"

for baptism from any other motive. And is it any wonder if they should with equal readiness embrace Islamism, if it appear to be somewhat more for their interest? The scandal of these defections, of" this dastardly apostacy" lies on those Christian teachers who withheld from them that "Word of Christ's testimony" which enabled the martyrs mentioned in the Revelation, to overcome, because they loved not their lives unto the death."

66

As to the class of Christians in India whom he terms Portuguese, but declares (p. 75,) that "they have no more relation by birth or otherwise to that people or to any other European nation than they have to the Tartar Calmucks," all the evil he says about them, even if true, only makes against himself. If most of them as he affirms, "remain under the tuition of a Pagan, a Moorish, or a Pariah woman, 'till the age of twelve or thirteen, and but a small proportion of them be afterwards sent to the public schools where care is taken to give them a Christian education, the morals of them being previously corrupted," it is not strange if their "rising passions be left without controul." Nor do we suppose that those "well-wishers to them" who have thought that "the circulation of bibles among them was alone sufficient to produce the wished-for improvement in their condition," ever expected this to be done without their being able to read and understand these bibles. Nor do we object to any preparatory works being first given them, if these be not made the pretext for keeping from them the Bible altogether. But does he suppose that these works will remove the "opacity from their ignorant minds?" This is the work of the Divine Spirit alone; and this he does so often through the Divine Word, that the Psalmist says; "The entrance of thy words giveth

light, it giveth understanding to the simple." And this effect of the Divine word, the Serampore missionaries have so often witnessed among this class of people, as well as among the natives themselves, that they reckont some of them among their most esteemed Christian friends, witnessing as they do from year to year their upright, laborious, and benevolent conduct. Such are the effects of the Sacred Scriptures even upon them, of which however our Author can say nothing, as he has never given the Holy Scriptures either to them, or to the heathen.

Such then is the "picture which our Author gives of the state of Christianity in those parts of India," to which the Holy Scriptures have never been given !-But he adds too, (p. 80,)" the many dangers to which he is exposed in the arduous discharge of his professional duties among people so circumstanced, lying often, as he does, under the sad necessity of winking at their reprehensible practices, and overlooking usages which his conscience reprobates ?" Let us here ask, what "necessity?" Was it such as the three Hebrew worthies were placed under of worshipping the golden image set up in the plains of Dura? or the Apostles, of obeying the chief priests and speaking no more in the name of Christ? We trow not; yet these felt even this no necessity. The simple query "whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto men more than unto God, judge ye;” made every thing perfectly easy. Certainly a missionary is under no more necessity of winking at abo minable idolatry in those proselytes he may call Christians, than he chuses to lay upon himself. The Serampore missionaries lie under noné. Should a native they have baptized, express the least wish to worship idols, they point him to the word of God, which says,

T

"

"what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?" If he hear them, they have gained their erring brother; but if not, they bring the matter before the church, an assembly of faithful men; and if he hear not them, but persist in idolatrous observances, they account him to them as a heathen man and a publican.

.

Thus they are under no" sad necessity of winking at things their conciences reprobate." Their path of duty is plain as the noon day; and in walking in it they enjoy peace, leaving all consequences to the Redeemer they serve.

Our Author now occupies three pages in the sage enquiry whether Christianity without the Scriptures, from whence it derives all its virtue, be "of any avail at all or not." 'He (p. 82) does not admit "the bold opinion of many prejudiced or misinformed Europeans who contend, that the native Christians are the worst of all Hindoos," as there seems "something savoring of blasphemy in this assertion, for it would tend to nothing less than to prove that the Christian religion, so far from improving the condition of man, renders him on the contrary worse than pagans.' We beg him to dismiss his fear respecting the "Christian RELIGION." That Christianity, which is neither created nor nourished by the Word of God, the Saviour will never own. With Him nothing weighs as Christianity, but men's being actually sanctified by God's word. To all beside he will say,

"Depart from me; I never knew you, ye workers of ini quity." And what title have these to Christianity whom Christ never knew? But does our Author wish to know in what rank Christ places these among men? While he esteems his real followers "the salt of the earth," he adds; but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is henceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men." The

Apostle too in giving his opinion of one professing Christianity who neglects the social duties of life, says without the least hesitation; " If any one provide not for his own, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel." What would he have said then of such Christians as our Author describes ?

As to the low state of Christianity among Europeans living in this country, whose "barefaced immorality" he is so fond of bringing forward as a reason why the Hindoos should be left to perish; we acknowledge that those who "profess to know God while in works they deny him. being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate," will undoubtedly reap hereafter what they now sow. But if this furnish any reason for not publishing the gospel among the heathen, the Apostle himself might have desisted; for such he found in his day, even bearing the Christian name. "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and who glory in their shame." The way to prevent Native Christians from "having their wavering faith staggered" through such evil conduct in Europeans, is very simple. Give them the Scriptures, and teach them that God is no respector of persons, that no man is saved because he is a European, or a Christian in name. And that neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, shall inherit the kingdom of God, be they Europeans or not; and particularly that all LIARS shall have their portion in the lake that burns with brimstone and fire," even though they be missionaries.

Our Author's Third Letter dated 16th November, 1816, is addressed to the same gentleman. It contains

Fifty-five printed pages; and professes to insist chiefly on" the leading positions already treated" in his former letters, viz: "Are there any humán means of improving the Christian religion among the Hindoos ;" and, "will the Holy Scriptures excite in them a spirit of enquiry or a desire to know the truth." As these two positions have been so fully considered already, there is little in this letter which has not been really noticed. That little, however, we will not overlook.

Our Author's "decided opinion, (p. 87), that the interests of the Christian religion will never be improved among the Hindoos, but that it will by little and little lose the small ground it had gained in better times, and in a short time dwindle away to nothing," will appear to be precisely that of a medical man, who has gone among a people dying of the plague, without taking with him the only remedy for the disease. The Holy Scriptures alone are able to make men wise to salvation;" but he has ever refused to give them and after trying all his own nostrums, his poojas, images, holy water, prayers for the dead, invocation of saints, &c. all disallowed by the Great Physician and poisonous rather than sanative, he gravely gives it as his decided opinion that his patients are perfectly incurable! Those who seemed recovering, are as really sick at heart as ever, and are fast relapsing into their former state!

His reply to the well-wishers to Christianity in Europe, who might exclaim, “the Gospel is the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world; and the truth, in its silent and slow, though steady march, must get the better of error," (see p. 91,) is sufficiently weak. It seems that such pleasing dreams may be indulged within the precincts of a closet; but he would have those who entertain them to exercise his "arduous profession