Hatred of the Natives to the Gospel. fan. 27. The inveterate hatred that the brahmans every where fhow to the gofpel, and the very name of Jesus, in which they are join. ed by many lewd fellows of the bafer fort, requires no common degree of felf-poffeffion, caution, and prudence. The feeming failure of fome we hoped well of is a fource of confiderable anxiety and grief.' Bap. Mif. II. p. 110. Aug. 31. Lord's-day. We have the honour of printing the first book that was ever printed in Bengallee; and this is the first piece in which brahmans have been oppofed, perhaps for thousands of years. All their books are filled with accounts to establish brahmanism, and raise brahmans to the feat of God. Hence they are believed to be inferior gods. All the waters of falvation in the country are fuppofed to meet in the foot of a brahman. It is reckoned they have the keys of heaven and hell, and have power over fickness and health, life and death. O pray that brahmanifm may come down! Ibid. p. 111. O. 3. Brother Marfhman having directed the children in the Ben gallee school to write out a piece, written by brother Fountain (a kind of catechifm), the schoolmafter reported yesterday that all the boys would leave the school rather than write it; that it was defigned to make them lofe caft, and make them Feringas; that is, perfons who have defcended from thofe who were formerly converted by the papifts, and who are to this day held in the greateft contempt by the Hindoos. From this you may gather how much contempt a converted native would meet with. Ibid. p. 113, 114. • Od. 26. Lord's-day. Bharratt told brother Carey to-day what the people talked among themfelves-"Formerly, fay they, here were no white people amongst us. Now the English have taken the country, and it is getting full of whites. Now alfo the white men's fhafter is publifhing. Is it not going to be fulfilled which is written in our fhalters, that all shall be of one caft; and will not this caft be the gospel?”' Ibid. p. 115. Nov. 7. He alfo attempted repeatedly to introduce Christ and him crucified; but they would immediately manifeft the utmost dislike of the very name of him. Nay, in their turn they commended Creeshnoo, and invited brother C. to believe in him.' Ibid. p. 118. • Dec. 23. This forenoon Gokool came to tell us that Kriftno and his whole family were in confinement! Aftonishing news! It seems the whole neighbourhood, as foon as it was noifed abroad that these people had loft caft, was in an uproar. It is faid that two thousand people were affembled, pouring their anathemas on these new converts.' Ibid. p. 125. de " Jan. 12. The brahmans and the young people fhow every gree of contempt; and the name of Chrift is become a by-word, like the name methodil in England formerly.' Ibid. p. 130. Sept. 15. I then took occafion to tell them that the brahmans only wanted their money, and cared nothing about their falvation. To this they readily affented.' Ibid. p. 134. • Nov. • Nov. 23. Lord's-day. Went with brother Carey to the new pagoda, at the upper end of the town. About ten brahmans attended. They behaved in the moft fcoffing and blafphemous manner, treating the name of Chrift with the greatest scorn; nor did they discontinue their ridicule while brother Carey prayed with them. No name amongst men feems fo offenfive to them as that of our adorable REDEEMER!' Ibid. p. 138. Dec. 24. The governor had the goodness to call on us in the course of the day, and defired us to fecure the girl, at least within our walls, for a few days, as he was perfuaded the people round the country were fo exafperated at Kriftno's embracing the gofpel, that he could not anfwer for their fafety. A number of the mob might come from twenty miles diftant in the night, and murder them all, without the perpetrators being difcovered. He believed, that had they obtained the girl, they would have murdered her before the morning, and thought they had been doing God fervice!' Ibid. p. 143, 144. Jan. 30. After fpeaking about ten minutes, a rude fellow began to be very abufive, and with the help of a few boys, raised fuch a clamour that nothing could be heard. At length, feeing no hope of their becoming quiet, I retired to the other part of the town. They followed, hallooing and crying, "Hurree boll!" (an exclamation in honour of Veeshno.) They at laft began to pelt me with ftones and dirt. One of the men, who knew the house to which brother Carey was gone, advised me to accompany him thither, saying, that thefe people would not hear our words. Going with him, I met brother C. We were not a little pleased that the devil had begun to beftir himself, iaferring from hence that he fufpected danger.' Ibid. p. 148, 149. Feelings of an Hindoo boy upon the eve of conversion. Nov. 18. One of the boys of the school, called Benjamin, is under confiderable concern: indeed there is a general fir amongst our children, which affords us great encouragement. The following are fome of the expreffions ufed in prayer by poor Benjamin- "Oh Lord, the day of judgment is coming: the fun, and moon, and stars will all fall down. Oh, what fhall I do in the day of judg ment! Thou wilt break me to pieces. [literal] The Lord Jefus Chrift was fo good as to die for us poor fouls: Lord keep us all this day! Oh hell! Gnathing, and beating, and beating! One hour weeping, another guathing! We shall ftay there for ever! I am going to hell I am going to hell! Oh Lord, give me a new heart; give me a new heart, and wash away all my fins! Give me a new heart, that I may praise Him, that I may obey Him, that I may speak the truth, that I may never do evil things! Oh, I have many times finned against thee, many times broken thy commandments, oh many times; and what fhall I do in the day of judgment !' p. 162, 163. Alarm of the natives at the preaching of the gospel. From feveral parts of Calcutta he hears of people's attention being excited by reading the papers which we have fcattered among them. L 3 Many I fay more, it muft either be a dull recital of our journeying to one place or another to preach the gofpel, or fomething elfe relating to our felves, of which I ought to be the laft to fpeak. Bap. Mif. I. p. 488. Extracts from Mr Ward's Journal, a new Anabaptist Missionary sent out in 1799. Mr Ward admires the Captain. • Several of our friends who have been fick, begin to look up. This evening we had a moft precious hour at prayer. Captain Wickes read from the 12th verfe of the 33d of Exodus, and then joined in prayer. Our hearts were all warmed. We fhook hands with our dear Captain, and, in defign, clafped him to our bofoms. Ibid. Vol. II. p. 2. Mr Ward is frightened by a Privateer. June 11. Held our conference this evening. A veffel is ftill purfing us, which the Captain believes to be a Frenchman. I feel fome alarm: confiderable alarm. Oh Lord, be thou our defender! The veffel feems to gain upon us. (Quarter paft eleven at night.) There is no doubt of the veffel being a French privateer: when we changed our tack, the changed hers. We have, fince dark, changed into our old courfe; fo that poffibly we fhall lofe her. Brethren G. and B. have engaged in prayer: we have read Luther's pfalm, and our minds are pretty well compofed. Our guns are all loaded, and the Captain feems very low. All hands are at the guns, and the matches are lighted. I go to the end of the fhip. I can juft fee the veffel, though it is very foggy. A ball whizzes over my head, and makes me tremble. go down, and go to prayer with our friends. Ibid. p. 3, 4. Mr Ward feels a regard for the Sailors. I July 12. I never felt fo much for any men as for our failors; a tenderness which could weep over them. Oh, Jefus! let thy blood cover fome of them! A fweet prayer-meeting. Verily God is here.' Ibid. p. 7. Mr Ward sees an American Vessel, and longs to preach to the Sailors. Sept 27. An American veffel is along-fide, and the Captain is fpeaking to their Captain through his trumpet. How pleasant to talk to a friend! I have been looking at them through the glafs: the failors fit in a group, and are making their obfervations upon us. I long to. go and preach to them.' Ibid. p. 11. Feelings of the Natives upon hearing their Religion attacked.. 1800. Feb. 25. Brother C. had fome converfation with one of the Muffulmans, who afked, upon his denying the divine miffion of Mahommed, what was to become of Muffulmans and Hindoos! Brother C. expreffed his fears that they would all be loft. The man feemed as if he would have torn him in pieces.' Ibid. p. 51. Mar. 30. The people feem quite anxious to get the hymns which we give away. The Brahmans are rather uneafy. The Governor advifed his Brahmans to fend their children to learn English. They replied, that we feemed to take pains to make the natives Chriftians; and they were afraid that, their children being of tender age, would make kem a more eafy conqueft.' Ibid. p. 58. • Aprit April 27. Lord's-day. One Brahman faid, he had no occafion. for a hymn, for they were all over the country. He could go into any houfe and read one. Ibid. p. 61. May 9. Brother Fountain was this evening at Buddabarry. At the close, the Brahmans having collected a number of boys, they fet up a great shout, and followed the brethren out of the village with noife and fhoutings.' Ibid. 16. Brother Carey and I were at Buddabarry this evening, No fooner had we begun, than a Brahman went round to all the reft that were present, and endeavoured to pull them away.' Ibid. p. 62. 30. This evening at Buddabarry, the man mentioned in my journal of March 14th, infulted brother Carey. He asked why we came; and faid, if we could employ the natives as carpenters, blackfmiths, &c. it would be very well; but that they did not want our holinefs. In exact conformity with this fentiment, our Brahman told brother Thomas when here," That he did not want the favour of God." Ibid. p. 63. June 22. Lord's-day. A brahman has been feveral times to difturb the children, and to curfe Jefus Christ! Another brahman complained to brother Carey that, by our school and printing, we were now teaching the gospel to their children from their infancy." Ibid. p. 65. June 29. Lord's-day. This evening, a brahman went round a mongst the people who were collected to hear brother Carey, to perfuade them not to accept of our papers. Thus "darkness strugglee with the light. Ibid. p. 66. It was deemed advisable to print 2000 copies of the New Teftament, and also 500 additional copies of Matthew for immediate diftribution; to which are annexed, fome of the moft remarkable prophecies in the Old Teftament respecting Chrift. These are now diftributing, together with copies of several evangelical hymns, and a very earnest and pertinent address to the natives, refpecting the gofpel. It was written by Ram Bofhoo, and contains a hundred lines in Bengallee verfe. We hear that these papers are read with much attention, and that apprehenfions are rifing in the minds of fome of the brahmans whereunto thefe things may grow.' Ibid. p. 69. We have printed feveral small pieces in Bengalee, which have had a large circulation.' Ibid. p. 77. Mr Fountain's gratitude to Hervey When I was about eighteen or nineteen years of age Hervey's Meditations fell into my hands. Till then 1 had read nothing but my bible and the prayer-book. This ufhered me as it were into a new world! It expanded my mind, and excited a thirst after knowledge and this was not all; I derived fpiritual as well as intellectual advantages from it. I fhall blefs God for this book while I live upon earth, and when I get to heaven I will thank dear Hervey himfelf' Bap. Miff II. p. 90. L2 *Hatred Hatred of the Natives to the Gospel. Jan. 27. The inveterate hatred that the brahmans every where fhow to the gofpel, and the very name of Jesus, in which they are join. ed by many lewd fellows of the bafer fort, requires no common degree of felf-poffeffion, caution, and prudence. The feeming failure of fome we hoped well of is a fource of confiderable anxiety and grief.' Bap. Mi. II. p. 110. Aug. 31. Lord's-day. We have the honour of printing the first book that was ever printed in Bengallee; and this is the first piece in which brahmans have been oppofed, perhaps for thousands of years. All their books are filled with accounts to establish brahmanism, and raife brahmans to the feat of God. Hence they are believed to be inferior gods. All the waters of falvation in the country are fuppofed to meet in the foot of a brahman. It is reckoned they have the keys of heaven and hell, and have power over fickness and health, life and death. O pray that brahmanism may come down! Ibid. p. 111. O. 3. Brother Marshman having directed the children in the Bengallee school to write out a piece, written by brother Fountain (a kind of catechifm), the fchoolmafter reported yesterday that all the boys would leave the fchool rather than write it; that it was defigned to make them lofe caft, and make them Feringas; that is, perfons who have defcended from those who were formerly converted by the papifts, and who are to this day held in the greateft contempt by the Hindoos. From this you may gather how much contempt a converted native would meet with. Ibid. p. 113, 114. Od. 26. Lord's-day. Bharratt told brother Carey to-day what the people talked among themfelves-"Formerly, fay they, here were no white people amongst us. Now the English have taken the countrys and it is getting full of whites. Now alfo the white men's fhafter is publifhing. Is it not going to be fulfilled which is written in our fhafters, that all fall be of one caft; and will not this caft be the gospel?" " Ibid. p. 115. • Nov. 7. He alfo attempted repeatedly to introduce Christ and him crucified; but they would immediately manifeft the utmost dislike of the very name of him. Nay, in their turn they commended Creefhnoo, and invited brother C. to believe in him.' Ibid. p. 118. Dec. 23. This forenoon Gokool came to tell us that Kriftno and his whole family were in confinement! Aftonishing news! It feems the whole neighbourhood, as foon as it was noifed abroad that thefe people had loft caft, was in an uproar. It is faid that two thousand people were affembled, pouring their anathemas on these new converts. ' Ibid. p. 125. Jan. 12. The brahmans and the young people fhow every deof contempt; and the name of Chrift is become a by-word, like the name methodil in England formerly.' Ibid. p. 130. gree Sept. 15. I then took occafion to tell them that the brahmans only wanted their money, and cared nothing about their falvation. To this they readily affented.' Ibid. p. 134. • Nov. |