a gradual manner, to exhibit, in the case of Pharaoh, the obstinate hardness of the human heart; and that by repeated displays of his almighty power, all Egypt might know, that amongst their gods many, and lords many, there was none like unto the God of Israel. Accordingly, when God, by ten successive strokes of judgment, made his power known, and caused terror and dismay to spread over the land of Egypt, he brought out his people with a mighty hand, and all their substance with them, not one hoof was left behind. Nor did they come out empty-handed. They came out loaded with the spoils of their enemies. The Egyptians themselves were glad to forward their departure; having been taught by their own sad experience, that their Redeemer was strong and mighty. In this deliverance, the Israelites had a type of a still greater deliverance to be wrought for them out of the hands of all their enemies, in the latter days; and in this deliverance, there was also a type of that spiritual deliverance from the degrading bondage of sin and Satan, which Christ accomplishes in behalf of all who believe. Of which salvation, Zacharias prophesied, when he said, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and raised up for us an horn of salvation in the house of his servant David; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him, without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our lives." And as the Israelites, when delivered from their enemies, were also enriched, so, in the salvation of the Gospel, there is not only a deliverance from the greatest of all evils, but there is the obtaining of the true riches, even gold tried in the fire, that we may be rich. 46 Ye know," saith the apostle," the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we, through his poverty, might be rich." And as the people of Israel, from being the bondmen of Pharaoh, became the people of God, so, in the salvation of the Gospel, we are delivered from the degrading bondage of sin and Satan, to be adopted into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Farther, the shedding of the blood of the paschal lamb, stood intimately connected with the deliverance from Egyptian bondage. Their having their door-posts sprinkled with the blood of the lamb, was the means of their deliverance from the sword of the destroying angel. And the great deliverance from sin and Satan, was accomplished through the shedding of the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Such, then, is a brief sketch of the first period of the history of Israel; and it is distinguished by a very signal deliverance, wrought out for them by very wonderful displays of the mighty power of God, such as have not been manifested in favour of any other nation. In this we see a confirmation of what the Scripture has so expressly declared, that he hath not dealt so with other nations. And from this period of their history, let us learn, 1. To be deeply humbled in the contemplation of that state of guilt, degradation, and misery, in which we are involved under the bondage of sin and Satan, of which the bondage of Egypt, with all its rigours, affords but a faint emblem. 2. To be thankful for that blessed way of deliverance through the sufferings and death of Christ, prefigured by the paschal lamb. It is by having his precious blood sprinkled upon us, that we shall be cleansed from all sin. 3. To remember, that having been redeemed at such a price, we are no longer our own, we are Christ's; we are no longer to live to ourselves, but to Him who died for us, and who rose again. CHRISTIAN TREASURY. God's love to his chosen.-How very marvellous is the special love of God to his chosen! Many waters could not quench, all the floods could not drown it. The hatred of hell is unequal to its extinction; the ages of eternity unable to diminish its ardour; the wealth of the universe is insufficient to bribe it from its purposes of mercy. It dwelt from everlasting in the bosom of the Eternal God; and thence did it emanate to expatiate on all the hosts of the blest. But heaven could not hold it, the precincts of that holy place, widely extended though they be, were too narsacred boundaries, it descended to the earth, and there row for its ever expanding benignity; it burst the its manifestations have not been confined to one counhimself a habitation, there does it select its objects. try or people; for, wherever man has established for At one time, perhaps, its footsteps are traceable in the sea, as it travels over its waters to visit the cabin and the heart of some far off mariner; at another, it may be seen like a roe or a young hart on the mountains of spices, hastening with joyful footsteps to the relief of some broken-hearted exile in the solitudes in Siberia; now, it may be met with in the lanes of the thickly peopled city, entering the house where disease, and poverty, and death, in terrible alliance, sit brooding together with ominous aspect; and anon, it is found penetrating the thickets of the Canadian wilderness, and leading captive the minds and the affections of their rude inhabitants. At its call, their weapons of war drop from their hands, the battle-cry ceases, and these back settlements of the world resound with the song of the good will of heaven to man.— -SOSTHENES. (On Union to Christ and abiding in Him.) Meditation must be combined with hearing the Word. As rain, without which nothing can grow, may fall so often, and in such excess, as to prove no less hurtful than a drought, so it is common, very common, for religious persons to hear, and hear, and hear, till they are very little alone,-are utter strangers to meditation, are as ignorant of the Scriptures, and their interpretation by the Holy Ghost, as those who hear only ignorant teachers. I had rather spend one hour with the dearest friend I have upon earth, than hear him commended for days together. Private prayer and meditation upon the blessed Word of God, is spending our time with the beloved Jesus. The sermon is the com mendation of his excellency.-VENN. Presence of God. In the depth of the night, when we are left to darkness, to silence, and ourselves, the utter stillness, and the blank void that surround us sometimes bring a powerful sense of God's presence along with them, and the more we attempt to escape it, the more palpably it seems to gather around us in the obscurity. Some way or other, man can never be totally alone, the very absence of every other being, and of every other object of sense or thought, appears almost necessarily and irresistibly to suggest the presence of God. Then, when we seem to feel ourselves, as it were, under the immediate pressure of the Almighty, the thought will occur, "Was he not equally present this day and every moment of my life? and yet, how little have I been influenced in my heart, conversation, and conduct, by the sense that his eye was everlastingly open upon me, as it is at this instant !"— Wolfe's Remains. Preparation for Heaven.-They that look for a heaven made ready, should live as if they were in heaven already.-DYER, SACRED POETRY. HYMN, BY ROBERT Kaye Greville, LL. D. O GOD! we come before thee, With many sighs and tears. On thee, O God! depending, Reward beyond the skies. Oh let us, then, press on! And drink we at the fountain, That gives us strength alone! Obtain one pearl above! JEHOVAH-JIREH. BY RICHARD HUIE, ESQ., M.D. My brother, cease that plaintive moan,— Earth's woe a swiftly ebbing-tide; I too have felt the pelting storm, And seen my brightest prospects flee: In childhood's bloom, in manhood's pride; Yet faith could whisper 'midst it all,Jehovah hears, and will provide ! But what am I? See yonder hill; The altar's built the heir is bound; The patriarch's heart has ceas'd to thrill,His hand is rais'd to strike the wound: When, hark! an angel stops the deed; Young Isaac's bonds are cast aside; Behold a meaner victim bleed, Jehovah hears, and will provide! More wondrous yet: when sin had cost This earth its charms, and man his soul; When worlds could not redeem the lost, Nor angels judgment's course control; The Son of God, in mortal guise, While friends desert, and foes deride, On Calv'ry's blood stain'd summit dies!Jehovah hears, and will provide! Then, brother, cease that plaintive moan,— Then, sister, wipe those tears away; What, though your sweetest joys are flown? What though your choicest gourds decay? Earth's bliss is but a summer flower, Earth's woe a swiftly ebbing-tide; And still, in each distressing hour,— Jehovah hears and will provide! MISCELLANEOUS. Profitable Conversation.-The late Hon. and Rev. W. B. Cadogan, an excellent clergyman at Reading, having been informed that a lady in that town was a pious woman, wished to cultivate her acquaintance, and took an opportunity of calling at her house. On being introduced to the room where she was sitting, he apologized for his intrusion as a stranger, but hoping that he had the happiness of addressing one who was a child of God, and a sister in Christ Jesus, he anticipated both pleasure and profit from mutual intercourse. These words excited the attention, and impressed the heart of the servant, who had shown Mr C. into the She retired wondering what these things meant "a child of God a sister in Christ Jesus," and was led anxiously to inquire-" Am I a child of God? or is there any possibility of my becoming so?" She retired to her chamber, and for the first time in her life poured out her heart in humble prayer that she might be taught what at present she little understood, and might become the character she considered so honourable and desirable. Her impression proved abiding, and to old age she exemplified the Christian character. What good may arise, under the blessing of God, from a single pious expression! room. ter. A negro scholar.-While a naval officer was inspecting one of the schools in the island of Barbadoes, containing two hundred negro boys and girls, a sign was made by one of the children, (by holding up his hand,) intimating that he wished to speak to the mas On going up to the child, who was somewhat more than eight years of age, the master inquired what was the matter. Massa," he replied, with a look of horror and indignation, which the officer said he should never forget, and, pointing to a little boy of the same age, who sat beside him, "Massa, this boy says he does not believe in the resurrection." "This is very bad," said the master; "but do you, my little fellow," addressing the young informer, believe in the resur"But can 66 Yes, massa, I do." 66 rection yourself?" you prove it from the Bible?" "Yes, massa; Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live;' and in another place, Because I live, ye shall live also.'" The master added, Can you prove it from the Old Testament also?" "Yes; for Job says, 'I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.' And David says, in one of his psalms, ‘I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness.' "But are you sure these passages are in the Bible? Here is a Bible, point them out to us." The little boy instantly found all the passages, and read them aloud. Volume I., elegantly bound in embossed cloth, Price 7s., or in Two Parts, Price 8s. Also, Volume II., Part I. Price 4s. 6d. Published by JOHN JOHNSTONE, at the Offices of the SCOTTISH CHRISTIAN HERALD, 2, Hunter Square, Edinburgh, and 19, Glassford Street, Glasgow; J. NISBET & CO., HAMILTON, ADAMS & Co., and R. GROOMBRIDGE, London; W. CURRY, Junior, & Co., Dublin; and W. M COMB, Belfast; and sold by the Booksellers and Local Agents in all the Towns and Parishes of Scotland; and in the principal Towns in England and ireland. Subscribers in Edinburgh, Leith, and Portobello, will have their copies delivered at their own residences regularly, by leaving their addresses with the Publisher.-Subscribers in Glasgow will, in like manner, have their copies delivered, by leaving their addresses at the Publishing Office there, 19, Glassford Street. Subscription (payable in advance) per quarter, of twelve weeks, 1s. 6d.-per half-year, of twenty-four weeks, 3s.-per year, of fortyeight weeks, 6s.-Monthly Parts, containing four Numbers each, stitched in a printed wrapper, Price Sixpence. THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS, THE CONCERN PRICE 1d. a humbler sphere is not obtained, we notice the A WIDOWED mother, and orphan children, prefer a claim to attention and friendly assistance, to which no heart could be conceived to be insensible. The sad reverse occasioned by the death of a husband does excite feelings of commiseration, and a family of helpless children is a spectacle which it is not easy to contemplate with a heart unmoved. But when the general sensation occasioned by a recent bereavement has subsided, there is found to survive only a portion of operative and decided benevolence. The majority of spectators retire from the scene, after having laid their offering of lamentation and regret at the feet of the mourners, with the consciousness that they have done to others what they would expect they, in return, should perform towards them. Tears may have been shed, or rather the word that indicates sorrow may have been uttered, but this scene being closed, the bereaved have obtained no certain prospect of substantial relief. This may be considered an unfavourable or partial view of the workings of that benevolent feeling, conceived to be inherent in the bosom of every human being, but a very slight review of what actually takes place, in scenes of distress, will substantiate the truth of the observation. The widow and the fatherless are conceived to form the special charge of persons in easy or independent circumstances, while those, who occupy the same place in society with the individuals on whom now the mantle of sorrow rests, retire from a sphere which they consider it no part of duty to occupy. The relief of the necessitous, and genuine sympathy with their distress, thus fall into the hands of the higher ranks of the community, while the smaller, but equally effective, contributions of the many are withheld. It is a favourable trait in human nature, that, in a majority of instances, such confidence is not reposed in vain,-those whom Providence has blessed with the means of doing good, are not unwilling to stretch out their It happens, in many instances, that the numehands. The exceptions which do present them-rous and fancied uninfluential exertions of those selves, confirm the truth of the general observation. in the humble ranks are not thought of as an Now, when the active co-operation of those in agency of a most invaluable kind, and the humble VOL. II. There are cases of distress continually occuring, where ample scope is given for the opening up of every stream of benevolence that can refresh and exhilerate them; and when such examples continually occur, efforts ought to be employed to bring the tale of woe and the circumstances of suffering and bereavement to every door. When this is done, the charity of the Gospel is brought in contact with every man's feelings, and genuine Christianity is then distinguished from the spurious and the pretending. Men may then be taught that the sum of human comfort depends more on the smaller contributions of the many, than on the single operations of the most affluent and powerful. The gentle rain distils, in many small and almost imperceptible drops, a more healthful watering, than in the more copious overflowings of a thundercloud; so from the hands of many contributors, flows aid of a more salubrious kind, than if the widow and the fatherless enjoyed only one powerful friend. In the one case, there is the union of brothers, but, in the other, the operation of a cause, distant from the point on which it is brought to bear, and having no other connection with it, than the production of one great and solitary effect. contribution, because not asked, is not proffered, or because small, is not considered deserving of solicitation. Injury is thus done to many a kind and feeling heart, and the droppings of benevolence are thus dried up, because a channel in which it can flow is thoughtlessly denied. There are many who retire from view with their really effective mite, because they possess not coin of a higher and a more attractive name, who, if solicited, would give with cheerfulness what they now possess, and delight to have the kindly charities kept in play by the small, but frequent, demands that are made upon them. It is well when the sensibilities of a community are thus awakened, and kept in constant play, by the judicious application of the exciting motives that present themselves in the scenes of sorrow and distress that continually occur. It is, however, a melancholy fact that, in too many instances, the multitude, who could give their mite, withhold it, and throw the support of the widow and the orphan on those who have something to give, and whose duty alone it is conceived to be to relieve the necessitous. The trifle, therefore, which is the right of the sufferer, is thus diverted to another, and, very frequently, a more questionable channel; and those who are liable to the same calamities, live together as if mere words, or sorrowful looks assumed on solemn occasions, were to pass current coin, instead of the substantial aid which, in small sums, flowing from many quarters, would most amply relieve. When the heart and the hand act in unison, then may we look for a healthful aspect of human society; the mild spirit of the Bible is transfused through every bosom, and he that hath his mite, though his all, gives it with a willing mind, knowing that He who rules over all, will never withdraw his aid, nor cramp his labours of love, with a niggardly hand. There is true satisfaction in being the recipient of the small but willing offerings of a Christian population, ready to relieve a brother in distress; and the influence on the mind of the sufferer is the origin of many a good resolution, and of the purpose to act, as one who has been relieved, and will not descend from the vantage ground on which friends, kindly assisting, have placed him. But there are selfish and cold hearts, which no tale of distress can move, by whom widows, and the fatherless, are not thought of in their lonely habitations, the orphan's sigh is not heard. Let others relieve, they have no call addressed to them, to which it is their duty to listen; and, distinction if it be, it is theirs to claim it as their own, that the mite craved they cannot bestow, and in the number of those who delight to make the heart of the fatherless to rejoice, they refuse to take a place. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE REV. WILLIAM CAREY, D. D., Late Missionary to Bengal, and Professor of Oriental Languages in the College of Fort- William, Calcutta. (Concluded from p. 421.) THE income which Mr Carey derived from his secular employment, was thus amply sufficient for his own support and that of his family. With a disinterestedness, therefore, worthy of his character, he wrote to the society in England whose Missionary he was, to stop the allowance he was accustomed to receive from them. His labours, however, in the good cause, were by no means relaxed. On the contrary, he felt himself bound, now that he had become independent in a pecuniary point of view, to devote his energies, as far as possible, to the great object which had brought him to India. Besides fulfilling the duties of his civil employment with the utmost diligence and assiduity, he attempted native education, acquired the dialect of the province in which he lived, daily addressed the idolatrous natives, often travelled considerable distances to preach in English, maintained an extensive correspondence, and mastered the elements of one of the most difficult and classic languages in the world! In the following September, (1794,) this indefatigable Missionary was seized with a severe attack of fever, under which he was suffering when one of his children was cut off by the same disease. These accumulated trials he was enabled to endure as coming from a gracious and merciful Father. For the improvement of his health, Mr Udney, his kind patron, proposed a journey towards Thibet for him and Mr Thomas. They both set out, accordingly, on the 20th October, and after some changes, arrangement was made that Mr Carey should settle at Mudnabatty, as in all probability likely to be more healthy. About this time, both Mr Carey and Mr Thomas were somewhat surprised by the arrival of a letter from home, complaining of the step which they had taken in accepting of a secular employment. The fear which the directors entertained that the missionary spirit might be lost amid the engrossing cares of the world, was natural, though by no means, in his case, well-founded. Both Mr Carey and his colleague were ardently devoted to the missionary cause, and though strictly attentive to their secular duties, they embraced every opportunity of promoting the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom. In one of Mr Carey's letters, the following account occurs of the worship of the sun, as practised in some parts of Bengal: In "The sun, called Soorjyo, or Deebahar, is supposed to be the governor of all bodily diseases, and is therefore worshipped, to avert his anger, and to prevent diseases. Some valetudinarians worship him every Sunday, by fasting and offerings; but he is annually worshipped the first Sunday in the month of May, which was last Lord's day, Jan. 14. The name of this worship is Dhomma Bhau, or Sooriya Bhau. these parts (for the manner, I am informed, is different in some circumstances, in different places) women appear to be the principal actors in the worship, though none are excluded, and even Mussulmans have so far Hinduized as to join in the idolatry. It was thus conducted: At the dawn of the morning a great number of offerings were carried into the open field, sisted of fruits, sweetmeats, pigeons, and kids; and I and placed in a row. The offerings which I saw cọnsuppose other things, as deer, buffaloes, &c., might be offered. By each person's offering is placed a small pitcher-like pot, containing about a pint and a half of water. A device, made of a water plant, a species of phylanthus, made to represent the sun, is placed on the edge of the pot, as people in England place flowers. The pot, with all its appendages, represents the sun, perhaps as the vivifier of nature. By each offering also is placed a I what shall I call it ?-an incense altar, or censer. It resembles a chafing dish, is made | of copper, and stands on a pedestal about a foot long, It is called a dhoonachee. It contains coals of fire, and has a kind of incense from time to time thrown into it, principally the pitch of the saul tree, called here dhoona. By each offering also stands a lamp, which is kept burning all day; and the women who offer take their station by their offerings. At sun-rise, they walk four times round the whole row of offerings, with the smoking dhoonachee placed on their heads, and then resume their stations again, where they continue in an erect posture, fasting the whole day, occasionally throwing a little dhoona into the dhoonacbee. Towards evening, the Brahmun who attends the ceremony throws the pigeons up into the air, which, being young, cannot fly far, and are scrambled for and carried away by any one who gets them, for the purpose of enting. The Brahmun also perforates the cars of the kids with a pack-needle: after which, the first who touches them gets them. About sun-set, the offerers again take up the smoking dhoonachees, and make three more circuits round the row of offerings, making the whole number seven times in the day. I have not learned the reason of this number. After this, each one takes his or her offering home, and eats it, the worship being ended. Then the lamps are extinguished. I had some of these things presented to me; but in order to bear a testimony against the idolatry, I not only refused them, but others also brought on purpose for me by one present, telling them that it was a very wicked thing to eat things sacrificed to idols, which are God's enemies. I preached to them from Rev. i. 16, His countenance was as the sun shining in his strength,' and told them of the glories of the Lord of the sun, as Creator, Governor, and Saviour. I had a rich Fakir Mussulman come in the morning to hear me; he came from a distance. I had much talk with him afterwards, in the hearing of the people, who were so credulous as to believe that he had actually that morning, turned a pot of water into milk. I asked him to dine with me (this no native would do on any account,) and observed to the people, that if he could change water into milk, he could change pork into mutton; pork being never eaten by Mussulmans. "Thus I have given you a short account of this remarkable worship. They have a book of directions for the performance of it, which I am trying to get. If I succeed, I may in a future letter send you a translation of its contents." Several circumstances now occurred, which, in the course of Providence, led to the transference of Mr Carey to another place, which has since become famous in the annals of missionary operations in India. The indigo works which he and Mr Thomas had been invited by their kind friend, Mr Udney, to superintend, had failed; and though Mr Carey afterwards commenced in the same line for himself, at Kidderpore, about ten miles distant, this speculation also proved unsuccessful. Thus was be once more reduced to great straits in a pecuniary point of view, and had not Providence kindly interposed, his temporal resources would have ere long been entirely exhausted. About this time, towards the close of 1799, four new Missionaries arrived from England. As the East India Company prohibited their settling in the British dominions, they fled to Serampore, a small Danish settlement, about fourteen miles up the country, on the western bank of the Hoogly. Thus prevented from enjoying the assistance of the newly arrived Missionaries, Mr Carey and his colleague resolved to break up the new undertaking at Kidderpore, and to remove to Serampore. | And, to this they were the more reconciled, as the small factory which Mr Carey had established at Kidderpore was, as has been already remarked, far from being in a flourishing condition, and would, if he did not quit it, plunge him into a state of great worldly embarrassment. He determined, therefore, without delay, to renounce this undertaking, and dedicate himself henceforth to the peculiar duties of his missionary office. And no sooner had the little band of faithful messengers of the Gross completed their arrangements on first settling at Serampore, than Mr Carey employed himself, with the utmost diligence, in preaching the Gospel to the natives of the villages around, in teaching those who solicited instruction in spiritual things, and in translating the Gospel into the Bengali language. In a short time, his industry and learning attracted considerable notice, and he was requested to undertake the Bengali professorship in the college of Fort-William-a college which had been recently founded for the instruction of the junior civil servants of the Company. This appointment, besides rendering Mr Carey once more independent of pecuniary assistance from home, afforded him an opportunity of gratifying his taste for the study of languages. commencing the duties of his new situation, he found it necessary to compile a Bengali Grammar, for the use of the students intrusted to his care. In The Serampore Missionaries now formed the noble project of translating the Scriptures, if possible, into all the languages of the East. With this view, after having completed the Bengali version, they proceeded to the Hindusthani, Persian, Mahratta, and Oolkul languages. "Perhaps," says Mr Carey, in a letter dated Feb. 27, 1804, "so many advantages for translating the Bible into all the languages of the East, will never meet in any one situation again, viz., a possibility of obtaining learned natives of all these countries, a sufficiency of worldly good things, with a moderate degree of annual assistance from England to carry us through it, a printing office, a good library of critical writings, a habit of translating, and disposition to do it." With such advantages as these, Mr Carey and his brethren entered upon, and carried forward, the great work of translating the Scriptures, with such activity and zeal as has laid the Christian world under the deepest obligations to the Missionaries at Serampore. Besides the labour connected with this department, Mr Carey took upon himself the task of compiling various grammars and dictionaries, which have been of essential service to Oriental scholars. In a short time Mr Carey's exertions in the College of Fort-William were rewarded by an increase of his salary from five hundred to one thousand rupees per month. While thus prospering, however, in his worldly affairs, he was not a little discouraged by the spirit of opposition which the Government now displayed to the progress of the missionary operations in which he and his brethren were engaged. The circumstances are thus stated in a letter to the society at home :- "Our brethren, Chater and Robinson, who arrived here last week, went, as is customary, to the policeoffice to report their arrival; on which occasion some demur arose about permitting them to proceed to Serampore. Brother Carey, therefore, went to town on Tuesday last, and waited on two of the justices of the peace (Mr Blacquiere and Mr Thoroton) about the matter. As he was leaving the office, Mr Blacquiere |