enjoyment of earthly comfort; or poor, weak, and with every natural inducement to escape from torture and save their lives, by cursing the name of Christ, and burning incense to the gods; yet, rather than make shipwreck of their faith, they braved death, accompanied by the severest pains which the cruel ingenuity of man could invent. No tortures whatever, as the Younger Pliny and several ecclesiastical authors inform us, could move them from their purpose.

This state of things continued, with but little intermission, until the Emperor Constantine embraced the Christian Faith. And the Abbé Dubois will hardly deny, that these obstacles to the spread of the Gospel were much greater than any which " existing circumstances" in India present. According to his mode of reasoning, then, it were impossible for the Christian Religion to triumph over such stupendous barriers. Yet we find, that the more the Christians suffered, the wider did their faith spread; insomuch that this apophthegm became proverbial, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." Tertullian says, "We are but of yesterday; and yet have filled all your places, your cities, islands, castles, towns, councils, even your camps, tribes, bands, your palace,

senate, and forum: in short, we have left you nothing but your temples.*" Arnobius, who wrote a short time before Constantine's reign, speaks to the same effect.

Then, it may be reasonably asked, why are we not to anticipate similar triumphs for the Gospel in India where, I maintain, the impediments to its success, arising from the persecutions consequent upon its reception, are far less formidable? I am willing to concede, that persecution is calculated to deter the natives from professing Christianity, unless they be sincere. But this is rather an advantage, than otherwise; since it will tend to preserve the Church from being crowded by hypocrites. At the same time I assert, that no opposition which man may raise can impede the advance of true religion, for it is the cause of Omnipotence!

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One or two instances, out of many, may here be adduced, in proof of the possibility of even the Hindoos bearing sufferings and reproach for the sake of Christ.

A recent arrival from Madras brought accounts of a man who had been baptized a short time before, by a Missionary of the

Hesterni sumus, et vestra omnia implevimus, urbes, insulas, castella, municipia, conciliabula, castra ipsa, tribus, decurias, palatium, senatum, forum: sola vobis relinquimus templa.

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Church Missionary Society. When his determination to be baptized became known to his relations, several who lived with him, forsook him, others threatened him, and the wife of his bosom refused to return to his house. After some struggle between natural affection and a consciousness of duty, and having received much appropriate advice from his teacher, he went to him, "quite composed, and with joy in his countenance," saying, "The Lord has given me grace. I cannot transgress against those words which you mentioned. I must love Christ, more than my wife and friends. will commend all things to God, and trust Him. He will take care of me. I sincerely wish, in the name of the Lord, to be baptized to-morrow." He was baptized accordingly, in the presence of many heathen, besides the usual native congregation. "The same evening," the Missionary writes, "Cornelius (the name he had received at his baptism) was summoned before the Headman of his caste. This man had formerly been very kind to him. When he went, with the catechist, he was asked why he had acted so foolishly as to embrace the Christian Religion he replied, I have not acted foolishly; for I believe that I cannot be saved

word of the True

from eternal damnation without the Redeemer, Jesus Christ.' He (the Headman) answered, That is your misled mind, which makes you think thus. By what can you know that it is the God?' His reply was, Permit me to say, honey is sweet, but its sweetness is known by him only who has tasted it: knowing no taste, nor what sweetness is, a man cannot conceive, by any description, the sweetness of honey. Read but our True Vedam; and, if you seek earnestly the salvation of your soul, you will then know that it is the word of the True God.'

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The other instance is the following. Hindoo Youth belonging to the Mission School at Allepie, on the coast of Malabar, was employed by the Missionary at that Station, who belongs to the same Society, to transcribe portions of the Gospels in the vernacular languages. While thus occupied, he became impressed with a conviction of the truth contained in the Sacred Book, and gradually discontinued the observance of the idolatrous rites of his family. He was removed by his relations into the interior of the country, in order to detach him from the Mission; and violence was threatened, to

This account has since appeared in the Missionary Register for October 1823, pp. 438, 439.

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induce him to conform to the customary practices of his caste. Urged by this treatment, he fled from the country; and coming into the Tinnevelly District, he heard of the Mission near the town of that name, and sought admission into the Seminary there. Prior to receiving him, the Missionaries wrote to his former master at Allepie, to ascertain the truth of as much of the youth's account of himself as that gentleman might be acquainted with; and he so far confirmed its accuracy. The youth has since applied himself diligently to his studies in the Tinnevelly Seminary, preparatory to baptism; and the Missionaries write in terms of entire approbation of his conduct."

I could give many similar instances of Christian fortitude displayed by Hindoo Converts; but these are sufficient for my purpose. They shew, both the kind of persecution to which they are exposed, (which certainly is not to be compared with what innumerable martyrs have endured, from the persecution that arose when Stephen was stoned to death, to the days of the Reformation,) and, also, that it is possible for the natives of India to be faithful to their convictions, in the face of such opposition as the Abbé Dubois describes.

He thus explains the kind of influence, or