa, who are resident at the place, or stationed
with their cures at a distance. Let us send the
Holy Scriptures to illuminate the Priests of Goa.
It was distinctly expressed to the Author, by
several authorities, that they will gladly receive
copies of the Latin and Portuguese Vulgate
Bible from the hands of the English nation.
* 2 Kings ii. 21;
respecting tlje Persians. 1 59
THE PERSIANS.
THE Christian Religion flourished very gene-
rally in Persia, till about A. D. 651 ; when, the
Persians being subdued by the Saracens, Ma-
homedanism gradually acquired the predomi-
nance. Con stan tine the Great, addressed a
letter to Sapor, King of Persia, which is pre-
served to this day, recommending the Christian
Churches in his dominions, to his protection ;
and a Bishop from Persia was present at the
Council of Nice in A. D. 325. It appears also
that there was a translation of some portion of
the Scriptures into the Persian Language at that
period; for we are informed by Chrysostom that,
" the Persians, having translated the doctrines
of the Gospel into their own tongue, had learned,
though barbarians, the true philosophy ;"* and
it is stated by another author in the folio wing-
century, " That the Hebrew writings were not
" only translated into the Greek, but into the
Latin, Ethiopian, Persian, Indian, Armenian,
Scythian, and Sarmatian Languages." f
* Chrysostom, Horn. II. in Johan.
f Theodoret, vol. iv. p. 555. We have entirely lost sight of
some of these versions in the obscurity of Mahomedaa darkness.
160 cijrfetiau Beseatcl)e&
In the beautiful homily of Chrysostom on
Mary's Memorial, preached about A. D. 380, in
which he enumerates those nations, who, in
fulfilment of our Saviour's prophecy, had
u spoken of the deed of Mary for a memorial of
" her," he mentions the Persians first, and the
Isles of Britain last. " The Persians, Indians,
" Scythians, Thracians, Sarmatians, the race of
the Moors, and the inhabitants of the British
" Isles, celebrate a deed performed in a private
" family in Judea by a woman that had been a
" sinner."* He alludes to her pouring an
alabaster box of spikenard on the head of
" Christ," thereby acknowledging him, while
yet upon earth, as God's ANOINTED King, and
embalming his body, (as our Lord himself ex-
plained it) in anticipation of his burial; con-
It is not even known what languages are intended by the
Scythian, Indian, and Sarmatian. The Christian Church must
now retrace her steps, and endea\ 7 our to recover a knowledge
which she has lost.
tl
ruv Mctvguv yevo<; xai ot TC
yiiopivov haQget } it ctxia <mtx^ yvvaixoi;
The argument of Chrysostom is this, that nothing could
have given so permanent a celebrity to so private an occurrence,
but the Divine Word of HIM who foretold it.
respecting tlje Persians,
cerning which act of faith and love he uttered
the following prophetic declaration: " Verily,
" I say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel
" shall be preached throughout the whole world,
" THIS ALSO that she hath done shall be spoken
" of for a MEMORIAL of her." Mark xiv. 9.
The Isles of Britain are now fas first to restore
this memorial, and the Gospel which recites it
to the Persians as well as to other Mahomedan
nations, who were to lose it generally, during
the great prophetic period of 1260 years.
A version of the four Gospels into the Persian
Language of a former age remains to this day.
It is a faithful translation, and seems to have
been made immediately from the Syriac;* but the
dialect and orthography are so ancient as to be
scarcely intelligible even at Isfahan. The
Romish Church has had several Missions in the
kingdom of Persia for some centuries past.
The Augustinian Mission from Goa commenced
in the year 1602, " and was permitted by Sultan
" Murad to build convents in all parts of the
Empire." f But they went into Persia, as into
other countries, not with the design of instruct-
ing men in the holy Scriptures, but of teaching
* This is the Version of the Polyglot,
f Fabricii Lux Evang. p. 63$.
M
Cljrfetian Kesearcljes;
them the tenets and ceremonies of Rome.
To this day, they have not published, under
all the advantages of toleration which they
enjoyed, a translation of the Bible, or even
of the New Testament, into the Persian Lan-
guage.
It is a reproach to Christians, that the only
endeavour to produce a translation of the Scrip-
tures into the language of that extensive king-
dom should have been made by the Persians
themselves. The representatives of the Chris-
tian Churches in Europe of every denomination,
may well blush, when they read the following
authentic relation of an attempt made by a Per-
sian king to procure a knowledge of our religion.
et Towards the close of the year 1740, Nadir
** Shah caused a translation of the four Evan-
cl gelists to be made into Persian. The affair
" was put under the direction of Mirza Mehdee,
" a man of some learning, who, being vested
" with proper authority for the purpose, sum-
" moned several Armenian Bishops, and Priests,
" together with divers Missionaries of the Ro-
" mish Church, and Persian Mullahs,* to meet
" him at Isfahan. As to the latter, the Maho-
Mahomedan Priests.
respecting t\)t Persians;. 163
" medan Priests, they could not be gainers,
" since the change of religion, if any, was to
" be in prejudice of Mahomedariism. Besides,
" Nadir's conduct towards them had been severe,
" to an extreme and unprecedented degree;
" many of them, therefore, gave Mirza M eh dee
t( large bribes to excuse their absence. Ampng
" the Christians summoned on this occasion,
" only one Romish Priest, a native of Persia,
" was a sufficient master of the language to
" enter upon a work of so critical a nature.
ts As to the Armenian Christians, although they
" are born subjects to Persia, and intermixed
" with the inhabitants, yet there are very few
" of them who understand the language funda-
" mentally. It was natural to expect, that
" Mirza Mehdee, and the Persian Mullahs,
" would be more solicitous to please Nadir, and
" to support the credit of Mahomedanism, than
" to divest themselves of prejudices, and be-
<{ come masters of so important a subject. This
" translation was dressed up with all the glosses
" which the fables of the Koran could warrant.
" Their chief guide was an ancient Arabic and
" Persian translation. Father de Vignes, a Ro-
" mish Priest, was also employed in this work,
" in which he made use of the Vulgate edition.
" They were but six months in completing this
Christian Eesearcijes
" translation, and transcribing several fair copies
of it.
" In May following, Mirza Mehdee with
ct the Persian Mullahs, and some of the Chris-
" tian Priests, set out from Isfahan for the Per-
" sian Court, which was then held in encamp-
<( ment near Teheran. Nadir received them
" with some marks of civility, and had a cur-
" sory view of the performance. Some part of it
" was read to him ; on which occasion he made
te several ludicrous remarks on the mysterious
"parts of the Christian Religion; at the same
" time he laughed at the Jews, and turned Ma-
" homed and Ali equally into ridicule. 5 ' And
after some expressions of levity, intimating that
he could himself make a better religion, than
any that had yet been produced, " he dismissed
" these churchmen and translators with some
" small presents, not equal in value to the ex-
" pence of the journey."*
This version of the Gospels, prepared by
command of Nadir Shah, is probably the same
with that which is sometimes found in the hands-
of .the Armenian Priests in India. A copy was
lately shewn to an Oriental scholar in Bengal,|
* Hanway's Travels. t Rev. H. Martyn.
respecting tlje Persians. 1 65
who observed, " that if this was the same, he
<c did not wonder at Nadir's contempt of it."
The number of natives, already professing
Christianity in Persia, and who are prepared to
receive a translation of the Scriptures, is very
considerable. They consist of four or five
classes, viz. the Georgian, the Armenian, the
Nestorian, the Jacobite, and the Romish Chris-
tians. The Georgians have the Bible in the
Georgian Language, which was printed at
Moscow in 1743; but the language is not so
generally cultivated among the higher ranks
as the Persian. It probably bears the same
relation to the Persian, which the Welch
does to the English. The Armenians have
a version of the Bible in their own proper
tongue, but the copies are few in number. The
Nestorian and Jacobite Christians use the Syriac
Bible: but it is yet more rare than the Arme-
nian. There are, besides, multitudes of Jews
in Persia, who, as well as these different classes
of Christians, commonly speak the vernacular
language of the country.
The Persian Language is known far beyond
the limits of Persia proper. It is spoken at all
the Mussulman Courts in India, aqdis the usual
language of judicial proceedings under the Bri-
tish Government in Hindostan. It has been
\66 Christian Beseatcljes
called " the great Eastern language of cor es-
" pondence and state affairs;* and is next in
importance to the Arabic and Chinese, in regard
to the extent of territory through which it is
spoken, being generally understood from Cal-
cutta to Damascus.
Here then is a language, spoken over nearly
one quarter of the globe, the proper tongue of
a preat kingdom, in which an attempt has
already been made by royal authority to obtain a
translation of the Christian Scriptures ; and
where there are, at a low computation, two
hundred thousand Christians ready to receive
them. Many of the Persians themselves would
read the Bible with avidity, if presented to
them in an inviting form. The cause of the
little jealously of Christianity in Persia, compared
with that which is found in other Mahomedan
States, is to be ascribed to these two circum-
stances; first, That Christianity has always
existed in Persia: the Christian natives forming
a considerable part of the population; and
secondly, That the Persians themselves profess
so lax a system of Islamism that they have been
* See Richardson's dissertation on the Persian Language.
respecting tlje Persians. 1 67
accounted by some Mussulmans a kind of
heretics.
It will form an epoch in the history of Persia,
when a version of the Old and New Testaments
shall begin to be known generally in that coun-
try. But the narrative of Nadir Shah's attempt
sufficiently proves that no ordinary scholar is
qualified to undertake it. The author of such a
translation must be a perfect master of the Arabic
Language, the mother of the Persic, and
familiar with the popular and classical Persian.
He must, moreover, have access to the Scrip-
tures in their original tongues. Such a person,
we think, has been found in SABAT of Arabia,
who is accounted by competent judges, " to be
" the first Arabic scholar of the age.''* He has
been employed for nearly four years past in
translating the Scriptures into the Persian and
Arabic Languages, in conjunction with Mirza
Fitrut of Lucknow, and other learned natives.
Mirza is himself a Persian by descent, and a
man of liberal learning among his countrymen.
He visited England some years ago, and was
afterwards appointed a Persian teacher, and a
* See Report of Translations by Rev. Henry Martyn, here-
after quoted.
168
translator of the Scriptures in the College of
Fort-William. These versions by Sabat and
Mirza, are conducted under the superintendance
of the Rev. Henry Martyn, who is himself an
Arabic and Persian scholar, and skilled in the
original tongues of the Sacred Scriptures. He
is a chaplain to the Honourable the East India
Company, and is now stationed at Cawnpore in
Bengal, where his learned coadjutors also reside.
The Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke,
translated by Sabat into the Persian Language,
have already been printed: and 800 copies are
stated in the last Report, dated May, 1810, to
have been desposited in the BIBLIOTHECA
BIBLICA, at Calcutta, for sale.
THE ARABIANS.
ARABIA was the country in which St. Paul
first opened his heavenly ministry. " When it
pleased God," saith that Apostle, " who called
me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that
I might preach him among the heathen ; im-
mediately I conferred not with flesh and blood ;
respecting tlje Arabians, 169
neither went I up to Jerusalem, but I went
into ARABIA." Gal. i. 17. Christianity flou-
rished very extensively in Arabia, during the
first centuries. History informs us, that " the
disciples of Christ had filled its provinces with
the Churches of God;*" and frequent mention
is made, in the early monuments, of the Bishops
of Arabia, f This early influence of the Gospel
in that region might be expected; for Arabia
adjoins Palestine; and the climate of the
country, and the manners and customs of the
people, are nearly the same. J
There are some circumstances which remark-
ably distinguish Arabia; are collection of which,
in connexion with others, ought now to draw
our attention to it. Arabia was inhabited by
the first generations of men. There it pleased the
Creator first to reveal himself to his creatures ;
* eow y
Procopious Gaz. Es. XI. 14.
f See them enumerated in Beveridge's Canones Condliorum.
The Bishop of Busorah was present at the Council of Antioch
in A. D. 269.
ovrats rot; ovasiois exo; Katt
Being neighbours to the Jews, it was likely that they should
first receive the Gospel. Proc. ubi supra.
170 Christian
and in its vicinity the Son of God assumed
the human nature. In Arabia, the faculties of
the human mind attain to as high a degree of
strength and vigour, even at this day,* as in any
other country in the world ; and the symmetry
and beauty of the human person in Arabia are
not surpassed by any other portion of the human
race.f
Arabia is also remarkable on another account.
It was the theatre of the grand defection from
Christianity, by the Mahomedan delusion) which
* See Letter from the Rev. Henry Martyn, concerning
Sabat, quoted in "The Star in the East," p. 218, ff At
intervals I read Persian Poetry with Mirza, and the Koran
with Sabat. These Orientals, with whom I translate the
Scriptures, require me to point out the connexion between
every two sentences, which is often more than I can do. It
is curious how accurately they observe all the rules of writing >
Sabat, though a real Christian, has not lost a jot of his
Arabian notions of superiority. He looks upon Europeans as
mushrooms j and seems to regard my pretensions to any learn-
ing, as we should regard those of a savage or an ape." N. B.
Mr. Martyn was Senior Wrangler, or first Mathematician of
his year, at Cambridge, in 1801 5 and he had now been two
years in society with Sabat.
f An intelligent Arabian, who had seen the English in In-
dia, observed to the Author, that he thought the minds of the
English far superior to their persons. It seemed to him, that
there was nothing striking or noble in the English countenance,
compared with tlie dignity and beauty of the Arabians ; that
respecting tlje Stobtans, 1 7 1
was to extend to " a third part of men." This
predicted apostacy was to be effected, not by
returning* to Paganism, but by a corruption of
Christianity; that is, by admitting some part of
the former revelation of God, and pretending to
a new revelation. The delusion itself is aptly
compared in the prophecy concerning it, to
" smoke issuing from the bottomless pit ;" and its
great extent is expressed by its " darkening the
ft sun and the air."* And since this defection
was to be produced by a corruption of revealed
Truth, it was necessary that the Scriptures
should be first corrupted ; for where the genuine
Scriptures are in the hands of men, there is little
danger of general infidelity. Accordingly, this
preparative for the great Imposture took place
in the fifth and sixth centuries. During that
period, corrupt and apocryphal gospels prevailed
so generally in Arabia, and in the neighbouring
the faces were in general flat and torpid, and the eyes without
fire. The Author informed him, that the English were com-
posed of different nations, and most of these from cold and
northern climates ; that hence there was a great diversity in
their appearance, some being of very ordinary aspect, and others
of a dignity and beauty which even an Arabian would admire
He smiled at this, and observed that it was not likely that the
Deity would select so remote, and cold a region of his globe,
for the perfection of man.
* Rev. ix. 2.
172 Christian Eesearcljes
regions, that it is even doubtful whether Ma-
homed himself ever saw a genuine copy of the
New Testament. It has been argued by learned
men, from the internal evidence of his compo-
sition, that he did not. But now even the
apocryphal gospels have vanished from view, by
the long prevalence of the Koran.
But the duration of this delusion was to have
a limit. " The smoke was to darken the sun and
"the air" only for a definite period; namely,
1260 years. This period is expressed in pro-
phetic Scripture in a three-fold form of words to
evince its certainty.
1. " The Holy City shall they tread under
" foot forty and two months."* Rev. xi. 2.
This marks the period of the Mahomedan power.
The same expression is applied afterwards to the
duration of the Papal power. The depression of
the true Faith was of course to last the same
time ; as expressed in the t-vo following
sentences.
2. " The Witnesses (for the true Faith) shall
" prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore
" days, clothed in sackcloth,|" Rev. xi. 3,
* A day for a year j
42 months =42+30=] 260 days . . =1260 years.
f A day for a year 5 1260 days ....... =s 1260 years-
respecting tlje Arabians, 1 73
3. " The Woman or (Church of Christ) fled
" into the wilderness, and was nourished for a
" time, times and half a time.*'" Rev. xii. 14.
This last expression, " a time, times and half
" a time," is also used by the prophet Daniel,
who foretels the same events, to mark the period
when God shall " have accomplished to scatter
" the powers of the holy people," and shall
terminate his indignation against Israel. Dan.
xii. 7.
It is very well known in the East at what
time Mahomed appeared. Let the Mahomedan
then be informed, that he is to count 1260 years
from the Hejira, and then expect the fulfilment
of a remarkable Prophecy, made by Christ, whom
the Koran acknowledges to be "a true Prophet."
Let him be informed explicitly, that the reign,
of Mahomedanism will then have an end. And
if he be unwilling to believe this, ask him if he
does not already perceive the decline of Maho-
medanism. If he be ignorant of this fact, inform
him of the history of events. Instruct him, that
the corruption of Christianity in the West by the
Pope, was coeval with the corruption of Chris-
ie, times, and half a time=a year,*\
years and half of a year= forty- >=1260 years.
monthsc= 1260 days. ... . . . J
* A time, times, and half a time
two
two monthsc=l260days
174 Christian Heseatrijes
tianity in the East by Mahomed; that the de-
cline of both these powers is, at this time,
equally advanced ; and that the fall of both is
to be contemporaneous. If he be ignorant of
the decline of Papal Rome, the Roman Catholic
in the East will declare it to him.
Is there any man, calling himself a Chris-
tian, who thinks that these prophecies are du-
bious ? If it be true that God hath, at any
time, revealed himself to man, they are most
certain, The Author would here observe, that
the inattention of men in general to the fulfil-
ment of the divine predictions, does not pro-
ceed so commonly from principles of infidelity,
as from ignorance of facts, pure ignorance of
historical facts. There are men of liberal edu-
cation in England, who are more ignorant of
the history of the world, ancient and modern,
in connexion with the revelation of God, than
some Hindoos and Arabians, whom we know in
the East, who have not been Christians above a
few years. Our Saviour reprehended this neg-
lect of " the word spoken from Heaven," in
these words : " Ye can discern the face
" of the sky and of the earth, but how is it
" that ye cannot discern THIS TIME?" Luke
xii. 56.
The Author has noticed the foregoing circum-
respecting tlje SraWans* 1 75
stances in connexion with Arabia, to illustrate
the importance of preparing a version of the
Scriptures for that country, at trie present era.
But the Arabic Language hath gone forth far
beyond the bounds of Arabia, and is known to
almost " a third part of men" in the East. The
Koran has consecrated it in the eyes of millions,
in central Asia, on the continent of Africa, and
in the isles of the Indian Ocean.
A version of the whole Bible in Arabic has
come down to us; but it is now antiquated, like
the Persian, both in dialect and orthography. It
does not appear that any composition in a living
language, of a higher date than about five hun-
dred years, can be of popular use, unless we
learn it from our infancy. The language of our
own Scriptures becomes now peculiar in many
respects, and distinct from the popular speech.
It is supposed, that the Arabic Translation is
upwards of a thousand years old. Had there
been no interruption in the profession of Chris-
tianity in Arabia, the ancient Translation might
possibly have sufficed : in like manner as the
Hebrew is still understood by the Jews, and the
Syriac by the Syrian Christians. But when a
new religion is to be proposed to a people, we
inust use the most dignified medium/ and pre-
sent it in the language which is in popular use.
i?6
The present Arabic Translation in the Polyglot
is perfectly intelligible to those who will study
it with a lexicon ; but we certainly cannot offer
it at this time as conveying the meaning of the
Christian Scriptures to the Land of Yemen, or
Arabia the Happy.
Soon after Sabat, the Arabian, had been con-
verted to Christianity, the object which chiefly
occupied his thoughts, was a translation of the
Scriptures for his native country. He himself
could easily read and understand the existing
translation ; for he is a learned man, and ac-
quainted radically with every dialect of the lan-
guage ; and it was by means of that translation
that he himself became a Christian ;* but he
says he should be ashamed to offer the Bible
to his countrymen in its present form ; such a
version would neither be acceptable to the
lerrned, nor intelligible to the unlearned.
* The copy of the New Testament, which fell into the hands
of Sabat, was one of the edition published in J 727 by " the
Society for promoting Christian Knowledge," revised by Salo-
mon Negri. An investment of these Arabic Testaments was
sent about 1759, to the Society's Missionaries in Calcutta, who
circulated them through different provinces. The following
is a well-attested fact : They sent some copies to the Mahome-
dan Priests at Delhi, " who requested that the supply might be
continued." See Proceedings of the Society of that period.
respecting tlje 3rab(an0, 177
This noble Arabian has been now three years,
or more, employed in translating the Scriptures
into the Arabic Language, with the aid of other
learned Asiatics, under the superintendance of
the Rev. H. Martyn, who has himself been long
a student of the Arabic Tongue. Mr. Martyn
has lately stated their reasons for undertaking a
new translation, which the Author will here
subjoin, in deference to the learned at home,
who may think some further explanation ne-
cessary.
" Of the Arabic version of the Polyglot, the
" late Professor Carlyle, in his copy of propo-
" sals for printing a new edition of it, speaks
" in the highest terms, and observes, that it
" was used both by Jews and Christians as a
" faithful and elegant representation of their
" respective books of faith. But even supposing
" that both Jews and Christians are satisfied
" with the translation, no one, who has had an
" opportunity of observing the degraded state
" of these people in the East, would admit
" them as competent judges of the Arabic.
" The Professor has adduced, in favour of the
" version in question, the opinions of Erpenius,
" Gabriel Sionita, and Pocock ; names of high
" consideration in Arabic learning, particularly
" the last. It is certain, however, that such of
ITS cijrfettan
" the Mahomedans as have seen this versions^
" think very differently of it. If we would
" invite the fastidious Mussulman to review the
" sacred law which he supposes abrogated,
" let us not neglect our present opportuni-
" ties ; but with such an instrument as Sabat
" in our possession, let us attempt at least, to
" send forth the Scriptures in a style which
t( shall command respect, even in Nujed and
" Hejaz."
Mr. Martyn adverts to the new edition of the
Polyglot translation, now publishing in En-
gland, under the patronage of the Bishop of
Durham, and highly commends the design.
" We rejoice," writes he, " to hear that the old
Polyglot is going forth at last in a new dress,
It may be useful to some in Asia, as it was to
Sabat." And, in regard to the extent of coun-
try through which the Arabic is spoken, he
observes, that the Arabic translation is of more
importance than one-fourth of all the translations
now in hand. " We will begin," says he, " to
preach to Arabia, Syria, Persia, Tartary, part
of India and of China, half of Africa, all the
sea-coast of the Mediterranean and Turkey ; and
one tongue shall suffice for them all."
The proposal for publishing the Arabic Bible
has already met with a very liberal patronage in
respecting t|)e arabtans. 179
India. It is intended to publish an edition of
the New Testament, in a splendid form, for the
use of the chief men in Arabia and Persia, re-
sembling, as nearly as possible, their own beau-
tiful writing. The Universities, and literary
bodies in Europe, will, no doubt, be disposed
to subscribe for some copies of this truly classi-
cal Work. It is stated in the last accounts,
dated May 1810, that the translation of the
New Testament was expected to be finished
by the end of the present year, 1811.
THE CONVERSION OF SABAT.
The following account of the conversion of
Sabat is extracted from the Author's Sermon,
entitled, "The Star in the East."
' Thus far we have spoken of the success of the Gos-
pel in Asia, by means of European preachers. But we
shall now exhibit to you evidence from another source,
from a new and unexpected quarter. We are now to
declare what has been done, independently of our exer-
tions, and in regions where we have no labourers, and
no access. And this I do to show you, that whether
N2
180 Cfjrfetiau
we assist in the work or not, it is God's will that it sliouW,
begin. You have hitherto been contemplating the Light
in India. We are now to announce to you that a light
hath appeared in Arabia,) and dawned as it were, on the
Temple of Mecca itself.
' Two Mahomedans of Arabia, persons of distinction
in their own country, have been lately converted to the
Christian faith. One of them has already suffered mar-
tyrdom. The other is now engaged in translating the
Scriptures, and in concerting plans for the conversion of
his countrymen. The name of the martyr is Abdallah; *
and the name of the other, who is now translating the
Scriptures, is Sabat : or, as he is called since his Chris-
tian baptism, Nathanael Sabat. Sabat resided in my
house some time before I left India, and 1 had from his
own mouth the chief part of the account which I shall
now give to you. Some particulars I had from others.
His conversion took place after the martyrdom of Abdal-
lah, f to whose death he was consenting ;' and he rela-
ted the circumstances to me with many tears.
( Abdallah and Sabat were intimate friends, and being
young men of family in Arabia, they agreed to travel to-
gether, and to visit foreign countries. They were both
zealous Mahomedans. Sabat is son of Ibrahim Sabat,
a noble family of the line of Beni-Sabat who trace
their pedigree to Mahomed. The two friends left Arabia,
after paying their adorations at the tomb of their prophet^
* The word Abdallah is the same as Abdiel \ and signifies
i be "Servant of God."
arabtans, i s i
and travelled through Persia, and thence to Cabul.
Abdallah was appointed to an office of state under Ze-
maun Shah, King of Cabul ; and Sabat left him there,
and proceeded on a tour through Tartary.
6 While Abdallah remained .at Cabul, he was convert-
ed to the Christian faith by the perusal of a Bible (as is
supposed) belonging to a Christian from Armenia, then
residing at Cabul.* In the Mahomedan states, it is
-death for a man of rank to become a Christian. Abdal-
lah endeavoured for a time to conceal his conversion ;
but finding it no longer possible, he determined to flee
to some of the Christian Churches near the Caspian Sea.
He accordingly left Cabul in disguise, and had gained
the great city of Bochara, in Tartary, when he was met
in the streets of that city by his friend Sabat, who imme-
diately recognised him. Sabat had heard of his conver-
sion and flight, and was filled with indignation at his
conduct. Abdallah knew his danger, and threw himself
at the feet of Sabat. He confessed that he was a Chris-
tian, and implored him, by the sacred tie of their former
friendship, to let him escape with his life. * But, Sir,'
said Sabat when relating the story himself, f I had no
pity. I caused my servants to seize him, and I delivered
f him up to Morad Shah, King of Bochara. He was
sentenced to die, and a herald went through the city of
Bochara, announcing the time of his execution. An
immense multitude attended, and the chief men of the
* The Armenian Christians in Persia have among them
few copies of the Arabic Bible.
182 CJjrtstian
city. I also went and stood near to Abdallah. He
was offered his life if he would abjure Christ, the execu-
tioner standing by him with his sword in his hand. c No,'
said he, (as if the proposition were impossible to be com-
plied with) e I cannot abjure Christ/ Then one of his
hands was cut off at the wrist. He stood firm, his arm
hanging by his side but with little motion. A physician
by desire of the King, offered to heal the w r ound if he
would recant. He made no answer, but looked up sted-
fastJy towards heaven, like Stephen, the first martyr, his
eyes streaming with tears. He did not look with anger
towards me. He looked at me. But it was benignly,
and with the countenance of forgiveness. His other
hand was then cut off. ' But Sir/ said Sabat, in his im-
perfect English, ' he never changed, he never changed.
And when he bowed his head to receive the blow of
death, all Bochara seemed to say, ( What new thing is
this ?'
( Sabat had indulged the hope, that Abdallah would
have recanted, when he was offered his life 5 but when
he saw that his friend was dead, he resigned himself to
grief and remorse. He travelled from place to place,
seeking rest, and finding none At last he thought that
he would visit India. He accordingly came to Madras
about five years ago. Soon after his arrival, he was
appointed by the English government, a Mufti, or ex-
pounder of Mahometan law ; his great learning, and re-
spectable station in his own country, rendering him well
qualified for that office. And now the period of his own
conversion drew near. While he was at Visagapatam,
in the Northern Circars, exercising his professional du*
rejecting fye Arabians. i s 3
ties. Providence brought in his way a New Testament in
the Arabic language.* He read it with deep thought,
the Koran lying before him. He compared them toge-
ther with patience aad solicitude, and at length the truth
of the word fell on his mind, as he expressed it, like a
flood of light. Soon afterwards he proceeded to Madras,
a journey of 300 miles, to seek Christian baptism ; and
having made a public confession of his faith, he was bap-
tized by the Rev. Dr. Ker, in the English Church at
that place, by the name of Nathaneal, in the twenty-
seventh year of liis age.
' Being now desirous to devote his future life to the
glory of God, he resigned his secular employ, and came
by invitation to Bengal, where he is now engaged in
translating the Scriptures into the Persian language.
This work hath not hitherto been executed, for want of
a translator of sufficient ability. The Persian is an im-
portant language in the East, being the general language
of Western Asia, particularly among the higher classes,
and is understood from Calcutta to Damascus. But the
great work which occupies the attention of this noble
Arabian, is the promulgation of the Gospel among his
own countrymen ; and from the present fluctuations of
religious opinion in Arabia, he is sanguine in his hopes of
success. His first work is entitled, (Neama Besharatin
lil Arabi) e Happy News for Arabia / written in the
Nabuttee, or common dialect of the country. It contains
* One of those copies sent to India by the " Society for pro-
moting Christian Knowledge."
1 84 Clm'sttan iResearrtjes
an eloquent and argumentative elucidation of the truth
of the Gospel, with copious authorities admitted by the
Mahomedans themselves, and particularly by the Waha-
bians. And, prefixed to it, is an account of the con-
version of the author, and an appeal to the well-known
family in Arabia, for the truth of the facts.
1 The following circumstance in the history of Sabat
ought not to be omitted. When his family in Arabia
had heard that he had followed the example of Abdallah,
and become a Christian, they dispatched his brother to
India (a voyage of two months) to assassinate him.
While Sabat was sitting in his house at yisagapatam, his
brother presented himself in the disguise of a faqueer,
or beggar, having a dagger concealed under his mantle.
He rushed on Sabat, and wounded him. But Sabat
seized his arm, and his servants came to his assistance.
He then recognized his brother ! The assassin would
have became the victim of public justice, but Sabat in-
terceded for him, and sent him home in peace with letr
ters and presents to his mother's house in Arabia/
The Members of the Asiatic Society having
been imposed on by a learned Hindoo some
years ago, whose fabrications they published in
their Researches, (see Mr. Wilford's Account,
vol. ?th) it has been sometimes insinuated by
the adversaries of Christian Missions, that Sa-
bat the Arabian would prove, in like manner, to
have deceived us. This is certainly possible ;
and all good men would deplore the event. Let
respecting flje ara&tens*
us be thankful, however, for the good that has
been already done by his means.
He has made a translation of the Gospels into
the Persian language, and " 800 copies of St.
" Matthew and St. Luke have been printed and
" exposed in the Bibliotheca Biblica of Cal-
" cutta, for sale." And we have now the satis-
faction to state, that he has been faithful to his
Christian principles for six YEARS, and that
" his translation of the whole New Testament,
6 into the Arabic language, was expected to be
" finished by the end of the present year,
" 1811.
THE ARABIC SCHOOL
FOR THE
TRANSLATION OF THE SCRIPTURES.
THE Rev. Henry Martyn, B. D. Fellow of
St. John's College, Cambridge, went out to
India about five years ago. His qualifications
for the general superintendance of scriptural
translation, are truly respectable. After ac-
186 Christian
quiring the highest academical honours in
science, and a just celebrity for classical know-
ledge, he devoted himself to the acquirement
of the Arabic and Hindostanee Languages.
His mind was strongly impressed, at an early
period, with the duty and importance of
communicating the revealed Religion to heathen
nations. He had a spirit to follow the steps of
Swartz and Brainerd, and preach to the natives
in the woods ; but his peculiar qualifications,
as a critical scholar, have fixed him to the de-
partment of translation. He had not been long
in Bengal before he was joined by Sabat ?nd
Mirza, and other learned natives ; so that they
now form an Arabic School, from which it
is not pretended that there is any appeal in
India.*
Mr. Martyn's own proper department is the
Hindoostanee Language. Soon after his arrival
he translated the Liturgy of the Church of
England into that tongue. He found that many
* As Mr. Martyn and his associates at Cawnpore constitute
the Arabic School in India, for the translation of the Scriptures^
so Dr. Carey, and the Missionaries at Serampore, compose
the Shanscrit School. See two Memoirs lately published,
and the Proceedings of the Baptist Society, published annually.
respecting tlje 3raHon& 187
of the wives of the English soldiers were Hin-
cloostanee women, professing Christianity, but
who did not understand the English Language,
and being desirous to discharge faithfully the
duties of his clerical office, he thought it proper
to attempt such a translation. After reading
prayers to the soldiers in English, he reads Hin-
doostanee prayers to their wives, and to other
natives. This original work, having received
repeated revision and amendment, is esteemed
by competent judges to be a perspicuous and
faithful version of the sublime original. He
also translated, about the same time, the parables
and parabolic speeches, or apophthegms, of our
Saviour, into the same language, with an ex-
planation subjoined to each.
But the grand work which has chiefly
engaged the .attention of this Oriental Scholar,
during the last four years, is his Translation of
the whole Bible into the HINDOOSTANEE Lan-
guage. It has been often acknowledged, that
a version of the Scriptures into what is justly
called " the grand popular language of Hindoos*
tan," would be the most generally useful in
India. Mr. Martyn is in no haste to print any
part of his Work, being desirous that it should
be first revised and approved by the best
scholars. His chief difficulty is in settling the
is$ Cljrtettan
.orthography of the language, and in ascertain-
ing what proportion of words ought to be
admitted from the Persian and Arabic fountains;
for the Hindoostanee is yet in its infancy, as a
written and grammatical tongue ; and it is pro-
bable, that Mr. Martyn's Work will contribute
much to fix its standard. To evince the care
and accuracy which he proposes to himself in
this Translation, it will be proper to subjoin
his last official Report on the subject, dated De-
cember, 1809.
The Hindoostanee New Testament has been
finished some time, and submitted to the
" inspection of a variety of persons in different
" parts of the country ; but the opinions formed
" of the Work have not hitherto appeared to
<e justify its publication. I am perfectly con-
" vinced of theinutility of attempting to please
" all ; yet I thought it better to withhold from
" the Press what longer experience, and the
" possession of more efficient instruments,
" might enable me to send forth, in a form more
" calculated to give general satisfaction. The
" person whose assistance I was most anxious
" to obtain, has once more joined me ; and I am
" now willing to hope, that the Word of God
" may be presented to the native of India, so as
" to be intelligible to the generality of readers.
respecting tlje Arabians. 1 39
" The grammar of the language is nearly fixed
" by Mr. Gilchrist's learned and useful labours ;
" but it is still difficult to write in it with a
-' view to general utility. For the higher Ma-
" homedans and men of learning will hardly
" peruse, with satisfaction, a book in which the
f< Persian has not lent its aid to adorn the style.
" To the rest a larger proportion of Hindoo is
" more acceptable. The difficulty of ascer-
" taining the point equally removed from either
'' extreme, would be considerably lessened, were
" there any prose compositions in the language,
" of acknowledged purity. But unfortunately
11 no such standard exists : no works of any de-
<c scription indeed have been found but poems.
" Lately some translations in Hindoos tanee prose
" have issued from the college of Fort William ;
" but as they have not yet stood the test of time,
" and are very little known in the country, they
" could not safely be referred to as a standard.
u Thus I have been left to the guidance of my
" own judgment far more than I could have
" wished.
In regard to the Arabic and Persian Transla-
tions, both of which, Mr. Martyn superintends;
as well as the Hindoostanee, he thus writes :
" In the Persian and Arabic Translations there,
" are happily no such difficulties. The valuable
Ciw'stian Eeseatcljes
" qualities of our Christian brother, Nathaneal
" Sabat, render this part of the work compara-
" tively easy. As he is, I trust, a serious
" Christian, the study of the Word of God,
" and the translation of it, are of course a mat-
" ter of choice with him, and a rigid adherence
" to the original, a. point of duty.* As a scholar
" his acquirements are very considerable. He
tc was educated under the care of the most
" learned man in Bagdad ; and, having conti-
16 nued to exercise himself in composition, he
" has acquired in consequence a critical acumen,
" and great command of words. His ill state
" of health renders it impossible to say exactly
" when the work he has undertaken will be
" finished ; but if nothing untoward happen to
" interrupt us, you may expect the New Testa-
* The solicitude of these Translators to infuse the true mean-
ing of the original into their versions, and not to trust entirely
to the English Translation, will appear from the following
observations of Mr. Marty n in his last letter. " The
Psalms we must leave till the end of the New Testament, for
this solid reason, that I do not understand a considerable portion
of lhat book. Much of the present Translation is certainly
unintelligible. It appears to me, that the two Royal Authors
have suffered more from the plebeian touch of their interpreters,
than even the Prophets, or any others but Job. Hebrew ha
been of late my constant meditation.'*
respecting fye f eto&
" ment, in the three languages, in the course of
* f two years.
THE JEWS.
THERE are three remarkable prophecies con-
cerning the Jews.
1. " The children of Israel shall abide many
" days without a King, and without a Prince,
"and without a sacrifice, and without an image,
" and without an Ephod, and without Tera-
phim." Hos. iii. 4.
2. " The Lord shall scatter thee among all
" people, from the one end of the earth even
" unto the other." Deut. xxix. 64. And yet,
" the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be
" reckoned amongst the nations." Num. xxiii. 9.
3. " Thou shalt become an astonishment,
" a proverb, and a bye-word among all the na-
" tions whither the Lord shall lead thee.
" Among these nations shalt thou find no case,
" neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest."
Deut. xxviii. 37 65.
The first of these prophecies is very remark-
able ; for who ever heard of a nation " abiding
192 cijrfetian Hesearcfces
many days" without its civil and religious
polity, and surviving its political existence ?
The very assertion seems to involve an absurdity.
Did the Egyptians, Chaldeans, Greeks, or Ro-
mans survive their civil and religious polity?
The second prediction is not less singular than
the former; for if the Jews were to be received
among the nations of the earth, why should they
not " be reckoned with the nations ?" Would
any man, in a remote age, venture to foretel that
there was a certain nation, which, in the ages to
come, would be received and tolerated by all
other nations, merely to be persecuted?*
* To this day the Jews " are not reckoned" with the
English nation. The prophetical record influenced the last
parliamentary proceeding respecting them. In 1753, a Bill
was passed to naturalize the Jews ; but after a few months it
was repealed, the voice of the people demanded that the de-
voted nation should "not be reckoned with them." So true it is
that our last national deliberation concerning this people was
influenced by the ancient prophecy. The time is now come
when Parliament may restore to the Jew the franchise of
a fellow-creature, without contravening the Divine decrees.
It is prophesied again, that " Israel shall return to the Lord
their God," and that the period of this event is not far remote.
In obedience then to the drctate of this prophecy, Jet our
Christian nation proceed, without delay, to take away the
reproach of the Jewish people j and announce the act in the
most public and solemn manner, as an example to the rest of
the world.
respecting tlje % etos. 193
V
But the third prophecy is such as must afford
a contemplation to infidelity, to the end of time.
The Jews were to become " an astonishment,
" and a proverb, and a bye-word among all the
" nations," because they shed the blood of the
Saviour of the world. Now it is not surpri-
sing that Christians should reproach them for
such a crime. But how should we expect that
they would be < trodden down of the heathen
(( world," who never heard of such a Saviour?
Behold the Hindoo, at tbis day, punishing the
Jew, without knowing the crime of which he
has been guilty !
These three prophecies have been manifestly
fulfilled ; and if we had no other evidence, this
is sufficient to prove " that there is a God, and
" that he hath made a revelation to man."
There is a fourth prophecy concerning this
people, which will shortly be accomplished.
The Prophet Hosea, after foretelling that the
children of Israel should abide many days
without a King, adds these words: " After-
" wards shall they return, and seek the Lord
" their God, and David their king; and shall
" fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter
" days.'* Hosea iii. 5<
The question^ which is now in the mouth of
every Christian, is that wh^ch was asked in the
stian Heseatcljes
vision of the prophet Daniel on the same subject;
" How long shall it be to the end of these won-
ders?" Dan. xii. 6. When shall the " indig-
<{ nation against the holy people be accom-
cc plished?" Dan. xi. 31, that they may "return
" and seek the Lord their God, and David their
" king ?"
To Daniel the Prophet, and to John the Evan-
gelist, was given a revelation of the great events
of the general Church to the end of time.
Daniel foretels that the Christian Church shall
be oppressed by the persecuting powers for
" a time, times, and the dividing of a time."
Dan. vii. 25. The same period he assigns for
the accomplishment of the indignation against
the holy people Israel. " One said, how long
" shall it be to the end of these wonders ? And
" I heard the man clothed in linen, which was
" upon the waters of the river, when he held
" up his right hand and his left hand unto
" heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever,
" that it shall be for a TIME, TIMES, and a HALF;
* f and when he shall have accomplished to scatter
" the power of the holy people, all these things
" shall be fulfilled." Dan. xii. 7. Now the
same form of words is used in the Revelation
of St. John, to express the duration of the
Papal and Mahomedan powers. Oppressed by
respecting tl;e 3feto& 195
them, the Church of Christ was to remain desolate
in the wilderness, " for a TIME, TIMES, and HALF
" of a TIME." Rev. xii. 14. Every one, who is
erudite in sacred prophecy, will understand that
this great period of Daniel and St. John com-
mences at the same era, namely, the rise of the
persecuting powers; and that its duration is 1260
years.*
Here then are three great events hastening to
their period ; the extinction of the Papal domi-
nion ; the subversion of the Mahomedan power ;
and " the accomplishment of the divine indig-
" nation against the holy people," or the return
of the people of Israel " to seek the Lord their
" God, and David their king."
Our blessed Saviour has not left an event of
this importance without notice. " The JEWS,"
saith he, " shall be led away captive into all
" nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down
ft of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles
" be fulfilled." Luke xxi. 24. What these
" times of the Gentiles" are, our Lord has ex-
plained in his subsequent Revelation to St. John.
" The court which is without the temple is
" given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city
* See this period explained in p. 172.
O 2
196 Cftrfettan
" shall they tread under foot FORTY and TWO
" MONTHS;" or, in prophetical language, at a
day for a year, 1260 years; Rev. xi. 2.
The Apostle Paul hath also recorded this event.
" I would not, brethren, that ye should be ig-
" norantof this mystery, that blindness, in part,
" is happened to ISRAEL, until the fulness of the
(t Gentiles be come in; and so all Israel shall be
" saved." Rom. xi. 25. The fulness of time
for the conversion of the Gentiles will be come
in, when the Mahomedan and Papal obstructions
are removed. Such events as the fall of the
Pope in the West, and of Mahomed in the East,
both of whom persecuted the Jews to death,
will probably be the means of awakening the
Jews to consider the evidences of that Religion
which predicted the rise and fall of both.
But the grand prophecy of. the apostle Paul
on this subject, is that which respects the conse-
quence of the conversion of the Jews. " The
c receivingof the Jews,"saithhe, "What shall it
" be to the world, but LIFE FROM THE BEAD?''
Rom. xi. 15. Dispersed as they are in all
countries, and speaking the languages of all
countries, they will form a body of preachers
ready prepared; and they need only say,-
" Behold the Scriptures of God, in our pos-
" session ; read our history there, as foretold
respecting fye feto& 197
** three thousand years ago, and read the events
" in the annals of nations. We are witnesses
" to the world, and the world to us. Let the
" whole race of mankind unite and examine the
f act ."_ All ye inhabitants of the world,
" and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when the
u Lord lifteth up an ENSIGN on the mountains;
*' and when he bloweth a TRUMPET, hear ye."
Isaiah xviii. 3. Thus will their preaching be to
the world " LIFE from the DEAD."
But if the conversion of Israel is to take place
when the Papal and Mahomedan powers have
fallen, and who does not see that these events
are near at hand? it might be expected that
some signs of conciliation between Jews and
Christians would now begin to be visible. And
is not this the fact? Christians in all countries
begin to consider, that f< the indignation against
" the holy people" is nearly accomplished.
Many events declare it. The indignation of
man is relaxing. The prophecies have been
fulfilled regarding it. The GREAT CRIME at
CALVARY has been punished by all nations ;
and we now hear the words of the Prophet ad-
dressing us, " Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
" saith your God ; speak ye comfortably to
" Jerusalem, and CRY unto her, that her warfare
" is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned,"
1 93 Christian iReseatctjes
Isaiah xl. 1. This is the Divine command.
And hchold, Christians begin now, for the first
time, " to speak comfortably to Jerusalem."
While the Author was in the East, the state
of the Jews, who are dispersed in different
countries, frequently occupied his thoughts. He
had heard that they existed in distinct colonies
in certain parts of India; that some of them had
arrived long before the Christian Era, and had
remained in the midst of the Hindoos, to this
time, a distinct and separate people, persecuted
by the native princes, from age to age, and yet
not destroyed; " burning, like the bush of
" Moses, and not consumed;" and he had a
strong desire " to turn aside and see this great
" sight." His mind was impressed with the
conviction that their preservation, in such a
variety of regions, and under such a diversity of
circumstances, could be only effected by the
interposition of the Divine PROVIDENCE, which
reserved them, thus distinct, for some special
and important purpose. And since the period
of time for the accomplishment of this purpose
was considered by many to be fast approaching,
respecting tije fetos. 199
he wished to hear the sentiments of the Jews
from their own lips, and to learn their actual
impressions, as to their present circumstances
and future hopes.
In his Memorial respecting the Syrian Chris-
tians, presented to Marquis Wellesley, the
Author also noticed the existence of an ancient
colony of Jews on the coast of Malabar, parti-
cularly at Cochin; and as this place had recently
become a part of the British Empire, by conquest
from the Dutch, Lord William Bentinck, then
Governor of Madras, who had received letters
from the Supreme Government, was pleased to
direct the civil officer, who had charge of the
department of Cochin/ to afford him every
aid in the prosecution of his Researches. His
first tour to Cochin was in November, 1 806, and
he remained in the country till February, 1807.
He again visited it in January, 1808. He has
only room, in this present Work, to introduce a
few notes from his Journal.
* Thomas Flower> Esq.
200 Christian Beseatctjes
< Cochin* Feb. 4, 1807.
e I have been now in Cochin, or its vicinity, for
upwards of two months, and have got well acquainted
with the Jews. They do not live in the city of Cochin,
but in a town about a mile distant from it, called Malta -
chery, and Jews'-Town. It is almost wholly inhabited
by the Jews, who have two respectable Synagogues.
Among them are some very intelligent men, who are
not ignorant of the present history of nations. There
are also Jews here from remote parts of Asia, so that
this is the fountain of intelligence concerning that peo-
ple in the East; there being constant communication by
ships with the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the
mouths of the Indus. The resident Jews are divided
into two classes, called the Jerusalem or White Jews ;
and the Ancient or Black Jews. The White Jews
reside at this place. The Black Jews have also a
Synagogue here ; but the great body of that tribe
inhabit towns in the interior of the province. I have
now seen most of both classes. My inquiries referred
chiefly to their antiquity, their manuscripts, and
their sentiments concerning the present state of their
nation.'
respecting tlje fetes, 201
THE JERUSALEM OR WHITE JEWS,
6 On my inquiry into the antiquity of the White
Jews, they first delivered to me a narrative, in the
Hebrew Language, of their arrival in India, which has
been handed down to them from their fathers; and
then exhibited their ancient brass Plate, containing
their charter and freedom of residence, given by a
King of Malabar. The following is the narrative of
the events relating to their first arrival.
' " sifter the second Temple was destroyed, (which
may God speedily rebuild!) our fathers, dreading the
Conqueror's wrath, departed from Jerusalem, a nu-
merous body of men, women, priests, and Levites,
and came into this land. There were among them
men of repute for learning and wisdom ; and God gave
the people favour in the sight of the King who at
that time reigned here, and he granted them a place
to dwell in, called Cranganor. He allowed them a pa-
triarchal jurisdiction within the district, with certain pri-
vileges of nobility ; and tJie Royal grant was engraved,
according to the custom of those days, on a plate of brass.
This was done in the year from the creation of the world,
4250 (A. D. 490) ; and this plate of brass we still have
in possession. Our fore-fathers continued at Cranganor
for about a thousand years, and the number of Heads
who governed were seventy-two. Soon after our settlement,
other Jews followed us Jrom Judea; and among these
came that man of great wisdom, Rabbi Samuel, a
202 eijusttau
Levite of Jerusalem, with his son, Rabbi Jehuda Levita.
They brought with tJiem the SILVER TRUMPETS, made
use of at the time cf tlie JUBILEE, which were saved
wlien the second Temple was destroyed; and we have
heard from our fathers, that there were engraven upon
those trumpets the letters of the ineffable Name.*
Tliere joined us also from Spain, and other places,
from time to time, certain tribes of Jews, who had
heard of our prosperity. But at last, discord arising
among ourselves, one of our chiefs called to his as-
sistance an Indian King, who came upon us with
a great army, destroyed our houses, palaces, and strong
holds, dispossessed us of Cranganor, killed part of us,
and carried part into captivity. By these massacres
we were reduced to a small number. Some of the
exiles came and dwelt at Cochin, where we have re-
mained ever since, suffering great changes from time to
time. There are amongst us some of the children of Israel
(Bern-Israel) who came from the country of Ashkenaz,
from Egypt, from Tsoba, and oilier places, besides
those who formerly inhabited this country."
* This circumstance of the Jubilee Trumpets is to be
found in a similar account of the Jews of Malabar, pub-
lished in the " History of the Works of the Learned," for
March 1699. ft IS not necessary to suppose that these
trumpets belonged to the Temple ; for it is well known,
that in every considerable town in Judea there were Jubilee
trumpets.
respecting tlje f eto& 203
c The native annals of Malabar confirm the foregoing
account, in the principal circumstances, as do the
Mahomedan histories of the latter ages ; for the Maho-
medans have been settled here in great numbers since
the eighth century.
6 The desolation of Cranganor the Jews describe
as being like the desolation of Jerusalem in miniature.
They were first received into the Country with some
favour and confidence, agreeably to the tenor of the
general prophecy concerning the Jews ; for no country
was to reject them: and after they had obtained some
wealth, and attracted the notice of men, they are pre-
cipitated to the lowest abyss of human suffering and
reproach. The recital of the sufferings of the Jews at
Cranganor resembles much that of the Jews at Jeru-
salem, as given by Josephus.
e I now requested they would shew me their brass
plate. Having been given by a native King, it is
written, of course, in the Mafabaric language and
character; and is now so old that it cannot be well
understood. The Jews preserve a Hebrew translation
of it, which they presented to me: but the Hebrew
itself is very difficult, and they dp not agree among
themselves, as to the meaning of some words. I have
employed, by their permission, an engraver at Cochin,
to execute a fac-simile of the original plate, on
copper.* This ancient document begins in the
* The original is engraved on both sides of the plate,
the fac-simile forms two plates. These are now de-
posited in the Public Library at the University of Cain-
bridge.
204 Christian
following manner, according to the Hebrew trans-
lation :*
' " In the peace of God, the King, which hath
made the earth, according to his pleasure. To this God,
I, AIRVI BRAHMIN, have lifted up my hand, and
have granted, by this deed, which many hundred thou-
sand years shall run /, dwelling in Cranganor,
have granted, in the thirty-sixth year of my reign,
in the strength of power I have granted, in the strength
of power I have given in inheritance, to JOSEPH
RABBAN."
( Then follow the privileges of nobility ; such as
permission to ride on the elephant; to have a herald
to go before, to announce the name and dignity ; to
have the lamp of the day ; to walk on carpets spread
upon the earth ; and to have trumpets and cymbals
sounded before him. King Airvi then appoints Joseph
Rabban to be ' Chief and Governor of the houses of
congregation, (the Synagogues,) and of certain dis-
tricts, and of the sojourn ers in them/ What proves the
importance of the Jews at the period when this grant
was made, is, that it is signed by seven Kings as
witnesses. c And to this are witnesses, King Bivada
Cubertin Mitadin, and he is King of Travancore.
King Airla Nada Mana Vikriin, and he is the Samorin.
King Veloda Nada Archarin Shatin, and he is King
of Argot.' The remaining four Kings are those of
* A copy of this Hebrew translation was sent to the
University with the other MSS. I have a copy in my
possession.
respecting tfje ^etas* 205
Palgatchery, Cofastri, Carbinath, and Fara-changur.
There is no date in this document, further than what
may be collected from the reign of the Prince, and the
names of the royal witnesses. Dates are not usual in
old Malabaric writings. One fact is evident, that the
Jews must have existed a considerable time in the
country, before they could have obtained such a grant.
The tradition before mentioned assigns for the date of
the transaction, the year of the Creation 4250, which
is, in Jewish computation, A. D. 490. It is well
known, that the famous Malabaric King, CERAM
PERUMAL, made grants to the Jews, Christians, and
Mahomedans, during his reign j but that Prince flou-
rished in the eighth or ninth century.
THE BLACK JEWS.
* It is only necessary to look at the countenance of
the Black Jews to be satisfied that their ancestors must
have arrived in India many ages before the White Jews*
Their Hindoo complexion, and their very imperfect
resemblance to the European Jews, indicate that they
have been detached from the parent stock in Judea many
ages before the Jews in the West ; and that there have
been intermarriages with families not Israelitish. I had
heard that those tribes, which had passed the Indus,
have assimilated so much to the customs and habits of
the countries in which they live, that they may be
06 Christian
sometimes seen by a traveller, without being recognised
as Jews. In the interior towns of Malabar, I was not
always able to distinguish the Jew from the Hindoo. I
hence perceived how easy it may be to mistake the
tribes of Jewish descent among the Afghans and other
nations in the northern parts of Hindoostan. The White
Jews look upon the Black Jews as an inferior race, and
as not of a pure cast : which plainly demonstrates
that they do not spring from a common stock in
India.
' The Black Jews communicated to me much inte-
resting intelligence concerning their brethren the
ancient Israelites in the East ; traditional indeed in its
nature, but in general illustrative of true history. They
recounted the names of many other small colonies
resident in northern India, Tartary, and China ; and gave
me a written list of SIXTY-FIVE places. I conversed
with those who had lately visited many of these stations,
and were about to return again. The Jews have a
never-ceasing communication with each other in the
East. Their families indeed are generally stationary,
being subject to despotic princes ; but the men move
much about in a commercial capacity ; and the same
individual will pass through many extensive countries.
So that when any thing interesting to the nation of the
Jews takes place, the rumour will pass rapidly throughout
all Asia.
( I inquired concerning their brethren, the Ten
Tribes. They said that it was commonly believed among
them, that the great body of the Israelites are tobefound in
Chaldea, and in the countries contiguous to it, being the
respecting t!je fetos. 207
very places whither they were first carried into captivity ;
that some few families had migrated into regions more
remote, as to Cochin and Rajapoor, in India, and to
other places yet farther to the East ; but that the bulk
of the nation, though now much reduced in number,
had not to this day removed two thousand miles from
Samaria. Among the Black Jews I could not find many
copies of the Bible. They informed me, that in certain
places of the remote dispersion, their brethren have but
some small portions of the Scriptures, and that the
prophetical books were rare ; but that they themselves^
from their vicinity to the White Jews, have been sup-
plied, from time to time, with the whole of the Old
Testament.
( From these communications I plainly perceive the
important duty which now devolves on Christians pos-
sessing the art of printing, to send to the Jews in the
East, copies of the Hebrew Scriptures, and particularly
of the prophetical books. If only the prophecies of
Isaiah and Daniel were published among them, the effect
might be great. They do not want the Law so much.
But the prophetical books would appear among them
with some novelty, particularly in a detached form ; and
could be easily circulated through the remotest parts of
Asia/
MANUSCRIPTS.
' Almost in every house I find Hebrew books, printed
or manuscript; particularly among the White Jews.
203 Cljrfettan
Most of the printed Hebrew of Europe has found its
way to Cochin, through the medium of the Portuguese
and Dutch commerce of former times. When I ques-
tioned the Jews concerning the old copies of the Scrip-
tures, which had been read in the Synagogues from age
to age ; some told me that it was usual to bury them
when decayed by time and use. Others said that this
was not always the case. I despaired at first of being
able to procure any of the old biblical writings ; but
after I had been in the country about six weeks, and
they found that I did not expect to obtain them merely
as presents, some copies were recovered. The White
Jews had only the Bible written on parchment, and of
modern appearance, in their Synagogue ; but I was inform-
ed that the Black Jews possessed formerly copies written on
Goat Skins ; and that in the Synagogue of the Black Jews
there was an old Record Chest, into which the decayed co-
pies of their Scriptures had been thrown. I accordingly went
to the Synagogue with a few of the chief men, and exa-
mined the contents, which some of them said they had
never looked at before, and did not seem greatly to value.
The manuscripts were of various kinds, on parchment,
goat-skins, and cotton paper. I negotiated for them
hastily, and wrapped them up in two cloths, and gave
them to the Jews to carry home to my house. I had
observed some murmuring amongst the byestanders in the
Synagogue, while I was examining the chest : and before
we appeared in the streets, the alarm had gone forth, that
the Christians were robbing the Synagogue of the Law.
There were evident symptoms of tumult, and the women
and children collected and were following us. I request-
ed some of the more respectable Jews to accompany me
respectmjj tlje eto& sog
out of the town ; but I had scarcely arrived at my own
house at Cochin, , when the persons who had permitted
me to take the manuscipts, came in evident agitation,
and told me I must restore them immediately to calm the
popular rage. Others had gone to complain to the
Chief Magistrate, Thomas Flower, Esq. And now I had
lost my spoil, but for the friendly counsel and judicious
conduct of Mr. Flower. He directed that all the manu-
scripts should be delivered up to him, and, that there
should be no further proceedings on the subject with-
out his authority. To this the Jews agreed. There
was some plea of justice on my side, as it was under-
stood that I had given a valuable consideration. In the
mean time he allowed a few days to pass, that the minds
of the people might become tranquil, and he then sum-
moned some of the more liberal men, and gave them a
hearing on the subject. In the mean time I thought
it prudent to retire from Cochin, for a day or two, and
went to Cranganor, about sixteen miles off, to Colonel
Macaulay, the British Resident at Tra van core, who was
then at the house of Mr. Drummond, the Collector of
Malabar. On my return to Cochin, Mr. Flower inform-
ed me that all the manuscripts were to be returned to
my house ; that I was to select what was old, and of lit-
tle use to the Jews, and to give back to them what was
new. The affair ended, however, in the Jews permitting
me generously to retain some part of the new.
I have since made a tour through thetowns of the Black
Jews in the interior of the country, Tritoor, Paroor,
Chenotta, and Maleh. I have procured a good many
manuscripts, chiefly in the Rabbinical character, some of
2 1 o Christian Heseardjes
which the Jews themselves cannot read ; and I do not
know what to say to their traditions. A copy of the
Scriptures belonging to Jews of the East, who might be
supposed to have had no communication with Jews in the
West, has been long considered a desideratum in Eu-
rope ; for the Western Jews have been accused by some
learned men of altering or omitting certain words in
the Hebrew text, to invalidate the argument of Chris-
tians. But Jews in the East, r remote from the contro-
versy, would have no motive for such corruptions. One or
two of the MSS. which I have just procured, will pro-
bably be of some service in this respect. One of them
is an old copy of the Books of Moses, written on a roll
of leather. The skins are sewed together, and the
roll is about forty-eight feet in length. It is, in some
places, worn out, and the holes have been sewed up with
pieces of parchment. Some of the Jews suppose that
this roll came originally from Senna, in Arabia ; others
have heard that it was brought from Cashmir. The
Cabul Jews, who travel into the interior of China, say
that in some Synagogues the Law is still written on a
roll of leather, made of Goats' skins dyed red ; not on
vellum, but on a soft flexible leather ; which agrees with
the description of the roll above mentioned.'*
* Mr. Yeates, formerly of All Souls College, Oxford,
and editor of the Hebrew Grammar, has been employed by
the author for the last two years, at Cambridge, in arranging
and collating the Hebrew and Syriac MSS. brought from In-
dia. His collation of the Roll of the Pentateuch above men-
tioned, is now finished, and will form a volume in quarto.
The University has, with great liberality, resolved that this
respecting t&e fetes, 2 1 1
* Ever since I came among these people, and heard
their sentiments on the prophecies, and their confident
hopes of returning to Jerusalem) I have thought much
on the means of obtaining a version of the NEW TESTA-
MENT in the Hebrew language, and circulating it among
them and their brethren in the East. I had heard that
there were one or two translations of the Testament
in their own possession, but they were studiously kept
out of my sight, for a considerable time. At last, how-
ever, they were produced by individuals in a private man-
ner. One of them is written in the small Rabbinical or
Jerusalem character ; the other in a large square letter.
The history of the former is very interesting. The
translator, a learned Rabbi, conceived the design of
making an accurate version of the New Testament, for
the express purpose of confuting it. His style is copious
and elegant, like that of a master in the language, and
the translation is in general faithful. It does not indeed
appear that he wished to pervert the meaning of a single
sentence ; but depending on his own abilities and renown
as a scholar, he hoped to be able to controvert its doc-
trines, and to triumph over it by fair contest in the pre-
sence of the world. There is yet a mystery about the
circumstances of this man's death, which time will
perhaps unfold : the Jews are not inclined to say much
to me about him. His version is complete, and written
with greater freedom and ease towards the end than at
book shall be printed at the ex pence of the University, for the
benefit of Mr. Yeates ; and Dr. Marsh, the learned Editor of
Michaelis, has written a Note on the antiquity and importance
of the manuscript, which will form a Preface to the work.
P2
212 Christian
the beginning. How astonishing it is that an enemy
should have done this ! that he should have persevered
resolutely and calmly L o the end of his work ! not indeed
always calmly ; for there is sometimes a note of execra-
tion on the Sacred Person who is the subject of it, to
unburden his mind and ease the conflict of his labouring
soul. At the close of the Gospels, as if afraid of the con-
verting power of his own translation, ( he calls heaven
to witness that he had undertaken the work with the
professed design of opposing the Epicureans ;' by which
term he contemptuously means the Christians.
6 I have had many interesting conferences with the
Jews, on the subject of their present state ; and have
been much struck with two circumstances ; their con-
stant reference to the DESOLATION of Jerusalem,
and their confident hope that it will be one day RE-
BUILT. The desolation of the Holy City is ever pre-
sent to the minds of the Jews, when the subject is con-
cerning themselves as a Nation ; for, though without
a king, and without a country, they constantly speak of
the unity of their nation. Distance of time and place
seems to have no effect in obliterating the remembrance
of the Desolation. I often thought of the verse in the
Psalms, ' If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right
hand forget her cunning/ They speak of Palestine as
being close at hand, and easily accessible. It is become
an ordinance of their Rabbins in some places, that when
a man builds a new house, he shall leave a small part of
it unfinished, as an emblem of ruin, and write on it these
words, Zecher Lachwchan, i. e. In MEMORY of the
DESOLATION.
respecting tye fetus* 2 1 s
* Their hopes of REBUILDING the walls of Jerusalem,
the THIRD and LAST time, under the auspices of the
Messiah, or of a second Cyrus, before his coming, are
always expressed with great confidence. They have
a general impression, that the period of their liberation
from the Heathen is not very remote ; and they consider
the present commotions in the earth as gradually loosen-
ing their bonds. f It is/ say they, ( a sure sign of our
approaching restoration, that in almost all countries
there is a GENERAL RELAXATION of the persecution
against us/ I pressed strongly upon them the prophecies
of Daniel. In former times that Prophet was not in
repute among the Jews, because he predicted the coming
of the Messiah at the end of ' the seventy weeks f and
his book has been actually removed from the list of pro-
phetic writings, and remains, to this day, among the Hagi-
Qgrap]w 9 such as Job, the Psalms, the Proverbs, Ruth; but
he now begins to be popular among those who have studied
him, because he has predicted that the final { accomplish-
ment of the indignation against the holy people' is near
at hand. The strongest argument to press upon the
mind of a Jew, at this period, is to explain to his convic-
tion Daniel's period of 1260 years ; and then to shew the
analogy which it bears to the period of the Evangelist
John, concerning the Papal and Mahomedan powers j
with the state of which the Jews are well acquainted.
, ' I passed through the burial-ground of the Jews the
pther day. Some of the tombs are handsomely con-
structed, and have Hebrew inscriptions in prose and
verse. This mansion of the dead is called by the Jews,
Beth Haiim, or, < The House of the Living/
214 Christian
' Being much gratified with my visit to the Jews of
Malabar, and desirous to maintain some communication
with them, 1 have engaged a very respectable member of
their community to accompany me with his servant to
Bengal, and to remain with me in the capacity of Hebrew
Moonshee, or teacher, until my return to England. Ob-
serving that in the houses of the White Jews there are
many volumes of printed Hebrew, mostly of the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries, which are rarely met with in
England, I have employed Misrahi, that is the name of
my Moonshee, to collect some of the most valuable.'
At the beginning of the following year (1808)
the Author visited Cochin a second time, and
proceeded afterwards to Bombay, where he had
an opportunity of meeting with some very intel-
ligent men of the Jewish nation. They had
heard of his conferences with the Cochin Jews,
and were desirous to discuss certain topics, par-
ticularly the prophecies of Isaiah ; and they
engaged in them with far more spirit and frank-
ness, he thought, than their brethren at Cochin
had done. They told him, that if he would
take a walk to the Bazar in the suburb, without
the walls of Bombay town, he would find a Sy-
nagogue without a Sepher Tora, or book of the
Law. He did so, and found it to be the case.
The minister and a few of the Jews assembled,
and shewed him their Synagogue, in which there
215
were some loose leaves of prayers in manuscript,
but no book of the Law. The Author did not
understand that they disapproved of the kaw ;
but they had no eopy of it. They seemed to
have little knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures
or history. This only proved what he had been
often told, that small portions of the Jewish
nation melt away from time to time, and are
absorbed in the mass of the heathen world.
Nor is this any argument against the truth of
the prophecy, which declares that they should
remain a separate and distinct people ; for these
are mere exceptions. Conversions to Christianity
in the early ages would equally militate against
the prediction, taken in an absolute sense.
THE TEN TRIBES.
THE Tribes of Israel are no longer to be in-
quired after by name. The purpose, for which
they were once divided into tribes, was accom*
plished when the genealogy of the Messiah was
traced to the stem of David, Neither do the Isra^
elites themselves know certainly from what fami-
lies they are descended. And this is a chief argu-
2 1 6 Cfmsttan Eesear cfces
ment against the Jews, to which the Author
never heard that a Jew could make a sensible
reply. The tribe of Judah was selected as that
from which the Messiah should come; and
behold, the Jews do not know which of them
are of the tribe of Judah.
While the Author was amongst the Jews of
Malabar, he made frequent inquiries concerning
the Ten Tribes. When he mentioned that it
was the opinion of some, that they had migrated
from the Chaldean provinces, he was asked to
what country we supposed they had gone, and
whether we had ever heard of their moving in
a great army on such an expedition.
It will be easy perhaps to shew, that the
great body of the Ten Tribes remain to this day
in the countries to which they were first carried
captive. If we can discover where they were
in the first century of the Christian Era, which
was seven hundred years after the carrying
away to Babylon, and again where they were in
the fifth century, we certainly may be able to
trace them up to this time.
Josephus, who wrote in the reign of Vespa-
sian, recites a speech made by King Agrippa to
the Jews, wherein he exhorts them to submit
to the Romans, and expostulates with them in
these words : " What, do you stretch your
respecting tlje 3?eto& 2 1 7
" hopes beyond the river Euphrates ? Do any
" of you think that your fellow- tribes will
" come to your aid out of Adiabene? Besides,
" if they would come, the Parthian will not
permit it." (Jos. de Bell. Lib. ii. c. 28.) We
learn from this oration, delivered to the Jews
themselves, and by a King of the Jews, that
the Ten Tribes were then captive in Media,
under the Persian Princes.
In the fifth century, Jerome, author of the
Vulgate, treating of the dispersed Jews, in his
Notes upon Hosea, has these words: "Unto this
" day, the Ten Tribes are subject to the Kings
" of the Persians, nor has their captivity ever
" been loosed." (Tom. vi. p. 7-) ; and again
he says, " The Ten Tribes inhabit at this day
" the cities and mountains of the Medes."
Tom. vi. p. 80.
There is no room left for doubt on this
subject. Have we heard of any expedition of
the Jews " going forth from that country,
" since that period, like the Goths and Huns,
" to conquer nations ?" Have we ever heard of
their rising in insurrection to burst the bands
of their captivity ? To this day, both Jews and
Christians are generally in a state of captivity
jn these despotic countries. No family dares
sis Christian Eesearcijes
to leave the kingdom without permission of the
King.*
Mahomedanism reduced the number of the
Jews exceedingly : It was presented to them at
the point of the sword. We know that multi-
tudes of Christians received it ; for example,
" the seven Churches of Asia ;" and we may
believe, that an equal proportion of Jews were
proselyted by the same means. In the provinces
of Cashmire and AfFghanistan, some of the
Jews submitted to great sacrifices, and they
remain Jews to this day ; but the greater
number yielded, in the course of ages, to the
power of the reigning religion. Their counte-
nance, their language, their names, their rites
and observances, and their history, all conspire
to establish the fact.f We may judge, in some
degree, of the number of those who would
yield to the sword of Mahomed, and conform,
in appearance at least, to what was called a
* Joseph Emin, a Christian well known in Calcutta, wished
to bring his family from Ispahan $ but he could not effect it,
though our Government interested itself in his behalf.
f Mr. Forster was so much struck with the general ap-
pearance, garb, and manners of the Cashmirians, as to think,
without any previous knowledge of the fact, that he had been
suddenly transported among a nation of JEWS. See Forstefs
Travels.
respecting t&e eto& 219
sister Religion, from the number of those who
conformed to the Christian Religion, under the
influence of the Inquisition in Spain and Por-
tugal. Orobio, who was himself a Jew, states
in his History, that there were upwards of
twenty thousand Jews in Spain alone, who,
from fear of the Inquisition, professed Christi-
anity, some of whom were Priests and Bishops.
The tribes of the Affghan race are very nume-
rous, and of different casts ; and it is probable,
that the proportion which is of Jewish descent
is not great. The Affghan nations extend on
both sides of the Indus, and inhabit the moun-
tainous region, commencing in Western Persia.
They differ in language, customs, religion, and
countenance, and have little knowledge of each
other. Some tribes have the countenance of
the Persian, and some of the Hindoo ; and some
tribes are evidently of Jewish extraction.
Calculating then the number of Jews, who
now inhabit the provinces of ancient Chaldea,
or the contiguous countries, and who still
profess Judaism ; and the number of those who
embraced Mahomedanism, or some form of it,
in the same regions ; we may be satisfied,
" That the greater part of the Ten Tribes,
4 which now exist, are to be found in the coun-
41 tries of their first captivity."
220 Christian JResearcfjes
RESTORATION OF THE JEWS.
THAT many of the Jews, when liberated from
their state of oppression, will return to Judea,
appears probable from the general tenor of pro-
phecy, and from their own natural and uncon-
querable attachment to that country ; but we
know not for what purpose they should all
return thither; and it is perfectly unnecessary
to contend for the fact, or to impose it as a
tenet of faith. We perceive no reason why
they should leave the nations in which they
live, when these nations are no longer heathen.
Nor is it possible, in numerous cases, to ascer-
tain who are Jews, and who arc not. It is also
true, that before Judea could nourish the whole
body of Jews, even in their present reduced
state, the ancient FERTILITY which was taken
away according to prophecy, (Deut. xxviii. 23
and 38) must be restored by miracle. But we
have no warrant to look for a miracle under the
finished dispensation of the Gospel. We pos-
sess " the MORE sure word of prophecy," (2 Pet.
i* 19?) and look not for signs and wonders. We
expect no miracle for the Jews, but that of their
respecting tl>e f eto& 22 1
conversion to Christianity ; which \vill be
a greater miracle, than if the first Temple
were to rise in its gold and costly stones, and
Solomon were again to reign over them in all
his glory.
Much caution is also required in stating to
them our opinions concerning a MILENNIUM, or
period of universal truth and felicity. It was
prophesied to Israel, about seven hundred years
before the coming of the Messiah, that a time
should be, " when nation should no longer lift
" the sword against nation, neither should men
" learn war any more :" when " the knowledge
" of the Lord, which was then confined to
" Judea, should cover the earth, as the waters
" cover the sea;'' and when "they should not
" teach every man his neighbour, saying,
" Know the Lord, for ALL should know him
" from the least to the greatest." These pro-
phecies were fulfilled generally when the
Messiah appeared. The Gospel of Peace was
preached to men, and " the sound thereof went
" to the ends of the earth." The last predic-
tion, which is the clearest and strongest of all,
" They shall not teach every man his neigli-
" hour, saying, Know the Lord, for ALL shall
" know him, from the least to the greatest," is
expressly quoted by the Apostle Paul, Heb. viii.
cijristtan
11.) as having been already fulfilled by the
manifestation of Christ, who abrogated the old
covenant with Israel, which was confined to
FEW, and made a new covenant with the world,
which was extended to ALL.
It is believed, however, that the predictions
above recited will receive a more particular ac-
complishment hereafter, and that the glory even
of the primitive Church shall be far surpassed.
But it does not appear, that the conversion of
men at any future period will be UNIVERSAL.
It is evident, indeed, from the sure word of
prophecy, that there will be a long time of
general holiness and peace, which will succeed
to the present reign of vice and misery, proba-
bly " a thousand years ," during which, righte-
ousness will be as common as wickedness is
now ; and further, that this period is at hand,
even at the door.* But I see no ground for be-
lieving that such righteousness will be universal,
or that this life will ever be other than a state
of probation and trial to qualify for " meetness
" for the heavenly kingdom." Our Saviour sets
forth, in different places, the character of his
* See Scott's Bible, Rev. xx. 4,
respecting ti)e 3fetos 223
Church, to the end of time, and that character
is always the same. The Gospel he compares to
" seed sown by the sower, some on good and
" some on bad ground." Those who hear this
Gospel he compares to men .building on the
rock, or on the sand ; travelling in the broad, or
in the narrow way ; and to wheat and tares
growing in the same field. " The field is the
world," saitli our Lord ; " the good seed are the
children of the kingdom : the tares are the
" children of the wicked one : the enemy that
" sowed them is the devil : the harvest is the
" end of the world ; and the reapers are the
angels." Matth. xiii. 39- This we believe to be
a picture of the visible Church to the end of
time.
In regard to the progress, conflict, and final
extent of the Gospel, our Saviour notices all
these circumstances generally in his last dis-
course to his disciples. In the twenty-fourth
chapter of St. Matthew, he gives an epitome of
his more detailed prophecy in the Book of Re-
velation. He foretels that there shall be " wars
" and rumours of wars, persecutions, famines,
" pestilences, earthquakes, false prophets, and
apostasies :" and then he adds, " And this Gos-
" pel of the kingdom shall be preached in all
224. Christian
" the world for a WITNESS unto all nations :
<f and then shall the end come."
To suppose that there will be a period when
the Church on earth shall be no longer mili-
tant, is to suppose that a time will come when
the Christian may die without being able to say,
" I have fought a good fight;*' when there will-
be little inward corruption, and little outward
opposition ; little vestige of the old Adam, in
the new race, and little use for the old Bible, in
the new state of things. Let us interpret Scrip-
ture soberly. When the Milennium 'arrives,
kno\vledge and holiness will be general; but
not universal. Perfection is to be attained, not
in this world, but in heaven.
On the Author's return to England, he found
that a Society had been instituted for the Con-
version of the Jews ; and he was not a little
surprised to hear that some Christians had op-
posed its institution. He was less surprised at
this, however, when he he was informed that
objections had been brought against the Society
for the circulation of the BIBLE. It is possible
to urge political arguments against Christianity
respecting
itself. Such a spirit as this does not seem en-
titled to much courtesy ; for it springs directly
from this assumption, That the Bible is not from
God, or, That there is something greater than
TRUTH.
The grand object, which now engages the
attention of the Jewish Institution is a Trans-
lation of the New Testament into the Hebrew
Language. To assist them in this important
work, a copy of the Manuscript found in Ma*
labar, now commonly called the Trcrcaricore
Testament, has been presented to them.* The
volume has been fairly described by Mr. Yeates,
of Cambridge, in the square Hebrew character,
and forms three volumes, quarto. The question
now under consideration by the Society is,
whether it shall be received as the basis for the
general translation. The first sheet of the
intended version has already been printed off,
for the purpose of being submitted as a specimen
to the best Hebrew scholars in the kingdom,
both Jews and Christians; in order that it may
go forth in as perfect a form as may be. So
that it is possible, that before the end of the
present year, the Four Gospels will be published,
* Seep. 207.
Q
226 Clmsttan
and copies sent to the Jews in the East, as the
FIRST-FRUITS of the Jewish Institution. It is
very remarkable, that this should be the very
year which was calculated long ago, by a learned
man, as that in which " the times of happiness
" to Israel " should begin. In the year ] 677,
Mr. Samuel Lee, a scholar of enlarged views,
who had studied the prophetical writings with
great attention, published a small volume, enti-
tled, ".Israel Redux, or The Restauration of
" Israel." He calculates the event from the
prophecies of Daniel and of St. John, and com-
mences the great period of 1260 years, not from
A. D. 608, which we think correct, but from A. D.
476, which brings it to 1736. He, then adds,
" After the great conflicts with the Papal powers
" in the West, will begin the stirs and commo-
" tions about the Jews and Israel in the East.
" If then to 1736 we add 30 more, they reach
" to 1766 ; but the times of perplexity are de-
" termined (by Daniel) to last 45 years longer.
" If then we conjoin those 45 years more to
" 1766, it produces one thousand eight hundred
(t and ELEVEN, for those times of happiness to
Israel."*
* See " Israel Kedui/' page 122, printed in Cornhill,
London, 1677.
respecting tlje 3fetou 227
VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES
FOR THE JEWS.
IN THE ORIENTAL LANGUAGES.
SINCE writing the above, the Author has
received the following communication from the
Rev. David Brown, dated Calcutta, March 15,
1810:
ec Dr. Leyden, of the College of Fort William, in
a letter communicated to me yesterday, has offered
to conduct Translations of the Scriptures in the following
languages; viz."
1. AFFGHAN, 5. Bucis,
2. CASHMIRIAN, 6. MACASSAR,
3. JAGHATAI, and
4. SIAMESE, 7 MALDIVIAN.
" The Jaghatai is the original Turcoman Language,
as spoken in the central districts of Asia. The Bugis
is the language of the Celehes. The Macassar is
spoken at Macassar, in the Celebes, and in the great
island of BORNEO.
" Dr. Leyden is assisted, as you know, by lenrned
natives in the compilation of Grammars and Vocabu-
laries in the above languages, and entertains no doubt
that he shall be able to effect correct versions of the
Scriptures in them all."
228 Christian Hegeatrtjes.
Thus, sooner than could have been expected r
are we likely to have the Bible translated into
the language of the CELEBES.* But who can
estimate the importance of a translation of the
Scriptures into the languages of Affghana and
Cashmire, those Jewish regions ?
The Jaghatai or Zagathai, is the language of
Great Bucharia, which was called Zagathai, from
a son of Zenghis Khan. It is an auspicious cir-
cumstance for Dr. Ley den's translation of the
Jaghatai, that Prince Zagathai himself embraced
Christianity, and made a public profession of
the Gospel in his capital of Samarchand.f There
were at that period above a hundred Christian
Churches in the province ; and some of them
remain to this day. We are also informed, both
by the Nestorian and Romish writers, that there
was a version of the New Testament and Psalms,
in a Tartar Language. Dr. Leyden will soon
discover whether this was the Jaghatai. That
language is spoken in Bochara, Balk, and Samar-
chand, and in other cities of Usbeck, and Inde-
pendent Tartary. This is the country which
* See p. 86 for an account of the importance of this lan-
guage,
f See Mosheim's EccL Tartar History, p. 40.
respecting tlje fetos. 229
Dr. Giles Fletcher, who was Envoy of Queen
Elizabeth, at the Court of the Czar of Muscovy,
has assigned as the principal residence of the
descendants of the Ten Tribes. He argues from
their place, from the name of their cities, from
their language, which contains Hebrew and
Chaldaic words, and from their peculiar rites
which are Jewish. Their principal city Samar-
chand is pronounced Samarchian, which Dr.
Fletcher thinks, might be a name given by the
Israelites after their own Samaria in Palestine.
(See Israel Redux, p. 12.) Benjamin of Tudela,
who travelled into this country, in the twelfth
century, and afterwards published his Itinerary,
says, " In Samarchand, the city of Tamerlane,
" there are 50,000 Jews under the presidency of
" Rabbi Obadiah : and in the mountains and cities
" of Nisbor, there are four tribes of Israel resi-
" dent, viz. Dan, Zabulon Asher, and Naph-
hali."* It is remarkable that the people of
Zagathai should be constantly called Ephthalites
and Nephthalites by the Byzantine writers, who
alone had any information concerning them.f
The fact seems to be, that, if from Babylon as a
* See Benjamini Itinerarium, p, 9".
f Theophanes t $. 79.
230 Christian
centre, you describe a segment of a circle, from
the northern shore of Caspian Sea to the heads
of the Indus, you will enclose the territories
containing the chief body of the dispersed tribes
of Israel.
This design of Dr. Leyden to superintend the
translation of the Scriptures in SEVEN new lan-
guages, marks the liberal views, and the enterpris-
ing and ardent mind of that scholar, and will be
hailed by the friends of Christianity in Europe
as a noble undertaking, deserving their utmost
eulogy and patronage. It will give pleasure to
all those who have hitherto taken any interest
in " the restoration of learning in the East," to
see that the College of Fort-William is pro-
ducing such excellent fruit. May its fame be
perpetual !*
* There are now several Orientalists, members of the Asiatic
Society, who have been engaged in translating the Holy Scrip-
tures. We hope hereafter to see the name of Mr. Colebrooke
added to the number. Mr. C. is the Father of Shanscrit
Literature, and has lately published an Essay on the Shanscrit
Poetry and Metres. How much gratified should we be to see
aversion of the Pentateuch from his pen ! or at least a Critique
on the New Testament, which has been already translated into
Shanscrit. Mr. C. is the proper man to oppose the Pentateuch
to the Hindoo Cosmogony, and to invite the Brahmins to con-
template the Mosaic Records, in classical Shanscrit. This
33tbltoti)eca Stblfeu 221
THE BIBLIOTHECA BIBLICA
IN BENGAL.
THE Bibliotheca Biblica is a Repository for
Bibles in the Oriental Languages, and for Bibles
only. They are here deposited for sale, at mo-
derate prices ; and lists of the various versions
are sent to remote parts of Asia, that individuals
may know where to purchase them ; the com-
merce from the port of Calcutta rendering the
transmission of books extremely easy. Those
\vho desire to have copies for gratuitous distri-
bution, are supplied at the cost prices. This in-
stitution is under the immediate superintendence
of the Rev. David Brown, late Provost of the
College of Fort- William : and it is supported by
would be a work worthy of his great erudition ; and his name,
as a Shanscrit Scholar, would then, indeed, live for ever.
Mr. Colebrooke has ever shewn kindness to the humble Mis-
sionaries, who have been cultivating the Shanscrit Tongue j
he has supplied them with books, and afforded them every
liberal aid $ it will give him no regret, at his last hour, to think
that he has had it in his power, in any degree, to promote th
cause of Christianity.
232 c&rfetten
all the translators of the Bible in India, who
send in their versions, and by the College of
Fort- William, which sends in its versions.
There have been already deposited in the Bi-
bliotheca Biblica four thousand volumes, in the
following languages :
ARABIC, ORISSA,
PERSIAN, BENGALEE,
HlNDOOSTANEE, CHINESE,
SHANSCRIT, PORTUGUESE, and
MAHRATTA, ENGLISH.
These translations have been chiefly furnished
by the following persons ;
Dr. WILLIAM CAREY and Mr. JOSHUA
MARSHMAN ; two men, whose names will pro-
bably go down to the latest posterity in India,
as faithful translators of the Holy Scriptures.
These have furnished the Shanscrit, Bengalee,
Qrissa, and Mahratta.
NATHANEAL SABAT, from Arabia, has contri-
buted the Persian. The first Persian transla-
tion (which is also in the Bibliotheca) was made
by the late Lieutenant-Col. COLEBROOK, Sur
veyor-General in Bengal ; and it " blesses his
memory."
3BtbltotJ)eca Etbltca. 233
MIRZA FITRUT furnishes the Hindoostanee t
There is another Hindoostanee translation by the
Miss ionaries at Serampore ; and
Mr. JOANNES LASSAR is author of the Chinese.
There will be a large accession to this honour-
able catalogue in a year or two. It is astonish"
ing how much this simple Institution, like the
Bible Society in England, has attracted the at-
tention of the public, Native and European,
wherever it has been announced. The Superin-
tendants have recently sent to England for the
following supply of Bibles, which is now collect-
ing for them, viz.
Old and New. Test. New Test
English - 2000 2000
Portuguese - - 2000 2000
French - - 500 500
German - 500
Dutch 500
Danish - - 500
Spanish - - 200
Latin 100 100
Italian - 100 100
Hebrew - - 100
jGreek - - 100 100
Syriac ..... _
pwedish ..... 50
234
Prussian - 50
Russian - 50
Armenian, "j
Malay, and >As many copies as can be procured.
Arabic, J
Attached to the Bibliotheca Biblica is a
TRANSLATION LIBRARY, containing books for
the use of the Translators of the Scriptures.
As this Library is not complete, many of the
necessary works not being procurable in India,
a list of the volumes required will be published ;
in the hope that learned bodies and individuals
having duplicates, will be pleased to present
them to the Bibliotheca Biblica in Bengal.
Tnis institution was first organized by the
Rev. Mr. Brown, with a full reliance on the
patronage of the British and Foreign Bible
Society, which has cordially embraced his views,
and of the Society for promoting Christian
Knowledge, and of the Universities in the Uni-
ted Kingdom, which we hope will enrich its
Translation Library.
The Rev. David Brown, Senior Chaplain of
the East-India Company in Bengali formerly of
Magdalen College, Cambridge, has now been
twenty seven years resident in India ; and is the
zealous promoter of Sacred Learning in the East.
He is educating his THREE soxs in India, solely
Etbltofljeca Sftttow 235
with the view of qualifying them for the impor-
tant purpose of extending the knowledge of
Christianity in Asia. Being himself a Hebrew-
scholar, his first object has been to ground them
well in the Hebrew and Syriac Languages;
rightly judging that a knowledge of these forms
the best foundation for ability to produce ac-
curate translations of the Scriptures in the other
Oriental Tongues. But they have now added
to these first languages the Arabic, Persian, and
Hwdo&tanec, which they pronounce like natives
of t lie East. They have had the advantage of
the best teachers in the different languages, par-
ticularly of SHALOM, an eminent Hebrew scho-
lar from Arabia. So that this little Institution
in Mr. Brown's house, may be called the
HEBREW SCHOOL in Bengal.
It is understood to be Mr. Brown's intention
to send his three sons to England, at the proper
age, to finish their education at the University,
and to enter the Church; with the view of their
returning to exercise their ministrations in India.
Mr. Brown himself has now seen two or three
generations pass away in Calcutta, (how short
is a Calcutta generation !) and has exhibited to
a large and refined society the doctrine and the
example of a faithful minister of the Gospel.
Marquis Cornwallis first recommended him to
236 Cfjrfettan Eeseatrt)e&
the Court of Directors as a proper person to
fill his present important situation, and this he
did from a personal knowledge of his truly up-
right and disinterested character. In the many
Governments which have succeeded, there is
not one, as the Author believes, which has not
recorded a public testimony to the merits of
their Senior Chaplain. Marquis Wellesley, in
particular, honoured him with his confidence
and esteem, to the end of his administration.
It was under the auspices of that Nobleman,
that Mr. Brown instituted the " Calcutta CHA-
RITABLE FUND for distressed Europeans and
others ;" of which it may be truly said, that it has
been a Fountain of Mercy to thousands in Bengal
for ten years past, it having been established in
the first year of the new century.* Mr. Brown
would have probably returned from India with
his large family by this time, but his diffusive
benevolence in private charity, and in public
undertakings, both in India and England, and
the frequent demands on a man in his public
station, he being at the head of the Church in
Bengal, have not permitted him to increase his
* This Institution not only assists occasionally, but pensions
permanently, Europeans, Mahomedans, and Hindoos.
respecting tlje armenians. 237
fortune suitably. And now, the prospect which
opens to his view of being more extensively use-
ful than before, in encouraging translations of
the Scriptures, in promoting the objects of the
Bible Society, and in educating his sons for the
Oriental Church, makes him willing to remain a
few years longer in India.
THE ARMENIANS.
A LEARNED author, in a work published about
the beginning of the last century, entitled "The
" Light of the Gospel, rising on all nations,"
observes, " that the Armenian Christians will
" be most eminently qualified for the office of
" extending the knowledge of Christianity
" throughout the nations of Asia."* This is
undoubtedly true. Next to the Jews, the Ar-
menians will form the most generally useful
body of Christian Missionaries. They are to be
found in every principal city of Asia; they arc
the general merchants of the East, and are in a
state of constant motion from Canton to Con-
stantinople. Their general character is that of
wealthy, industrious, and enterprising people
* Fabricii Lux Evangelii, p. 65 1 .
258 Christian Heseardjes
They are settled in all the principal places of
India, where they arrived many centuries before
the English. Wherever they colonize, they build
Churches, and observe the solemnities of the
Christian Religion in a decorous manner. Their
Ecclesiastical Establishment in Hindoostanis
more respectable than that of the English. Like
us, they have three Cl lurches in the three capitals,
one at Calcutta, one at Madras, and one at
Bombay ; but they have also Churches in the
interior of the country.* The Bishop sometimes
visits Calcutta ; but he is not resident there.
The proper country of these Christians is Arme-
nia, the greater part of which is subject to the
Persian Government ; but they are scattered all
over the Empire, the commerce of Persia
being chiefly conducted by Armenians. Their
Patriarch resides at Ervcan> not far from Mount
Ararat.
The history of the Armenian Church is very
interesting. Of all the Christians in central Asia
they have preserved themselves most free from
Mahomedan and Papal corruptions. The Pope
assailed them for a time with great violence, but
with little effect. The Churches in lesser Ar-
* In Bengal alone, they have Churches at Dacca, Sydalad,
and Chinsurah.
respecting tfje 3rmentan& 239
menia indeed consented to an union which did
not long continue; but those in Persian Arme-
nia maintained their independence; and they
retain their ancient Scripture, doctrines, and
worship, to this day. " It is marvellous/' says
an intelligent traveller, who was much among
them, " how the Armenian Christians have pre-
" served their faith, equally against the vexati-
" ous oppression of the Mahomedans their Sove-
" reigns, and against the persuasions of the
" Romish Church, which for more than two
" centuries has endeavoured, by Missionaries,
" Priests, and Monks, to attach them to her
"Communion. It is impossible to describe the
" artifices and expences of the Court of Rome,
" to effect this object ; but all in vain."*
The Bible was translated into the Armenian
Language in the fifth century, under very auspi-
cious circumstances, the history of which has
come down to us. It has been allowed, by com-
petent judges of the language, to be a most
faithful translation. La Croze calls it " The
" Queen of Versions/t This Bible has ever re-
*Chardin, vol. II. p. 232,
/
f Mf . Joannes Lassar, who is now making a version of the
Scriptures in the Chinese Language, in Bengal, is an Arme-
240 Christian Hesearcljes
mained in the possession of the Armenian peo*
pie; and many illustrious instances of genuine
and enlightened piety occur in their history.
The manuscript copies not being sufficient for
the demand, a council of Armenian Bishops as-
sembled in 1662, and resolved to call in aid the
art of Printing, of which they had heard in
Europe. For this purpose they applied first to
France, but the Catholic Church refused to print
their Bible. At length it was printed at Am-
sterdam in 1666, and afterwards two other edi-
tions in 1668 and 1698. Since that time it has
been printed at Venice. One of the editions,
which the Author has seen, is not inferior,
in beauty of typography, to the best En-
glish Bible. How far these editions might
have supplied the Churches in Persia at
that time, he does not know ; but, at present,
the Armenian Scriptures are very rare in that
country, bearing no proportion to the Armenian
population ; and, in India, a copy is scarcely to
be purchased at any price.
The Armenians in Hindoostan are our own
nian Christian, and translates chiefly from the Armenian Bible,
But he also understands English, and consults the English,
version.
respecting tlje rmewan&
subjects. They acknowledge our government in
India, as they do that of the Sophi in Persia ;
and they are entitled to our regard. They have
preserved the Bible in its purity ; and their doc*
trines are, as far as the Author knows, the
doctrines of the Bible. Besides, they maintain
the solemn observance of Christian worship,
throughout our Empire, on the seventh day;
and they have as many spires pointing to heaven
among the Hindoos, as we ourselves. Are such
a people then entitled to no acknowledgment
on our part, as fellow-Christians ? Are they for
ever to be ranked by us with Jews, Mahomedans,
and Hindoos?"* Would it not become us to
approach nearer to these our subjects, endeavour
to gain their confidence, and conciliate their
esteem ? Let us, at least, do that which is easily
practicable. We are in possession of the means
of frinting, -which they have not. Let us print
* Sarkies Joannes, an Armenian merchant of Calcutta,
when he heard of the King's recovery from illness, in 1/89,
liberated all the prisoners for debt in the gaol of Calcutta.
His Majesty, hearing of this instance of loyalty in an Arme-
nian subject, sent him his picture in miniature. Sarkies wore
the Royal present suspended at his breast, during his life j
and it is now worn by his son, when he appears at the levee
of the Governor-general.
R
242 Cljrfettan iaesearrt)e&
the Armenian Bible, and employ proper persons
from among themselves to superintend the work,
and encourage them to disperse their own
faithful copy throughout the East. Let us
shew them, that the diffusion of the Scriptures
is an undertaking to which we are not indif-
ferent; and, by our example, let us stimulate
their zeal, which is very languid. But, however
languid their zeal may be, it is certain that they
consider the English as being yet more dead to
the interests of religion, than themselves.
Such a subject as this, indeed every subject
which is of great importance to Christianity,
is worthy the notice of our Government,
as well as of individuals and societies. The
printing press, which shall be employed in
multiplying copies of the pure Armenian Bible,
will prove a rich and precious fountain for the
evangelization of the East; and the Oriental
Bible Repository, at Calcutta, will be a central
and convenient place for its dispersion.
Doctrines of JRebelattoiu
VESTIGES
OP THE
DOCTRINES OF REVELATION,
IN passing through the regions of the East,
and surveying the various religious systems
which prevail, the mind of the Christian travel-
ler cannot fail to be impressed with the strong
resemblance which some of them bear to doc-
trines which are familiar to him. However
varied or disguised they may be, there are yet
some strong lines, which constantly recall his
thoughts to the doctrines of revelation, and
seem to point to a common origin.
The chief and distinguishing doctrines of
Scripture may be considered the four follow-
ing : viz. The Trinity in Unity ; the Incarna-
tion of the Deity; a Vicarious Atonement for
Sin; and the influence of the Divine Spirit on
the mind of man. Now if we should be able
to prove, that all these are represented in the
R 2
244 Christian
systems of the East, will any man venture to
affirm that it happens by chance ?
1. The doctrine of the TRINITY. The Hin-
doos believe in one God, Brahma ; and yet they
represent him as subsisting in three persons :
and they worship one or other of these persons in
every part of India.* And what proves distinctly
that they hold this doctrine is, that their most an-
cient representations of the Deity is formed of
one body, and three faces. The most remark-
able of these is that at the caves of Elephanta,
in an island near Bombay. The author visited
it in the year 1 808 ; nor has he seen any work
of art in the East, which he contemplated with
greater wonder. Whether considered with re-
spect to its colossal size, its great antiquity,
the beauty of the sculpture, or the excellence
of the preservation. From causes which can-
not now be known, the Hindoos have long ceas-
ed to worship at this Temple. Each of the
faces of the Triad is about five feet in length.
* Le common des Indiens n'adore qu'une seule de ces fr&is
..uv mites : mais quelques Savans addresseot encore leurs prieres
1 anx trois reunis.-IIy amerce des Temples entierement
" consacres a cette espere de Trinite ; " (such as Perpenad i
Travancore.) Sonnerat, Vol. I, 151.
3?0rtrines of Bebelatton. 245
The whole of the statue, and the spacious Tem-
ple which contains it, is cut out of the solid
rock of the mountain. The Hindoos assign
to these works an immense antiquity, and attri-
bute the workmanship to the Gods. The Tem-
ple of Elephanta is certainly one of the wonders
of the world, and is, perhaps, a grander effort of
the ingenuity of man, than the Pyramids of
Egypt.*
* Extract of a letter from the author to W. T. Money, Esq.
Bombay.
" Honourable Company's Ship Charlton,
' off &a, Feb. 26, 1808.
(t DEAR SIR,
" When I visited the Elephanta last week, and compared it
with the accounts of former travellers, I perceived that the ex-
cavated temple and figures were in a state of progressive dila-
pidation j and it seems to me probable, that when a few more
pillars shall have fallen in, the whole excavation will be over-
whelmed in the ruin of the super-incumbent mountain. If I
may offer an opinion on the means of preservation which are
practicable, I would suggest,
" That the dilapidated pillars be rebuilt entire of hewn stones
in three blocks, of granite of the mountain, after the original
model , the decayed bases of the columns, still standing, to be
strongly cased with the same stone ; and the broken limbs of
the figures to be restored, after the authority of the drawings
and descriptions of the first travellers. The floor to be cleared
Christian
Whence then have the Hindoos derived the
idea of a TRIUNE God ? It should seem as if
of rubbish, which, in some places, is two foot deep, that the
continuity of the rock with the bases of the columns, may
appear.
" The modern wall, inclosing the front,to be taken down, to
throw more light on the body of the place, and a slight railing
substituted at a greater distance.
" Steps to be cut in the rock for easy descent to the cold
well of sweet water. The jungle in front of the cave, and about
its edges, to be cleared, and the aperture of the mountain, on
each side, enlarged, to give more air and light.
" The old ELEPHANT himself on the side of the hill, to be
renewed, and a young elephant placed on his back, agreeably
to the first drawings. These drawings I can send you from
Europe, if you cannot procure them in India.
" And, lastly, an appropriate building to be erected on the
sea side, for the accommodation of visitors. Here may be de-
posited, for the immediate reference of travellers, those volumes
which contain the notices and opinions of the learned, concern-
ing Elephanta. This building might be occupied by the mili-
tary guard, which the Bombay government has recently station-
ed on the island to preserve the cavern from further injury
" Other improvements will suggest themselves to you on the
spot. To preserve to future ages this grand monument of an-
cient sculpture, (the worship of which has been long relin-
quished) is, I think, a commendable undertaking. Every Chris-
tian traveller can assign a reason for wishing that an emblem of
a Trinity in Unity existing in an ancient heathen nation, should
remain entire during the ages of the world."
of Ketoelatton,
they had heard of the ELOHIM of revelation in
the first chapter of Genesis, " Let us make
man."* Gen. i. 26.
2. The doctrine of the INCARNATION of the
Deity. The Hindoos believe that one of the
persons in their Trinity (and that too the second
person) was " manifested in the flesh." Hence
their fables of the Avatars, or Incarnations of
Vishnoo. And this doctrine is found over al-
most the whole of Asia. Whence then origi-
nated this idea " that God should become man
and take our nature upon him ? The Hindoos
do not consider that it was an Angel merely
that became man (like some Philosophers in
* It certainly cannot be proved that the Triad at Elephanta
is older than the Christian era. And if it be, we are yet to con-
sider that the Mosaic records brought down the notion of a Tri*
nity from the earliest ages. The modern Jews contend against
this fact, that they may not seem to countenance an argument
for the truth of Christianity ; but if they will read their own
Targums, they will see that their forefathers confessed it j as
in the following instance. Come and behold the mystery of
" the word ELOHIM. There are three degrees, and each de-
" gree is sole. Notwithstanding they are ONE $ and are uni-
ted into one j nor U one of them divided from another."
o
ft
R. SIMEON BEN JOCHAI,
In Zohar ad sext. Levit. sectionem.
248 Cjjrttttan
Europe) but God himself. Can there be any
doubt that the fabulous Incarnations of the
eastern mythology are derived from the real
Incarnation of the Son of God, or from the pro-
phecies that went before it ? Jesus the Mes-
siah is the true AVATAR.
3. The doctrine of a vicarious ATONEMENT
for sin, by the shedding of blood. To this day
in Hindoostan, the people bring the goat or kid
to the Temple, and the Priest sheds the blood
of the innocent victim.* Nor is this peculiar
*The inhabitants of Calcutta have a frequent opportunity
of seeing the headless and bloody kid carried on the shoulders
of the offerer through the streets, after having been sacrificed
at the Temple of Kalee, at Kalee Ghaut. KALEE is the god-
dess of destruction, Hack in visage, and having a necklace
composed ot the sculls of men.
It was a custom for the chief magistrate of police, in Cal-
cutta, (an English officer) to go out of the city in procession
with the Hindoos, on a certain day every year, to Kalee Ghaut.
The author will not assert, that he went out " to make an
" offering to the Goddess or her Priests, in the name of the
English government," because he never witnessed it. Nor
v.ill he say more on the subject. He has not heard whether it
is a custom. It is unjust that the character of the present
government, should snrTei from the latitude in. religious notions
of some of the first governors
It was also the custom for many of the English in Calcutta
IDortttoea of laebelation, 249
to Hindoos tan, throughout the whole East, the
doctrine of a sacrifice for sin seems to exist in
one Form or other. Ever since < Abel offered
unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain :''
ever since Noah, the father of the new world,
" offered burnt offerings on the altar/' sacrifices
have been offered up in almost every nation, as
to accept of invitations from the Hindoos, to be present at the
Nautch, or dance, at the Festival of the Doorga Poojah, cele-
brated in honour of their God DOORGA. At these Nautch-
es, the Idol, gorgeously arrayed, is placed on his throne, and
every body is supposed to bow in passing the throne. Groups
of dancing girls dance before the God, accompanied by various
music, and sing songs and hymns to his honour and glory.
The English are accommodated with seats, to look on. We
would not insinuate that any of the English bow to the Idol 5
and we shall suppose that those who attend the ceremony, do
it without thought, being merely swayed by the fashion of the
place, and unconcious of any thing wrong. But we would
suggest a doubt whether the custom of accepting such invi-
tations (which are generally on printed cards) should be con-
tinued at the seat of the supreme Government. Such liberties
might be very innocent if the Christian Religion were not true.
But it is the duty of a Christian people d wellingamongst Idolaters to
beware lest their actions should be misinterpreted ; for it is very
possible that their polite acquiescence in being ceremoniously
seated in the presence of the God, and witnessing the honours
paid to him, may be considered by some of the ignorant Hin-
doos, as a tacit approbation of their worship.
Christian iaesearc!)e&
if for a constant memorial to mankind that
" without shedding of blood, there is no remis-
" sion of sin/' Heb. ix. 22.
4. The influence of the Divine SPIRIT on the
minds of men. In the most ancient writings of
the Hindoos, some of which have been publish-
ed, it is asserted that " the divine spirit or light
of holy knowledge" influenced the minds of men.
And the man who is the subject of such influ-
ence is called " the man twice born." Many
chapters are devoted to the duties, character, and
virtues of " the man twice born."
Other doctrines might be illustrated by simi-
lar analogies. The characters of the Mosaic
ceremonial law pervade the whole system of the
Hindoo ritual and worship. Now, if these
analogies were merely partial or accidental, they
would be less important: but they are not ac-
cidental, as every man who is erudite in the holy
Scriptures, and in oriental mythology, well knows.
They are general and systematic. Has it ever
been alleged that the Light of Nature could
teach such doctrines as those which we have
above enumerated. Some of them are contrary
to the Light of Nature. Every where in the
East there appears to be a counterfeit of the true
doctrine. The inhabitants have lost sight of
the only true God, and they apply their tradi-
ecclesiastical stablfeljment 251
tional notions, to false Gods. These doctrines
are unquestionably relics of the first faith of
the earth ; they hear the strong ch racters of
God's primary revelation to man, which neither
the power of man, nor time itself, hath been
able to destroy : but which have endured from
age to age, like the works of nature, the moon
and stars, which God hath created, incorrup-
tible.
ECCLESIASTICAL ESTABLISHMENT
FOR
BRITISH INDIA.
BEFORE the Author left India, he published
a " Memoir of the Expediency of an Ecclesias-
u tical Establishment for ourEmpirein the East."
The design of that work was first suggested
to him by Dr. Porteus, late Bishop of London,
who had attentively surveyed the state of our
dominions in Asia ; and he was encouraged by
subsequent communications, with the Marquis
252 Cljtfettau
Wellesley, to endeavour to lead the attention of
the nation to the subject. That publication has
now been five years before the public ; and
many volumes have been written on the various
subjects which it contains ; but he does not know
that any objection has been made to the principle
of an Ecclesiastical Establishment for Christians
in India. An attempt has been made indeed to
divert the attention from the true object, and,
instead of considering it as an establishment for
Christians, to set it forth as an establishment
for instructing the Plindoos. But the instruc-
tion of the Hindoos is entirely a distinct con-
sideration, as was carefully noted in the Memoir.
At the end of the first part is the following
paragraph :
" It will be remembered, that nothing which
" has been observed is intended to imply that
c< any peculiar provision should be made imme-
<c diately for the instruction of the natives.
" Any expensive establishment of this kind,
" however becoming our national character, or
<c obligatory on our principles, cannot possibly
fc be organized to efficient purpose, without the
" aid of a local Church. Let us first establish
" our own religion amongst ourselves, and our
<( Asiatic subjects will soon benefit by it. When
" once our national Church shall have been
" confirmed in India, the members of that Church
ecclesiastical establishment 253
(t will be the best qualified to advise the state,
" as to the means by which, from time to time,
" the civilization of the natives may be pro-
" moted."*
An Ecclesiastical Establishment would yet be
necessary for British India, if' there were not a
Mahomedan or Hindoo in the land. For, besides
the thousands of British Christians, who live
and die in that country, there are hundreds of
thousands of native Christians, who are at this
moment " as sheep without a shepherd ;" and
who are not insensible to their destitute estate,
but supplicate our countenance and protection.
Surely the measure cannot be contemplated by
the Legislature, for a moment, without perceiv-
ing its absolute propriety, on the common prin-
ciples of justice and humanity.
In regard to the other subject, the instruction
of the Hindoos, many different opinions have
been delivered in the volumes alluded to, the
most prominent of which are the two following :
First, that Hinduism is, upon the whole, as good
as Christianity, and that therefore conversion to
Christianity is not necessary. This deserves no
reply. The second opinion is, that it is indeed a
* Memoir, p. 20.
254 Clmsttan Eeseaitfres.
sacred duty to convert the Hindoos, but that
we must not do it by force. With this opinion
the Author perfectly coincides. To convert
men by any other means than those of persua-
sion, is a practice lit only for the Inquisition,
and completely at variance with the tenor of
every page which he has written. The means
of conversion, which he has recommended, are
those which are appointed in the Holy Scrip-
tures, namely, " Preaching, and the Word of
God." The first and present means are thtf
translation of the word of God into the various
languages ; and the next are the labours of teach-
ers and preachers.
The Author is not, nor has he ever been, the
advocate for force and personal injury toward
the Hindoos. No : he pleads the cause of hu-
manity. The object of his Work, and of his
Researches, has been to deliver the people of
Hindoostan from painful and sanguinary rites ;
to rescue the devoted victim from the wheels
of Moloch's Tower ; to snatch the tender infant
from the jaws of the alligator; to save the aged
parent from premature death in the Ganges ; to
extinguish the flames of the female sacrifice, and
to " cause the widow's heart to sing for joy."
Another object of his Work has been, to shtfw,
that while the feelings of the Christian are pain-
ecclesiastical stablfeljtoenk 255
fully affected by the exhibition of these suffer-
ings and atrocities, Infidelity, on the other hand,
can behold them, and DOES behold them, with
all the coldness and apathy of Voltaire. And
this is the great practical triumph of Christia-
nity over philosophical unbelief. While by the
former, the best feelings of our nature are melio-
rated, and improved, and softened, and extend-
ed ; they become by the influence of the latter,
sullen, and cold, and torpid, and dead.
The remaining opinion on this subject, which
is worthy of notice, is the following : " The
" conversion of the Hindoos to Christianity is
" indeed a solemn obligation, if practicable :
" but the attempt may possibly displease the
" Hindoos, and endanger our Empire." This
fear is grounded solely on an ignorance of facts,
and on the remoteness of the scene. Christia-
nity began to be preached to Hindoos by Euro-
peans, 300 years ago, and whole provinces arc
now covered with Christians. In the present
endeavours of Protestant Missionaries, the chief
difficulty which they generally experience is to
awaken the mind of the torpid Hindoos to the
subject. They know that every man may chuse
the religion he likes best, and profess it with
impunity ; that he may lose his cast and buy a
cast again, as he buys an article of merchandize.
256 Clw'sttan SJesearcf)e&
There are a hundred casts of religion in Hindoos-
tan ; and there is no-common interest about a
particular religion. When one native meets
another on the road, he seldom expects to find
that he is of the same cast with himself. They
are a divided people. Hindoostan is like the
great world in miniature ; when you pass a
great river or lofty mountain, you generally
find a new variety. Some persons in Europe
think it must be a novelty to the Hindoos to see
a Missionary. There have been for ages past,
numerous casts of Missionaries in Hindoostan,
Pagan, Mahomedan, and Christian, all seeking
to proselyte individuals to a new religion, or to
some new sect of an old one. The difficulty,
as the Author has already observed, in regard
to the Protestant Teachers, is to awaken atten-
tion to their doctrine.*
The general indifference of the natives to
* In fact, there is scarcely one point in their mythological
religion that the whole race of Hindus have faith in. There
are sectaries and schismatics without end, who will believe only
certain points that others abjure : individuals of those sects dis-
sent from the doctrines believed by the majority : other philo-
sophical sceptics will scarcely believe ariy thing, in opposition to
their easy-faithed brethren, who disbelieve othing Hence
may, in part, be discerned the liability under which inqui-
rers labour, of being misled by sectaries into receiving
ecclesiastical establishment 257
these attempts, whether successful or not, has
been demonstrated by recent events. After the
adversaries of Christian Missions had circulated
their pamphlets through British India, with the
best intention no doubt, according to their
judgment, announcing the intelligence that
some of the English wanted to convert the
inhabitants by force, and to blow Hindoostan
into a flame ; the natives seem to have consi-
dered the information as absurd or unintelligible,
and to have treated it with contempt. For
immediately afterwards, when, by the defection
of the British troops, the foundations of our
empire were shaken to their centre, both Ma-
homedans and Hindoos (who, if they wished to
rebel, needed only to sound that trumpet which
was first sounded by a Senior Merchant in
Leadenhall-street, no doubt with the best
intentions) evinced their accustomed loyalty,
and crowded round the standard of the Supreme
Government in the hour of danger.*
seism as orthodoxy, and of forming general conclusions from
individual or partial information. But, in fact, there is NO
GENERAL ORTHODOXY AMONG HlNDOOS. See the Hindoo
Pantheon, p. 180, by Edward Moor, F. R. S. published in
1810.
* A worthy Clergyman belonging to the Presidency of Fort
St. George, who witnessed the troops marching against each
S
258 Cljrfetian
There is one argument for the expediency of
an Ecclesiastical Establishment, which the Au-
thor did not insist on strongly in the Memoirs,
from motives of delicacy: but recent events
have rendered the same reserve no longer
necessary. He will proceed therefore to disclose
a fact which will serve to place the motives for
recommending such an establishment, in their
just light. It is not the giving the Christian
Religion to the natives which will endanger our
Empire, but the want of religion among our own
countrymen. After the disturbance among the
British Officers in Bengal in 1794, which for a
time had a most alarming aspect, being of the
same character with that which took place lately
at Madras, a Memorial was presented to the
other, and knew not for a time, what would be the fate of the
Empire j after the danger was over, makes the following most
Just and striking reflection, in a letter to a friend. " It cannot
f< but have occurred to every reflecting mind, in looking back
" on past scenes, if it had pleased God in his providence to have
" dispossessed us of our dominions, how little would have
" remained to shew, that a people blessed with the light of the
" glorious Gospel of Christ, had once born sway in this land !
" But now," (he adds exultingly, in allusion to the Translation
of the Scriptures) " the Word of God in the languages of all
ff India, will be an enduring MONUMENT of British Piety and
" Liberality, for which the sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiv-
(f ing will ascend to the Most high, to the latest generations."
ecclesiastical esteWfefjment 259
Marquis Wellesley, on his accession to the
government, by persons who had been long in
the service of the Company, and who were well
acquainted with the circumstances of the Em-
pire at large; representing the necessity of a
" suitable Religious Establishment for British
India;" and illustrating that necessity by the
events which had recently taken place in the
army. That Memorial referred to the almost
total extinction of Christian worship, at the
military stations, where the seventh day was
only distinguished by the British Flag; and
noticed the fatal consequences that might be
expected from large bodies of men, far remote
from the controlling power of the parent state,
enjoying luxury and independence, and seeing
nothing, from youth to age, of the religion of
their country. It shewed further, that, of the
whole number of English who go to India, not
a tenth part return ; and assigned this fact as a
reason why their religion should follow them to
the East ; that it might be, in the first place, a
solace to themselves, in the dreary prospect of
dying in that land (for of a thousand soldiers in
sickly India, there will be generally a hundred
in declining health) and secondly, " that it
" might be some security for their loyalty to
Christian
" their king, and their attachment to the princi-
" pies of their country."
It required not a Memorial to apprize Marquis
Wellesley of the truth of these facts, or of the
justness of the reasoning upon them. The
necessity of a meliorated state of society for
the English armies, was made evident to him by
his own observation ; and it cannot be doubted
that, had that Nobleman remained in India, to
complete the plans he meditated for the advan-
tage of that country, and had his coadjutor,
Mr. Pitt, lived, a suitable Religious Establish-
ment would have been, by this time, proposed
to the East-India Company, for every part of
their dominions in Hindoostan. But Marquis
\Vellesley had another and a more imperious
service first to perform, and this was, to SAVE
THE BODY OF THE EMPIRE ITSELF. British
Hindoostan was, at that moment, surrounded
by strong and formidable enemies, who were
putting themselves " in the attitude of the
tiger," as a Vakeel of Tippoo expresed it, " to
leap upon the prey." And this service that
great Statesman achieved under Divine Provi-
dence, first, by destroying the Mysorean
Empire, under Tippoo Sultaun, and thereby
extinguishing the Mahomedan power in Hin-
doostan; secondly, by overwhelming the
ecclesiastical Establishment, 261
hitherto invincible Mahrattas ; and lastly, by
forming on the frontier a league of strength,
which, like a wall of iron, has saved the country
from native invasion ever since; notwithstanding
its subsequent critical and exposed state, in
consequence of frequent changes of the Supreme
Government, and of dissensions in our army.
The services which that Nobleman performed
for our Empire in the East were very ill under-
stood at the time : his views were so compre-
hensive, that few men could embrace them :
They are more generally acknowledged now ;
but it is to be apprehended that some years
must yet elapse, before all the beneficial conse-
quences of his administration will be fully made
known to his country.
It has been a subject of wonder to many in
England, that our army should at any time
betray symptoms of disaffection in India, when
no instance of it occurs elsewhere. But the
surprise will cease, when the circumstances
before mentioned shall have been duly weighed,
Of the individuals engaged in the late distur-
bances at Madras, there were perhaps some, who
had not witnessed the service of Christian wor-
ship for twenty years ; whose minds were im-
pressed by the daily view of the rites of the
Hindoo religion, and had lost almost all memory
of their own. It is morally impossible to
262 Cfrrfetian
live long in such circumstaces, without being in
some degree affected by them, That loyalty
is but little to be depended on, whether abroad
or at home, which has lost the basis of religion.
The true spring of the irregular proceeding,
contemptuous remonstrance, and ultimate disaf-
fection of the military in India, is this : Large
bodies of troops at a great distance from Bri-
tain, which they never expect to see again, be-
gin, after a long absence, to feel more sensibly
their own independence, while their affection
for their native country gradually diminishes.
And if, under such circumstances, they have
not the restraints of religion, (for what is obe-
dience " to the powers that be" but the restraint
of religion ?) and if they have not the frequent
view of Christian worship to recal their minds,
by association of ideas, to the sacred ordinances
and principles of theip country, it is impossible
to foresee to what degrees of rebellion or infatu-
ation they may proceed. It is unjust to ascribe
these proceedings to the casual acts of the Go-
vernor for the time being. Indiscreet measures
on his part may form the pretext ; but the true
cause lies much deeper. The Company's Offi-
cers in India are as honourable a body of military
men as are to be found in the world, the Author
knows them, but they are in peculiar circum-
Ctfiesiasttoi establishment 263
stances ; and if any other description of troops
were in their stead, passing a whole life in such
an unchristianizing service, the same causes
would still produce the same effects.
The most alarming consideration, while things
remain in their present state, is this, that, in pro-
portion as our empire increases, and our force in
India grows stronger, the danger arising from
the foregoing causes becomes the greater.
These are obvious truths, on which it is not ne-
cessary to dilate. But there is another subject
allied to this, which the Author thinks it a
solemn duty to bring before the public.
Not only are our troops denied su.i table religi-
ous instruction, when they arrive in India, but
they are destitute of it, during their long voyage
to that country. The voyage is, on an average,
six months. Now, provision ought certainly to
be made for Divine worship, and for spiritual
consolation to the soldiers, during that period ;
for it is sometimes a period of great sickness, and
of frequent death. Indeed there ought to be a
Chaplain on board of every India ship contain-
ing one hundred souls.
* The East- India Company require the Commander or Pur-
ser of every ship to read prayers on Sunday, when the wea-
ther permits. The service is performed, in many cases, in 9
Ciw'stian
They who profess to believe in the Christian
Religion, ought also to believe in the superin-
tending providence of God ; ought to believe
that the Divine blessing will accompany those
designs which are undertaken in his name, and
conducted in his fear. If we were a heathen
nation, then might we send forth our fleets with-
out a prayer, and commit them, for a safe voy-
age, Cl to goddess Fortune and fair winds." But
we are a Christian nation, though not a super-
stitious one ;and, however individuals may con-
serious and truly impressive manner 5 and the acknowledged
good effects in such cases, convey the strongest recommendation
of the measure which has been proposed. One important duty
of the Chaplain of an Indiaman might be, to superintend the
studies of the young Writers and Cadets proceeding to India;
who for want of some direction of this kind, generally pass the
long voyage in idleness, lounging on the quarter deck, or
gambling in the cuddy. So important has this subject been
considered, that, during the administration of Marquis Welles-
ley, a detailed plan for carrying the proposed measure into
effect was actually transmitted to a Member of the Court of
Directors, to lay before the Court. If it were made an indis-
pensable qualification of the Chaplain, that he should under-
stand the rudiments of the Persian and Hindoostanee Languages,
and the common elements of geometry and navigation, for the
instruction of the Midshipmen, his services would be truly
important, merely in his secular character. Every truly
respectable Commander in the Company's service, must be
happy to have an exemplary Clergyman on board his ship.
ecclesiastical stablfelwtenk 26*5
sider it, it is certain that our countrymen in ge^
neral view the performance of the offices of reli-
gion with great respect; and that, in particular
circumstances on board ship, no duty is more
acceptable, none more interesting, none more
salutary and consoling. Such scenes the
Author himself has witnessed, and from those
persons who have witnessed such scenes, he has
never heard but one opinion as to the pro-
priety of having a Clergyman to form one
of the great family in a ship, in these long,
sickly, and perilous voyages. When the
news arrived in England last year of the loss
of the seven Indiamen in a distant ocean, how
gratifying would it have been to surviving
friends, if they could have been assured that the
offices of religion and the consolations of its
ministers, had been afforded to those who pe-
rished, during their last days !* These events
have a warning voice ; and it is not unbecoming
a great and respectable body of men, like the
East-India Company, to attend to it. The
* The Rev. Paul Limrick was a passenger on board one of
these ships. Mr. Limrick was second Chaplain at the Presi-
dency of Fort- William - } an amiable, benevolent and respectable
man, whose loss will be heard of with deep regret by a large
body of the inhabitants of Calcutta, and of his friends in
Europe.
Legislature has not neglected a subject of this
importance. It is required that every ship of
the line should have a Chaplain; and we have
lately seen some of our most renowned Admirals,
both before and after battle, causing the prayers
and thanksgivings of the fleet to ascend to the
God of heaven.
There still remains one topic more, to which
the Author would advert. It may be presumed to
be the wish of the major part of this nation, that
whenever a Missionary of exemplary character
and of respectable recommendation, applies to
the East India Company for a passage to our
Eastern shores, his request might be treated
with indulgence. In him we export a blessing
(as he may prove to be) to thousands of our
fellpw-creatures ; and his example and instruc-
tions, and prayers, will do no harm to the ship
in which he sails. While the East India Com-
pany retain the sole privilege of conveyance
to India, the nation would be pleased to see
this condescension shewn to persons in humble
circumstances, whose designs are of a public
character, and acknowledged by all men to be
pious and praise-worthy. The Author will
conclude these observations with a paragraph
which he has found in a manuscript of the Rev.
Mr. Kohloff, of Tranjore, the successor of Mr.
Ccclestastftal CstaWtslwenf, 267
Swartz, which has been just transmitted for
publication :
" It is a remarkable fact, that since the foun-
" dation of our Mission, which is now one
" hundred years, and during which period
" upwards of fifty Missionaries have arrived
" from Europe ; among the many ships that
" have been lost, there never perished one ves-
" SCl WHICH HAD A MISSIONARY ON BOARD."*
The following Letter, written by Dr. WAT-
SON, Bishop of LLANDAFF, on the subject of an
Ecclesiastical Establishment for British India,
was published in Calcutta, in the year 1807.
Calgarth-Park, Kendak,
l4thMay, 1806.
" REVEREND SIR,
" Some weeks ago I received your MEMOIR
of the expediency of an Ecclesiastical Establishment
for British India ; for which obliging attention I now
return you my best thanks. I hesitated for some time
whether I ought to interrupt your speculations with my
acknowledgments for so valuable a present; but on
* MS. materials for the Life of Swartz.
26s Christian
being informed of the noble Premium, by which you
purpose to exercise the talents of Graduates in the
University of Cambridge, I determined to express to
you my admiration of your disinterestedness, and zeal
in the cause of Christianity.
" Twenty years and more have now elapsed since,
in a Sermon, before the House of Lords, I hinted to
the then Government, the propriety of paying regard
to the propagation of Christianity in India ; and I have
since then, as fit occasions offered, privately, but WIT
successfully, pressed the matter on the consideration
of those in power. If my voice or opinion can, in future,
be of any weight with the King's Ministers, I shall be
most ready to exert myself, in forwarding any prudent
measure for promoting a liberal Ecclesiastical Establish-
ment in British India ; it is not without consideration
that I say a liberal Establishment, because I heartily
wish that every Christian should be at liberty to worship
God according to his conscience, and be assisted therein
by a Teacher, at the public expence, of his own per-
suasion
" The subjects you have proposed for the work
which shall obtain your Prize, are all of them judicious-
ly chosen, and if properly treated (as my love for my
Alma Mater persuades me they will be) may probably
turn the thoughts of the Legislature towards the measure
you recommend.
" The Salutaris Lux Evangelii, by Fabricius, pub-
lished at Hamburgh in 1731, will be of great use to
the candidates for your Prize; and his Index Geogra-
phicus EPISCOPATUUM Orbis. Christianity subjoined to
ecclesiastical establishment 269
that work, might, if accompanied with proper Notes,
afford a very satisfactory elucidation of your third
head.
" God in his providence, hath so ordered things,
that America, which three hundred years ago was
peopled by none but Pagans, has now many millions
of Christians in it ; and will not, probably, three hun-
dred years hence, have a single Pagan in it, but be
occupied by more Christians, and more enlightened
Christians than now exist in Europe.
" Africa is not now worse fitted for the reception of
Christianity than America was, when it was first visited
by Europeans; and Asia is much better fitted for it,
in as much as Asia enjoys a considerable degree of
civilization ; and some degree of it is necessary to the
successful introduction of Christianity. The commerce
and colonization of Christian states have civilized
America, and they will, in process of time, civilize and
christianize the whole earth. Whether it be a Christian
duty to attempt, by lenient methods, to propagate the
Christian religion among Pagans and Mahomedans, can
be doubted, I think, by few \ but whether any attempt
will be attended with much success, till Christianity is
purified from its corruptions, and the lives of Christians
are rendered correspondent to their Christian profession,
may be doubted by many : but there certainly never was
a more promising opportunity of trying the experiment
of subverting Paganism in India, than that which has
for some years been offered to the government of Great
Britain. .
" " The morality of our holy religion is so salutary
270
to civil society, its promises of a future state to con*
solatory to individuals, its precepts so suited to the
deductions of the most improved reason, that it must
finally prevail throughout the world. Some have thought
that Christianity is losing ground in Christendom. I am
of a different opinion. Some ascititious doctrines,
derived from Rome and Geneva, are losing ground
amongst learned men ; some unchristian practices
springing from ignorance, bigotry, intolerance, self-
sufficiency of opinion, with uncharitableness of judg-
ment, are losing ground among all sober-minded men ;
but a belief in Jesus Christ, as the Saviour of the world,
as the medium through whom eternal life will be given
to all who obey his Gospel, is more and more confirmed
every day in the minds of men of eminence and eru-
dition, not only in this, but in every other Christian
country. From this praise I am not disposed to exclude
even France itself, notwithstanding the temporary
apostasy of some of its philosophers from every degree
of religious faith. I cannot but hope well of that
country, when I see its National Institute proposing for
public discussion the following subject; 'What ha
f been the influence of the reformation of Luther, on
* the political situation of the different states of Europe,
* and on the progress of knowledge ? ' especially when
I see the subject treated by Mr. Villers, in a manner
which would have derived honour to the most liberal
Protestant in the freest state in Europe.
" It is not to be denied, that the morals of Christians
in general fall far short of the standard of Christian
perfection, and have ever done so, scarcely excepting
ecclesiastical establishment 271
the latter end of the first century. Yet, notwithstanding
this concession, it is a certain fact, that the Christian
religion has always operated to the production of piety,
benevolence, self-government, and the love of virtue
amongst individuals, in every country where it has heen
received ; and it will every where operate more power-
fully, as it is received with more firm assurance of its
truth ; and it will be every where received with more
firm assurance of its truth, as it is better understood ;
for when it is properly understood, it will be freed from
the pollutions of superstition and fanaticism among the
hearers, and from ambition, domination, and secularity
among the teachers.
" Your publication has given us in England a great
insight into the state of Christianity in India, as well as
into the general state of Learning amongst you ; and it
has excited in me the warmest wishes for the prosperity
of the college of Fort- William. It is an Institution
which would have done honour to the wisdom of Solon
or Lycurgus. I have no knowledge personally of the
Marquis Wellesley, but I shall think of him, and of his
coadjutors in this undertaking, with the highest respect
and admiration, as long as I live.
" I cannot enter into any particulars relative to an
Ecclesiastical Establishment in India; nor would it,
perhaps, be proper to press Government to take the
matter into their consideration, till this country is freed
from the danger which threatens it : but I have that
opinion of his Majesty's Ministers, that they will, not
only from policy, but from a serious sense of religious
duty, be disposed to treat the subject, whenever it come*
272
before tVem, with great judgment and liberality. May
God direct tbeir counsels !
" ' Our Empire in India/ said Mr. Hastings, * has
oeen acquired by the sword, and must be maintained by
the sword.' I cannot agree with him in this sentiment.
All Empires have been originally acquired by violence,
but they are best established by moderation and justice.
There was a time when we shewed ourselves to the
inhabitants of India in the character of tyrants and
robbers; that time, I trust, is gone for ever. The
wisdom of British policy, the equity of its jurisprudence,
the impartiality of its laws, the humanity of its penal
code, and above all, the incorrupt administration of
public justice, will, when they are well understood, make
the Indians our willing subjects, and induce them to
adopt a religion attended with such consequences to the
dearest interests of the human mind. They will rejoice
in having exchanged the tyranny of Pagan superstition,
and the despotism of their native princes, for the mild
mandates of Christianity, and the stable authority of
equitable laws. The difference between such different
states of civil society, as to the production of human
happiness, is infinite ; and the attainment of happiness
is the ultimate aim of all individuals in all nations.
" I am,
" Reverend Sir,
" Your obliged and faithful Servant,
R. LLANDAFF.
" To Rev. DR. BUCHANAN,
Vice-Provost of tlte College
of Fort-lVittiam, Cakutta"
(273)
CONCLUSION.
IN the progress of these Researches the Author
has found his mind frequently drawn to consider
the extraordinary difference of opinion, which
exists among men of learning, in regard to the
importance and obligation of communicating
religious knowledge to our fellow-creatures.
And be has often heard the question asked by
others, What can be the cause of this discre-
pancy of opinion ? For that such a difference
does exist is most evident ; and is exemplified at
this moment in some of the most illustrious
characters for rank and learning, in the nation.
This is a problem of a very interesting character
at this day, and worthy of a distinct and ample
discussion, particularly at the seats of learning.
The problem may be thus expressed. *' What
" power is that, which produces in the minds
" of some persons a real interest and concern
" in the welfare of their fellow-creatures ;
" extending not only to the comfort of their
" existence in this world, but to their felicity
<f hereafter; while other men who are apparently
" in similar circumstances, as to learning and
T
274 Christian
" information, do not feel inclined to move
one step for the promotion of such " objects?"
The latter, it may be, can speculate on the
philosophy of the human mind, on its great
powers and high dignity, on the sublime virtue
of universal benevolence, on the tyranny of
superstition, and the slavery of ignorance ; and
will sometimes quote the verse of the poet,
" Homo sum : humani nil a me alienum puto :"
but they leave it to others, and generally to the
Christian in humble life, to exercise the spirit of
that noble verse. This is a very difficult pro-
blem; and it has been alleged by some that it
cannot be solved on any known principles of
philosophy. The following relation will proba-
bly lead to principles by which we may arrive at
a solution.
There was once a King in the East, whose
empire extended over the known world, and his
dominion " was to the end of the earth." Du-
ring the former part of his reign, his heart was
filled with pride ; he knew not the God of hea-
ven ; and he viewed with the utmost indiffe-
rence the nations over whom he ruled, worship-
ping idols of wood and stone. But it pleased
the King of kings to dethrone this haughty mo-
Conclusion* 275
narch, to cast him clown from his high estate,
and to abase him in the dust. And after he had
been for a time in the furnace of affliction, and
his proud heart was humbled, God graciously
revealed himself to him in his true name and
character, and then restored him to his former
prosperity and power. The penitent king thus
once more exalted, and filled with admiration
at the discovery of the ONLY TRUE GOD, imme-
diately fssued an edict to the whole world, set-
ting forth the greatness of the Most High, as-
serting his glory, and inviting all nations to
4< praise and magnify HIM that liveth for ever,
" whose dominion is an everlasting dominion,
c< and his kingdom is from generation to genera-
" tion." This memorable edict began in these
sublime terms:
"NEBUCHADNEZZAR THE KING, UNTO ALL
e PEOPLE, NATIONS, AND LANGUAGES, THAT
tf DWELL IN ALL THE EARTH, Peace be multl-
cc plied unto you. I thought it good to shew
" the signs and wonders which the Most High
" God hath wrought toward me. How great
" are his SIGNS! How mighty are his WONDERS 1"
Having recounted the judgment and mercy of
God to himself, he thus concludes ; " Now I
" Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour
" the King of Heaven, all whose works are truth,
T 2
276 cimstian i&eseatcljes.
" and his ways judgment ; and them that walk
*' in pride he is able to abase."*
uch a proclamation to the nations of the
earth was a noble act of a king, and ought to
be had in perpetual remembrance. It reminds
us of the last charge of HIM " who ascended
up on high :" Go, TEACH ALL NATIONS. It
discovers to us the new and extended benevo-
lence, greatness of mind, and pure and heavenly
charity, which distinguish that man, whose
heart has been impressed by THE GRACE OF GOD.
How solemn his sense of duty ! How ardent to
declare the glory of his Saviour! His views
for the good of men, how disinterested and
enlarged! It is but too evident, that all our
speculations concerning a divine Revelation,
and the obligation imposed on us to study it
ourselves, or to communicate it to others, arc
cold and uninteresting, and excite not to action,.
C until, through the tender compassion of God,
" the Day-spring from on high visit us, to give
" light to them that sit in darkness;"! to
humble our hearts, at the remembrance of our
sins against God, and to affect them with a just
admiration of his pardon ing mercy.
* Daxriel, 4th chapter. f Luke, ii. 79.
Conclusion, 277
Let Great Britain imitate the example of the
Chaldean King ; and send forth to all the world,
her TESTIMONY concerning the True God. She
also reigns over many nations which " worship
idols of wood and stone ;'' and she ought in
like manner, to declare to them c; the SIGNS and
WONDERS of the Almighty." And, in this
design every individual will concur, of every
church, family, and name, whose heart has been
penetrated with just apprehensions of the Most
High God ; having known his judgments and
experienced his mercy.
THE END.
Kirly Hall,
Boroughlridge.
Pel. 15, 1811.
G. SIDNEY, Printer, Northumberland-street, Strand*
WORKS
ON THB
CIVILIZATION OF THE EAST.
Sold chiefly by Mess. CADELL ty DAVIES, Strand, London.
BEING
The COMPOSITIONS which gained the PRIZES, or were present-
ed to the UNIVERSITIES in competition for the PRICES, insti-
tuted by Dr. BUCHANAN.
Published in 1805.
1. A GREEK ODE, on the Subject TENESGH <J>fl2, Let
there be Light." Ode Grseca Praemio dignata quod
donavit Academiae Cantabrigiensi Vir Reverendus
CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, A. B. Coll. Regin. Cantab,
et Vice-Prsepositus Collegii Bengalensis in India
Orientali. Auctore G. PRYME, A. B. Trin. Coll.
2. A GREEK ODE, on the Subject rENESen d>nz," Let
there be Light." Ode Praemio a Reverendo Viro
CLAUDIO BUCHANAN, S.T. P. Etonensibus Pro-
posito dignata. Auctore T. RENNELL, Coll. Reg,
Eton. Alumn.
3. COLLEGIUM BENGALENSE : Carmen cui Prae-
mium BUCHANAN#:UM a Senatu Academiae Glasgu-
ensis adjudicatum est. ALEXANDRO MAC ARTHUR,
Auctore,
280
-*
4. COLLEGIUM BENGALENSE : Carmen prsemio a
Reverendo Viro CLAUDIO BUCHANAN, S. T. P.
Etonensibus Proposito dignatum. Auctore G. P.
RICHARDS, Coll. Reg. Eton. Alumn.
5. VATICINIUM GANGIS : Indiam Res Imperil an-
tiqui lapsas indignatam, Ganges ex latebris vocat,
Collegium Bengalense monstrat, laetiora multa
vaticinatur ex Collegio condito oritura. A THOMA
BROWN, M. D. -Presented to the University of
Edinburgh in 1805 : published in 1808.
6. ODE in COLLEGIUM BENGALENSE : Premio
dignata quod Alumnis Collegiorum Aberdonensiiim
proposuit Vir Reverendus CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN,
Collegii Bengalensis Praefectus Vicarius. Auctore
ALEXANDRO ADAMSON, A. M. Coll. Marischal.
Aberd. Alumno. Published in 1808.
7. A POEM on the RESTORATION of LEARNING
in the EAST ; which obtained Dr. BUCHANAN'S
Prize. By CHARLES GRANT, Esq. M. A. Fellow
of Magdalen College, Cambridge. Printed at the
University Press, 1805. Price 3s. 6d.
8. A POEM on the RESTORATION of LEARNING
in the EAST ; by the Rev. FRANCIS WRANGHAM,
M. A. F. R. S. of Trinity College, Cambridge.
Printed at the University Press, 1805. Price
s. 6d.
281
9. The RENOVATION of INDIA, a Poem. By
THOMAS BROWN, M. D. Presented to the Uni-
versity of Edinburgh in 18Q5 -.published in 1808.
In one volume, small 8vo. Price 6*.
Published in 1 806.
10. An ESSAY on the best Means of CIVILIZING the
Subjects of the BRITISH EMPIRE in INDIA,
and of diffusing the Light of the Christian Religion
throughout the Eastern World ; to which the Uni-
versity of Glasgow adjudged Dr. BUCHANAN'S Prize.
By JOHN MITCHELL, A. M. In one vol. 4to.
Price 15s. in boards.
11. A DISSERTATION on the best Means of CIVIL-
IZING the Subjects of the BRITISH EMPIRE
in INDIA, and of diffusing the Light of the
Christian Religion throughout the Eastern World ;
which obtained Dr. BUCHANAN'S Prize. By the
Rev. WM. COCKBURN, A. M. Fellow of St. John's
College, and Christian Advocate in the University
of Cambridge. Printed at the University Press.
4to. Price 3s. 6d<
12. A DISSERTATION on the best Means of CIVIL-
IZING the Subjects of the BRITISH EMPIRE
in INDIA, and of diffusing the Light of the
Christian Religion throughout the Eastern World.
282
By the Rev. FRANCIS WRANGHAM, M. A,
F. R. S. of Trinity College, Cambridge. Price
3s. 6d.
13. A DISSERTATION on the best Means of CIVIL-
IZING the Subjects of the BRITISH EMPIRE
in INDIA, and of diffusing the Light of the
Christian Religion throughout the Eastern World:
to which Dr, BUCHANAN'S Prize was adjudged by
the University of Edinburgh. By the Rev. WM.
TENNANT, M. M. LL. D. and M. A. S. lately one
of His Majesty's Chaplains in India. Printed at
the University Press. In one vol. 4to. Price in
boards 125. This was published in 1808.
14. A SKETCH of the State of BRITISH INDIA,
with a View of pointing out the best Means of
Civilizing its Inhabitants, and diffusing the Know-
ledge of Christianity throughout the Eastern
World : being the Substance of an Essay on these
Subjects; to which the University of Aberdeen
adjudged Dr. BUCHANAN'S Prize. By the Rev.
JAMES BRYCE. In one vol. 8 vo. pp. 381. Price
in boards 10s. 6d. This was published in 1810.
Published in 1807-
15. A SERMON, on the Translation of the SCRIP-
TURES into the ORIENTAL LANGUAGES:
preached before the University of Cambridge, on
283
May 10, 1807. By the Rev. FRANCIS WRANG-
HAM, M. A. F.R.S. of Trinity College, Cam-
bridge, Printed at the University Press. [This
and the three following Sermons were not the sub-
jects of Prizes, but a gratuity was presented to the
four Reverend Preachers whom the Universities
were pleased to select for the occasion.]
16. A SERMON, preached before the University of
Cambridge, on the 28th June, 1807 ; agreeably to
the Institution of the Rev. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN,
By the Rev. JOHN DUDLEY, M. A. of Clare Hall.
Cambridge. Printed at the University Press.
I?. The Expediency of Translating our SCRIPTURES
into several of the ORIENTAL LANGUAGES,
and the Means of rendering those Translations
useful, in an Attempt to convert the Nations of
India to the Christian Faith : a Sermon preached
by special appointment before the University of
Oxford, Nov. 8th, ISO?. By the Rev. WM.
BARROW, of Queen's College, LL. D. and F. S. A.
Author of an Essay on Education, and the Bampton
Lecture Sermons for IJ99.
18. The DUTY and EXPEDIENCY of Translating the
SCRIPTURES into the current LANGUAGES
of the EAST, for the Use and Benefit of the
Natives : a Sermon, preached by special Ap-
pointment, before the University of Oxford, on
*he 29th of November 1807. By the Reverend
284
EDWARD NARES, M. A. late Fellow of Merton
College, and Rector of Biddenden, Kent.
Published in 1808.
19. A DISSERTATION on the PROPAGATION of
CHRISTIANITY in ASIA; in Two Parts.
To which is prefixed a brief Historic View of the
Progress of the Gospel in different Nations since
its first Promulgation ; illustrated by a Chrono-
logical chart : To which the University of Oxford
adjudged Dr. BUCHANAN'S Prize of 500Z. By
the Rev. HUGH PEARSON, M.A. of St. John's
College, Oxford. In one volume, 4to. pp. 227-
Price, in boards, 15s. Printed at the University
Press ; sold by Messrs. Rivington, London.
20. CHRISTIANITY in INDIA; an Essay on the
Duty, Means, and Consequences of introducing the
Christian Religion among the Native Inhabitants
of the British Dominions in the East. By J. W.
Cunningham, A.M. late Fellow of St. John's
College, Cambridge. In one vol. 8vo. Price 5s. 6d.
in boards.
21. A HISTORICAL REVIEW of the Commercial,
Political, and Moral State of Hindoostan, from
the earliest Period to the present Time ; the Rise
and Progress of Christianity in the East) its
285
present Condition ; and the Means and Probability
of its future Advancement. With a Map, illus-
trating the relative Situation of the British Empire
in the East. By ROBERT CHATFIELD, LL. B.
Vicar of Chatteris, Cambridgeshire. In one large
volume 4 to. Price, in boards, ll. 4s. This
Work was altered and enlarged after it was pre-
sented to the University.
PUBLISHED IN INDIA.
The Prizes instituted by the College of Fort- William..
1. PRIMITIVE ORIENTALES, VOL. I. Containing
ESSAYS by the Students of the College of Fort-
William in Bengal: To which are added the
THESES pronounced at the public Disputations
in the Oriental Languages, on the 6th of February,
1802. The Essays are by W.B.Martin, W.P.
Elliott, W. B. Bayley, Terrick Hamilton, C. T.
Metcalfe, Edward Wood, Thomas Newnham, and
Jonathan H. Lovett. The Thesis in the Bengalee
Language by W. B. Martin. Thesis in the Hin-
doos tanee Language by W. B. Bayley.
" Redit a nobis Aurora diemque reducit."
Calcutta : Printed at the Hon. Company's Press.
In one volume Svo. Price, in boards, One Guinea.
286
2. PRIMITIVE ORIENTALES, VOL. II. Containing
the THESES in the Oriental Languages, pronounced
at the public Disputations, on the 29th of March,
1803. By Students of the College of Fort- William
in Bengal ; with Translations. Thesis in the Persian
Language, by Richard Jenkins ; in the Hindaostanee
Language, by William Chaplin ; in the Bengalee
Language, by James Hunter. Declamations in
the Arabic Language, by Richard Jenkins and
Edward Wood. Printed at the Hon. Company's
Press, in one volume 8vo. Price, in boards, One
Guinea.
3. PRIMITLE ORIENTALES, VOL. III. Containing
the THESES in the Oriental Languages, pronounced
at the public Disputations on the 20th of Sep-
tember, 1804. By Students of the College of
Fort- William in Bengal ; with Translations. Thesis
in the Hindoostanee Language, by John Romer ;
in the Persian, by George Swinton ; in the Ben-
galee, by A. B. Tod ; and in the Arabic, by William
Oliver. Declamation in the SHANSC HIT Language,
Clotworthy Gowan 5 being the first Speech in that
Tongue delivered in public Assembly by an English-
man. Printed at the Hon. Company's Press ; in
one volume 8vo. Price, in boards, One Guinea,
86
A SERMON, Preached at the New Church, Calcutta,
before the Right Hon. the Earl of MORNINGTON,
Governors-General, on Thursday, February the 6th,
1800: being the Day appointed for a GENERAL
THANKSGIVING to Almighty God, for his late
signal Mercies vouchsafed to the British Do-
minions in Asia, in averting the perils which
threatened them by the defeat of Tippoo Sultaun,
and the final overthrow of the Mahomedan power
in Hindoostan. By the Rev. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN,
A.B. Chaplain at the Presidency of Fort-William.
" They imagined such a device as they were not able to perform ."
Ps.xxi. 11.
Published by order of the Governor-General in Council.
288
Published by Messrs. CADELL and DAVIES,
Strand^ London.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR,
1. MEMOIR of the Expediency of an ECCLESIASTI-
CAL ESTABLISHMENT for BRITISH INDIA.
In one volume, royal 4to. Price in boards 15$.
A second edition of this work is published in 8vo.
price 5s.
2. The First FOUR YEARS of the COLLEGE of
FORT- WILLIAM in BENGAL. In one vol. 4to.
printed by Bulmer. Price in boards 15s.
3. The STAR in the EAST : a Sermon preached in the
Parish Church of St. James, Bristol, on Sunday,
Feb. 26, 1809, for the benefit of the " Society for
Missions to Africa and the East."
" Per we have seen his Star in the East, and are come to worship
him" Matt. ii. 2.
The Eighth Edition.
4. JUBILEE SERMONS : preached at Welbeck Cha-
pel, London ; viz.
The MOSAIC JUBILEE,
The BRITISH JUBILEE, and
The HEAVENLY JUBILEE.
In one vol. 8vo. large type. Price 9s. in boards. The
second Edition.
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